Beyond the Book: An Author Study with Hevre Tullet

S has been a longtime lover of literacy but somewhat reluctant with writing/drawing...until the end of his preschool year. It was then that he announced one morning, "Mommy, I am an artist! I like art!" Having been a reluctant reader myself who loved writing and art, I know how to be sneaky and thanks to amazing authors and illustrators like Hevre Tullet, it's possible to nurture and encourage all three of these areas in early readers (and adults). S and Y both love the books Press Here and Mix It Up and Tullet is an artist, children's author and illustrator behind several volumes of amazing works of art in literacy and graphics alike. Here are just a few of my favorite things about his work:

• His books are interactive, engaging children to get hands on (literally) with each page. The more ways in which early readers can engage with literacy, the more they will grow to love it.
• His books demonstrate the ability of visual design and illustrations to tell a story--a valuable asset to pre-readers who are still in the illustration/dictation phase of writing and reading.
• His books also demonstrate the ability of art to "tell a story," a valuable asset to budding artists!
• His illustrations and artwork show that art at all levels and all styles has value. Scribbles, circles, bright colors and simple shapes are beautiful, aesthetically pleasing and are just as much "real art" as representational art. This is particularly important for children to know, especially those drawn toward perfectionism and hesitance to write and draw.

Among S's birthday gifts this year was a very special one from his aunt, uncle and cousins, Hevre Tullet's book Doodle Cook. It is a recipe guide for playful "culinary" creations of doodles, scribbles, shapes and designs all served delightfully on plates depicted on each page. Young readers and artists are encouraged to abandon everything they know about the rules of not scribbling and not drawing or writing in books! Independent readers can follow the recipes and early/pre-readers can follow directions given the support of an older reader or adult. I have to say, I was just as excited to use the book as the kids! And since I have way too many commitment issues to allow myself or anyone else to color right in the book now, I decided to print off some place setting templates for us to use alongside it. You could also draw your own plates or even use white paper plates. We tested out our first "recipe" behind one of our local libraries this week--a Quick Circle Salad--and it was scrumptious!

It sparked an interest in more books by Hevre Tullet and luckily, we were in the very best place for that interest. So back into the library we went and checked out a few other additions to our own personal collection. Back at home, Y brought me our copy of Press Here. This kid loves buttons. All buttons. Your buttons. My buttons. So I set out a quick and simple Morning Work activity for the boys to create their own process art in the style of Press Here using dot stickers and do-a-dot markers in primary colors and a few black markers in varying tip sizes. I also set out a sheet of white paper for each of the boys. 

Y was the first to take interest in the setup. He was quite interested in the stickers and still needs a little help to get them "started" before he independently peels them off and sticks them down. He was very intentional in where he spaced each one, overlapping in some areas, not in others. And he was so incredibly amazed to see that his picture resembled one of the pages in Tullet's book! He felt so proud and confident. "Look! It's just like the book!" he shouted gleefully, again and again. 

Well, all of that excitement sparked S's interest. He began with the black markers (it's seriously his favorite "color" when it comes to artwork). I mentioned that it reminded me of the part in Press Here where the lights are turned off. S then used his artwork to dictate and tell a story. He placed four yellow dot stickers on the black page and brought it over for me to press each one. Then he flipped his paper around to the white side, added more dots for me to press and, with those, the lights went back off and the paper flipped again! We hung their work in our "Family Museum," the wall ascending our staircase.

I often believe that a great deal of S's hesitance with art and handwriting stems from his expectations that both must look a certain way. He's expressed that he doesn't like to write his name because his letters are still "big" and mine are "small." He used to ask me to draw representational art for him. Children are surrounded by adult print and representational art all day. They hear adults tell them not to "scribble" and to "do their best work." And then comes Hevre Tullet, an artist and author and illustrator who fills his pages with handwritten text in all sizes and colors and illustrations comprised of colorful scribbles, blobs and simple shapes. And his books? They're amazing! They're fun, they're funny, they are worth reading again and again and again. They are truly a gift to any lover of children's literacy and art, but the greatest gift of all is beyond the books--it is the sense of confidence and wonderment gifted to his young readers, budding artists and aspiring authors/illustrators. Here is someone who put their play to work!

Happy Playing!

