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Explore Spring with Your Child
By Jahna Stumpf
Each year as spring approaches, I begin to feel what seems to be an innate desire to get outside to explore, splash around in puddles… and save worms. I grew up in the country with three of my siblings. We had that childhood..that you may have experienced or heard about, where the children went out to play and came home for meals. We played all day long outside exploring (using all of our senses), discovering properties of materials in our outside environment, and developing an understanding and connection to our earth. As you could imagine, we were happily filthy from head to toe every evening when arriving home. I look back on these years very fondly. This is part of my childhood that I value greatly and would like to share with anyone who is interested.
I have had the pleasure of working with young children for the last 12 years and I have been a part of their discovery of Spring. For me, there are few things better than watching children discover the wonders of the world in which they live. I would like to share some of the activities that I loved so much as a child as well as activities that I have learned an educator.
Nature walks
In Humboldt County we are blessed to live in a place where the grass is basically always green. We have access to so many wonderful natural resources, so much to do, and so much to discover! The great thing about nature walks is that they can happen anywhere, whether it is rainy or sunny. They can even take place on a city block. The springtime is such a fantatic time to get outside and watch the seasonal changes happening everywhere. No matter what your philosophy is on presenting information to children, scientifically and/or with a bit of magic, spring is an ideal time to experience nature. Of course, the other seasons are filled with their own magic and wonder, but for me spring is especially awe-inspiring. Maybe it has something to do with it following the indoor days of winter and feeling ready to get back outside.
There are so many things that could happen on a nature walk. Here are a few.
- Setting the stage: Before going outside, look out the window with your child and describe what you see (prepare, what clothes, or other supplies are needed). During this process you could introduce concepts of weather, predicting, and self-care…etc).
- Puddle splashing: Beyond the wonderful cause and effect experiment of splashing in a puddle and/or throwing things into one, what other experiments can you think of? What sinks, what floats, and how can you make your own waterproofing have been some of my favorites? My friend and I learned a lot about water proofing after trying to use garbage bags as body covering rain jackets. Our end goal was to roll around in a huge puddle without getting wet. We spent time planning and drawing diagrams. We made holes for our arms and legs and tied them off with string (rope and rubber bands, which I do not suggest). We did roll in the puddle, and of course we were soaked. We were 13 years old when we learned about some very obvious properties of water.
- Saving worms: This is one of my favorite activities because I am sure these little creatures love my garden better than the street. After a good rain you can count on finding a worm struggling across the sidewalk somewhere. You can have great conversations with your child about why worms might leave their underground home. Worms are interesting pets as well. The process of making a nice, visually stimulating home for a worm is an creative and engaging project. Look on-line for useful information about how to layer materials so you can easily view the worm’s paths.
- Rain and dew: It is fun to look really closely to see where rain has collected (in leaves etc.). Dew can also be intriguing…how does it get to the top of each blade of grass?
- Collecting rain water: There are buckets of intriguing questions to explore about catching rain. Where is the best place to collect it? Under the eaves? At the end of the rainspout? How long does it take to fill different sized containers? Collect rain to make your own puddle.
- Nature treasure hunt (what do you treasure in nature?): Take turns finding your favorite natural treasures.
- I spy with my little eye:” This is fun to play while walking and exploring… talk about what you see as you move through nature.
- Streams/Puddles: Make a boat shape (leaves, bark, paper) and float it in a puddle or stream. Make dams to create a puddle or pool.
- Nature table: Gather natural materials for a nature table, to use as art materials (grasses and evergreen twigs make great paint brushes), or to use with clay or play dough. Nature tables are a wonderful way to bring nature inside. Special rocks, large seeds, and small animals could be added to this table to encourage extended collaborative or independent play.
- Nature tree: Pick a twig or tree limb for an indoor nature tree (you could hunt for a fallen limb). Decorate it with handmade and recycled materials.
- Bird watching: Look for birds that are returning for Spring. Keep an eye out for old nests (some birds use the same nest from year to year so making your own nest would be a great alternative to getting one out of a tree). If you cannot find bird eggs, check out pictures on line or in a book (paint your own to look like your favorite). Any kind of “hunt” could include a magnifying glass, clipboard, and pencil (magnifying glasses can be made from cardboard). One of my favorite games when I was a young child was when my mother pretended to be a mother hen (could be any mother or father bird). I was the egg. She would cover me up under her arm and cluck and make a fuss. She would think aloud about her special egg and how she could not wait for it to hatch. I would eventually tap my way out of the shell and snuggle with my mama hen. This game was played endlessly.
- Hunt for new signs of spring:
- Buds (what is inside?)
- Flowers (what color, shape, smells do you enjoy?)
- “Baby” plants
- Insects: Many children could go on a bug hunt for hours. You may or may not be comfortable with collecting them. Sometimes making a bughouse in a container or designated space outside can extend the bug hunt. If you are uncomfortable with moving bugs then you could talk about them wanting to stay with their families….etc.
- Picnics: When going on a walk, bring a blanket and snack…invite a stuffed animal or two.
- Fairy Houses: Fairy houses can be found and/or created anywhere, inside or out. They can include all sorts of imaginative concepts that may look different from family to family. The fairies in my house always needed all the accessories (bathtub, bed and blankets, bowls etc).
- Mud: I spent a lot of time working on making the smoothest mud I could. I have fond memories of mud houses with stick people. Maybe there are some play animals that would love the mud too? If so, the careful cleaning of them could follow (a tub with a bit of soapy water and tooth brush or paint brush is a great way to restore them to their original condition….and of course they will need to be towel dried).
- Mud paint: Mud can be used for painting. Children can find and use a rock to grind up dirt to make it fine and use it to make super smooth mud to use as paint. Do you have different colored rocks or bricks to grind to make paint?
- Mud brick making: My siblings and I had a brick-making factory. This requires combining several ingredients (we didn’t know which ones were the best, it was an experiment). I think our favorite ones were made of straw, sand, mud, and other grasses. We used our bricks to build all kinds of things.
You may have your own family preferences on whether, when, and where it is OK to collect natural materials. My parents taught us that we could pick something if there were 12 or more left. I am sure this didn’t make sense in all situations, but it was something that we could follow (and we practiced counting!). Our parents wanted to instill an awareness in us that the things we see/find in nature have a purpose (if we pick all the flowers then the bees won’t have them when collecting pollen…etc). There were many times when we had to settle for drawing a flower and recreating it at home with paper and other art materials instead of picking it.
Ideas for creative exploration in nature our endless. I hope that some of these activities bring you back to fond adventures you had as a child. Of course, many of these activities will lead getting soaked, muddy, and cold. That can all be part of the fun and adventure. Taking a steamy bath, getting into PJ’s and having lunch and/or a tea/hot chocolate party was my favorite follow up to an exhausting romp outside.
Lastly, here is a poem about Spring that was a favorite in our house. We would cover ourselves with blankets and pretend to be a plant breaking through the earth. This was another activity we loved and could continue playing forever.
In the heart of a seed, buried deep, so deep
A quiet little plant, lay fast asleep.
“Wake up,” said the sunlight, “and creep to the light.”
“Wake up,” said the voice of the raindrops bright.
The little plant woke and rose to see
What the wonderful outside world might be.
I hope your spring if full of exploration and discovery.
