outdoor learning

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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wolf trap’s theater in the woods

July 18, 2011

This week’s Smart Summer Challenge week has a Forest Friendly focus, so it’s a perfect opportunity to write about the time we spent at Wolf Trap’s Children’s Theater-in-the-Woods. The Theater-in-the-Woods is one of our favorite summertime spots, and it’s something we add to our Summer Fun Cards for the last few years. Visiting the theater [...]

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smart summer challenge fun learning ideas: week 4

July 17, 2011

It’s almost week #4 of our Smart Summer Learning Challenge–the campaign we’ve created to let all parents know the important–and totally fun–role they play in their children’s summer learning! These don’t have to be huge and complicated activities–easy, quick, short, and meaningful ones count and can done in the span of a great game or [...]

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backyard fun: dissecting, examining, and learning about flowers

July 14, 2011

Dissecting flowers–totally pulling them apart–is a little bit funny for some kids. At least it was for mine. We tell them they can’t pick the flowers in our gardens unless they have permission; we teach them to care for and nurture our plants by watering and weeding.  We give flowers to loved ones for gifts [...]

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backyard science: our very own baby house wrens

July 13, 2011

We have fallen hard over here for four sweet, tiny babies–four chirping, tweeting, insect-eating, feathered friends–little house wrens. Their mom made a nest in our hanging basket, beautiful red geraniums, so for the last few weeks, we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for them to arrive. And once they arrived–maybe a bit over two [...]

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garden stepping stones and decorations

July 12, 2011

Maddy, Cora, and I have always wanted to beautify our garden and flower beds with the pretty statues and mosaics we see at our local garden centers, but quite frankly, they’re just not in our budget. How can those tiny little things cost so much money? We now know–they’re not all that easy to make. [...]

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outside fun: park explorer playkits (me on pbs parents!)

July 11, 2011

Today you can find me on PBS Parents sharing an absolutely awesome, incredibly fun outdoor activity: Park Explorer Playkits. Park Explorer Playkits are earth-friendly and kid-friendly, and Maddy, Owen, and Cora not only loved making these, but they love taking them to the park and doing some exploring with them.  The cool thing about these [...]

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