Before we start on today’s powerful post by Christen Price, we want to announce the winner of NOT ALONE by Dineen Miller and Lynn Donovan. CONGRATULATIONS to Jennifer Gearheart! You will be receiving an email today! Thank you for participating in the giveaway!
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Fall is here and its a great time than to get outside to teach our kids. I have preschoolers and some of our favorite activities recently have all been taught outside. Here are three fun ways to teach your kids outdoors:
1. Teach Kids About Farming
It is harvest season and there are so many crops being picked right now. In our region (we live in Alabama) pecans are falling off the trees like crazy. We are moving and our new house has tons of pecan trees in the backyard. Our girls are three and they love to go in their soon-to-be backyard and pick up pecans with mom and dad. Seriously, they are so proud and it surprisingly keeps them entertained!
What is great is we have two different pecan trees so we can teach them about different types of pecans and how they start off in the tree, fall to the ground in their shell, and then the pecan is found inside. The girls have been so proud of the pecans they have picked that they have also “helped” in shelling them when we get home. Now, when I make a batch of granola I tell the girls that their pecans are in the mix and they do a much better job at eating it. Success all around!
I know that pecan trees might not be in your own backyard, but usually you can find a local farm that is willing to let you come pick pecans, oranges, or another type of produce that is in season. This is a great way to teach kids about food coming from the farm to your table!
2. Fun with Deco Beads
Deco beads are typically used in flower vases but they are a wonderful developmental “toy” for your toddler to play with. The beads start out small and when you add water to them they expand. The night before our playtime, I showed my girls the package of deco beads and they watched me pour all the tiny beads into a large clear container. Then, I added some water and put the lid on it and told them to watch them grow. In just a few hours the beads started to expand and by morning they were plenty big to play with. It was like magic to my preschoolers. We took the beads outside and they had the best time squishing them in their hands and toes. Of course, you have to tell them not to eat the beads but I was amazed at how long these beads kept their attention.
Also, I used the beads to teach my girls about different types of texture. We compared the squishy deco beads to hard popcorn kernels (note, make sure you don’t open a bag of buttered popcorn…it is slimy!!). They enjoyed getting to see how the popcorn kernels also start out small but when popped in the microwave becomes big, fluffy popcorn. It was a fun little experiment that required minimal effort!
3. Nature Walk
Many preschoolers go on a nature walk at school, but why not go on one at home too? My girls recently attended a safari birthday party where they received safari hats and binoculars so one afternoon we trooped around our yard “searching” in the wild. My neighbors probably thought I was a little wacky since I had to wear the hat and binoculars most of the time. Anyway, one of my girls loved the nature walk while the other one followed along talking to her imaginary friend. Having the attention of one out of two twins worked for me. 🙂
My safari companion was very proud of the items that she found on their nature walk and it was a good time to teach both of them about how the leaves start out alive and green on the tree, change colors, and then falls to the ground and gets dry and crunchy. Nature walks can be done at home or at a park and are a great way to explore and learn about the changing of the seasons.
I hope you can enjoy these three different ways to teach your kids about the outdoors this fall. What are some fun ideas that you can share?
Christen Price blogs at illuminate {formerly the uncontainable truth}, where she offers a light for your path. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to premature twin girls, she’s learned that God is the Ultimate Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Christen is the Women’s Ministry Coordinator at her church, a lover of exclamation points, and gets way too excited over food and fabric. You can find her on Facebook or on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter @chris10price.
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