Greening Sam and Avery

let's go for a walk (preschool nature walks)

With spring fully upon us now the yards and green spaces around us are changing so quickly. Each day as we walk our neighborhood there are more flowers to see, more birds that are active and so much more color and green around us. If you blink you will miss the best part of the year!! 

So, I thought I would share some of the activities that we do while we are on walks around our neighborhood or on hikes. Planning a simple activity to do while you go for a walk or hike can add so much more enjoyment and learning to the experience, plus it means that you will never get bored of the same few blocks around your home or the same trail at the local park. 

Bug Safari - the bugs are just starting to come back out. So why not bring along a simple net and clear container to see what you can catch (and of course release!)!

A listening Walk - no equipment needed, just your ears!

Color Counting - use a simple chart and stickers to get your kids actively counting the colors that they find.

Phonics Scavenger Hunt - add words to your pictures for some letter recognition. 

An Evening Walk

Early Morning Walk

Ice Hunting -  if you are still in winter or have chilly mornings you might still have a bit of ice on your streams and ponds. Let your kids explore the ice with sticks and rocks. What can they break? Where do they see the most ice? 

Fall Leaf Walk - if you are in Fall and not spring these books might be a great addition to your leaf hunting! 

 

What do you do on a walk with your preschooler or toddler? If you have a walk activity please share it with me so I can get even more great ideas!

 

a child's curiosity

When you do not pay attention to the curiosity of a child everyone loses. 

 

Yesterday Sam attempted to interrupt my weeding time with a question about something she had found. I glanced up, 

and then looking back down at my weeds said "oh Sam they are just mushrooms, don't touch them, we don't know what kind they are".  She came right back to me that they were soft and didn't seem like mushrooms she had seen before. Again I dismissed her, told her again not to touch them and went back to my weeding (because of course dandelions are the most important thing in the world!). 

And she ran off. Off to explore something else, dig up something else or water another flower. 

Then, today when it was just Avery and I out in the garden I found those two soft, mushroom-like things that Sam had found. And my heart sank. What a teachable moment I missed with Sam yesterday. 

We could have talked about this sign of spring. About this tiny little amazing white puff that would soon grow to be a huge green plant.

About the big green lead that was all curled up inside there just waiting to grow and uncurl. 

But I missed out. In that moment my weeding was more important and we all missed out. So, later today when the rain stops we will go explore, find those "mushrooms" again and talk about what they really are!

Moms - put down the dishes, the laundry, the weeding tools and the cleaning supplies. It can all wait. Play with your kids. Get them outside exploring, learning and playing. Be there with them, asking questions, feeling things and discovering new wonders in your own backyard. Keep in mind what is truly the most important thing in the world right now and don't miss out! 

 

helping the birds get ready for spring

 The girls and I decided that with spring coming so fast in WI the birds would need to be making new nests to hold their eggs and might need some help. And we want to make sure that they have plenty of places for good homes. So we are helping them out by making a few bird houses for them! 

We started out with an orange juice jug and a quaker oats container. 

After they were thoroughly covered in paint and dried we decorated them with stickers!

I put modge-podge over the stickers and paint to "seal" it from the weather. Not sure this is the best kind of seal for this project but it works pretty well. 

 Once they were all dried we pushed a wood cooking squirer through the bird houses and then filled the bottom of the houses with grasses and other soft natural materials for the birds to use. 

Then Sam picked out where she wanted to hang her house!

Avery was not ready to hang her's up yet so it still sits on my kitchen counter. I will wait a few more days to let her decide where she wants to hang it. 

But now we wait to see if the birds will find the house and use it to lay some eggs. 

How are you getting ready for spring? Are you helping the animals in your yard get ready for spring?

 

enjoying the warmth

It is not often that the temp goes above 45 degrees in January in Wisconsin. So, with the temps in the 50s and high 40s the last two days we have been out exploring!

We went to check out a new park.

They just put in the play structure at a park that already had a splash pad and a great trail around a fishing pond. It is a great combination of different type of outdoor play! We can't wait to have picnics there, water play, fishing and exploring!

We have also been doing some hiking.

Avery is loving walking with her hands in her pockets and I think it makes her look like such a big girl! We went and checked out Lake Mendota. The ice is not safe to walk on anymore (someone's fishing shanty and ATV went through this weekend, luckily they weren't hurt!) but it is fun to throw rocks and see if you can get them to break through.

The warm temps also means there are lots of muddy puddles to play in!

It looks like it is going to be pretty warm for the next few days as well. All of our snow will probably be gone by the end of the week. Sam is super sad that her snow fort is disappearing. I keep telling her that winter isn't over yet and more snow will be here soon...but I am starting to doubt that! Where is out Wisconsin winter?

Are you still getting outside everyday? Update me on how your Everyday Outdoor Play in 2012 is going!

learning about hibernation through pretend play

Which is exactly what we did!

We started by talking about where bears go when it gets cold and what they might use to make their hibernation spot more comfortable.

The girls thought their princess tent filled with pillows and blankets would make the perfect bear cave.

But the tent was not as dark as they thought a cave would be. So more blankets were needed!

