Superscript
Resources for Outdoor Discoveries
Playing outside is crucial for children's development, offering numerous physical, mental, and social benefits. The opportunities for children to learn through outdoor discovery play are endless. Discovery play can be themed around any subject including the seasons. So it is sure to enjoyed by all! It encourages physical activity, promotes vitamin D production, and enhances motor skills, contributing to a healthier lifestyle. Additionally, outdoor play fosters creativity, problem-solving skills, and social development through interaction with nature and peers.
Superscript
Resources for Early Nature Exploration-Early Learning
Toddlers are my favorite! I know that’s an unpopular opinion in our “terrible twos” dreading culture, but I love them. The first curriculum that I wrote was for two years olds as a freshman in college. I just enjoy this stage so much.
Don’t get me wrong, toddlers have tested and stressed and exhausted me to no end over my years as a teacher and parent of twins, but still – it is my favorite age. Toddlers are just so sweet, curious, opinionated, independent…oh they’re just so much fun. Engage your toddler with one of these awesome activities below to encourage development and have fun.
Building play skills with toddlers can be hard work, but it is also tons of fun.
Easy Nature for Home & Outdoor Programs
For Kids 4 & Up
Your infant is exposed to the unique culture of your family, along with your neighborhood, community, and country. Specific languages and customs are learned. Your child will unconsciously adopt the sounds and expressions necessary for communication as you talk, sing, explain, touch, and cuddle.
Observe a baby just week's old responding excitedly to the expressions and voices heard since birth. So much is automatically assimilated. As your child grows and becomes mobile, step aside and watch the natural learning. Of course, you'll give assistance at times and provide a safe environment, but it's impossible to teach directly. Your child will pull up, plop down, take a few steps, fall and repeat the process endlessly until one day he walks.
We want to be positive role models, filling the world with courteous and kind behavior. Respect for your child is also beneficial and makes parenting easier.
Enjoy this type of early play with your child
Your parental caring, nurturing, and enjoyment will help maximize the absorbent mind's natural sensory-motor development. Remember to:
be there and interact directly with your child. Use varied language, avoiding baby-talk. Describe what you are doing, what you see, and what you are planning. Pause from time to time to notice the response. Read to your baby, too.
follow your child's interests. Get down on the floor or ground with them when they find a small bug or a blade of grass. Children explore with all of their senses, tasting, touching, smelling, and listening to everything in the environment.
keep screens away from a young child. Children's brains need all their senses to be active in order to develop properly.
provide an enclosed and safe play area with items to encourage your child's natural ability to play independently. Try not to interrupt or give unneeded help when they are engaged and interested in an activity.
put down your own phone. Your child needs your undistracted attention now and throughout his life, even if you are just observing from a distance. Is there anyone or anything more important?
provide opportunities for movement as your child grows and becomes mobile. Focus on gross motor development first, before the small muscles.
sit back and enjoy watching as your child becomes a unique person!
"During the first two years of his life a child prepares with his absorbent mind all his individual traits even though he is not himself aware of this."
—Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child
Discovery Activities in Nature
Like babies, toddlers are still very much in a sensory stage. Two year olds are still touching and hearing and yes, tasting, everything around them with great intensity. A lot of the activities for all of the themes below involve sensory play, but here are some of our favorite activities that engage the senses.
Art. Really REALLY Big Art
Colorful Ice Cube Sensory Play
Simple Summer Hose Play & My 3 Steps to Teaching Toddlers to Share
Playful Ideas for Exploring Big Emotions
Super Easy DIY Coffee Can Drums
Apple vs. Ball STEM Experiment
Cooking Themed Flour Sensory Play
Outside Nature Play Experiences
Nature is interesting to most toddlers. I have met a few that are afraid of grass, but for the most part toddlers love to dig in dirt, get wet, and search for bugs. Here are learning activities for kids who love to explore the world outside.
12 Walk Ideas for Toddlers *One of the most popular toddler posts*
Pot Planting with Toddlers
Mess-Free Nature Shake Paintings💗💗
Muddy Sensory Play: The Ultimate Toddler Playdate
Berry Picking with Toddlers
Easy Directions for a DIY Bug Jar💗💗
Discovery Play-Benefits of Discovery Learning for Children
Consider also reading:
Every Parent Can Teach Their Toddler: Learning Through Play Every Day.
It’s a great read for parents or new teachers.
Gross Motor Activity Ideas
This may seem less “Theme” like to you, but I assure you, when toddlers are developing new climbing or running skills you will notice. It will be all they want to do day in and day out – it also may drive you a little nuts. Here are some fun ways to explore new gross motor skills without ruining the furniture.
Learning about Transportation (Inside and out)
Cars, trucks, planes, trains. My toddlers went through a huge and very lengthy train phase, but most toddlers at some point are fascinated by some form of transportation.
Here are some fun and easy ways to explore that theme.
Learning About Animals
Animals. Most kids have their favorites and most toddlers adore their stuffed animals, play animals and trips to the zoo. Here are some great animal themed activities for toddlers.
Outdoor Play
– the benefits of ‘wild’ spaces
Regular opportunities to play in nature improve children’s emotional wellbeing, particularly if the environment includes natural, less ‘managed’ outdoor areas. We’re much more likely to see deeper engagement in ‘wild’ spaces because nature provides complex exploration opportunities that are difficult to replicate. They experience increased freedom and independence in secret spaces and develop spatial awareness by swinging from branches. Even in settings where there is limited access to wild areas, we can still enable nature to nurture children.
