The following guest post is written by the amazing Angela Thayer of Teaching Mama (not to be confused with this here ole teach mama blog, of course!). Angela is a twenty-something, Iowa lovinโ wife and mom to boys–a former teacher and now stay at home with her 2 year old and 3 year old.ย Check her out!
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I am so excited to share this activity with y’all! Fall is my favorite season, so naturally I love creating crafts and activities for my little ones during this time of the year. Something we frequently do is an Invitation to Play.
I simply set up materials for them to play with and donโt give them any specific directions. I let them play, explore, be imaginative, and watch their creativity blossom. It is a gift to sit back, and watch them learn.
- ย Invitation to Play with Acorns:
For this activity, we gathered a bunch of acorns on a walk and then I set up a table with a bowl of acorns, water cups, leaves, toy hammers, and various containers to play with.
My youngest, 26 months, wanted to discover what was inside of an acorn.
He tried with a hammer, but had better luck with using his fingers to peel back the shell.
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My oldest, almost 4, decided to make and acorn pie.
He poured them in a big bowl with water and leaves and stirred.
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Then he poured them into a pie dish, and they added water and more leaves to the top.
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While my oldest was putting the finishing touches on his pie, my youngest enjoyed scooping acorns out of water and putting them in an ice cube tray.ย I love that he is working on fine motor skills.
The boys played with this activity for at least an hour.
Here is the final product!
This is a simple activity that is free and easy to do, but sparks so much imagination, curiosity, and creativity. Thatโs what I love about it!
I love this quote from Kay Redfield Jamison: Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.
I believe play is vital to a child’s education.ย ย Play is as important to their physical and mental health as getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising.
This is why I share this activity with you today: to emphasize that simply letting kids play is so important. If you are looking for hands-on learning and play activities, please check out my ebook.
Angela is married to the love of her life and is a mom to two little boys. She is a former teacher and a stay-at-home-mom. Angela is passionate about home education and loves bringing learning to life through engaging, hands-on activities. She blogs about toddler and preschool activities at Teaching Mama.
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Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Angela,ย for sharing!Looking for more activities for ringing in Halloween (and sneaking in a little learning) with your littles?
Stop by and follow these great educational Pinterest boards:
- Halloweenย |ย Angela @ Teaching Mama
- Fall Crafts and Activitiesย |ย Angela @ Teaching Mama
- Preschool Play and Learningย |ย Angela @ Teaching Mama
- halloweenย |ย teachmama
- fall | teachmama
Or check out any of teachmamaโs Halloween posts!
fyi: affiliate links are used in this post
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