Ten Great Spring Activities To Do With Preschoolers


Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Natural Parenting Top 10 Lists

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared Top 10 lists on a wide variety of aspects of attachment parenting and natural living. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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10. Make the transition to spring with your little one's help. Get out the lighter jackets, bring out the short sleeves, get some rain boots or an umbrella. Likewise, put away the winter gear. And don't forget about transitioning from winter to spring in other areas! Bring out spring time books, outdoor toys, and those spring time food favorites.

9. Get some fresh air! Open the windows, run around outside, ride bikes, dig in the dirt, wade in a creek if it is warm enough.

8. Go see baby animals. Check out a farm, a farm supply store, or a petting zoo to see those spring time babies!

7. Take a trip to the farmers' market. Better yet, take one every week or two. See the food that is actually being grown and see what is ready for the table when.

6. Tie fabric strips in a tree near your house for the birds to use as building materials for nests. Likewise, providing a feeder and bird bath (perhaps homemade from recycled materials) will attract feathered friends to your yard for the littles to watch.

5. Press flowers and use them to make all sorts of beautiful things! Pick some of those fresh spring greens, clovers, flowers, interesting leaves, violets, and whatever else catches your fancy. Press them in a book - we love those excess phone books that show up on our door step for this purpose. If you use a good book, put tissue paper or blank newsprint between the pages. If using the excess phone book idea, just put the items directly between the pages. In about 2 weeks, glue the flowers onto bookmarks, cards, or other paper crafts, press into wax paper to make a suncatcher, or put it on homemade candles.

4. Build a toad house, or an entire toad village. We will be building ours soon and I'll post a link here to a new entry about our experience.

3. Make a wheel of the year calendar. Draw a circle and divide it up for the seasons, add holidays, birthdays, months, whatever takes you. Draw pictures to help the kids identify what happens when.














2. Plant something. It doesn't matter what and it doesn't matter where. The act of putting seeds in dirt, applying water regularly and watching the green things poke their noses up is one of the most magical things in the world to children. Plant a lettuce bed in a 9x13 baking dish, and use it for home grown salads. Plant herbs in pots to grow in a sunny window. Plant tomato or pepper plants in pots on the patio or in a sunny part of the yard. Get adventurous and make an actual garden! Plant a flower bed. Plant some annuals in a window box.

1. Celebrate Earth Day on April 22. Create some recycled crafts, go to a demonstration, or just talk about ways that kids can help the Earth by lowering their impact.

We will be doing all of these activities and I'll be back to post about them. I'll link to this article so that you can check out what we've done!



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Carnival of Natural Parenting -- Hobo Mama and Code Name: MamaVisit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!



Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:



(This list will be live and updated by afternoon March 8 with all the carnival links.)



Labels: , , ,

Our Mindful Life: Ten Great Spring Activities To Do With Preschoolers

Our Mindful Life

Our Mindful Life is about paying attention to what it is that we do on a day to day basis and how we impact each other and the planet. We will talk about all of the things that we do here at home to make ourselves and the world a better place.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Ten Great Spring Activities To Do With Preschoolers


Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Natural Parenting Top 10 Lists

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared Top 10 lists on a wide variety of aspects of attachment parenting and natural living. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***



10. Make the transition to spring with your little one's help. Get out the lighter jackets, bring out the short sleeves, get some rain boots or an umbrella. Likewise, put away the winter gear. And don't forget about transitioning from winter to spring in other areas! Bring out spring time books, outdoor toys, and those spring time food favorites.

9. Get some fresh air! Open the windows, run around outside, ride bikes, dig in the dirt, wade in a creek if it is warm enough.

8. Go see baby animals. Check out a farm, a farm supply store, or a petting zoo to see those spring time babies!

7. Take a trip to the farmers' market. Better yet, take one every week or two. See the food that is actually being grown and see what is ready for the table when.

6. Tie fabric strips in a tree near your house for the birds to use as building materials for nests. Likewise, providing a feeder and bird bath (perhaps homemade from recycled materials) will attract feathered friends to your yard for the littles to watch.

5. Press flowers and use them to make all sorts of beautiful things! Pick some of those fresh spring greens, clovers, flowers, interesting leaves, violets, and whatever else catches your fancy. Press them in a book - we love those excess phone books that show up on our door step for this purpose. If you use a good book, put tissue paper or blank newsprint between the pages. If using the excess phone book idea, just put the items directly between the pages. In about 2 weeks, glue the flowers onto bookmarks, cards, or other paper crafts, press into wax paper to make a suncatcher, or put it on homemade candles.

