Children can find all kinds of treasures everywhere and it’s an opportunity for friends to build a relationship as they explore together.
Materials
- A place to walk (sidewalk, yard, or trail)
- Small bag or box (optional)
- Magnifying glass (optional)
Help your child notice – and appreciate- the world around him.
Directions
- Plan a walk with your child and a friend. You may not get very far, or move very quickly, but the children can have a chance to look for things like:
- Leaves, flowers, or plants
- Tiny bugs or stones
- Squirrels, dogs or cats
- Bring along a small bag for each child to gather things that you find along the way. When you’re back home, get creative together and help the children use what they’ve found to make a collage or a simple mobile using a branch and string. Leaves can be used in rubbings. Put a leaf under a piece of paper and show your child how to rub across it with the side of a crayon. Hold the leaf and paper still while rubbing and the outline appears, as if by magic.Stones can be painted and used as paperweights. The children might want to keep the collection in a “treasure box” like a shoe box.
- Children who are interested in trees might enjoy a “tree walk.” Get to know the trees on your walk. Look carefully at their shapes and sizes. Touch the bark. Look at the shapes of the different leaves.
You can even take along magnifying glasses for close examinations.
