Archive for the ‘Fun Spring Activities’ Category

Make Your Own Nest

Monday, March 21st, 2016

make-your-own-nest

When you are learning about birds in the spring, a fun activity you can do with your kids is to make your own nest. Your kids can “fly” around the yard as if they were birds, searching for materials from which to build their nest.

You want to start with a base, or a place to build your nest. You can grab one of those pottery dishes that go under a large potted plant. Or grab a tray from your kitchen. Or you can just build your nest on the ground or in a tree.

nest

Materials you can gather to make your own nest:

  • twigs and sticks
  • dead leaves
  • moss and lichen
  • wheat stalks
  • dead grass
  • bark from trees
  • dead weeds
  • fluff from flowers
  • wet mud

How to put together your nest:

You will want to mix some dirt and water to create your glue. Birds sometimes use spider webs or other sticky plants to keep their nest together instead of mud, but many birds use mud.

Start arranging your dry grass, leaves, pine needles, twigs and other debris into a nest shape. Use the mud to glue it all together. Make it nice and soft by adding moss and fluff to line the inside of the nest.

Now you can place some oval-shaped rocks into the nest to make it look like a bird laid eggs there.

More bird activities for a bird unit study:

I hope you enjoyed putting together your own nest. For more hands-on learning ideas, join the Unit Study Treasure Vault.

Tea Party in a Bag

Monday, January 4th, 2016

tea-party-in-a-bag

When my daughter was in the hospital for her spinal surgery last year, someone gave her a gift of a “Tea Party in a Bag.” I thought this idea was wonderful! The woman from my mom’s church placed some delicious tea party snacks and dishes into a cloth bag. Whenever my daughter wanted a tea party, all she would have to do is open the bag and set out the dishes and treats!

We did need to heat up some water for the tea, but that’s pretty easy to do. You will want to make sure to include an assortment of tea bags to choose from, if you are wanting to assemble your own “Tea Party in a Bag.”

The dishes can be toy dishes or real teacups and a teapot. Since I had real dishes, we used the toy dishes from the bag as decorations for the table. If you want to get real teapots and teacups, you can buy them in second hand shops or yard sales inexpensively.

tea-party-gifts

You might want to include a lace tablecloth or other table covering, but this is optional. You might also want to include pretty decorations, like the cloth flowers that were included in our package.

Make sure the tea party treats are in sealed containers or bags. That way if the girl wants to wait for a month or two before having the tea party, the treats will not be stale. Store-bought cookies, cakes, miniature pies, or nuts would all be appropriate for inclusion in your tea party bag.

tea-party

My daughter invited a friend over, and we had a fun time with our tea party. This was a blessing to me as a mom because I was so exhausted from having stayed up all night at the hospital for several days, and I loved having an easy activity that required nothing from me but the heating up of water. A great gift!

Garden Patch for Kids

Monday, March 16th, 2015

garden-patch-for-kidsWhy not make a fun garden patch for kids? Your children can enjoy playing in the dirt and can watch the plants grow. Here is how your child can design his or her own garden patch.

Designing a Garden Patch for Kids

  • Find a spot in your backyard where you can place a garden patch. A sunny spot will work better than a shady one.
  • With a large shovel, dig a hole about a foot deep, removing any bad soil and replacing it with good soil. If the soil is good already, then just fluff it up with the shovel.
  • You can buy some fencing at a dollar store or make your own by hot gluing large popsicle sticks together in the shape of a fence. Stab them into the soil.

kid-garden

  • Choose some plants from a local nursery, and set them on top of the area, re-arranging the plants until the tall ones are in the back and the shorter ones in front.

planning-a-kids-garden

  • Now dig a hole for each plant, take the plant out of the container, and place the plant into the soil. Pat the dirt around it like a nice comfy blanket.
  • Water your garden. Give it a long drink with a gentle spray, either with a hose or with a watering can
  • Enjoy your garden.

kid-gardening

Tips for Gardening with Kids

Monday, March 9th, 2015

gardening-with-kids

Gardening with kids is a joy! The kids can see a plant growing up out of the soil into a large and beautiful plant. Getting fresh air and sunshine is good for children, and they are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables when they grow their own plants.

gardening-with-kids-3

First you will want to find a plot of ground for your child to plant his or her garden. There was a small square plot at the front of our house, and my son chose that space for a small tomato plant. If you look at the picture above, last year his plant grew to ten times the size in just three months! The tomatoes tasted wonderful. He wanted to sell them, but they were just too good. So into his mouth they popped.

gardening-with-kids-2

This year my son wanted to plant strawberry plants. I told him that a contained area is great for strawberry plants, which tend to take over the whole yard like a weed. The strawberry plants thrived as well.

Tips for Gardening with Kids

  • Make sure that the soil is rich in the area where your child is planting. You will want to dig out the bad soil and replace it with good gardening soil.
  • Don’t forget to water your plants. You might want to place a note on the refrigerator to remind your child to water the plants.
  • Let the child choose the plants. This way they will be more interested in the growth and produce of their plants.
  • Choose plants that are native to your area. You are more likely to succeed if the plants are indigenous to the area. You can find those in local nurseries rather than big chain stores that ship their plants from outside your state.

Have a wonderful time gardening with your kids!