Freedom to move
Children who move better, feel better, and evidence has shown that physical activity can alleviate the symptoms of depression (Craft and Perna, 2004). Green spaces can also be protective, preventing and reducing some chronic diseases. Children are generally more active outdoors, and they have increased freedom to move in different ways. This causes the brain to produce more serotonin, which regulates happiness levels: physical activity makes children happier!
A wild space provides a variety of natural obstacles, excellent for prompting different types of physical movement: jumping, clambering, crawling, sliding, rolling, climbing. Children tend to be more engaged by negotiating obstacles in a natural setting than indoor gym equipment. Obstacles, by their very nature, are a challenge, and, as Oprah’s famous saying goes: “challenges are gifts,” helping children build up physical and emotional resilience.
To provide natural obstacles in a small space, consider:
long logs laid on the ground and short log sections standing up
large sticks and branches
‘jungle’ type plants in pots
different levels created by using small sections of railway sleepers
‘gullies’ with stones to define the edges – fill with sand or woodchip
a straw bale (this can get messy!).
The journey to a different location can provide as much enjoyment as play at the destination, and when young children can move at their preferred pace, they can be playful with natural materials and enjoy different sensory experiences along the way.
Urban parks are still nature, and research has found that simply noticing the good things in urban nature each day is linked to sustained improvements in wellbeing (Richardson and Sheffield, 2017).
It’s also worth seeing the world from a young child’s perspective: they can get green benefits from a tiny natural space.
You may also be interested in...
15 Activities to Fill Summer Downtime
with Discovery
Summer has arrived, and with it comes a lot of downtime. But KiwiCo delivers awesome activities and exciting experiments all summer long!
15 Activities to Fill Summer Downtime
with Discovery Activities
Summer has arrived, and with it comes a lot of downtime. But KiwiCo delivers awesome activities and exciting experiments all summer long!
Explore Outer Space
At KiwiCo, we love learning about space so we sprinkled stellar activities throughout all three camp sessions. No matter their age, kids can launch into the cosmos and discover the wonder of our solar system.
Make a Jupiter Jar
Hold the planet Jupiter in your hands! Learn about the gas giant’s mesmerizing atmosphere by building your very own Jupiter jar with a KiwiCo product designer. Watch the video here!
Meet an Astronaut Video
What questions would your kids ask an astronaut?! Join Aden, a 9-year-old rocket enthusiast & aspiring astronaut, as he interviews Dr. Ellen Ochoa, a veteran NASA astronaut who’s spent nearly 1,000 hours in space.
Watch the video here!
Launch Pop-Top Rockets
Prepare for liftoff! Learn how to design and build your very own rockets and experiment with chemical reactions to launch them to great heights. Watch the video here!
Build an Egg Drop Device Video
Follow along as KiwiCo product designers learn what it takes to master a stellar landing! See which designers' egg-protecting device will survive a dramatic drone drop. Draw inspiration from the designers and challenge the whole family to build devices for an at-home egg drop. Watch the
Take a Summer Safari
Adventure awaits in your backyard or at a nearby park! Say hello to a world-famous hippo and search for safari tracks as your camper learns all about amazing animals.
Meet Fiona the Hippo Video
World-famous hippo Fiona and her zookeeper Jenna chat with KiwiCo kids about Fiona's favorite toys, food, and what it's like to clean up all her enormous poops. Watch the video here!
Make Salt Dough Safari Tracks Video
Join Hugo as he learns what an animal track is and then makes his own for a game of hide and seek! This camp video is paired with printables that help bring the fun into your home. Watch the video here!
Blow a Bunch of Bubbles
Bubbles are a sure sign of summertime, so we put a spin on the staple with different ways to pop and play.
Paint with BubblesVideo
Learn how to build a bubble snake blower and use it to paint pretty pictures. Watch the video here!
Experiment with Slime BubblesVideo
Discover the stretchiness of slime! Learn the science behind slime and see how well it works for blowing bubbles. Watch the video here!
Try out 5 Bubble TricksVideo
From a super solution to static electricity, KiwiCo product designer Andy shows you the science behind his favorite bubble tricks. Watch the video here!
Turn Your House into a STEAM Lab
Get creative with chemistry and innovative with engineering at home!
Create Colorful Eruptions
Discover the wonder of color creation! Your little one will watch fizzy reactions unfold as they learn about colorful chemistry. Watch the video here!
Make a Rainbow Density Jar
Create your very own rainbow in a jar! Dive into the science of density & learn how to craft a density jar. Watch the video here!
Build a Spaghetti Skyscraper
Test out the strength of spaghetti and straws during a series of engineering challenges. Watch the video here!
Grow a Garden
Put the summer sun to use and plant a flower or two!
Plant Seeds from FruitsVideo
Discover different seeds from fruits and learn how they sprout. Then try this easy experiment at home. Watch the video here!
Build a Self-Sustaining TerrariumVideo
Create a mini world that can survive on its own! Dig into the science of plants and learn how to build your own self-sustaining terrarium with a KiwiCo product designer. Watch the video here!
Ways to Discover in Our Natural World with Children
27 Outdoor Discovery Activities for Kids
The Only rule is to have fun!
Benefits of Outdoor Discovery Play
Discovery play is an essential part of childhood development.
