Naturally Wild

The zoo had a powerful storm come through this weekend that caused a lengthy power outage, but no real damage. Out of the thousands of trees that call the zoo home, only one succumbed to the storm. Wind is a truly awesome element. It can be gentle enough to tickle the skin and yet fierce enough to level buildings.

Teaching our children how to appreciate the elements is an important step in their development as a young child. Knowing about the components of their natural world can help them to connect to it and aid in fostering a connection to nature. As children become more aware of their world they begin to put pieces together. Help them to explore the wind. How does wind plant new flowers? Is it strong enough to move ships? Can the wind build up structures as well as it can break them down?

Try some of these activities as you embrace the wind!

Let’s go fly a kite!  All it takes is a few materials and a sunny day.  From Make and Takes blog by Sara of Creative Jewish Mom.

Sweet Music! See how this mom made wind chimes with her toddler to create beautiful music with the wind. From Lovin’ Our Chaos blog by Abigail Peterson.

Sail Away! Using only paper, you can create a sail boat. Try out various objects to test their buoyancy. Is your own breath a strong enough wind to push them across the bathtub?