Mad Science Monday: Sprout House Science Results & Observations

Last Mad Science Monday I introduced you to some swell seed science experiments and this morning, the Sprout Scouts were busy at their journals recording observations and results from our incredible Sprout House experiment. We "built" our sprout houses with my nature based playgroup about a week and a half ago. S chose to "plant" a butter bean. Y picked a red kidney bean. I planted a butter bean as well. They both hung their sprout houses (with my help) on our dining room window, which gets quite a bit of sunlight--especially in the afternoon. I hung my sprout house above the kids' table, away from direct sunlight.


This simple science experiment never ceases to amaze me and kids of of all ages can appreciate the miracle of seed germination. One aspect of longer term science experiments that is often overlooked is the process of recording your observations and results. Certainly S and Y (and particularly C) are at varying levels of writing and discussing scientific observations, but we start early here! Even if writing or drawing and dictating scientific observations are not your kids' thing right now (or ever), taking the time to discuss what you see and using "real" scientific language can really go a long way in building vocabulary and literacy around scientific method. Beyond that, it encourages the critical thinking skills that are the driving force to scientific discovery throughout life.

The boys' sprout houses, about a week ago...

My sprout house, about a week ago

S is very into representational drawings now and will eagerly draw what he sees and thinks. He is hesitant toward writing independently and still prefers to have me write his dictation. He recently got these GeoSafari Jr. Bugnoculars for his birthday and they worked amazingly well to get a closer look at our sprouted beans!

Check out the roots and sprout on this butter bean--and it was the one hung away from direct sunlight.
It has, by far, the longest roots!

Y is eager to doodle and participate in that way in his journal. He loved looking through the Bugnoculars as well. Using this opportunity to talk about seed germination and parts of the process of scientific method is helpful for both boys. And C took the opportunity to squeeze in a morning nap before we all headed to the library for a story time and to check out some books for the week.

Building a lifelong love of science often stems from experiments and activities that provide an immediate WOW factor (think baking soda and vinegar). Just as valuable and important are the science experiences that occur over time--over the course of hours, days, weeks, even seasons. And children--even young children--can truly withstand the wait factor. They are just as WOWed, if not more so, by the miracles of nature and science that take time to reveal themselves. And so is the wonder of a single seed!

Happy Playing!

Sowing Seeds of Literacy & Art in the Garden

Plants are not the only thing that grow in our garden. Literacy and art come to life with garden signs throughout the space. Pictures and print allow pre-readers and early readers alike to "read" about our gardening experience and lending a hand in the creation of garden signs gives a personal artistic touch from all of the hands that help to dig, sow, pull weeds and harvest here.

In fact, our garden plan itself started off with a literary experience this year. At the beginning of the season, S and I had a date to the garden shop after reading the book Pizza Day by Melissa Iwai. To be clear, he's not such a fan of pizza (unless it's literally just dough and cheese!) but he wanted to plant a pizza garden, nonetheless. We chose a couple of tomato plants, a pack of sweet pepper seedlings, some oregano, some basil and some nasturtiums and dill to help invite beneficial insects and ward off less preferable ones. And the same boy who won't even try a grilled cheese sandwich, who once cried in a restaurant because one showed up with pesto on it, loves eating basil leaves right off the plant! (Go figure, it wasn't the pesto that made the sandwich a problem, it was the sandwich itself. Next time, we'll just order a dish of pesto...)

Well, once the raised bed was built (thanks to help from S, Y and their Tatty) and the seedlings replanted, it was time to add some signage! Both boys got busy with this activity (and so did I). At the very least, labeling our plants helps to keep track of the "few" things I'm growing this year. (Ok, ok, I admit it, I may have surpassed "a few." Again.) It also infuses our outdoor space with a print rich environment and adds an element of art and beauty to the garden.

 There are so many ways to create garden signs. Pinterest has a wealth of ideas to peruse! Wooden paint sticks, craft sticks, actual sticks, rocks, plastic forks, clothes pins, purchased plant tags... I've even seen refurbished plastic animals and dinosaurs painted a solid color and printed with plant labels! (This idea may show up again in my own garden!) I got pretty busy during breaks between C's busy eating schedule painting and printing garden labels...

I decided to get more hands on deck for our pizza garden. I printed off some black and white images of a pizza pie and set out oil pastels, cut up photos of tomatoes, peppers and herbs from seed catalogs and some glue sticks. Each of the boys got busy in his own way. S used oil pastels and first colored on the sauce. Then he colored in the crust and last, he added in an abundance of his new (and only) favorite pizza topping--basil!

