Beach Day

Beach season is in full swing! Many families are off to the beach this time of year for their summer vacation. Getting your kids to play outdoors is easier at the beach because of the natural curiosity brought by the unknown waters and critters in the sand. While your kids are outdoors exploring, getting them to really play with nature is the ultimate goal. Nature serves as a natural spark for the imagination. When children are able to manipulate their surroundings creativity ignites and opens many doors to learning opportunities. The learning opportunities can start with coordination and balance, but can lead to problem solving, and early engineering skills. There are many activities to do with your kids at the beach, check out these ideas for playing with nature while at the beach!

 

http://www.mybeachdecor.com/sand-castle-pictures.html

Sand and water are the most abundant natural materials found in this salty environment and the uses are endless. Building sand castles are always a great way to ignite your imagination. When children create something from a manipulative source such as        sand it teaches them every day lessons. These lessons include balance and how water makes the sand heavier and not as stable. Another is erosion and how over time the sand starts to slide because it is not a stable foundation.

http://www.chileblogs.com/beach-art

 

While you are sculpting your sand castle you may want to get creative with the shells too! By gathering rocks, shells, sticks and seaweed debris you can create people to live in your kingdom. Making connections with nature on an imaginative level helps keep the “magic” of nature alive. This magic is what encourages empathy in young ones toward our ever-changing environment. Click on the links below the photos to get more inspiration from other families!

http://www.thecrafttrain.com/1/post/2016/05/creating-earth-art.html

 

Ice Sensory

Sensory play is one of my favorite activities to do, especially with toddlers. It ignites their senses, enriches play time, and helps little ones practice valuable motor skills (albeit through slightly messy methods). Sensory experiences are a great way to experiment with cause and effect, which provides a lot of learning for the brain. Experimenting with sensory materials can provoke many varieties of play opportunities as the child learns to manipulate these sensory objects. Developing their own knowledge through this experimentation is a key in developing fundamental ideas about the physical world, like liquids, solids, heavy, and light.

Sand, water, and even ice is a fabulous choice for these sensory play opportunities, especially during the hotter months. It cools you off while you have fun! Try out this colorful ice sensory bin the next time your child (and you) need some cooling off.

http://www.learnplayimagine.com/2013/04/colored-ice-in-play-pool.html

 

Simply fill up some ice trays with water. Add some engaging sight senses by using water color paints or if you are concerned with curious hands, eating the ice, just use food coloring for an edible sensory experience. You and your explorer can keep checking on the ice to see how long it takes for them to freeze. Go further and use a variety of vessels. Do the different sized containers make freezing times different?

Now that you have your ice, place them in a container or kiddie pool. Your little one will delight in watching the colors mix and swirl together. Go further by using the ice cubes to paint on the fence, bench, concrete, or really anywhere!  

Want to add even more edible goodness to this ice sensory play? Try this activity with different foods. Place berries, fruits, and even herbs in with the water as it freezes. It will highlight how these beautiful colors are already in nature and it makes for a tasty treat!

https://dolesunshine.com/recipes/frozen-fruit-ice-cubes

Water Painting
Summer is getting sunny and hot. The best way to beat this heat is with some simple, yet fun water play! Being indoors with the A/C blasting maybe helpful, however there is nothing like being out in the fresh air with nature’s finest cooling device. Water is fun and cooling and dries easily, especially on hot days. Water painting can be temporary, creative and just the right amount of messy.  The best part about this activity is that painting with water is completely free! It is only up to your imagination what you can do. The best tools to use for water painting is cemented areas, or large rocks or anything that turns dark when wet. Once you have your canvas, give a paint brush to your little one and let them paint away! Water is the best paint because when it dries it also fades, so you are left with a blank canvas to continue your art and continue the fun.

 

 

 

http://handsonaswegrow.com/water-activity-painting-the-driveway/

 

Do not be afraid to get wet and enjoy the spontaneous moments that come with playing with your child. For more inspiration check out these blogs and see how they got creative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                             

 

 

 

 

 

http://oneperfectdayblog.net/2012/05/17/water-painting-on-a-chalkboard-a-pre-writing-activity/

 

 

 

 

http://www.stillplayingschool.com/2014/04/outside-water-painting-from-e-to-d.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technology vs. Outdoors

This past weekend while I was out birding it came to my attention, with a little bit of embarrassment that I did not know much about identifying bird species. Now the little group that was with me had a blast exploring the trails and guessing what kind of birds we came across, but I could not help but feel a little hesitant about pulling out my phone to help with our observations. Since we are in the 21^st century that’s what you commonly do when you have questions, you turn to the aid of the internet. However, cell phones have become quite a controversy in today’s society. Most articles or studies you come across say we spend too much time “glued” to our devices. While that may be true, it has become socially acceptable to convert to our phones in times of boredom or even to avoid awkward encounters. On the contrary, I went to my phone to use a handy app for bird identification and not to check social media, is that not an exception? In a society where we are constantly “instagramming” or “snapchatting” our every move, one may say “put your phone away and enjoy the nature in front of you”. At some point we do cross the line of the proper use of our devices, but there are appropriate situations where our phones can be very useful. In honor of those useful times I found some tools and uses for our phones with outdoor benefits.