Our senses provide us with vital information thousands of times per day and starting from birth children use their senses to explore and learn about the world around them.
This is why it’s important to provide opportunities for discovery play for your kids every single day.
Discovery play is critical for a child’s brain development in the early years. In addition, sensory activities are a great way for children to learn about the world around them and develop many different cognitive skills through play. So, look for ways to add a variety of sensory activities to your little one’s daily routine. From splashing in rain puddles to baking a warm loaf of bread on a stormy day, there are tons of fun and simple ways to get started with sensory play with your toddler.
Benefits of Playing Outside
There are also many benefits to playing outside! According to Fisher-Price, it allows children to:
Explore and learn about their environment
Develop muscle strength and coordination
Gain self-confidence
Increase flexibility
Increase fine and gross motor skills
Develop a wide variety of physical skills
Creating games and challenges that build a child’s sensory skills can be simple to set up, with many of the resources for these games being found at home. The core focus is on building different skills, whether that’s balance and coordination, oral motor skills and breathing control or sensory stimulation.
If you’d like to find out more about the senses and sensory processing, check out our article on understanding sensory processing disorder for your child.
Now, let's have a look at some of the fun activities that can be played…
Oral motor control
Playing activities that focus on oral motor control are good for developing the motor skills involved in speech and for eating. These activities require the combined use of multiple motor movements and awareness, such as the lips, cheek, tongue and jaw, along with coordination and strength.
The practice of deep breathing has also been shown to be beneficial for self-regulation, as it has a calming effect.
Oral motor activities to try at home
The Bubble Volcano
The bubble volcano is great for breathing control, deep breathing and for self-regulation. The most important aspect to note for this activity is not to breath in during this exercise.
For this activity you will need; a bowl, a straw, some washing up liquid and some water.
How to complete the activity:
Get a deep bowl and add a good squirt of washing up liquid
Add some water, no more then a quarter of the bowl full
Get a straw and blow through the straw into the water
When you do this activity, the idea to blow through the straw in long slow breaths. Whilst doing so, you will create a volcano of bubbles rising up over the bowl!
The Beans Air Lift
This activity will practice the skills of breathing control, coordination and stamina of oral motor skills. The most important aspect to note for this activity is to ensure that the dried object is larger than the opening of the straw. For this activity you will need; two bowls, some dried beans, or even cereal such as Cheerio’s would do, and a straw.
How to complete the activity:
Place some dried beans, Cheerio’s or similar object in one of the bowls, and leave the second bowl empty next to it
Using the straw, you must breath whilst placing the straw on a bean from one bowl, and continue to maintain the suction in order to move the bean across and place it in the second bowl
Keep going and see how many beans you can move across
We found a great short video from Creative Health Solutions LLC that shows these activities being performed, along with others you may wish to try.
The Bubble Volcano & The Beans Air Lift
Turbino Blowing Game
The Turbino blowing game is designed to develop breathing control. The purpose of the game is to blow a propeller and to get the coloured side of the propeller to land on a matching coloured picture on the base.
There are two sets of pictures to choose from, which offer different degrees of difficulty.
Playing activities that focus on developing fine motor skills will strengthen the muscles and improve coordination in the hands and wrists. These skills are important for a variety of tasks, from getting dressed and doing up buttons and zips, to handwriting and using scissors.
Construction Block Play
Building a construction with bricks such as Lego, or larger Duplo or Silishapes Soft Bricks for younger children, encourages fine motor skills whilst allowing for creative play. Simply letting children push bricks together and pull apart will be building their fine motor skills.
For this exercise all you need is an assortment of construction bricks and an open space for play.
Playing with construction blocks will allow children to develop dexterity and hand strength. For older children, this can also be a great therapeutic exercise and can develop skills in teamwork and sharing when planned constructions are done with others.
By using string to thread beads or buttons, children can learn the careful fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination similar to the Colander & Pipe Cleaner Challenge. Another way to use these resources is to wrap the strings around the different shaped beads and objects.
The TickiT Light Panel Colour Resources are a great for this activity. Offering a variety of colours gives the activity more visual stimulation, and the transparent quality of the shapes also means that their great to use on a light panel which creates an added sensory experience to engage children.
The set contains different coloured strings, blocks, shapes, construction blocks, beads and counters.
Summer Sensory Activities
There’s no better time than the summer to get outside and enjoy the benefits of sensory play with your children.
I’ve compiled a list of what are, in my opinion, the best sensory experiences and activities to try outside this summer.
A Trip to the Beach
There are a ton of unique sensory experiences waiting for your little one at the beach. To start, just going for a walk barefoot in the sand is a great tactile experience.
Walk along the cool wet sand where the ground is firm, yet just soft enough for your toes to sink down.
Afterward, walk along the dry, warm sand and feel the heat on your feet and let the sand get stuck in your toes, as you do .
The opposing sensations are great for little sensory explorers and walking on the beach is great exercise too!
2. Bury them
Bury your child’s legs (and torso, if they’re okay with it) under the sand. The deep pressure from the weight of the sand provides unique proprioceptive input that you can’t experience anywhere else.
3. Collect objects on the beach
You can find a lot of different, and cool stuff on the beach. Grab a bucket and collect different things for your child to touch and feel for a new tactile experience. For example, you can find things like smooth sand glass, slimy seaweed, and bumpy shells.
4. Jump Over Waves
Head out into the water and try to jump over the waves as they come towards you. Or race to shore, trying to get back onto dry sand before the waves wash up over your feet and get you wet.
