outdoor learning

learning in the every day: classic, creative play (and melissa & doug giveaway!)

January 10, 2012

As much as I am an advocate of parents being teachers for their children and helping their kiddos to build a solid foundation for learning waaaay before those children walk through the shining school doors, I am also a strong proponent of play. Free play, pretend play, independent play, group play, inside play, outside play, [...]

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best of teach mama countdown: #6 — learning with recyclables

January 7, 2012

One of these days I’m going to share where and how we store the recyclables that we manage to save from the big blue bin over here. But until then, I’ll share the #6 most popular teach mama post of all-time: how to use recyclables with kids–get fun, crafty, creative. I think people have responded [...]

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leafy, outdoor alphabet letter hunt

October 19, 2011

It’s very leafy over here. With tons of huge trees dropping leaves at about a million per minute, our yard and house is covered. But before I pulled out the ole rake, I of course had to capitalize on the potential for a leaf-party and challenge Maddy, Owen, and Cora to a backyard leafy alphabet [...]

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outdoor play: good for everyone’s mind, body, and soul

October 10, 2011

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://moms.dailybuzz.com/channel/style.   Finally, after enough rain to make us want to trade in the mini-van for an ark, fall as we know it and love it has arrived. Lots of [...]

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learning about the moon: phases, facts, flipbook, cookies

August 3, 2011

We celebrated the moon today, in little ways that kept Maddy, Owen, and Cora interested after lunch and before the rest of our day. Thanks to some really incredible websites, this Reading Specialist-mama learned about the moon right alongside of her kiddos. We demonstrated the phases by using cookies, we watched some really awesome moon-happy [...]

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busch gardens with kids and yankee candle candle-making

August 2, 2011

Day two of our Williamsburg, Virgina whirlwind took us to Busch Gardens–a gorgeous, world-themed amusement park with perfect spots for families with young children.  My husband was waiting anxiously for this particular event in our weekend, while I could take it or leave it–which makes me the totally boring one, I know.  Seriously, though, I [...]

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smart summer challenge fun learning ideas: week 6

July 31, 2011

It’s week #6 of our Smart Summer Learning Challenge, and it’s our biggest and baddest week of the campaign! We’ve got prizes galore this week, and the focus this week is Space Week–Out of this World Week–but like the last few weeks, anything parents do to show how important–and totally fun–summer learning can be is [...]

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easy, frugal, backyard water fun

July 30, 2011

It’s H-O-T.  Hot, hot, Hot with a capital ‘H’. I know I’ve been a total complainer, but I really don’t care. So rather than complain any more, I thought I’d just skip to some of the fun–inexpensive–things we’ve done that involved water, since we’re rounding out the Water Fun Smart Summer week. Sure, these are [...]

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ice experiments: quick, easy (and on our driveway)

July 26, 2011

Lots has been going on over here this week, but the most exciting news has been the break in the heat. Finally we’re able to get out and enjoy the sunshine a bit–and see what it can to ice on a 95-degree afternoon! So after we came home from a local summertime fair, we took [...]

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how to teach kids to search the web: read, research, evaluate

July 20, 2011

We see the same beautiful apple tree every time we walk to or from the pool. And we often talk about how beautiful the tree is and how much we love it. We wonder if we can eat the apples and what they taste like.  Are they apples? Crabapples? Are they sweet? Are they safe [...]

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alphabet letter splash–keeping cool with the abc’s

July 19, 2011

Who says playing with the letters of the alphabet can’t be a fun and exciting outdoor activity? Who thinks that all letter-learning involves a pen and paper? Who knows a kid who doesn’t love using a water squirter to hit a target? Not I, not I, and not I. I’ve found that just like when [...]

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under a shady tree
can you feel the soft cool grass?
can you feel it with your toes?
we can sit here while it grows.
laurie berkner, "under a shady tree"


i know nothing with certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream
. . . vincent van gogh