 Y started off with oil pastels. Then he walked over to the art center and grabbed some ink and rubber stamps, adding layers of flowers and garden themed stamps to his pizza. And, continuing to layer, he next got very busy with the glue stick and magazine cutouts. At last, he was done!

S cut out his pizza on his own and Y had some help from me. We ran them through the laminating machine and duct taped them to wooden paint sticks on which I'd printed the words "Pizza Garden." S wasn't feeling done yet. He's recently discovered he loves art and wanted to continue to create garden signs. He decided to "recycle" the scrap from his pizza cutout and noticed the outer edge of the circle created two arches--the perfect shape for a rainbow. He carefully colored each color of the rainbow, in order (asking for some help to remember the order) and then added in some pink as well. He cut that out, we laminated it and he dictated what he wanted written on the stick. He's decided it is a sign to hold up whenever he sees a rainbow. We "planted" it with our cucumbers. I know, I know, I was only going to grow a small pizza garden...but pizza goes so well with salad...and berries...and herbal teas...and loofah sponges...and peanuts...and flowers...and blue potatoes...fairy gardens...broccoli...mammoth sunflowers...

So I may have gone a little overboard on the plants this year. Again. But with school ending in just over a week and all three Sprout Scouts home for the summer, we will have plenty to keep us busy outside (and if we're lucky, in the kitchen as well)!

Happy Planting & Playing!

Creating An Outdoor "Classroom": Part 1

My very last day of preschool teaching just about three years ago was preschool graduation day. I like to think that it was the day I graduated to being a play at home mom. I was accurately quoted during the graduation ceremony that day by a parent as having said "this is the perfect classroom" on our school field trip to the local botanical garden center here. That was a moment I began to gain the inkling that I had perhaps outgrown the walls of a traditional classroom. The next leg of my journey began with a tearful and short drive home during which I mourned the loss of "my office." (I never had an office, but I guess it felt like I did.) Then I got home to a chubby cheeked very mischievous little toddler who had just tried his hand at coloring on the wall with marker for the first time. Yup, I was ready to be a stay at home mom. Eeek. So we both headed outside and began the process of planting our first family garden...

Over the months and years that followed, our garden has expanded and so has our family. The outdoors has indeed become an extension of our family life and learning, both at home and around town. Just over a year ago I founded and launched a community nature based meetup group for families and professionals/caregivers who work with children. We meet from late winter through early fall at local parks, playgrounds and nature spaces where I bring along nature based activities to inspire play and learning while outdoors. It is my long term goal that this will be a year round endeavor rather than just in the more "popular" seasons. I've delved into literature, self-study and online conferences and training to learn more about being a natural teacher and one of my greatest passions in the experience has been evolving our own home and outdoor space into one for learning and play.

Whether you are a traditional classroom teacher looking to expand lessons into your outdoor space, a parent looking to revamp your own outdoor space before summer break hits or you have no particular designated outdoor space at all but want to bring some nature based learning on-the-go, I've got you covered here in this three part post series on creating an outdoor "classroom." I am handling the word classroom rather delicately because I fear that the word itself gives forth an image of sitting sedentary at a desk with a pencil and paper at hand. I truly believe some of the most valuable learning experiences come from an opportunity to move, explore, discover, and create. Nature is a fabulous place for this to occur! Perhaps one day our indoor learning spaces will catch up to that concept and we will see these opportunities reflected inside the early childhood classroom.

Go outside and play! I don't think there was a single sentence I heard more frequently as a child during the warmer months of school vacation. And play, I did! For hours on many days. But don't get me wrong--there was plenty of learning happening there as well, and you, too, can inspire children to learn in a natural environment. In this first part of my series, I'll introduce my seven subtopics of building an outdoor classroom:

• Plant, Tend & Grow a Garden
• Literacy Outside
• Math Outside
• Science Outside
• Play Outside
• Art Outside
• Bringing It Inside

In Part 2 of the series, I will talk more specifically about doing this on a small budget, in a small space. In Part 3, I will talk about doing this in no space at all and creating nature-on-the-go kits for your family, friends and/or community.