5. Swimming
Swimming is a great source of proprioceptive and vestibular input. It also helps children build bilateral coordination and gross motor planning.
6. Build a Sandcastle
Building a sandcastle incorporates various tactile experiences as your child works with wet sand, dry sand, and water. It also requires a bit of heavy work to fill and lift buckets filled with wet sand.
Water Play
Water play is an amazing way to cool off on a hot day and you don’t even need to leave home.
Plus you can relax in the sun (or the shade) while your child reaps the benefits of outdoor sensory play.
This wet and dry slide is kind of like a slip and slide but you can use it dry too, so it can be used all year round.
Slipping in the water is a great way to experience proprioceptive and vestibular input.
8. Water Table
Water Tables are great for sensory discovery activities and there are so many creative possibilities.
I love the ones with two sides like the one pictured below because you can fill one side up with water, and then fill the other side with whatever you want!
I keep kinetic sand in ours, but you can also try regular sand, water beads, or any other of these 50 sensory bin fillers.
9. Sprinkler Play
Attach a sprinkler to your hose and you’re in for hours of fun.
Your kids will run, scream, laugh, get wet, and cool off.
Sprinklers are a great way to cool off and get tons of exercise and sensory input at the same time.
10. Splash Balls
Splash balls are soft, fabric-covered foam balls that can hold a fair amount of water …making them perfect for a water fight!
These are softer than water balloons which can even leave welts on the skin. Plus, they’re reusable.
11. Roll Down a Hill
Do you remember doing this as a kid?
Rolling down a grassy hill is one of the best ways for sensory seeking kiddos to get a huge burst of vestibular input all at once which can help with inappropriate sensory seeking behaviors for hours.
Playground Activities
Hanging upside down from the monkey bars, climbing, and sliding are all great ways to get moving outside, improving gross motor planning and core strength.
13. Swinging
Swinging can be beneficial for sensory integration because it engages all of the senses at the same time.
Try getting your child to swing on their stomach for a different experience, or if they like it, twist the swing up and let them spin as it unravels.
14. Walk along the beams
Most playgrounds have stepping stones or beams to work on balance and coordination as well.
If they don’t have any as part of the play structure, there is likely a wooden box surrounding the play area that you can use.
Yard Work
15. Heavy Work
Heavy work is recommended for children seeking proprioceptive input. Allow your child to help you in the yard with heavy work activities.
Helping you rake the grass after mowing, moving the lawn furniture, or gathering wood for a campfire all make great outdoor sensory activities for kids.
Check out these 60 heavy work activities that help keep kids calm.
16. Gardening
Gardening is another great way to incorporate heavy work into your child’s day while also teaching them valuable life skills and having them complete chores! (win-win-win).
Get your child to help you with pulling weed and digging, or adding fertilizer to the garden. Playing in the dirt is also a fun tactile experience.
More Outdoor Ideas
There really are endless possibilities. We constantly use our senses to interpret the world around us, filter information and learn new things.
Related: 30 Unique Sensory Play Ideas
You can use pretty much any outdoor activity as a way to benefit your child and improve sensory integration
17. Ride a bike
18. Nature walks/scavenger hunts
19. Tree climbing
20. Canoeing or Kayaking
21. Have a campfire – roast marshmallows and hotdogs
22. Water gunfight
23. Hiking trip
24. Ziplining
25. Visit an amusement park
26. Rollerblading
27. Don’t be afraid to get dirty – play in the mud!
Simple Backyard Experiences
Superscript
Easy Nature for Home & Outdoor Programs
Summer Nature Photo Hunt
Over the past few months, both of The Explorers have become avid picture takers – especially when we’re out on our nature adventures. I’m happy to see them incorporating their interest in technology in such a positive way. Taking pictures allows us to slow down, be patient and focus in on things we might otherwise miss. It isn’t just fun, it’s also a great way to learn more … [Read more...]
50 Ideas for Your Summer Outdoor Bucket List
At the start of every season, we create an outdoor fun list. Together, we dream up some things we’d like to do, write those ideas down and then try to make them happen. Some of the ideas on our summer outdoor bucket list are simple, but others require more time – things like cherry picking or fishing. Of course, more than any other time of year, we also plan for lots of … [Read more...]
Camp Mommy Kickoff:
Summer Fun Kit
Summer break and Camp Mommy are here! The Explorers and I are looking forward to nine weeks of vacation, packed with rest, play and plenty of adventure. To kick things off, I’ve made a summer fun kit for each of The Explorers. The idea first started when I saw this post on summer fun kits from Crazy Little Projects a couple years back. I’d already been making fun kits for … [Read more...]
5 Summer Science Experiments
Science and nature go together like peas in a pod, especially at our house. Around here, common reading for The Big Explorer (9) includes books about extreme weather and space, and The Little Explorer (6) is currently working his way through the complete Magic School Bus books, which are aptly called “science chapter books.” Which is all to say that you can bet there will be … [Read more...]
Summer Break Fun: Camp Mommy
In one short week, The Explorers will be out of school for summer. Nine weeks of vacation are almost here. I don’t know which of us is more excited, them or me.Don’t get me wrong – there will be lots of bickering, tantrums and frustrating moments. But heck, we have those all year! Summer is a time to slow down, play, explore, savor long, warm evenings and say “yes” more. I … [Read more...]
