Frogs - Taking Advantage of Real Life, Hands On Learning

"If it's not in the hand, then it's not in the head or the heart!"

~ Bev Bos

Strolling along a nature trail, throwing rocks into a lake, or playing on a playground is where you will find us on most days.  We typically get out to a park or playground every day, and allow our children to take us on all kinds of adventures.  What a gift it is to see the wonder of the world through their eyes.  On one such trip recently, we came upon a lake brimming with tadpoles.

YES – We can bring out our nets and catch some for you all to explore.  

YES – You may walk into the water with your shoes on (or off).

YES – We can catch more than one.  

YES – We can take them home for further exploration and learning.

YES - You may hold them.

This type of hands-on learning is ideal - 

to spark interest

for better retention

and because its fun.

Thus it begins – the life cycle of a frog adventures.

Catching tadpoles

Watching tadpoles

Scoop 'em up!

Got some!

The wonder!!

YES - You may hold them.

Growth of a Tadpole

"Look, this one is the smallest."

"This one has hind limbs!!!  He must be the oldest.  Will he be a frog soon?  Let me pick him up for a better look."

We watched a short video about the Life Cycle of the Frog

An invitation to explore the tadpoles.

He put one in a petri dish for a better look.

Using a magnifying glass.

"I'm drawing the whole tadpole family."

Our hopes are that the tadpoles continue to grow and our children get to watch the metamorphosis   Once they are frogs (fingers crossed), we will take them back to their lake and set them free.

How rewarding!

Tell me and I'll forget;

Show me and I may remember;

Involve me and I'll understand.

- Chinese Proverb

- AK/RL

A Prototype

One of the girls favorite things to do is to watch the dogs at Petsmart.  They are very big dog lovers... especially my youngest!  Inside our store they have a little dog play house type thing.  It has a cubby hole and slide, etc.  My oldest asked my husband if we could build one for our dog.  My husband suggested that she go draw a picture so he could see what it looked like.  Off she ran up to the playroom to get her pencil and paper.  I thought it would be fun to expand off her drawing.  Amazing where one little question can take you!  I asked her if she wanted to make a prototype.  We talked a little bit about what that is, and searched for materials she thought we could use.  She decided to use some play blocks. 

Original Drawing

She decided to make the slide first.  

"I need to put a door right here." 

"I think my slide needs to be a little bit bigger."

Proud Girl

"I made a door!"

Testing the stairs out with a playmobil dog.  

Stairs leading up to the slide. 

Adjusting her original drawing.  Adding a chimney and steps.  I love how she went back to the drawing first to expand!  

Testing the slide.  

"It works!!!!!"  

Finished Drawing

Finished Prototype.

RL  

Melon Boats

An Awesome Book

My oldest was "reading" this book this AM.  There is a page (see below) that has Magic Watermelon Boats.  

"Mommy, can we make these?"

Since I had everything on hand we would need this was an easy YES moment. 

"YES- We can make watermelon boats!"

Magic Watermelon Boats

This activity was all set up and thought out by my oldest.  

"We need watermelon.  Do we have a watermelon?  We could use sticks and paper to make the flags.  Then we can fill up a baby pool and see if they float!!  Oh wait, we don't have a baby pool.  Do we?  That's OK, we can just put them in the bathtub.  That will work.  That will tell us if they sink or float."  

My oldest (4.5) making her "flag".

"I need to tape them together... like that one there in the book."

My oldest was making the boat with the blue sail.

My 3 year old decorating her sail.

It's finished!

Using a melon baller to clean out the inside.

For a fun edible sensory bin using melon balls click on the post below...

http://www.playathomemomllc.com/2013/03/melon-balls-edible-sensory-bin.html

Sticking the sail in.

Yes, you may suck out all the juice with your straw.

"Look, look!!!  They float!!!  It worked, they float!!"

We only had half a watermelon so my 3 year old compromised and used a cantaloupe.  :-) 

The girls added playmobil people and got in the bath with their "boats".  

Melon season is here, and we are looking forward to recreating these often!  It was such a fun project from start to finish.  

RL  

Letter Hike

It was (finally!) a beautiful day here in Atlanta, so before picking up my daughter I packed a picnic lunch and Furry Sister so we could spend the afternoon outside. We had a lovely picnic and played on the playground for a few minutes before going into the woods to run and jump and stop and twirl and sing and stop and skip and stop and run some more.


 

Exploring the woods

Looking deeply into nature

Then my daughter exclaimed, "Mom, look! There's an 'X'!" She was so excited. And sure enough, there on the ground was an 'X' made from tree roots. She looked around some more and found LOTS of different letters (A, J, L, N, R, T, V, X, Y) in the natural world around us. I smiled thinking about what a lovely moment to be reminded that everywhere is an opportunity for learning, for connecting, and for embracing the world around us.

