There were a couple heavy downpours during our 5 days together; resulting in some very big puddles at the local playground.
What fun they had. We didn't have sand toys with us on the first day so they used whatever was on hand; twigs, pine cones, rocks and feathers. That puddle kept them busy for a couple of hours. They were digging holes and making the water flow. They were jumping into the puddle to see who could make the bigger splash.
We brought sand toys on the second visit. Most of the water had
drained but they found that as they dug holes in the wet sand, water
would fill the hole. Science in action. They spent an hour creating
rivers and determining where the water would fill the holes the fastest.
They found out that feathers floated on the water.
Watching them in action confirmed that outdoor time and time without toys should be provided regularly. They spent time in the fresh air. They heard the flocks of geese overhead. A couple of geese landed in the grain field next to the playground so they got to see the birds feeding.
They used their imaginations. They conducted science experiments and didn't even know it. Twigs were trees and spruce cones became fences. Hands were shovels.
The grasshoppers in my yard were numerous. As we walked, the hoppers would fly up from the path. One of them landed on a planter. I was able to pick it up so they could get a close up view as it tried nibbling my hand. "Gramma, it thinks your hand is a leaf."
The girls checked on the pumpkin patch each day to see how orange they were turning. They picked cucumbers and carrots from the garden and enjoyed them at mealtime.
We went on a road trip. They noticed that the yellow fields were gone so they were able to see that the once colorful canola blossoms were now brown and ready to harvest. When we mixed up a cake, the girls noticed that the label on the bottle said 'canola oil' and they put two and two together.
What fun it was to watch them question and explore the world around them. I hope their upcoming school year will provide them hands on opportunities to learn and explore the outdoors.
Watching them in action confirmed that outdoor time and time without toys should be provided regularly. They spent time in the fresh air. They heard the flocks of geese overhead. A couple of geese landed in the grain field next to the playground so they got to see the birds feeding.
They used their imaginations. They conducted science experiments and didn't even know it. Twigs were trees and spruce cones became fences. Hands were shovels.
The grasshoppers in my yard were numerous. As we walked, the hoppers would fly up from the path. One of them landed on a planter. I was able to pick it up so they could get a close up view as it tried nibbling my hand. "Gramma, it thinks your hand is a leaf."
The girls checked on the pumpkin patch each day to see how orange they were turning. They picked cucumbers and carrots from the garden and enjoyed them at mealtime.
We went on a road trip. They noticed that the yellow fields were gone so they were able to see that the once colorful canola blossoms were now brown and ready to harvest. When we mixed up a cake, the girls noticed that the label on the bottle said 'canola oil' and they put two and two together.
What fun it was to watch them question and explore the world around them. I hope their upcoming school year will provide them hands on opportunities to learn and explore the outdoors.
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