1. Plant, Tend & Grow a Garden: Whether you've gardened before or have a brown thumb, whether you have a huge yard or a small pot, I encourage you to plant, tend and grow something with your children. Gardens are a place where the six other areas of learning I've targeted happen all at once, without specific planning. Through gardening, we learn about the process and miracle of a tiny seed growing into a plant, a flower, a fruit or a vegetable, perhaps even a tree. We meet our "neighbors" in many forms. We experience the farm to table journey whether or not we have the farm. We dig in dirt, we expose ourselves to a vast microbiome of organisms both visible and invisible to the naked eye. We have the opportunity to fail in the safety of the garden--to experience our hand in a process that is so very out of our hands. This is a beautiful mirror to life and through the garden, it is made accessible to hands of all ages. I often wonder at how anyone could love to garden and not be completely fascinated by a weed. Whereas a rose bush is so finicky even the thought of the pH changing in your soil might send it wilting away to its early demise, a dandelion finds itself a crack in the sidewalk and thrives. Gardens are truly a place of wonder and fascination. A few things to consider as you set out to plant, tend, and grow your garden:

• What should I plant? When it comes to planting with children, you should plant whatever you want! Don't be afraid to fail--it can and it will happen, even to an experienced gardener. I would recommend starting off simply and not biting off more than you can chew. Consider planting flowers that attract helpful pollinators and support native species in your area.  Maybe you'd like to plant a food garden with vegetables, herbs and fruits. Perhaps you might pick a few favorites or try a new variety. I would recommend against planting something you don't like to eat. If you end up with an abundance and more than you can use, sharing among neighbors and friends is a great way to build community. Also consider planting things that can be explored and enjoyed with all of the senses--plants that can be touched (succulents hold up well), plants with a unique smell (herbs are fabulous), plants in a variety of colors and textures and heights to be visually appealing (think giant mammoth sunflowers or a rainbow of flowers and veggies), plants that taste amazing picked right off the vine (like cherry tomatoes or strawberries), and plants that can add an element of sound (like a dried out gourd or the sound of birds and bees flocking to pollinate your native wildflowers).

2. Literacy Outside: Reading and writing tend to be indoor activities, but they don't have to be restricted to a location with 4 walls and a roof. Here are some ways to encourage reading and writing outdoors in your yard and beyond:

• Garden signs for a print rich environment: Using signage in your garden and yard is a great way to expose your little learners to literacy through printed word. Even pre-readers can appreciate labels and signs in print, especially if they include pictures as well. There are many creative ways to make your own garden signs, whether it's to label your plants, different learning areas or even as an art installment.
  
  

• Chalk is a great medium for outdoor writing/drawing. I keep a tightly sealing tin stocked with chalk in a variety of sizes and colors at the ready for outdoor play. It can be used on pavement, walls, fences and sidewalks and will wash away at the next rain!

• Letter and word rocks and/or manipulatives: One great way to bring letters and literacy outdoors on a shoestring budget is to write letters and/or words (even draw pictures) on rocks with acrylic paint pen. One of my favorite first ways to introduce this is with the letters in your children's names. From there, you can work a whole alphabet, word rocks for building sentences, stories or poetry and even illustrated story rocks for accompanying a good book or creating your own outdoor story. Letter manipulatives from indoors can also be brought outside, like alphabet magnets or blocks. These are great for outdoor letter/word scavenger hunts!

• Bring a book! Whether it's a field guide, a favorite nature themed children's book or just some of your usual favorites, there's no reason you can't bring books outside. We love reading outdoors, whether it's on cozy picnic blanket, in some lawn chairs or even at the park. Consider setting up a cozy outdoor area especially for reading if you have a covered and shady location and the space/budget to include some cozy places to sit and read.

• Nature journals and clipboards are great ways to bring literacy outdoors and on the go. I'll touch on this more in the last post of our series.

• Create a Garden Observation Station for recording weather, garden, wildlife or other nature updates and news using a dry erase board or chalk board. Markers or chalk can be stored in an airtight container. If you wish to create a permanent sign/label on it you can do so with acrylic paint pen and a spray of acrylic adhesive to preserve it. Ideally, this will do best long term in an area with some overhead coverage/protection from the elements. Chalk boards and dry erase boards can often be found inexpensively at secondhand stores or on discount at big box stores. This is a great way to infuse other areas of learning with literacy as well!
  

we used a ruler and chalk to measure and record
the height of our mammoth sunflowers last
summer--they grew taller than the tallest
member of our family!