4. Build a toad house, or an entire toad village. We will be building ours soon and I'll post a link here to a new entry about our experience.

3. Make a wheel of the year calendar. Draw a circle and divide it up for the seasons, add holidays, birthdays, months, whatever takes you. Draw pictures to help the kids identify what happens when.














2. Plant something. It doesn't matter what and it doesn't matter where. The act of putting seeds in dirt, applying water regularly and watching the green things poke their noses up is one of the most magical things in the world to children. Plant a lettuce bed in a 9x13 baking dish, and use it for home grown salads. Plant herbs in pots to grow in a sunny window. Plant tomato or pepper plants in pots on the patio or in a sunny part of the yard. Get adventurous and make an actual garden! Plant a flower bed. Plant some annuals in a window box.

1. Celebrate Earth Day on April 22. Create some recycled crafts, go to a demonstration, or just talk about ways that kids can help the Earth by lowering their impact.

We will be doing all of these activities and I'll be back to post about them. I'll link to this article so that you can check out what we've done!



***


Carnival of Natural Parenting -- Hobo Mama and Code Name: MamaVisit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!



Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:



(This list will be live and updated by afternoon March 8 with all the carnival links.)



Labels: , , ,

10 Comments:

  • At March 8, 2011 at 2:21 PM , Blogger Lauren Wayne said...

    Ooo…baby animals! Good idea. I lurve spring, so the idea of welcoming it mindfully is so appealing. I can't wait to see your toad house! That sounds intriguing. (I just realized I used "mindfully," when that's your blog name. I can see you take that seriously!)

     
  • At March 8, 2011 at 2:55 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    Thanks for the great ideas! I also can't wait to see the Toad House!

    We were actually able to go outside as a family and walk our dog & let Abbey play at the park this morning. Now that some "warmer" Maine weather has melted down the iced over sidewalks and huge snow banks, we might be able to enjoy being outside again!

    Being outside today with the family and hearing the birds flitting around and chirping was almost spiritual for me - I have felt so cooped up all winter, and I'm so happy about spring coming!

     
  • At March 8, 2011 at 6:34 PM , Blogger Kristen @ My Semi-Crunchy Life said...

    I am SO ready for spring's arrival. I can't wait for the farmers markets to open, although around here it isn't until closer to May. We've been trying to get outside and enjoy nature a lot, but it's so much easier when the weather is nice(r).

    Can't wait to read about your experiences with these activities.

     
  • At March 8, 2011 at 10:24 PM , Anonymous Dionna @ Code Name: Mama said...

    I love *all* of these ideas!! I need to make a calendar and purposefully schedule these into my days. Good intentions and all that ;)

     
  • At March 9, 2011 at 12:06 PM , Anonymous Joni Rae said...

    Love this! We do a lot of these every spring, but I am totally going to make a wheel of the year with the littles!

    Thanks!

    <3

     
  • At March 11, 2011 at 12:56 PM , Blogger Kristin @ Intrepid Murmurings said...

    Great list! We visited a farm last year to see baby animals, and it was a big hit! This year I am organizing a trip there with my twins club, in fact!

    We planted some indoor seeds a few weeks ago, and the girls are loving watching them grow. Can't wait to transfer them outside!

    Also like the calendar idea! My oldest is really into seasons right now, and having it visually laid out like that (including solstices, something we've been discussing more lately!) is really cool.

    Thanks for the ideas!

     
  • At March 11, 2011 at 9:25 PM , Blogger dulce de leche said...

    What a great list! I love your ideas. I shared it earlier on FB, but just now made it back to comment. :)

     
  • At March 11, 2011 at 9:57 PM , Blogger The ArtsyMama said...

    These are great! I can't wait until we see what you and your family have done with these ideas.

     
  • At March 12, 2011 at 12:33 PM , Blogger Mindful Life Shop said...

    Thanks everyone! I hope you'll post the results of YOUR activities too!

    I just updated #10 with a link to a post about Moving Into Spring. :D

     
  • At March 12, 2011 at 10:34 PM , Blogger Amanda said...

    Great ideas! It makes me really, really wish we had a house though so I could do a bit more :)

     

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