At Playscape, kiddos got hands-on with natural stuff, jammed out to nature songs, and soaked up extra outdoor time on the climbers and in the sandbox down south. Happy faces all around were shining like the sunny sky!


The message is clear as we take our cues from the children and nature. Sometimes, our busy lives make it challenging to carve out time to just play outside. Even a little can go a long way.  💛🌱
 
Play & Learn at Home
Here are some more ideas for outdoor play:
🎨 Paint the Garage!  Grab a bucket of water and a few paintbrushes and paint the garage using water. The water will quickly dry in warmer weather, and kids can continuously paint their surface with their pretend paint.

🐚 Offer a Sensory Bin. Sensory bins can be enjoyed indoors and outdoors.  Your kids can enjoy both wet and dry materials in these containers. This is a great way to engage their senses and further build their fine and gross motor skills.

🪨 Paint pretty rocks. Rock painting is a timeless activity. Be sure to choose smooth, middle to large sized rocks to give kids enough surface area to work with. Use chalk paint or washable paint to cover the rocks. When kids are done, you can use epoxy to seal the color in, otherwise the paint will wash away in the rain. Children can place rocks in your garden when they are dry!

🐞Hunt for bugs. Bugs are fun little creature to observe outside. Go on a bug hunt with your child and collect little critters in a bug house to watch them crawl around. Remember to let the bugs go free at the end of the activity so kids learn to respect nature and all creatures. 
 

Resources we love:
14 activities that engage children with nature
https://blog.brookespublishing.com/11-activities-that-engage-young-children-with-nature/?j=5677810&sfmc_sub=1533647980&l=178_HTML&u=119953902&mid=7004326&jb=205&utm_medium=email&utm_source=exacttarget&utm_campaign=05022024-ec-send-multiauthor-news-subscribers

Outdoor play
https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/play-learning/outdoor-play/outdoor-play

Taking risks during play
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/fall2021/message-backpack-risks-during-play

Beyond the playground
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/summer2021/message-backpack-beyond-the-playground