Getting to Know Critters:
First Animal Encyclopedia
At 4.5 years old, The Little Explorer is a big fan of animals. As you might imagine, I’m doing everything I can to support, encourage and further that interest. First up: Finding him a good book about animals. Enter DK Publishing. At 2, he loved My First Animal Board Book, so I figured the school-age version, First Animal Encyclopedia, wouldn’t disappoint. The book: First … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Outdoor Tea Party
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. If you’re anything like us, you’ve eaten a fair amount of meals outside this summer. But have you had an outdoor tea party? During our two-week stay in Yosemite last month, my dear friend and I hosted our first annual tea party in nature on the porch of our cabin. We prepped and … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Chase Butterflies
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. When there’s a butterfly in sight, it’s hard to get the little explorer to focus on much else. He is captivated by the game that butterflies present; a chance to run around in the hopes of being lucky enough to capture one in his very own hands. Earlier this week, the little explorer … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Pressed Flower Keepsakes
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. When we were in Yosemite earlier this month, we were lucky enough to see some pretty amazing wildflowers. And as you might imagine, the kids were eager to gather bunches to share with mom.Of course, I had something more creative in mind for the many petals the explorers managed to accumulate … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Rock Necklaces
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. Am I the only feeling like summer is all about crafting? We’ve been craft crazy these past few weeks! One of the biggest hits so far has been our rock necklaces. (In fact, we received tons of compliments on our creations when we were in Yosemite!)Inspired by this idea I spotted in a recent … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Rock Hunt
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. Rocks seem to be one of those items that manage to find their way into little pockets on nearly every nature walk we take. The big explorer is so enthralled by them that we even started a rock collection last fall.But it wasn’t until last week that we actually took a walk in nature … [Read more...]
50 Ways to Connect with Nature This Winter (With or Without Snow)
In a perfect world, getting outside would be as easy as heading out your back door and following your kids’ lead. But for those days when you need a little more inspiration, here are a slew of ways to connect with nature this winter – with or without snow. And don’t forget that on the worst of days, there are plenty of ways you can connect with nature inside, too. 20 Things … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Summer Nature Scavenger Hunt
Gorgeous pomegranates Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. Treasure hunts are popular in our family – so much so that we’ve already taken winter and spring nature scavenger hunts. For our summer nature hunt this week, we took our adventure to grandma’s backyard for a change of scenery. Plenty of bugs … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Summer Adventure Journal
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. Ever since I first saw the REI Kids’ Adventure Journal, I’ve wanted to make one of our own.The REI booklet (which you can pick up for free at any REI store or download here) is a place to record your family’s outdoor adventures, including where and when you go, who joined you, the weather, … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Backyard Bug Hunt
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. Bugs are one of our favorite backyard critters. Last year, we even built a bug world and a roly-poly terrarium to temporarily house a few guests before returning them to the backyard.One of the best parts about a backyard bug hunt is its simplicity; even in our very urban space, we can … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Cardboard Box Fort
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. I haven’t seen too much of the explorers this week. They’ve been too busy playing in their cardboard box fort. (Yay – our first fort!) It all started when our new backyard furniture set arrived earlier this week in an enormous box. It was too irresistible for the kids to ignore. They … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Blow Bubbles
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. I used to wonder how blowing bubbles could help kids connect with the outdoors. But that was before I actually sat down and watched the magic at work.In our family, blowing bubbles is currently the go-to activity when one or more of us is feeling grumpy. That’s because it’s hard to be … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Scented Flower Petal Potions
We’ve been spending a lot of time looking at flowers lately – from our recent outing to South Coast Botanic Garden to a neighborhood walk in search of all things purple. Then I saw not one, but two posts on flower petal potions this week (Make Potions from ActiveKidsClub.com and Rose Petal Fairy Perfume from The Imagination Tree). I knew the timing was right to try creating … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Making Outdoor Lemonade
When I spotted The Big Explorer trying to grab a just-out-of-reach lemon off a low-hanging branch on our lemon tree earlier this week, I had no idea why he wanted it. Instead of getting the lemon for him (which he asked me to do), I watched him try, fail, and try again until he finally figured out a way to procure the lemon on his own. What happened next was completely … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Backyard Bug Hunt
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. Bugs are one of our favorite backyard critters. Last year, we even built a bug world and a roly-poly terrarium to temporarily house a few guests before returning them to the backyard.One of the best parts about a backyard bug hunt is its simplicity; even in our very urban space, we can … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Pick Your Own Flowers
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. What could be more perfect for Mother’s Day than a bouquet of flowers hand picked by one’s own little explorers? For me, only one thing: Going along with the kids to enjoy the picking.When it comes to taking things from nature, we limit our choices to only those items that are already … [Read more...]
25 Christmas Nature Activities for Families
It’s official: Christmas is a mere 24 days away. In our house – semi-remodeled/semi-chaotic as it might be – the excitement is palpable. It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year. And with reason. We have lots of family traditions to look forward to. The challenge is to stress less and have more fun as we enjoy those traditions. That’s where these 25 Christmas nature … [Read more...]
50+ Holiday Gift Ideas for Nature Kids
These holiday gift ideas for nature kids are arranged into categories based on some of the ways The Explorers enjoy spending time in nature. And because I’m not a fan of overdoing it with gift giving this time of year, I’ve added something personal to each of the categories – an idea for gifting an experience instead of a store-bought item. While these goodies may be fun for … [Read more...]
