Summer is a perfect time to spend time with family, enjoy outside activities, and participate in physical activities. We're lucky to live in Utah, there are some of the best trails around!
One great family activity to do this summer is a "5 Senses Nature Walk" with your children. Before going on your walk, take a few minutes to teach your children about the five different senses. Welcome Baby has an amazing curriculum, you can view that lesson plan here . There are several fun books to read with your children as well!
Then prepare a walking kit for each child. You will need the following items:
- Small bag or backpack to put items in
- Crayons
- Sandwich bags
- Snack items
- Magnify glass
- Paint swatches
Sight
- Pick up free paint samples from any hardware store. Get a variety of colors and have your children find a item in nature that matches the color swatch.
- Depending on where you go, have them look for certain animals or bugs.
- On a piece of paper, list different textures to have your child look for (example: rough, hard, soft, poky, sticky, fuzzy, etc.). Have your child spend a minute drawing each object they find.
- Bring sandwich bags so your children can put items they find such as rocks, flowers, or leaves.
- Take a few minutes and have your children sit on a log and have them listen and name different sounds they hear.
- As your walking collect objects that have different smells. During one of your breaks, blindfold your children and have them smell certain objects and then have them describe what they smell. You might need to help them describe the object with as many adjectives as possible.
- Pack a little bag of trail mix and a juice box so your children have something to munch on. When packing some snacks, add items that are sweet, sour, etc.
After you walk, spend some time looking through your child's bag to see what items they collected. You might even want to do a craft with your children after your walk. Here are a few fun ideas!
Have fun on your nature walk!
No comments:
Post a Comment