outdoors
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Friday Freebie – Leaf Matching
Happy Friday! Today’s freebie is a fun way to practice colors while celebrating autumn. This leaf scavenger hunt asks children to find leaves that match the leaf on the card, what a fun game for outdoor time! Download your copy from Edventures with Kids and have a great weekend!
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Activities to do with yarn – gross motor
If there is one thing that is universal for every single preschool program it’s that you never seem to have enough materials for all of the activities that you want to do with the children. Over the years I’ve gotten pretty good at creating fun experiences with very few supplies. I thought it would be fun to focus on one simple supply and share a ton of easy activities that you can do to meet different learning domains. This week is going to be all about things you can do with yarn. When it comes to gross motor activities, yearn is the perfect tool for practicing a variety of skills.…
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Friday Freebie – Outdoor Games
Happy Friday! I am ready to spend some time outside this weekend, and if you’re planning on doing the same then today’s freebie is perfect! When I’m on the playground I always forget about all of the fun games that I used to play as a kid. I made these cards so that I could easily flip through and help the children choose a new game to learn. Download your set and have a wonderful weekend!
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Outdoor Imaginative Play
The outdoors are the perfect setting for imaginative play because they lend themselves to a number of themes that children love, such as pirates, faeries, the jungle, and camping. I love to include some basic props on the playground that spark that imagination. Here are some of my favorite materials (all links are affiliates): Dancing Scarves Ribbon Wands Play Food Large Plastic Blocks Pool Noodles Large Foam Blocks These are a great place to start because they can be turned into almost anything that a child might need for whatever theme they are acting out.
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Playground Rules
Do you have a strict set of playground rules or are you more of the relaxed “go explore” type? I love to get others’ opinions on this particular subject because most people generally feel very strongly one way or another. I can certainly see both sides. I understand that rules are in place for a reason, and that they can keep children from getting injured. I also understand the importance of being able to explore and be curious. personally I tend to lean towards the “explore” side of things. I fully believe that children learn best from first hand experience and that safety can be maintained as long as I…
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Teaching children how to play outdoors
I hear it more and more often, either programs don’t take their children outside to play because they feel pressured to accomplish learning goals OR they do take the children outside but then the children don’t know what to do once they get out there. It is becoming more and more common for our young children to not know how to engage in an unstructured outdoor environment, which means that it is our job to teach them! As a child I hated playing outside, I was that girl who didn’t like bugs or dirt or sweating. Even though I complained, my mom insisted that I go out and entertain myself.…
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Beach-Themed Sand Play
We may have hit the official halfway mark for summer when we celebrated the 4th of July last week, but that just means that we still have half of summer left to enjoy! What better way to enjoy all things summer time than with a trip to the beach?! While I would love to live near the beach – and around here we can make a day trip to Lake Erie happen – it’s not exactly a place that you can take a field trip to. Child care licensing tends to frown on large bodies of water, so we usually have to bring the beach to us. The perfect place…
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Teaching disguised as outdoor play
Outdoor fun has been a huge theme on my blog this summer, probably because I’ve been spending as much time outside as possible. We may be halfway done with summer, but that just means that we still have half of the summer left to enjoy the sunshine! Beautiful weather makes me want to stay on the playground all day long, but I can only justify it if I can sneak in some of my lesson plan while we’re outside. I just found some really fun ideas on Oriental Trading’s website that kids and teachers are both sure to love. These are classics that every child should learn how to play…
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Easy Playground Storage
Since this week has been all about the playground I wanted to share one of my favorite posts, this was originally written in June of 2014, but the idea is still just as cute and just as easy! I love to be outside – which is kind of a shock because when I was little the last thing that I wanted to do was play outside. I need my daily dose of vitamin D, and my students need to run around and be crazy people. It is so good for them to have the opportunity to just play – completely unstructured and in a wide open space, so we spend…
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Easy personalized waterbottles
The one major issue that has always made playground time difficult is the lack of a water supply. I can get creative when it comes to water play, but daily drink breaks are another thing. This easy activity is the perfect solution. You will need 1 disposable water bottle for each child – if you collect them from staff or families clean them out with soap and water. The children can help you take the labels off all of the bottles. Use one of the labels to measure new labels, and cut these from white printer paper. Each student can decorate their own new label, which will help them…
