The Garden Classroom: Hands-On Activities in Math, Science, Literacy & Art offers children ages four to eight creative garden activities in play & imagination, reading & writing, science & math, arts & crafts, and recipes. The ideas are age-appropriate, fun, and informative including the one we created, story stones. It's written by Cathy James, the U.K. creator of the popular … [Read more...]
Imagination + Nature + Kids = Woodland People
Hello! It is so lovely to be here today. I am Maggy, and write over at Red Ted Art, where I like to get crafty with my two young children Red Ted (4) and Pip Squeak (2). You will find the website packed with kids craft ideas for all seasons and age groups. People often ask me what my “favourite crafts” of all times is… and to be honest, I really can’t say. We have made so many things over … [Read more...]
Go Outside and Play in Your Snow Kitchen
Sometimes we have to be very creative to get our kids outside in the cold winter snow; at least my kids anyway. IKEA opened in Denver a few months ago and I found these awesome kitchen accessories for cheap and decided to give it to the girls with the impression that it was only for snow cooking. (Baking Set for $9.99 and Cookware set for $9.99.) And it worked! My kids love "cooking" with … [Read more...]
Get Outside in Winter – 8 Great Activities for Kids
by Judy Molland, author of Get Out! 150 Easy Ways for Kids and Grown-Ups to Get Into Nature and Build a Greener Future (Free Spirit Publishing, 2009) (Affiliate link) Winter is a great time to be a kid. Nature is awesome, amazing to look at, touch, and listen to, especially in winter. Fresh air and exercise are important, but in winter you need to be especially well prepared if you want to enjoy … [Read more...]
New Recommended Books for Your Nightstand: Food, Imagination, & Outside
Don't miss this post today. These five books have make my life richer, and I want to tell you all about them. There's Smart Parenting for Smart Kids, my newest favorite parenting book, 15 Minutes Outside, a quick daily outside ideas book, The Family Dinner, a cookbook of inspiration, Where Children Sleep, forced reflection on the meaning of our lives, and The Power of Your Child's Imagination, a … [Read more...]
Weather Wonderland: 5 Activities for Appreciating Clouds & Storms
by Jen Henderson, freelance journalist and weather expert. As a storm chaser and weather safety expert, I get all kinds of questions about the best way to teach children to appreciate weather and to understand the dangers and risks involved with storms. Two of the most important suggestions I make are to talk to kids often about weather safety and to educate them about the facts. As most adults … [Read more...]
DIY Backyard Obstacle Course for Your Kids
Get kids active and outdoors with a do-it-yourself (DIY) backyard obstacle course. Obstacle courses build important gross motor skills, develop muscles, develop coordination, help motor planning, increase endurance, increase confidence, basically, all the benefits of outdoor play and physical activity that you already know about. Let each of your kids (or their friends) invent a course for … [Read more...]
Capturing Signs of Spring With Cameras
I'm always looking for ways to get my kids outside to get in their 60 minutes a day, also known as a "Green Hour" by the National Wildlife Federation. Last week, I let each kid use a digital camera to photograph signs of spring and get them walking outside and noticing nature. (6 year old, JJ, used a point and shoot while 9 year old, AJ, got to use my old SLR. As I've mentioned before, don't … [Read more...]
Teach Your Child How to Write a Haiku
Bob Raczka, poet and author of Guyku, A Year of Haiku for Boys shares how to write a haiku. Haiku poems are short. They are also fun to write. But writing a good haiku is not as easy as it looks. It takes practice. Teach Your Child How to Write a Haiku Here are some tips: 1. The form of a haiku is very simple: - three lines - five syllables in the first line - seven syllables in the … [Read more...]