Grab your camera and off we go!
A new season is starting to sneak up on us… at least down here in the South.
Teaching our children to become observers is a vital lesson in life. We’re going on a walk around our neighborhood to see if we can spot signs of Spring. Do you see it yet in your neighborhood?
Grass is turning green
Bushes are sprouting new leaves
Trees are blooming
Bushes are blooming
Tree are growing tiny leaves
Roses are growing red leaves
Seeds are starting to sprout in the garden.
Bird are making nest in the trees
Baby duckling have even arrived at the Duck Pond.
Take your child on a nature walk and see what they can discover with their own observation skills. Find a way to document this change with them over a time period. Using a kid friendly camera from their view is fun. We used this Hunt for Spring Checklist to write down what we saw. Here are some of our favorites from our walks this week afterschool.
This is what we saw on our walk to my sister in law’s house… a Peach Tree
Create a Spring Journal
Later in the week we would come home and write in a Spring Journal what we observed. Observation is a great skill to use. When creating your own Plant Journal, have them illustrate it first , it will be fresh on their mind and in the camera for reference. Then they can write about what they saw. Encourage them to include details. Go out a few days later and observe with them if things have changed.
More Journal Ideas:
Make a spring collage out of pictures from magazines or real objects
Glue the discoveries you find onto a page and then attach the words.
Younger children doing this activity can cut out and add spring words to their pictures.
Practice finding the beginning sounds of spring objects they draw.
Additional Resources for Spring
- Julie from Just Playing Around has a Great Idea for Observing Spring with her children.
- Spring Treasure Box from Little Wonder Days
- Sharing Birds with your Child
- First Day of Spring!
The Afterschool Blog Hop is co-hosted by:
It’s Spring! Let’s Get Out into the Garden! Here’s our Kids in the Garden ideas
Here’s our After School Activities and Adventures
I love these ideas! It's a little early for spring in Massachusetts, but we'll enjoy seeing the signs of spring as they arrive!
Great ideas. We're in Texas, so I think we'll be doing this soon.
To be truthful I'm a little said spring's already here. I'm so glad Maryanne, Kelli and Litlass that you'll be able to do this once your spring arrives there.
This is a great list of ideas for spring-watching! It would be great if you'd like to link-up this post with our spring carnival 🙂
http://sunnydaytodaymama.blogspot.com/2012/02/all-year-round-blog-carnival-spring.html
Thanks Sunny Mama, was just getting ready to do that!
We don't have spring yet in Colorado, but I love your activities … they make me hopeful! I pinned your post to my new Kids' Spring Activities Pinterest board at http://pinterest.com/debchitwood/kids-spring-activities/. Thanks for hosting Afterschool Party! 🙂
I love this idea – we're starting to see the signs of spring here in the south of the UK – I'm wondering how to adapt the idea for a 2 and a half year old – lots of sticking and collages as well as flower pressing I think is going to happen.
I love your ideas Rainy Day Mum, anything hands on for Tots is perfect for their age! Let me know if you need me to adapt the journal or checklist for your little one.
Thanks Deb for pinning to your Spring Board. My parents are right there with you in CO, love it there. Before you know it the bulbs will be popping up and leaves popping on branches.
I love taking my children on a nature walks and I love how you've extended that here. Very cool.
Thanks so much for adding this to our Spring Carnival. 🙂 I've featured it here: http://sunnydaytodaymama.blogspot.com/2012/03/all-year-round-week-two-7-ways-to-get.html
Thanks for linking up on my "It's a Spring Thing" linky party! I love your ideas and photographs!
Mary
Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives
Thank you so much for featuring our post Sunnymama! We love the Spring Carnival and all the great resources and ideas it provides!
I love your senses sheet, I saw it being used at http://rubsomedirtblog.com/ and had to come over here so I could find the original to pin. I am going to be using it a lot with my son and didn't want to lose it.
We blogged about our own Spring Hunt too ( http://littleboybluetoddleschool.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/spring-hunt.html ) and think your printable would go along nicely with our continued observations.
Love these ideas, but love the idea of spring even more!
This makes me miss having little kids! Nine isn't that little, is it? This looks like a lot of fun.