Discover the Seasons: Color Hunt

A great way to learn more about the seasons is to get out and into nature. We recently investigated spring with a colors of nature color hunt and I'm thrilled to be sharing it over on the Melissa & Doug blog.

This activity is a fantastic way to encourage your kids to pay attention to the details. R was noticing far more than just colors on this nature walk, and observing nature closely was a fun way to learn. We plan to do this each season and compare his findings. 

To find out more about our colors of nature hunt and get the free printable record sheet, please visit  the Colors of Nature Color Hunt post. 

Happy hunting! 

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Homemade Bird Nester Learning Activity

Each season has it's own learning opportunities and we're taking advantage of those unique to spring. Recently, we learned a bit about birds and how they make their nests. We created these bird nesters as a fun follow up activity to reinforce the things we learned while making our backyard birds happy.

What is a bird nester? A bird nester is a collection of nesting materials that you can set out just like you would a bird feeder. We actually used a suet bird feeder as our box and filled it with bits of yarn. We found our suet cage at Walmart for less than three dollars, and we plan to use it as a feeder later in the year.

Nesting Materials-

• Yarn
• Twine
• Scraps of fabric
• Dried grasses
• Small twigs
• Dead leaves
• Pine needles
• Hair
• Pet fur

Dryer lint is not recommended because it's dense and doesn't dry quickly, keeping the nest cold and wet. You should also stay away from plastics and things like fishing line. When offering yarn, twine, etc. the recommended length is around 3-8 inches. 

I wanted this activity to really focus on the things we've been learning, so I used this time to discuss camouflage. I brought out my collection of yarn scraps in various colors and I let R decide which colors he thought would be best to help the birds hide their nests. We decided on earth tones and used various colors of brown, green, and tan.

This activity also helped me sneak in some math and scissor practice. R happily measured and snipped until we had more than enough to fill our nester. In fact, we even created one as a gift for his nana. This would be a great gift for anyone that loves bird watching.

The learning and fun doesn't stop there! We hung ours in a low traffic area that was still visible. It's really interesting to watch the birds come and go. Record the types of birds that visit by drawing them in a nature journal and use a field guide for your area to identify them.

Want to learn a little more about birds and their nesting habits? We loved this video! 

What are your favorite springtime learning activities?

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Kid-Made Plant Markers

We look forward to having a garden each year, and now that spring is here we are beginning to prepare! To get started, we've been crafting up these super easy kid-made plant markers.

My son really enjoyed the process of creating these, and I can't get over how cute and cheery they are.  I can't wait to see lots of these colorful plant markers staking out our fruits and veggies! 

I'm excited to be sharing these over on the Melissa & Doug blog, so if you'd like to find out how your family can make their own, please visit that post for more details.

Do you garden with your kids? What will you be planting?

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Signs Of Spring Nature Hunt

It's spring time! The winter is officially behind us and nature is experiencing its rebirth. I thought the perfect way to celebrate would be to experience it firsthand. And that's just what we did! We went on a nature walk and hunted for signs of spring.

I began by talking to R about the spring. I asked him questions like:

"What do you see in the spring, that you don't see in the winter?"

"What do you hear?"

"What do you think about when you think of spring?"

He had some wonderful answers and it really got us thinking about the new season. I asked him to keep all of that in mind as we began our walk. Then I gave him his backpack full of fun things to take with us. I included a digital camera for his use, binoculars, and a few other miscellaneous items. I also brought along a nature journal printable and a box of colored pencils. 

I made this printable for the occasion and you're welcome to download a copy for yourself. All I ask is that you do not redistribute and that you download for your own personal use. Just click the picture to download and print.

The Hunt For Spring

He was really excited about finding clues in nature. We explored and played. We enjoyed the beautiful weather. Ours was a very long walk around a nearby park, but you could even do this activity for 15 minutes in your own backyard.

Spring is here! Here's some proof.

At one point, R decided that he would like to use the nature journal page. I brought it along in case he was inspired to draw on the walk, but I wasn't going to push the subject. I thought that it would also be a great way to recap the walk once we were home, if he wanted. 

For the things he had seen, he drew a leafy green tree, an ant hill, and bee wings. He drew a happy bumble bee for the "I heard" section and a few flowers for the smell. He surprised me by drawing the wind as the very first picture under the "I felt" category. He later added a cute little inch worm that had inched up his arm. He also pointed out that the weather section neglected to have a "windy" option and drew one. He sat down and concentrated on drawing the springtime surroundings. He really enjoyed taking the time to soak in the season.

Is it spring time where you are?

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