Summer: Let's get Messy!

This week is all about getting messy! It's hard to have fun outside without getting a little messy and engaging all of the senses to explore and create! One of my favorite things to do as a kid was make mud pies and pretend to serve them, as if I were a baker at a cafe. My sister and I would get lost in our imaginations creating "recipes" out of mud, sticks, leaves, and rocks. Let's jump into what this week has to offer:

Suggested Book List-Try to find these at your local library!

• Zara's Big Messy Day (That Turned out Okay) by Rebeckah Borucki

• Mud by Mary Lyn Ray

• My Mud Kitchen is Rad by Allison Bakkum

Activities

Squishy Sensory Walk- Sprouts (ages 2-5) Create an opportunity for your child to explore different textures with their toes!

Materials

• Medium shallow bins (one per textured material)

• Materials of various textures, such as cooked pasta, cotton balls, bubble wrap, washable paint, ice cubes, shaving cream, or oobleck)

Prep

1. Line the bins up in a row and add a different textured ,material to each one.

Steps

1. Have your child walk through the row of bins, stepping into one bin after another.

2. Ask your child to describe what he/she feels in each bin. Encourage descriptive words like soft, bumpy, hard, squishy, slimy, and wet.

(Bonning-Gould et al., 2019)

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Mud Bird's Nest-Blossoms (ages 5-9): Use different materials found in nature to create a nest!

Materials

• mud or dirt

• water

• bowl

• Nature items (pine needles, dry grass, moss, etc.)

Steps

1. Mix your mud and water together in a bowl, making sure to not add too much water. The consistency should resemble a thick paste, much like mortar or clay, that can be shaped with your hands.

2. Add the pine needles/small sticks, and other nature items and use this mixture to form a bowl-shaped nest.

3. Allow your creation to dry in the sun.

4. Place it in a bush or have an adult supervise you while you safely place it on a low branch.

(Andrews et al., 2019)

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Outdoor Adventure Bucket List

***PLEASE REMEMBER to modify these for your child's age and always do with adult supervision and permission!***

• Roll down a Hill like a Log- Find a grassy hill wither around you or at your local park. Then, start at the top and start to roll! For an added challenge, have a race! Just make sure to space yourselves out well enough and that there is nothing down below to run into. Whoever makes it to the bottom or to a set "finish line" first wins!!

• Find Your State Flower- The Washington State flower is called a Coast Rhododendron. Go on a nature walk at a local park or nature trail, or even just around your neighborhood and try to spot some! To see what they look like, visit this website!

• Go Fishing: Get your fishing license, gather up you equipment, and then hit a nearby lake, pond, or stream! If you don't have any gear, you can rent it from a local place (Try Silverbow Fly Shop or Gambles Tackle Shop) .

(Tornio et al., 2013)

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Sources

Andrews, K., & Dockrill, K. (2019). In Exploring nature activity book for kids: 50 creative projects to spark curiosity in the outdoors (pp. 54). essay, Rockridge Press.

Bonning-Gould, K., & Rosenberg, N. S. (2019). In The outdoor toddler activity book: 100+ fun early learning activities for outside play (p. 19). essay, Rockridge Press.

Tornio, S., Keffer, K., & Riordan, R. (2013). In The kids' outdoor adventure book: 448 great things to do in nature before you grow up (pp. 62, 70-71). essay, Falcon Guides.