Then they settled in to hibernate like bears do!

Sam quickly decided that bears must get very bored while they hibernate and she decided it would be better if they had books! Hibernating quickly turned into very comfortable reading time! HA!

But this pretend play got us to have great conversations about why some animals hibernate and others don't. And what it must be like to hibernate.

Love when pretend play can directly lead to learning some great lessons about the animals around us.

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The Nitty Gritty!

We set this all up in the morning and the timing worked out perfect that when they were tired of pretending to be bears it was lunch time. This gave me the perfect opportunity to talk about how hungry animals must be when they finally wake up for spring. The girls had fun pretending it was finally spring and they could eat again! I think it also led them to eat a bigger lunch!!

We learned about squirrels in winter here.

getting ready for snow

Do you have your shovels out? Sleds ready to go? Kid's toys all picked up out of the yard?  If you live in WI I sure hope so because the snow is coming!!  Finally we are going to get some winter weather. The snow is suppose to begin tonight and then keep coming all day tomorrow. I am hoping for A LOT!

So today the girls and I (well the girls really while I sat on the stairs of the deck with my head between my legs; my awesome daughters have given me whatever virus they had and it has hit me hard!) cleaned up all the outside toys and got them packed away again. We pulled out their buckets, shovels and little rakes and put them in a safe place so they would be ready for snow play. The girls are super excited to be able to build snow castles! I got the idea to keep the shovels and buckets out from Tanya at Family Adventures in the Candian Rockies (an awesome new blog that I recently discovered!) The idea of sand toys as snow toys had never occurred to me and it is genius! Tanya posted an adorable photo of her little one playing in the snow with his bucket and shovel and I instantly knew I needed to keep our stuff out.

While the girls were sick last weekend I also got to work on a new piece of winter gear for them, neck warmers. Sam picked out the bright pink princess fabric for both of them.

With no sewing machine this was quite the project for me to tackle but in just three days I got them done. They are a snug fit (my measuring could apparently use some help) but will work well for this year. Sam was very excited to wear it. I wanted the girls to have neck warmers because they are easier and more convenient for kids than scarves and they can wear them just around their neck, or pull them up over their faces when it is super cold or they are doing something like skiing or sledding.

If you are interested in how to make them shoot me a comment and I will do my best to explain!

How is your family getting ready for the snow?

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The Nitty Gritty!
Once we have snow getting out in it to play is a big priority for us. I want to make sure that we constantly have something fun to do outside. I think little kids most often get cold quickly because they are bored and uncomfortable playing the snow. Being creative and having fun things for them to do in the snow can really help them to stay warm and having fun outside even in the cold.

So, if you have any posts with snow play ideas or have anything to share please let me know! I have also created a pinterest board for snow play, so I will be sure to add any links that you have to that Board as wel!

animals in winter - squirrels

Do you ever have those ideas that hit you in the middle of the night and wake you up?

Well, right before the madness of the holidays hit I had this idea to use indoor/outdoor play and games to teach the girls about the habits of animals in winter. I have several fun ideas to test out and we started with squirrels.

I found some coloring images of acorns on the web and printed out 16 acorns. Sam was given the job of coloring them and cutting them out. At first she was hesitant and didn't really care about the project but then I told her that we were going to be using the acorns to pretend to be squirrels and play a game. She sat in one spot until all 16 acorns were colored and cut out!

Before we started playing we talked about squirrels; what they eat (acorns primarily), where they live (nests and hollowed out holes in trees), how they find their food (using their nose to sniff out the nuts), and how they get ready for the cold winter months (collecting and hiding as many acorns as they can before snow falls).

Then I hide all of the acorns around several rooms in our house and told the girls to turn themselves into squirrels to find as many acorns as they can.

They really got into using their noses to find the acorns!

After the girls had hunted for the acorns a bit I added a new twist and became a fox that was hunting them! I slowly crawled around the rooms that they were looking for acrons in, scaring them and pretending to try and catch them. They loved this part. Sam even went so far as to decide that their princess tent was their tree house that they should store their acorns in and hide in until the fox was gone. I stalked them at the "bottom" of the tree house for a while and then told them the fox was giving up and moving on.

This was a great way to talk about habits of squirrels and for the girls to get a chance to see what it would be like to be a squirrel. We learned, we played, we laughed and had a great time!

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The Nitty Gritty!

This could very easily be advanced for older kids into an outdoor game. I learned a similar type game as a graduate assistant at the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station. Something more waterproof and indestructible, like poker chips, could be used as the acorns. With a playing area designated simply spread out the acorns and let the squirrels head out to gather their food. Large cups or similar container can be used as "stomachs" for collecting. After a short amount of time send a larger predator out to start hunting the squirrels. If a squirrel gets caught s/he has to give all their acorns to the larger predator (you can let the squirrel go back to colleting or have them sit down to be dead). Stop after a few minutes and see who has food in their stomach. Talk about what it was like to collect acrons with no predators chasing you versus collecting once the larger predator came out.

