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Park Scavenger Hunt

I’ll never forget the day when I was packing lots of monkey puppet printables and crayons on our way to Kennilworth park and my husband said “Jess, no kids are going to be coloring while they are at the park.”   And as I recall I said something along the lines of “We’ll see.”

Mmm Hmm… I think you know where this is headed…

Every last printable was colored and taken home, of course.  I set it up on a picnic table under a covered awning and the kids re-visited the craft bit by bit.

Now, don’t get me wrong… I FULLY believe that parks are a place to take advantage of the gross motor skills (balance, coordination, running, jumping, climbing skills, etc.) that naturally take place in that setting.  And there are SO many great parks in Baton Rouge to wear out your kiddos ;).  But, if you are like me, you might pack snacks and other carry-ons that can make your playdates vary and LAST!

Today, I am sharing a printable that could be a great way for kids to observe, record, and note the differences of their local parks.

This printable has different uses for different stage kiddos:

For Toddlers:

Introduce the vocabulary…. “Look!  Swings.  Where are the swings?  Yay! We found the swings.  Do you want to swing?”

For Pre-schoolers:

Observe the details…. “Does this playground have swings?  What color are the swings?  Lets color the swings green so we can remember that this park has green swings!”

For Pre-Kinders:

Record the details….  Put an “x” on the line under the equipment that is not at the playground, try to write the beginning sound or all the sounds you hear on the line under the equipment that is at the playground.

For Kinders:

Write about the details…. “Can you write what you like about the {slide, swing, etc.} at this playground?”  “I like to push my friends on the swings so I am going to write that under swings.”

For Kinder Grads:

Compare and Contrast the different playgrounds by making their own scavenger hunt specific to their own local parks/playgrounds.

My final bit of advice for using these:  bring clipboards… kids feel so official when they are “recording information” on a clipboard.  🙂

I hope you like this little freebie that you can tote along to the park OR have it out on a table at home after going to a park for some unwind time.

Become a member of my page for just a one time paypal of $5 to access this printable:

Park Scavenger Hunt Printable

An Activity A Day Can Go Such A Long Way

Ya know, I need to just start off by saying that I am just like any other mom. I go a little crazy when the chores pile up and my house is messy.  I don’t always have my meals thought out. I can’t compare myself to other moms…. Because then I’ll just feel like a hot mess.  I am not perfect, and I am actually relieved that I am not expected to be.   But, like any other mom, I want the best for my kids, and I am always trying to figure out what more I can do to be the best mom that I can be for them.

I give myself lots of grace because I believe there is a huge learning curve when it comes to raising these little impressionable people.

But, when I am not feeling like a very intentional, efficient, or productive mom, I am not completely satisfied in my role.  So that is why, both when I was a SAHM and now as a working mom, I get those motivational moments to sit down and plan out something to make the most of my time at home with my kiddos.

Sometimes just ONE thing can make your day feel like a HUGE success.  You might sweep one floor, exercise for one small chunk of time, cook one meal, check off one thing from the to-do list, etc.

Well, even though I aim to purpose learning as a mindset and not just in a compartmentalized way my ACTUAL GOAL is to purpose one quality activity a day.

Most of the time, I sit down & think of a daily activity that I think my son would enjoy and one that I know can be used to teach important skills.

In these times, I can get inspiration from:

1) Pinterest… depending on my children’s age or what I am working with on them.  Follow me    Follow Casey 
2) Friends…which is why I have teamed up with an AWESOME mommy teacher, Casey, to share ideas.
3) Teaching experiences… Which Casey and I both share with you here  🙂
4) Connecting with other moms, whether in my mom peer groups, or moms around the world who share what works for them.

But lots of times, I just get inspiration from what I know would be meaningful to my kids.

The other night, my son was missing his Texas cousins…. So, writing a letter to them was naturally the most meaningful activity for us to make the most of.

1) We pulled out some card stock cut into cutesy shapes (Stationary Template Printable here!),  as well as some markers, crafty stamps (his idea), pens, envelopes, and mailing stamps.  (Stickers would have been fun too.)

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2) I asked Sean Patrick what color he wanted for Kaylee, what color he wanted for Presley, and then I let him decorate.

letter writing materials

3) Then I asked him what he wanted to say and I re-vamped it a little and read it to him as I wrote it.  He also stamped the bottom with his fingerprints and I drew a heart around it.

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4) He carefully placed the stamp in the right-hand corner so the mailman knew we paid for it.

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5) He helped me say the numbers in the address so he the mail carrier would know where to bring the letter.
6) He stuffed & licked the letter.

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7) I let him put it in the mailbox and lift the flag.

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Here is the vocabulary he used to tell daddy about our activity:  mail, letter, address, deliver (he said “liver it”), mailman, and mailbox.

And as you can see…. just this ONE, SIMPLE activity made our day an unforgettable and meaningful one.

Share your simple, yet meaningful activities with us & other mommy teachers around the world…comment here or post pictures on our Facebook page 😉

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