3. Math Outside is more natural than you'd think! Nature is abundant in loose parts and manipulatives for counting, grouping, weighing, measuring, creating geometric shapes and more. Opportunities for measurement, sorting/comparison, estimation, math operations, fractions, patterns and more are everywhere you look in nature--and you needn't look far. Bringing out some tools from indoors can also enrich mathematical thinking and learning outside. Plastic rulers and tape measures can be made available for measuring plant growth, circumference of a tree trunk, area of a garden bed... A balance scale can be brought out to compare weights of different produce. (How many cherry tomatoes does it take to equal the weight of one large tomato?) Planting seeds encourages counting by twos. Designing flower gardens can encourage pattern recognition. Can you sort a collection of pine cones by size from small to large? Can you use a stick as a tool of measurement and measure how tall your friend is? Can you use sticks or rocks to trace shapes drawn in chalk?

4. Science Outside: This one seems almost self explanatory. Nature and the garden are full of scientific discoveries waiting to be made by scientists young and old alike. You could create an entire year's worth of science curriculum by planting, growing, harvesting and seed saving/preserving your garden harvest or observing seasonal changes in trees or animal behavior. Some creative and simple additions to your outdoor space can also encourage scientific discovery and observation.

• Create a weather station to explore wind, rain accumulation, temperature and weather patterns. You can document what you see in your nature journal or at your garden observation station board, or simply bring it into natural conversation. Outdoor thermometers and rain gauges are often available at dollar stores in the Spring and you can also peruse Pinterest for ways to make your own rain gauge, rain barrels or even pinwheels. And one way to learn about and appreciate different types of weather in all seasons is to get outside in different types of weather in all seasons. "There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."

• Follow their lead and run with it! Children ask a billion questions outdoors. Don't be afraid to say you don't know--but don't stop there either. If your little one stumps you with a question about tree stumps, make it into a journey for the answers. Start outside and venture on to the library or the internet to learn more. If your child has a particular interest, infuse your outdoor experience with books, learning opportunities and maybe even some local field trips to explore the topic further.
•  Sensory experiences are so important to early learning and nature is indeed a fabulous place to explore them. While many outdoor experiences might be plagued by warnings to keep off the grass or not touch the plants, your outdoor space can be one that encourages a hands (nose, mouth, ears and eyes) on experience. I do think it is important and necessary for children to learn to respect natural spaces, leaving living things that are still growing intact when necessary and being mindful of keeping the environment safe for all who inhabit it. But consider planting a succulent garden children can touch to explore textures. Or allowing for a small plot or large planter where they are the master gardener with your help, not the other way around. You might even create your own snipping garden as we have, with a selection of small/inexpensive plants, flowers or herbs that are OK to be cut and harvested for mud pies, fairy potions and other important uses.

Scissors are made ready and available. In a world of
"no's" I like to get to the "yes's" and a space where cutting
is OK helps to preserve the ones where it isn't.

• The right tools to encourage scientific observation can also enhance your outdoor learning. Magnifying glasses, prism lenses, binoculars, field guides, opportunities and spaces to write, draw and record, tools for measurement and weighing and containers for collecting natural treasures both nonliving and living (temporarily) are a great addition to make over time to your outdoor space. Consider how you might store these to be ready to take on-the-go or whether you will have items that can be stored and remain outdoors ready for access.

5. Play outdoors: It seems almost not even worth mention, but I do give honorary mention to the topic of play outdoors because it does seem an area that is underdeveloped in many young children these days and increasingly less offered in traditional school settings and even playgrounds. I value and love the whole playground experience, don't get me wrong. Children have a lot of fun on playground equipment and it supports a lot of developmental areas as well. However, I also think that playground equipment and traditional outdoor toys often replace the wonder and curiosity of the outdoors in its natural state. Just observe a child in an outdoor space without a swing-set, slide and colorful plastic toys to see that incredible acts of play occur with a stick, some rocks and pine cones and perhaps a bit of mud. And since I am not an all-or-nothing type of gal, I encourage you to blend the use of both these types of items in your nature space. Creating an outdoor space that sparks wonder does not need to break your back or your budget. You might consider some of the following ideas:

• MUD PLAY--just add water! I am a huge fan of dirt in all forms, especially mud. Whether you set up a formal mud kitchen as we have or just supply some pots, pans and spoons for mixing a nice pile of dirt and a water source, you have an instant recipe for wonder and play that you simply can't go wrong with. Your kids may come in covered from head to toe, but research points increasingly to the many health benefits--both physical and emotional--of playing in dirt and mud! I try to step back from this and be as much an outsider as possible, allowing for creative and imaginative play to happen in our garden on its own time frame. I, of course, graciously accept any mud cakes and coffee and stone soup that are offered, but I allow for this muddy world of creation and imagination to be their own and not one I dictate for them. In addition to mud, consider adding elements of foliage, rocks and pebbles, pine cones and seeds, pods and chunks of wood, petals and flowers and of course, plenty of sticks!

