Written by Margie Pines
Founder & Director at Ta'am Teva
It’s Spring and time to celebrate a new season. Flowers like daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinth are starting to bloom. It rains a lot- at least here in Chicago. Rain storms mean lots of mud, clouds and wind! Here are 5 simple activities you can do at home to celebrate what is happening in nature at this time of year.
- Flower Pounds
Supplies: Wooden mallets or hammers, mortar and pestle, paint brush, paper and flowers
Let your child take petals from the flowers and pound them on to the paper. If you don’t have a wooden mallet try using a rolling pin.
Explore grinding the flower petals in a mortar and pestle together. Let your child put the finished product on paper and add small amounts of water with a brush
Make predictions and ask questions like: Do the flowers smell different before and after pounding? Which flower will produce the brightest color? Try putting the flowers in a container of warm water and see what happens. If you don’t have a lot of flowers blooming you can also experiment with cooked carrots or beets.
- Celebrate Mud
Supplies: Mud, cardboard or paper and small toys
Collect some mud from outside and put it on a tray with sturdy cardboard or thick paper. Let your child “drive” a toy car through the mud and see what kinds of tracks it makes. You can also get out small dinosaurs to see what their tracks will look like if they stomp through the mud. If you are adventurous, let your child make their own muddy handprints and draw with the mud. Use your finger to make letters or shapes. It is a lot more fun to write letters with mud then a pencil!
- Explore Clouds Together
When is the last time you laid down outside and just watched the clouds? Try this activity with your child. Talk about the different shapes you see and make up a story together using that idea. Pick a cloud and see if it moves faster than others. Nature helps our brains relax and is restorative for both children and adults. A great book to combine with this activity is It looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G Shaw.
- Wind Chimes/Wind Sock
Supplies: sticks, string, fabric, pine cones, old keys, beads, metal washer or bolts. (Anything in your recycle bin that will make noise.)
Take a long stick and tie streamers, fabric or other natural items to it using the string. You can also attach keys, washers, bells or beads if you want it to make more noise. Then hang it anywhere outside. As you watch the chimes or fabric blow ask which direction the wind is coming from or how strong is the wind today?
- Homemade Binoculars
Supplies: toilet paper tubes, string or yarn
Who doesn’t have extra cardboard toilet paper holders available? Use them to make some homemade binoculars by connecting two with the yarn or string. Go outside with your child and look for birds or animals. This simple activity helps children learn to pay attention to one thing at a time and builds attention span persistence.
Thanks for reading! At Ta’am Teva, the spring season is a great time to re-introduce interactive activities that support our Curriculum. To learn more click here to read a thoughtful blog post by the Chicago North Shore Moms!
Written by Margie Pines
Founder & Director at Ta'am Teva
It’s Spring and time to celebrate a new season. Flowers like daffodils, tulips, crocus and hyacinth are starting to bloom. It rains a lot- at least here in Chicago. Rain storms mean lots of mud, clouds and wind! Here are 5 simple activities you can do at home to celebrate what is happening in nature at this time of year.
- Flower Pounds
Supplies: Wooden mallets or hammers, mortar and pestle, paint brush, paper and flowers
Let your child take petals from the flowers and pound them on to the paper. If you don’t have a wooden mallet try using a rolling pin.
Explore grinding the flower petals in a mortar and pestle together. Let your child put the finished product on paper and add small amounts of water with a brush
Make predictions and ask questions like: Do the flowers smell different before and after pounding? Which flower will produce the brightest color? Try putting the flowers in a container of warm water and see what happens. If you don’t have a lot of flowers blooming you can also experiment with cooked carrots or beets.
- Celebrate Mud
Supplies: Mud, cardboard or paper and small toys
Collect some mud from outside and put it on a tray with sturdy cardboard or thick paper. Let your child “drive” a toy car through the mud and see what kinds of tracks it makes. You can also get out small dinosaurs to see what their tracks will look like if they stomp through the mud. If you are adventurous, let your child make their own muddy handprints and draw with the mud. Use your finger to make letters or shapes. It is a lot more fun to write letters with mud then a pencil!
- Explore Clouds Together
When is the last time you laid down outside and just watched the clouds? Try this activity with your child. Talk about the different shapes you see and make up a story together using that idea. Pick a cloud and see if it moves faster than others. Nature helps our brains relax and is restorative for both children and adults. A great book to combine with this activity is It looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G Shaw.
- Wind Chimes/Wind Sock
Supplies: sticks, string, fabric, pine cones, old keys, beads, metal washer or bolts. (Anything in your recycle bin that will make noise.)
Take a long stick and tie streamers, fabric or other natural items to it using the string. You can also attach keys, washers, bells or beads if you want it to make more noise. Then hang it anywhere outside. As you watch the chimes or fabric blow ask which direction the wind is coming from or how strong is the wind today?
- Homemade Binoculars
Supplies: toilet paper tubes, string or yarn
Who doesn’t have extra cardboard toilet paper holders available? Use them to make some homemade binoculars by connecting two with the yarn or string. Go outside with your child and look for birds or animals. This simple activity helps children learn to pay attention to one thing at a time and builds attention span persistence.
Thanks for reading! At Ta’am Teva, the spring season is a great time to re-introduce interactive activities that support our Curriculum. To learn more click here to read a thoughtful blog post by the Chicago North Shore Moms!
