I wanted to share a collection of ideas for spring gatherings. I am an advocate of getting children outside as much as possible & I love to provide opportunities for open ended play some children appreciate having activities to get them started in their outdoor explorations. So ways to get the children in to offbeat parts of the yard or garden is to add art to playtime.
Here are some activities that we have had success with recently:
- painting bird houses (actual ones or garden decorations)
- pine cone bird feeders and then give kids an opportunity to hang them
- scavenger hunts that lead from clue to clue
- chalk time- can the kids make a giant sidewalk mural
- bird nest “cookies” which are little rings filled with natural items that birds might want to incorporate into their nests.
- loose parts for inventing games - these may be, plastic lids, balls, or pinecones & other natural materials given time kids will surely invent ways to play with them