Apps

Identifying wildlife is a big part of how I spend my time outdoors. I love to learn about what types of plants or animals I am observing, since indigenous species tell you more about your native environment.

There are plenty of apps that help you quickly identify what you’re looking at:

Like That Garden; photo based flower identification

PlantNet; photo based plant identification

Merlin Bird ID; helps identify birds by locations and asking certain questions

Wildlife of North America; prepares you for your adventure by getting you more familiar with the wildlife found in North America

Navigation apps are usefully in telling you what trails are around you, if you are still on the right trail and even help you find hidden treasure!

ALLTrails; list of hiking trails in the area by closest to you or even by trial difficulty

Polaris Navigation GPS; great for navigating off road and backcountry

Geocaching; Geocaching is the hunt for boxes where people leave little trinkets and notes behind. They can be found indoors or outdoors but either way the hunt will be an adventure!

I hope these apps give you all some inspiration to get outdoors with your phones in ways you haven’t thought of before!

 

Birding on the Swamp Rabbit

Hello Nature Play Club! The weeks are flying by this spring and we are quickly approaching our next club outing. On May 14^th, we will be expanding our citizen science skills while exploring the Swamp Rabbit trail through Cleveland Park. Our focus will be on our feathered friends; birds! Yes, birds are in full swing (or shall we say flight) this time of year. We can hear them singing in the waking hours of the morning. They busily foraging in the grass after the freshly fallen rain. Baby birds can be seen hungrily awaiting for mom to return to the nest. They are everywhere, however they have become so much a part of our day that they commonly go unnoticed. However these brilliant creatures play an important part in our local ecological system. Come on out and take a closer look at these magnificent creatures as we observe their day and become more familiar with the native species. We will meet Saturday morning, May 14^th at 10:00 AM in front of the Greenville Zoo entrance rain or shine! The current forecast is sunny mid-80s, but that may change, so please dress appropriate to the weather. We will plan to explore the park until around 11:30 AM. If you are not a member of the club and would like to join please click here.

Hope to see you there!

50 Way to Enjoy Spring   

 

50 Way to Enjoy Spring   

As the weather warms up across the country the outdoor opportunities are endless. Take advantage of the beautiful weather and get in some outdoor time! Get the kids outside and have them genuinely experience what spring has to offer. Here are fifty different ideas to enjoy this spring. Dirty feet and messy hair is proof you are doing it right!

1.    Visit a pond and watch the ducks

2.    Create “food” out of outdoor material

3.    Climb a tree

4.    Eat breakfast outside in your PJs

5.    Jump rope

6.    Ride a bike

7.    Explore an empty lot

8.    Visit a Farmers Market

9.    Watch the sunset

10. Play flashlight tag!

11.  Lay in the grass and look at the clouds

12.  Go on a bug hunt

13.  Jump in a rain puddle

14.  Make boats and test them in the pond

15.  Float down a creek

16.  Make mud pies

17.  Try to find a four leave clover

18.  Try to whistle a blade of grass

19.  Learn to identify different leaves

20. Grow some seeds in the windowsill

21.  Go to an outdoor movie theater

22. Make music using outdoor materials

23.  Create a nature art picture

24.  Visit a state park

25.  Go camping!

26.  Plant a tree

27. Create a bug hotel

28. Run barefoot in the grass!

29. Make an outdoor fort

30. Create fairy soup

31.  Roast marshmallows by the fire

32.   Visit your local zoo

33.  Make sand castles

34.  Visit a plant nursery

35.  Dig for worms

36.  Go on a color hike

37.  Sit outside and enjoy the stars

38.   Look for fireflies

39.  Camp in the backyard

40. Swim in a lake

41.  Follow a butterfly

42.  Skip rocks on a pond

43.  Go bird listening

44.  Try catching rain drops

45.  Find a pet rock

46.  Look at things through a magnifying glass

47.  Go Geocaching

48.  Fly a kite

49.  Create an obstacle course

50. Try game night outside