Create Fairy Houses

True Fact:
There is an island off of Maine called Monhegan Island where visitors build fairy houses and leave them for others to find. This is a link with pictures of some of the houses. You and your child can look at the houses before you go and build your own.

http://www.spokaneoutdoors.com/fairy.htm
http://www.fairyhouses.com/feature1.html

Toddler or Preschooler:
Take your child out for a walk to a woodsy area or look for a spot in your own garden, under a tree, or in some special secret spot. Gather up materials. Build. Make a simple house or spend hours on it, your choice! While you are out in the woods, see if you can find other fairy houses.

You need:
What ever you can find! Creativity is key in this activity!
Leaves, twigs, grass, acorns, rocks, stones, pinecones, etc.

You can also try to find other fairy houses or places that look like they might have been fairy houses before.
This is an activity that has no age limit!

See above for our hous. We built it under a large tree in the backyard

Monday July 27th / Bug Collecting

You need:
Glass jar with holes in lid
leaves
sticks
bugs
magnifying glass

I suggest collecting pill bugs, ants, spiders, caterpillars, or beetles

Toddler:
You can let them look at the bug and tell them about them. Toddlers may be afraid of bugs and shouldn't be pushed to hold or touch bugs if they are afraid.

Preschool:
Put them in your jar and ask your child to notice what was around the bug when you found it.
What do you think the bug needs to feel at home? Offer silly suggestions like seaweed, TV's, or palm trees!
You can teach them the word Habitat and discuss different habitats such as; where do fish and whales live?, lions?, elephants?, penguins?, moles and ground hogs?, etc.

What do bugs do? You may have to look up the particular bug you found. Some bugs aerate the dirt, pollinate flowers, or eat other harmful bugs.

Have your preschooler look at the bug through a magnifying glass. How many legs does the bug have? What kind of eyes? What else do you notice about the bug?

Teach respect for Nature and have your child let the bugs go when you are finished playing with them.

Friday July 10th / Nature Walk  / Shape Hunt

Toddler and Preschooler:
You need, just to go outside and take a walk!

Look for different shapes today.

What can you find that is a circle?

What can you find that is a square?

What can you find that is a rectangle?

What can you find that is a triangle?
We have a neighbor with a triangular window!!

Hey, did you know a stop sign is a octagon? (8 sides) Stop at the stop sign and count all the sides!

Be sure to look at: windows, street signs, plants, flowers, doors, house shapes, etc.

EXT: Read a few books about shapes before and after your walk. We read Bob the Builder: Shapes. Bob finds shapes in what he builds and that helped us in our shape searching.

Thursday July 9th / Feed the Birds

Toddler or Preschooler

You need:
Pine Cone
Peanut Butter
String or Cord
Scissors
Spoon
Birdseed

1. Tie your string around the pine cone first, before it is too sticky. Leave enough string to tie it a tree or outside your window.

2. Spread Peanut Butter all over pine cone and into the grooves.

3. Lay bird seed out on a plate and roll pine cone in it. Gently press extra birdseed onto pine cone.

4. Hang your new feeder in a spot your child can see it and watch the birds.
Consider that your child will have an easier time seeing the birds from inside if it is hung near a window.

Wednesday June 17th / Nature Walk / Stick it!

Toddler and Preschooler

The weather has been so beautiful here! It is time to get outside and enjoy it. Before you go on your next nature hike grab a piece of contact paper.

You need:
One sheet of contact paper

Things you collect on your walk

You have two options. You can collect things and stick them as you go on your walk. Or you can collect different objects and stick them when you get home.
I was worried I would drop the contact paper and once if is filled with dirt it won't stick anything else. Things that will stay are small and light objects like flowers, leaves, etc. You may have to discuss and show your child that larger things will fall off, like big rocks.

You can also put these on a piece of construction paper and put the contact paper over it.

Now display it! You can talk about your walk for many days to come and all the things you found.

Saturday June 6th Nature Watch / Ants
Pictures Above
1. Sugar and anthill 2. Getting a pinch of sugar
3. Feeding the ants 4. Watching the ants pick it up and carry it backinto the anthill


Preschoolers
 
You need: a sugar packet and an anthill
Magnifying glass

Teach your child to observe nature. Teach them to slow down and WATCH.
Take a walk or look around the backyard  or even the front sidewalk.
Find an anthill
Pour a little of your sugar packet around the opening
Find several anthills and pour sugar around a few of them

Go and play for a few minutes

Come back and sit quietly to watch as the ants come out, pick up the sugar, and carry it back into the anthill.
You can see the ants carrying the small pieces of sugar!
Explain that when ants find food they go and tell each other.
Soon there should be many ants coming in and out of the anthill.
Tell your child the ants are bringing it back into a tunnel for other ants and the ant babies.(eggs and larvae)
Watch the ants with your magnifying glass, don't start them on fire!!
Can you see that ants have six legs?

You can get books from the library and read about ants now that you have watched them work.

Try to draw an ant with six legs, a head, thorax, abdomen, and antenna.

Toddlers and Preschoolers
Try a walk outside some place where you have never walked before.

Today we are going to notice textures. Find shiny cars, smooth rocks, rough tree bark, prickly vines, glittery... You CAN touch things too or just say "That cat is furry."

Words to consider:
flat                        soft                     rusty                  sandy
shiny                    feathery                 slimey              leathery
smooth                 furry                      wet                    crackled
rough                    bumpy                gooey   

It is getting nice outside so take your kids for a walk.
Toddler or Prechooler

Take a piece of paper and draw 10 or so objects on it. Make sure some of the objects WILL be on your walk, and other objects MAY be on your walk. Ask your preschooler to help make the list by asking what you normally see on your walks.

Draw each object and label it with the written word.
Bring your paper and marker on the walk.
Make large X's over the pictures as you find them.

Our paper had: windmill, trees, eagles, Mississippi River, bear statue, cow statue with sun glasses, American Flag, Neighbors Truck, swingset, motorcycle, and train.