50+ Spring Break Nature Activities for Kids
Whether your kiddos are heading to day camp or hanging out at home, spring break is a great chance for some unstructured nature play, local exploring, even an outing to a nearby state or national park! Here are 50+ spring break nature activities for kids to help encourage some outdoor fun. And if travel is on the agenda, make a point to schedule in some time to connect with … [Read more...]
50 Ideas for Your Fall Outdoor Bucket List
Here are 50 ideas for your fall bucket list. When it comes to seasons, fall seems to get the short end of the stick. After all, it arrives on the heels of our beloved summer, which never seems to last long enough. But around here, fall is full of its own treasures. Pumpkin patches, apple cider, puddle jumping, trick-or-treating, nature crafts, cool-weather hikes, birthday … [Read more...]
15+ Ideas for Getting Outside & Into Nature in March
With the official kick off of spring just a few weeks away, it’s hard not to get excited about spending time outside in March. There are plenty of excuses for kids to celebrate – St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and the Spring Equinox all happen this month. Still cold and snowy in your neck of the woods? Check out 31 days of backyard nature fun for a month’s worth of all-weather … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Connect With Nature When You’re Inside
I hope I haven’t given you the impression that the only way to connect kids with nature is to head outside. There’s actually quite a lot of exploring and learning to be done inside, too. Which comes in handy this time of year, don’t you think? Not only are there days when the weather severely limits (or prohibits) you from heading outdoors. But there are also those pesky … [Read more...]
My Friday 5:
Exploring Nature at the Beach
It’s June and things are warming up around here. Last weekend we saddled up for a bike ride to the beach, where we enjoyed a picnic lunch and some treasure hunting before heading home.There are seemingly endless ways to spend an afternoon at the beach. Here are a few of our current favorite ways to explore nature while we’re there - no tools required: Do some wildlife … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Search for Signs of Spring
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. I spend a couple of hours in the big explorer’s school garden each week helping the kids plant, explore and enjoy the 1-acre space. Last week, we couldn’t help but to take note of some major changes starting to take place.Our little magnolia tree has produced its first blooms of the season, … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Bird Watching Scavenger Hunt
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. Last weekend’s family nature club adventure found us bird watching at Malibu Lagoon State Beach. I thought a bird watching scavenger hunt was in order, so I created one. A scavenger hunt is a great way to make bird watching fun, especially for younger kids and those new to bird … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Magic Soup
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. There has been much brewing of magic soup around these parts lately. Amidst some rainy, cold, blustery days, the explorers managed not to mind the weather one bit – as long as they were busy creating their secret concoction outside in our backyard.It all started with the big … [Read more...]
Day 31: Start a Rock Collection
Welcome to the final day of 31 Days of Backyard Nature Fun, a month-long series offering simple ways to get outside exploring the natural world. To see activities from earlier this month, head here. We made it! Thirty-one days in a row, each featuring a different idea for backyard nature fun. Phew! If you’ve been playing along, I hope you’ve come to realize that helping … [Read more...]
Day 27: Go on a Nature Art Walk
Welcome to Day 27 of 31 Days of Backyard Nature Fun, a month-long series offering simple ways to get outside exploring the natural world. To see activities from earlier this month, head here.I love it when art and nature mix. Add in kids and the possibilities for fun and creativity are pretty much endless.The good news is that nature provides all the materials you need to … [Read more...]
Day 21: Watch Backyard Birds
Welcome to Day 21 of 31 Days of Backyard Nature Fun, a month-long series offering simple ways to get outside exploring the natural world. To see activities from earlier this month, head here. One of the activities I recommended earlier this month was making a pinecone birdfeeder – in part as a way to get to know the birds that call your backyard home. Now it’s time to … [Read more...]
Day 18: Stack Rocks
Welcome to Day 18 of 31 Days of Backyard Nature Fun, a month-long series offering simple ways to get outside exploring the natural world. To see activities from earlier this month, head here.Got rocks? Yeah … us, too. It seems we can’t even make it around the block without someone filling pockets with the things. Truth be told, I love that the boys find something unique and … [Read more...]
Day 15: Take a Color Walk
Welcome to Day 15 of 31 Days of Backyard Nature Fun, a month-long series offering simple ways to get outside exploring the natural world. To catch up on what we’ve been up to, you might want to head here. I can just hear you now: “Debi, what are you thinking? There’s no color to see during winter!” That’s what I used to think, too. Until I started paying closer attention … [Read more...]
Day 14: Explore a Tree
Welcome to Day 14 of 31 Days of Backyard Nature Fun, a month-long series offering simple ways to get outside exploring the natural world. To catch up on what we’ve been up to, you might want to head here. I’m a huge fan of trees. I am in awe of their strength and beauty. They stand tall and unshakable in even the most trying circumstances. They can be content to share their … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Explore Nature in November
Halloween has come and gone. And Christmas seems like it’s a lifetime away. Or so my kids tell me. What to do to make getting outside and into nature fun now that the weather has cooled off? Start with the basics: Dress for the weather, keep it simple and have fun. Here are 10 ideas for connecting with nature in November: 1. Participate in the Fall Nature Photo … [Read more...]
Your Fall Guide to Exploring Nature
Around these parts, fall is all about The Big Explorer’s birthday (he turns 8 next week – gasp!), Halloween, Thanksgiving and getting ready for the biggest holiday of them all in December. It’s a time full of crisp evenings, yummy foods and general mass excitement. The catch for us during all this fun is finding time to slow down, head outside, connect with each other and … [Read more...]
