Nature Detective

We are now in the heart  of fall, a beautiful season!

Today's activity is so simple you will wonder why you hadn't thought of it...

or maybe you have!  yea! 

 

Grab a basket, shopping bag or some type of container with handles. 

 Grab a coat and bug spray, if needed, and head outside.

 

Older children may want to decide before going outside what they will look for.  However, spontaneous observation is a great skill to practice that will serve children well in all areas of their lives... at school, in play and later in the work force.

 

You have now taken on the role of a Nature Detective! 

 

Here are some ideas to prime your detective skills. 

 

1.  How many treasures can you find?

2.  If you find leaves as one of your treasures, what shapes, sizes, colors and textures did you collect?

3.  How many colors can you find?  Are they the same colors as during summer, spring or winter?
4.  Today pick up only red leaves.  Next trip out, pick up only yellow leaves.  The following day
     look for only orange leaves.  etc. 

5  What does the air smell like?  Does it smell the same as summer, spring or winter air?

6  What animals/birds do you see?  What are they doing? Why?

7  How does the air feel?  Is it the same or different from summer air? How?

8  What does the sky look like? 

9  Are there clouds in the sky?  If so, can you find shapes hidden in the cloud formations?  If you found a shape, how long does it stay in that same shape?  Does it stay the same or change?  Why?

 

Photo Source:  Hidden Splendor ©

Can you find the heart?

After your nature detective activity, why not extend the play inside.  Draw pictures of what you saw, make up or write stories about your adventure and discoveries.  Bring some treasures inside  and turn them into an art/craft project or use as a decoration for the holidays.  Study your treasures with a magnifying glass, microscope and/or flashlight.

 

This is just the beginning!  There are many more things to observe and investigate outside.

What else can you come up with?

 

Inspired by the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes: 

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both paperback and electronic versions

 

Blog posts are many times an extension of this book. 

We started at 500+ and are counting upward and onward!

 

 

Swirling Rainbow Milk

I reached for the gallon of milk and started to pour a glass.  My arm stopped in mid-air.  Much to my dismay, it had happened...

I hate it when milk sours before we drink it all.  Such a waste!  Now, if you have visited this blog at all, you know how I love to prolong the life of items, turning them into a little fun before their final days are over.  And so it is with the milk.

This reminded me of an activity I used to do with my children.  The activity is sometimes called Swirling or Marbled Milk.  I like to call it rainbow milk.  It is a wonderful demonstration of emulsifiers in action and it is really NEAT!  Whether you have sour or fresh milk this is an activity you can do with your kids that will produce tons of fun!   The nice thing about this activity is that it is quick and easy to do.  It is a perfect activity to do before or after a meal.  If someone leaves some milk behind after eating, no problem!  Whip up this activity.   Do you need entertainment that will mesermize your children while you fix a meal?  This is a perfect solution!

Give this activity a try!   It will sure to be a favorite!

This is what you will need:

Photo source:  www.blogsglowscotland.org.uk

1.  a low shallow container:  cake pan, cookie sheet with sides, styrofoam meat tray, bowl, a large lid,
                                              pie tin, plate with high sides,  plastic storage container etc.
2.  food coloring
3.  liquid dish detergent  (NOT dishwasher detergent)  Dawn or Palmolive are my favorites.
4.  milk - must have fat content - whole milk works best but 2 % will also work
5.  possibly a few Q-tips


Directions:

1.  Pour a little milk in the bottom of your container.
2.  Add several drops of different colors in different places in your bowl of milk

Photo source:  www.twinklemama.wordpress.com

 

3.  Squeeze one drop of dish detergent in the milk mixture
4.  Watch the colors swirl!

As swirling action dies down, add another drop to the milk.  What happens?  How long does the swirling action occur?  What colors are produced when the colors mix?  If you move the dish, what happens to the swirling action?

After observation of the swirling action for awhile, children may want to see what happens if they disturb the color flow by touching a Q-tip to the surface of the milk.  What reaction happens?

Try this experiment with only two colors, then with only three colors.  When you mix red and yellow what color is created?  If you mix red and blue together, what color is formed?  How about yellow and blue?

Inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky Baxa

Available from http://www.Amazon.com

in both Kindle and Paperback versions

Quick, Easy Christmas Activities

 

During the Christmas season, life can become hectic, to say the least. 

But, it is important to remember not to let the urgent things

keep you away from the important things.