The letter "X" (there were lots!)

The letter "V" (sideways)

The letter "r" ("and it's also an 'L' mom from this side!")

We did lots more climbing and playing too...

"R O A R !"

 

Furry Sister TJ explores the creek, then gets a bath at home

Sometimes we don't need to plan anything; planning can get in the way if we let it. We simply need to pay attention, to notice when these beautiful moments arise. It's incredibly freeing to know that our children are going to learn and grow and connect with us, and we only need to pay attention in order to see each opportunity.

GiveAway: Simplicity Parenting Webinar

Winner of the Simplicity Parenting Webinar:

Karen of Ottawa, Canada!

Congratulations Karen!

Finding the support we need to help us connect with our kids is a great way to start the new year. Recently I posted about Kim John Payne's upcoming Simplicity Parenting Webinar here. And now I have some good news for all of you...they have generously offered us a free "seat" for the webinar to give to you!

Here's how to play: comment on this Play At Home Mom blog for one entry and share it on your facebook page for a second entry (be sure to let us know you shared it in a second comment). Giveaway begins today, December 29, 2012, and ends Monday, December 31, 2012.

Also, don't forget to check out the Simplicity Parenting FaceBook Page and Website for more information on how you can use "the extraordinary power of less to raise calmer, happier, and more secure kids."


Happy New Year!
PAHM

Yellow Invitation

I have to make "To Do" lists or I'll get very little accomplished. Recently my daughter noticed my list on the front seat asked, "can I highlight the words on your paper?" She'd recently witnessed her Dad using a similar highlighter while working, and this was her chance to do some equally important work. "Sure!" I had pictures of her highlighting work, but now I can't find them...or maybe I don't really want to showcase all the things I have to write down in order to remember to do them...surely some of you can relate!

A few days later we had a GIANT yellow squash in our garden - too big to be tasty (and frankly, I was thrilled because we've eaten so much squash this summer I don't care to see another until next summer). Anyway, I wanted to find a way to include the beautiful yellow color into an invitation and remembered Addi's recent interest in highlighting. So I set up the invitation to include words for highlighting and multiple yellow writing utensils. I was curious to know how she might use the different objects.

Simple invitation...forgot to include squash for picture.

"Mom, I'm highlighting these words."

She was initially very interested in highlighting the words. Then she became interested in using the yellow writing mediums on the squash. Finally she compared the different yellows on the squash versus the different yellows on the paper. She concluded that "squash isn't easy to highlight."

Invitations are one way to research a child's interests. Sometimes the invitation is used according to our plan, other times children change it to better meet their interests, and sometimes we may consider an invitation a "flop." But they always give us insight into our child's ever-evolving mind.

Honey Bees for a day - Questions answered

My girls are obsessed with all things bugs/insects lately.  My oldest is always asking a million questions a day.

Does that bee sting?

How come some bees sting and some don't?

Is that a honey bee?

How do bees make honey?

Why do they like flowers?

To be honest I can't answer half her questions!  

We first started exploring this by visiting the local library. We checked out 3-4 books on bees/wasps.  We have been reading these books for several weeks before I set up this invitation.  My oldest gave me the inspiration when she said: 

"I wish I could be a honey bee for a day."

The invitation

Flowers in water

Honey

Turkey Basters

Egg Carton

Bee costumes

I left this completely up to my girls to explore any way they wanted to.  

They started first by putting their nest (egg carton) "up high on the art table so no one would step on it"

My 27 Month old did not want to wear her wings and that is OK!  

Sucking up the nectar.  

My 27 Month old knew that the bees sucked it up from their mouth so she always put the back end of the baster up to her mouth.  

My oldest got a little frustrated with her baster so she asked for something else.  I gave her a medicine dropper.  

Putting the "nectar" into the "honeycomb."

My 27 Month old lost interest after a couple trips back and forth.  

My oldest declared me a "worker bee" and said "you need to squirt in some honey... but only where the nectar is, Mommy"  

Doing her "busy bee dance" to show all the other bees where the flower patch is.  

Collecting more nectar.  

Counting how many she has left to fill.  

Fanning the honey with her wings

I did NOT have wax paper out.  She asked for this to seal her honeycomb when it was done.  I thought that was a great association.  :-)  

My 27 Month old joined back in when she heard there was going to be honey tasting going on.  

Scrapping her honeycombs to put into jars.  

"Look at all this honey we made!"

And of course the taste test! 

RL