Nature Travel Advice for Families
While I realize not everyone combines a love of nature with a love of travel, we do. So much so that I’ve shared quite a bit of nature travel advice for families. Lucky for you, I've put everything in one nice, easy-to-find spot! I’ll be adding to this page as our nature travels continue, so be sure to bookmark this one for future reference. General Nature Travel Tips This … [Read more...]
6 Mother’s Day Nature Crafts for Kids
When it comes to Mother’s Day, I love helping the kids create something extra special for their grandmas. I especially enjoy crafts that are simple and involve spending time outside. Here are a few Mother’s Day nature crafts just right for kids. I promise – we’ve tried each one! 6 Mother’s Day Nature Crafts for Kids (as shown left to right in the image above) 1. … [Read more...]
In Our Library: The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs
As you might have noticed from the recent posts about roly-polies and nighttime creature hunts, we’re big into getting to know our local backyard bugs at the moment. It seems like a good time to share a resource we’ve found helpful in our research and learning, The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs. The Secret Lives of Backyard Bugs is written by the sister-and-brother … [Read more...]
Studying Backyard Animals: Roly-Polies
Both of The Explorers enjoy a good bug hunt. Not only do they like searching for backyard animals, they also love the chance to observe them up close for a while. Roly-polies are a fun backyard animal for kids to study. They are fairly easy to find – just check under rocks or potted plants – and slow enough for even the unsteadiest of hands to gently grab without … [Read more...]
Flower Arranging
Got dandelions? We do. So many in fact, that on a recent walk home from school, The Explorers picked an entire bouquets’ worth. When I suggested we put them in a jar, the boys quickly grabbed a few additional flowers from our yard to add to the mix.Instead of placing their collection of flowers in the jar myself, I let them try their hands at flower arranging.(If spring hasn’t … [Read more...]
Spring Nature Photo Scavenger Hunt
It’s official: Spring has begun! Which means it’s time to kick off the spring nature photo scavenger hunt.Here’s how it works: I’ve come up with 30 things you and your kiddos can “hunt for” outside this spring. Find an item, snap a picture and check the item off your list. Will you be able to find everything before summer gets here?Don’t worry if your little explorer isn’t an … [Read more...]
Celebrate the Spring Equinox With Kids
On March 20, the Spring Equinox will arrive to officially mark the first day of spring (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is). In case you’re like me – not quite sure what an “equinox” is – let me share. It’s when the sun crosses directly over the Earth’s equator, and day and night are the same length. It happens twice a year, in March and September. Spring is marked by … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Follow an Ant Trail
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. One thing we never have trouble finding in our backyard is an ant trail. And though it’s sometimes challenging to find a beginning and end to the trail, there’s usually something worth watching in between. Last week before heading off to Yosemite, we spotted something exciting going … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Kid’s Vegetable Garden
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. In the urban jungle that is our neighborhood, one of the best ways to bring nature into kids’ lives is by planting a vegetable garden. Not only does it provide a multitude of opportunities to explore and learn about nature right in your own backyard, but it also allows kids to see firsthand … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Create a Fairy Garden
It’s been nearly a year since The Big Explorer built a fairy house. But thanks to several visits from the tooth fairy since then, he hasn’t lost his belief in the magical world in which they exist. When I suggested it might be fun to build a fairy garden in our backyard, he jumped to it. He immediately started drawing a blueprint for the garden, which he called his “fairy … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Pinecone Hunt
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. I realize that discovering pinecones might not be that big of a deal for some of you. But for us urban dwellers, it’s pure excitement.And for the little explorer – at the tender age of 2 ½ – hunting down these treasures is great entertainment.For the past two consecutive weeks, the … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Plant Wildflowers
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. One wonderful side effect of this blog (and there have been many) is that we’re dipping our feet into the world of gardening. Last year we planted our first veggies (with little success, but we’ll be at it again this year, I promise). This year, we’re expanding our garden space to … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Run Down a Hill
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. When was the last time you ran down a hill at top speed – with no fear of falling, no inhibitions, no thoughts other than reaching the bottom of said hill? Yeah, I can’t remember, either. But my kids do it all the time. Just this week, the little explorer found ever-the-slightest … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Make Mud Prints
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. I shared earlier this week how our nature play often develops organically over the course of the time we spend outside. This activity is a perfect example. It started when the explorers wanted to paint. While they painted, I grabbed a bucket and started filling it with dirt. Then I … [Read more...]
Vacation Keepsake: Framed Nature Art
My stepmom came up with a great idea for a vacation memento: Make your own framed nature art.The concept is pretty simple – gather up some bits of nature during a vacation (in our case, our recent stay in Yosemite), then use said items to create an original piece of artwork. Add a $1 frame to the mix and voila – a truly unique (and priceless) reminder of your experience.What … [Read more...]
Build a Dragon Cave
It’s been two years since The Explorers built a fairy house and a year since The Big Explorer created his fairy garden. I guess you could say the idea of fairies isn’t that popular around these parts (except for the Tooth Fairy, of course). But other magical creatures inhabiting our backyard isn’t out of the realm of possibility. The proof? The dragon cave and forest The … [Read more...]