Take time to play with your kids each day. 

Here are a few quick, easy, fun ideas. 

If you have older children they can make these activities. 

Smaller children will need your help to create the fun. 

Lace-Up Cards 

 

Left over Christmas cards, cards from last year, an old calendar or even the front of a cereal/food box can be turned into a quick activity.  Using a one hole punch, make a row of holes around the outside of your picture.  Then using a piece of yarn or shoe lace you can play with your new "sewing cards".  If using yarn, be sure to wrap a piece of tape around one end to make it stiff enough to push through the holes.  The tape will also prevent raveling.

 

 

 

Flannel Story Box 

 

A story box is great for travel, telling, or re-telling, a story anytime, anywhere. 

This can be used anytime of the year.

A Story Box can be used for individual child entertainment or for a group of children.

 

Materials needed: 

an empty shoebox (one with a hinged lid is preferred)

a piece of solid colored flannel and thin batting

felt pieces

small pieces of sandpaper (optional)

white craft glue/hot glue

LID

1.  Measure the shoebox lid and add 1/2 inch on all four sides. 

2.  Cut out flannel with the dimensions you measured in step #1

3.  Press under 1/2 inch toward the back with a warm iron. 

4.  Cut out a piece of batting that is the exact size as your lid. 

5.  Place the batting on the wrong side of the flannel with the 1/2 inch turn down covering the raw 

     edges of the batting.

6.  Glue the flannel and batting to the lid of the shoebox.

7.  There should be no raw edges showing.

8.  Allow to dry before using.

 

STORY PIECES

Cut out shapes and/or pictures using felt, old greeting cards, pictures from magazines or calendars. Cookies cutters and stencils can be helpful in making pieces.

 

On the back of the non-felt pieces, glue small pieces of leftover felt, or small pieces of sandpaper. This will help the pieces stick to the flannel board lid when telling the story.

 

A fun idea is to make color copies of your child's favorite story book.  Cut out the main characters and add felt or sandpaper to the back.  This will allow children to re-tell their favorite story and to create variations as they wish.

 

Create a Christmas tree from green felt, star from yellow felt and an assortment of ornaments and presents for your child to decorate a Christmas tree. 

 

 

The box in the picture below is telling the Christmas Story. 

Felt shapes, as well as old Christmas cards are used for telling the story.

 

  

Story Telling

The fronts of old greeting cards are also a great way to create stories.

1.  Creativity and Storytelling:  Present a picture and then make up a story about that picture.

2.  Sequencing and Logical reasoning:  A fun way to tell the Christmas Story (or any story) is to provide a variety of cards that include the major events of a particular story.  Ask children to place them in order.  They can then present a card as they tell the story or lay all the cards out on the floor, table or bed before telling the story.

 Puzzles

Remember ... old greeting cards can be used as puzzles.  If you have two of the same card left after sending your holiday greetings, these are perfect to make a puzzle.  Glue the front of one card onto the front of an envelope so you can see what the resulting picture of your puzzle will look like. 

Take the front of the second card and cut it into random pieces.  Remember cut fewer pieces for younger children (even as few as two pieces) and more pieces for older children.  

 

 

 

Using cookie cutters to create a few novelty pieces are great to hide hidden shapes inside the puzzle. 

 

A cereal box - inlaid puzzle



This puzzle is made from a pizza box

 Always write how many pieces are in the puzzle on the outside of the envelope.

If you do not have two of one design, simply add a description and the number of pieces to your envelope front.

This type of puzzle travels well, take little space to store and are always a hit with kids, both young and old alike!

This Blog Post is inspired from the book:

Miraculous, Magical Moments in Minutes:

Over 500 Quick, Easy Activities for Adults and Children to Share

by Becky B. Baxa

If you would like more fun ideas to share with your children

(that do not require batteries or electronics )

you can purchase this 180 page book,

full of color photos,

for $21.95

from Amazon.com

Or

from the gift shop at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO,

Silver Dollar City General Store in Branson, MO.

This book can also be checked out from the following libraries:

Scenic Regional Library - Pacific, MO

First Christian Church - Washington, MO

Hawaii State Library - Honolulu, HI

Story City Public Library - Story City, IA

Ellsworth Public Library - Ellsworth, ME

Ludington Public Library - Ludington, MI
Denver Public Library - Denver, CO
Pikes Peak Library District - Colorado Springs, CO

Dallas Public Library - Dallas, Texas