With older students this game can also be used to discuss bio-accumulation, food chains, food webs and energy transfer. 

winter hiking

Chris, the girls and I took Uncle Craig to Devil's Lake State park today for a little hiking.

We ran into a few obstacles that we had not thought about (like very icy spots on the trail and strong winds when we were hiking down by the water) but overall it was a great morning.

The little bit of snow added the fun of looking for tracks, making our own tracks and more.

A little snow snack at the top!

And me and Avery being silly on the trail!

And some fun ice/water play when we got to the lake at the bottom.

We were trying to land rocks on top of the ice without breaking the big chunks.

It was a fun little challenge!

And of course when we got to the boulder fields we had to take some cute photos.

It was a great way to spend our morning and everyone came home completely exhausted!

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The Nitty Gritty!

If you are thinking about doing some winter hiking with your little ones, and I would strongly encourage it, there are some things to keep in mind.

First, will the trail be safe. We did have a bit more ice on the trail than I had expected. Sam did fine with it, but we had to adjust our hiking style. Sam was not allowed to run ahead or be as wild and silly on the trail. We had to hold her hand and have her hike next to us more than we normally would. If you are unsure what the trail conditions are I would suggest calling ahead (if there is an information center or nature center available) and asking about ice or snow on the trail.

Second, dress your little ones in more layers than you think they need. Just like any winter outdoor play your kiddos will have a much better time and last longer if they don't notice the cold at all. But keep in mind their ability to navigate the trail as well. Even though snow pants might be the best way to keep them warm, those big puffy pants will make it very tough to walk up hills, over rocks or other rough terrain. Try using tights or leggings combined with fleece/flannel lined pants as a way to give them the warmth they need but also a bit more flexibility.

Third, bring extras! We started Sam out in her tennis shoes today but I had her snow boots packed in our backpack so that when her shoes got wet from the snow we would have a back-up to keep her comfortable and not end the hike. Extra clothes are important too. You never know when falls in the snow may happen and with no snowpants on clothes may get wet, having extras to change into may save the day!

Any other winter hiking tips or tricks?

outdoor play link up - ice hunting

Cold and no snow is not great weather for outdoor play. The kids get cold quickly, bored more easily and have more limited things to do.

BUT with cold, comes ice and the fun of watching our stream start to freeze over.

Our weather has been on and off cold; 40 degrees one day and 20 something the next. This isn't great conditions for ice to form. But we decided to do some ice hunting this week just to see what we could find.

We didn't find much, but a few small patches were enough to require giant sticks to make sure that every last little bit got broken up!

We have been making frequent trips to the stream this week to find these tiny little spots of ice. These trips don't last hours, usually only about 45 minutes, but it is enough time for the girls to get some energy out, use their little muscles to wield a big stick and some great fresh air for all of us.

If you have similar weather but with more rain/freezing and there are icicles forming you could also do an icicle hunt!

Now on to the LINK UP!

This weeks feature -

Ever gone on a sound hunt? I had never thought of this one and it is so simple but genius! Sun Hats and Wellie Boots linked up this week with their sound hunt  and I am in love with this idea! For some reason I can't link up an image but follow the link to see how a walk with some simple drum sticks turns into a real learning and play adventure!

How did your kids play outdoors this week?

Share your ideas for outdoor play activities with us! Here’s just a few guidelines for sharing.

• Any kind of children's outdoor play is welcome. If it happened outside, then please link it up!

• Please do not share any competitions, promotions, or posts that are not related to Outdoor Play.

• Please remember to link back to this post and help us spread the word about the importance (and fun!) of outdoor play!

• Each week we will feature an activity from the previous week. By contributing you are giving permission for an image and link to your post to be republished.

 

winter books

Just wanted to share a few books we are reading right now to get us ready for colder temps and lots of snow. Because eventually the 40s and 50s that we are having will go away and the snow will start to fall!

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons, Il Sung Na

This adorable book is all about how animals prepare and handle the cold temps and outside changes that happen in winter. A little rabbit is shown moving through scenes (that it would never be in, like sitting on top of an alligator!) to show all kinds of animals. The little rabbit then changes colors at the end to show how he handles the changes of the seasons. Very great book to start learning and talking about what animals are doing during the cold season.

Winter Is, by Ann Dixon

The descriptions in this book tell all the contradictory feelings and thoughts that people can have about winter. The darkness of shorter day and the brightness of fires and the northern lights. The cold temps and the warmth you feel while going up and down hills as you sled. Winter is white because of the snow but black because of the dark night skies. The book paints a beautiful and descriptive picture of winter.

Snip, Snip, Snow, by Nancy Poydar

Sometimes kids need help to get excited about playing in the snow, this book is perfect for that. The little girl is so excited about snow but it just won't come. The book talks all about the fun things that can happen in the snow. There is also great snowflake making at her school and even a how-to guide at the back for making paper snowflakes!

What are you reading right now? Do you read books that go with the seasons?

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The Nitty Gritty!

Loving the outdoor play link up right now! Have you checked it out?

I am getting tons of new ideas for things to do outside and connecting with a lot of new bloggers. So welcome to any new readers that might be stopping by! Leave me a comment and let me know that you are here!