Love Nature? It's Only Natural!!

“The most effective kind of education is that a child 

should play amongst lovely things.” — Plato

It's only natural for a child (or adult) to long to be out in nature taking in the beauty and wonder of it all. Nature is an amazing teacher. Nature awakens all of the senses.  So what can one do to foster love for these experiences?? The following are a few of the nature exploration opportunities we've enjoyed.

We call these "nature packs". We use clear

backpacks (from Lakeshore), small clipboards

with paper, colored pencils, and a magnifying glass.

The children are encouraged to look around at things

in nature. Observe them closely with the magnifying glass

and then, if they'd like, they can sketch what they see.

This can be done individually, with a friend, 

or in a group.

This winter we haven't experienced much rain,

but we normally do. Last year our rain came 

a little later than usual, which may be the

case this time, as well. Last year I found these

adorable rain boots and purchased 4 pairs so

we could take the kids out on rainy days to do

some exploring. We call them "monkey boots".

We were so fortunate that when we decided to

try them out, one of our preschool dads who just happens to be 

a park ranger, was hanging out with us. He

was able to help us identify the birds, mushrooms,

plants, and worms we saw. What fun!!

Another valuable resource we have available to us is

an Outdoor Learning Laboratory aka "the pond". Our

ranger dad was able to be present when we went there

for a visit with our buddies and was able to give us on

the spot nature lessons about the ducks, geese, and other

animals that live and frequent the area. Thanks, Ranger Jeremiah!

Another activity we began doing this school year

was "nature frames". I saw this idea when visiting

a Reggio exhibit in Monterey in the fall.

Simply place some old picture frames, without the

glass or the back insert, on a flat surface. We then

encouraged the children to collect nature items and

arrange them within the frame. The kids had a blast

collecting and arranging. It was a group activity so they

had to all agree how it was to look.

Then there are always times when the kids come up with

their own experiences without any adult guidance, my favorite.

One day some of the kids began collecting and sorting natural

materials on their own. Love it!!

An amazing resource a friend of mine discovered awhile back and

after viewing it and drooling for a bit, I ordered by own copy. This 

book is amazing. It has short, concise lessons that you can do in

a short while or you can extend into larger experiences. Not every

lesson applied to animals or plants in my area, but lots of them do.

I ordered it through Amazon. It's definitely worth checking out.

http://www.amazon.com/Celebrate-Nature-Activities-Every-Season/dp/160554034X/ref=sr_1_48?ie=UTF8&qid=1329447688&sr=8-48

I realize not everyone has access to the resources we do, but

with a little effort and creativity you can enhance the experiences 

of your children. I'd love to hear and see pics of what you do!!