Backyard Campout Activities for Kids
If you’ve been following me on Facebook, you know we’re planning on camping out in our backyard this weekend as part of the Great American Backyard Campout. We’ve tried it once before and figured that since we have much camping on the agenda for the summer, it was time for another dry run. Perhaps the one big, obvious difference between backyard camping and camping in … [Read more...]
Is Your Backyard Summer Ready?
Today’s post is part of “Your Green Hour Survival Guide,” a series which I hope will provide you with inspiration to make getting outside every day a habit.I don’t know about you, but I’m excited that the first official day of summer is just a couple of weeks away. Warmer, longer days make getting our 15 minutes outside almost a no brainer.In the weeks ahead, I’ll have lots to … [Read more...]
10 Top Ways to Play With Sticks
I’ve mentioned before how much I love making lists. I thought it might be fun to share some of them with you on a more regular basis. Welcome to the first of what I hope will be many more “Top 10 Tuesdays.” Top 10 Ways to Play With Sticks If you give a kid a stick … you’ll be amazed how little else they need to entertain themselves. Here are a few inspiring ideas to prove … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Go Outside at Night for Some Stargazing
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. We aren’t often lucky enough to see stars in our night sky – and if we do, there are usually just a couple of them. One of the drawbacks of living in a big city (and a very polluted one, at that).But on Halloween night, the stars decided to put on one of the grandest … [Read more...]
Choose Your Own 10 “Cool” Items From Nature
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. THE IDEA: Ask your child to find 10 “cool” things in your backyard, front yard or around the neighborhood. What makes something “cool?” It’s up to your child, of course!
OUR NOTES FROM THE FIELD This idea comes straight from the mind of the 5 year old. I wanted to search for spider webs, which … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Shadow Play
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. THE IDEA: Explore shadows – our own and those of natural elements like trees, rocks and flowers. I came across a post on shadow play earlier this week on Backyard Safari and thought summer was the perfect time to give it a go. OUR NOTES FROM THE FIELD Before heading out, I asked … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Paint Rocks
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. THE IDEA: Paint some of the many rocks we’ve collected this summer.We came home from Yosemite with more pint-sized pieces of granite than I’d like to admit. Pair that with the fact that the little explorer picks up at least one such treasure from nature on each of our nightly walks and you … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Tour Neighborhood Gardens
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. THE IDEA: Take a tour of our neighbors’ front gardensIt doesn’t get much simpler than this: Take a walk around your neighborhood paying special attention to front gardens. Before we headed out on our tour, I asked the big explorer to stop me anytime he saw a garden he … [Read more...]
Fun Friday: Wind Streamers
THE IDEA: Make a wind streamer I learned about fairy wind streamers from one of my most creative nature friends, Marghanita. I love them for their simplicity; all you need are a few strips of old material and a stick and you’re ready to go. Don’t let the name fool you – you don’t need to wait for a breeze to enjoy wind streamers. The Explorers had a blast running … [Read more...]
D ried apples
Yikes, I'm trying to catch up on some of the stuff we did this summer. I'll file this one in "science" and "cooking" so it might be of use to someone later on....
We'd been studying weather and water; we started talking about air, too. We decided to make our own dried apples.
Slice 4-5 Granny Smith apples into rounds. I sliced them again in half.
Soak in pineapple juice for a day (prevents too much browning).
Put outside in the sun for about 2-3 days, covered with cheesecloth. Turn every few hours.
Then you'll have tasty, sweet, chewy dried apples to snack on!
From "Science Clarified":Here's an explanation of why the water evaporates from the fruit.
Fun Friday: Explore a Flower
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. The ideaThis idea was actually sparked by a fun display I saw when we visited the California Science Center last month. We found this giant sunflower puzzle. The goal is for kids to put the pieces together to see the sunflower “bloom.”I loved the idea of identifying the various parts …[Read more...]
Fun Friday:
Mix Up a Fairy Potion
Fun Friday activities are quick-and-simple ways to explore nature in your own backyard. THE IDEA: Create a magic fairy potion with items from nature This charming activity is inspired by my nature-loving friend, Marghanita and her little humbugs. Check out her magical creations; she’s even got a beautiful how-to video if you need a little extra help. For this … [Read more...]
Making a Painted Stick Garden
When I saw this painted stick garden on the blog Sweet Thing(s),
I knew we had to make our own.
Isn't hers beautiful? I especially love the black-and-white striped one. Her children are older than mine, and she primed the sticks with primer first, so she took her stick garden project a bit more seriously than we did. But we still had fun with ours, and it does look pretty cool and artsy! We finished three sticks in an afternoon, and if Hopey asks to add more to the garden, we will.
You'll need:
-- driftwood or just dry, fallen tree branches
-- paint and brushes, smocks, etc.
-- spray shellac if you have used washable paint (to make the finished sticks waterproof)
1. Gather a few sticks -- let your child choose sticks with shapes that appeal to her
2. Cover a surface with newspaper, gather your paints and smocks, and paint the sticks. For younger children who may have trouble filling in a whole stick, Hopey recommends painting the stick a base color first, letting that dry, and then letting the child paint over it. You can see from her sticks that she and her kids applied a few coats of paint that they let dry, and then added to -- the sticks have distinct stripes and color areas.
They look really nice that way. (Hopey wanted to paint hers all at once and she doesn't like to clean the brush between paint colors, so we ended up with a couple of lavender-blue-reddish sticks...they had more of that "painted by a three year old" look, which was fine by me!) Hopey wanted to add some feathers, so we did.
