discover roots, rocks, and weeds through the eyes of your child This will make some squirm, but there’s so much learning that happens in the dirt! We have a planter box in our back yard that we haven’t planted in just yet, and G loves to explore in it. This was all with me following his lead, providing some tools to help him explore along the way.
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He likes to grab fistfuls of dirt (he shouts “ball” as he throws the clumps) and crumble it into tiny pieces. He also likes to pull up the old roots and weeds that he finds, excitedly showing them to me as he goes. It’s a great, easy way to connect with nature. The birds were chirping, the dogs were nearby, and G was fully immersed in what he was doing. If you don’t have a big planter box like we do, or landscaping you are comfortable with your kiddo digging around in, you can use any plastic pot or old hanging basket if you have it around. We add weeds we pulled from the garden regularly, so there’s all sorts of stuff growing for G to discover. If you’re not into the big clean-up, make sure your little one is wearing older clothes that you can hose down when you’re done. Pro Tip: tuck in the shirt so dirt doesn’t fall down into the pants!
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embrace the warmer weather without the full commitment of a pool Looking for an outdoor activity that involves water, but don’t want the commitment of a lot of equipment? This was an accidental activity in our backyard, that G came up with all on his own. We had some caps and buckets left outside, and he decided to scoop water out of our birdbath, walk across the patio, and pour the water into the tin.
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You could easily do this using bowls from your kitchen, or any empty plastic containers like those from yogurt, peanut butter, or carry out boxes made of plastic. Bonus points if you put a lot of distance between the two containers—more walking means more excited toddler energy is burned, all while having fun! This activity has so much learning involved—problem solving, gross motor development, and fine motor development. It takes a lot of effort and concentration to coordinate all the steps here, without a lot of hands-on guidance from a parent! You can also support language development by naming the steps, such as “scoop,” “careful,” and “pour.” This activity definitely left his t-shirt damp, so it would be great for a warm summer day! |
AuthorAmy here, sharing tips, tricks, and ideas about using the materials we have in playgroup to inspire you at home. ArchivesCategories |