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Melting Ice Globes

Melting Ice Globes

Posted by on Jan 18, 2014 in Light Table, Outdoor Activities, Science Activities, Sensory Bins, Winter Activities | 0 comments

The other day I was outside sprinkling salt on the treacherous patches of ice scattered haphazardly on our driveway, when M posed the question, “mommy, why are you doing that?” I explained to him that salt lowers the freezing point of water, causing the ice to melt quicker. M pondered that and then replied, “well, the puddle is a liquid, but then it froze and turned into ice, which is a solid.” I have been teaching M about the three states of matter, so I was THRILLED when he was able to transfer what he had learned about solids and liquids and apply it to situation that was relative to him.

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Leaf Art: Leaf Man

Leaf Art: Leaf Man

Posted by on Oct 10, 2013 in Contact Paper Art, Fall Crafts and Activities, Literacy Activities, Outdoor Activities, Picture Book Activities, Science Activities | 0 comments

Yesterday the boys and I went for a walk to the park. Autumn is such a lovely, fleeting season, which is why I try to fully embrace it while it’s here (in fact, while I’m writing this, I’m sitting on the steps in my backyard as the boys play in their toy house)!  As we walked, I tried to get the boys to appreciate the  rich coloured leaves that were littering the pathway and dancing around us on the crisp, fall breeze, but they were more interested in chasing one another and tromping through the leaves rather than admiring the scenery. I always end up collecting at least a few leaves on our walks; I find their vibrant colours and unique shapes to be too enticing to pass by, but I never really know what to do with them afterwards. Yesterday, when we returned home, my eyes were drawn to the book Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert, which happened to be sitting on our coffee table from a recent library trip. If you are not familiar with Ehlert’s Leaf Man it is a beautifully illustrated book about the imagined journey of a ‘leaf man’ who encounters other leaf animals and objects along his way. I really enjoy this book because it not only encourages children and adults to look more closely at nature, but it also inspires its readers to be creative and to compose their own leaf art, which is exactly what we did!

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Apple Pie Cloud Dough

Apple Pie Cloud Dough

Posted by on Oct 7, 2013 in Apple Themed Activities, Fall Crafts and Activities, Motor Skills, Outdoor Activities, Sensory Bins | 0 comments

I came across this recipe for cloud dough from Tinker Lab and figured my bugs and I should give it a try! Cloud dough is really fun to play with it. It has a unique, soft, texture that is airy yet moldable. I gave it a bit of a fall twist by adding two powdered, red chalk pieces (for colour), along with some cinnamon, nutmeg and clove spices to give it a yummy apple-pie scent (you could also just use apple pie spice). The cloud dough was so much fun to run our fingers through and to squish and mold, and the apple pie scent added an extra lovely sensory element!

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Fall Acorn Activity

Fall Acorn Activity

Posted by on Sep 26, 2013 in Camping, Fall Crafts and Activities, Outdoor Activities, Science Activities | 0 comments

My husband spent last week at the farm helping his dad with Harvest, and my bugs and I were really excited to join him for a couple of days. My boys always enjoy their visits to Grandpa’s house, but Harvest time is EXTRA special because they get to ride in the combine or drive truck with daddy. Luckily, the weather was lovely and we were able to stay in our trailer in a beautiful, tranquil spot by the creek. It was so nice to watch my hubby get in touch with his roots again, and to listen to him reminisce about his childhood memories. We both have a strong connection to the farm and it’s often bitter-sweet to think of all that has transpired in the past few years. It is wonderful to watch our children play and explore, and to witness their own childhood memories take root in a place we are both so fond of.  My bugs don’t get to see their cousins B and B very often, so they were really excited to spend a greater amount of time with them during our stay!

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Nature Sticky Wall

Nature Sticky Wall

Posted by on Aug 12, 2013 in Camping, Contact Paper Art, Outdoor Activities, Science Activities | 0 comments

We have been doing A LOT of camping this summer, which has been wonderful! I love watching my boys play and explore all day outside. By dinner time, it’s inevitable they will appear covered in dirt and sweat, with their pockets nearly bursting with souvenirs they found along their travels, and huge grins plastered on their gritty faces. Of course, neither of my bugs want to part with the treasures they’ve collected, and usually end up dumping them on chairs or inside of the trailer *sigh*. The boys have made sticky wall art , rainbow rice sun-catchers, and nature collages using Contact Paper in the past, so I decided to use the same concept to display the items they collect on the side of the trailer to deter them from tracking it inside.

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Hot Rock Melted Crayon Art

Hot Rock Melted Crayon Art

Posted by on Jul 29, 2013 in Camping, Outdoor Activities, Rock Activities | 0 comments

This is a fun and simple activity to do either on a cold/rainy day indoors or on a very hot day while camping and/or enjoying the outdoors. The only difference will be in how you heat up your rocks. If it happens to be a sweltering, sunny day, instead of turning on your oven, try letting the sun do the baking for you! When we coloured our rocks, it was a warm day with an overcast sky, so we were restricted to using the oven. I’ve been meaning to try this project while we’re out camping, to see if the sun will actually heat the rocks to a warm enough temperature- which, I’m pretty certain it will- but I keep forgetting!

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