• Small world play with natural and manufactured loose parts is a great way to spark wonder in the garden. Tiny toys and people and animals brought from indoors can ignite the imagination of little ones playing outdoors. Fairy gardens and fairy houses can be created with thought and intention or on the go after a yard or neighborhood scavenger hunt to collect materials.

• Create an "I Wonder" Station: Don't be overwhelmed or alarmed if your children don't naturally take to playing and exploring independently outdoors. Creating an "I Wonder" Station (ours is merely a plant hook with a sign attached) can make your outdoor classroom a real destination! Add on a basket with a book and activity, an intriguing question or idea, some silks and fabrics for building forts or making costumes, some puppets for an outdoor puppet show, some little fairies and dollhouse furniture to add to small world play... You will see that when play is nurtured, similarly to a young seedling, it strengthens and develops and will become more independently sustainable.
• Dramatic play outdoors can be set up just as it would indoors. You may need to take into consideration toys and tools that can be left in the elements versus ones that need to be sheltered inside. A mud kitchen could become a restaurant--children could even write/draw menus and recipe books to be laminated and used. An outdoor table could also turn into a mad scientist's lab with containers for mixing colorful water and baking soda/vinegar potions or a tool bench for young woodworkers to build or a potting shed with recycled pots, gardening tools and artificial flowers or fruits/vegetables for growing, harvesting and potting. I like to hold to the motto here (and in all areas of learning) that anything you can do inside can be brought outside. It simply requires some extra planning and creativity.

6. Art Outside is all around us. Inspiration has been found outdoors for as long as time itself. Art can be in the form of painting, sculpture, loose parts arrangement, photography and more. You can create art that is permanent and brought indoors to display or displayed outdoors in your yard or garden. From still life to wildlife, the options are as vast as the imagination and expansion of nature itself. I'd also encourage you to expose your little learners to nature inspired art around town, in other gardens and museums as well. I'd also encourage allowing for young nature-inspired artists to use real art materials as they create--such as quality watercolors, chalks, pastels, potters clay, pencils/charcoals, quality paper and so forth. 

• Consider different working surfaces and environments such as portable easels for vertical work, clipboards and sketch books for art on the go and even how working in different spaces and at different times of day can encourage a different artistic experience. Lastly, I encourage you to join in! You don't have to be "artistic" to create art. Seeing adults engaged and participating allows children to maintain their natural sense of artistic inspiration without being plagued by the sense of perfectionism that led to our own adult inhibitions.
• BIG Art and Messy Art projects are perfect for outdoors! You're likely to have more space outside for large scale art projects and it's also a great space for messier art projects. Think foot painting instead of fingerpainting. Or "paint" balloon tossing. Or "fly swatter splat painting."  Just be mindful to clean up anything that could be harmful to the environment.
• Art with natural materials can be a great way to create outdoors. Sure, nature provides an incredible muse for capturing beauty on paper (or canvas)--but what about ditching the paint brushes for some nature-made "brushes" using cut flowers, pine cones or interesting leaves and branches...

7. Bringing it INSIDE: Sure, many of us would like to stay outside forever, but eventually we do need to go inside. Here are a few ways you might consider bringing a bit of the outdoors in with you:

• Nature inspired activities inside can bring actual objects from nature indoors or natural concepts into learning and play. Perhaps you set up an indoor still life or set out a basket of tree "blocks" and natural loose parts for building and designing. Maybe you plant and grow an indoor fairy garden, terrarium or kitchen herb garden in your kitchen window.

• Set up a Nature Table that includes items both found outdoors in nature and nature-inspired ones created or found indoors. Change out your Nature Table through the seasons and year to capture changes outside and important family celebrations or traditions.

• Head to the kitchen to cook, bake or create with your garden harvest! From homemade breads, jams, cookies, build your own salad or pizza nights and even homemade playdough--you can use elements collected from your garden and even (carefully) foraged to create recipes to eat or play with. You might even mix up a batch of something to bring back outside such as a delicious picnic lunch or even a jar of homemade bubbles.

• Nature based field trips are another category I include in "bringing it inside." Visiting the garden nursery, the library, the farmer's market or produce stand, even local farms, museums and public gardens are all ways you can bring nature based learning with you after it's time to come inside.

Well, if you've made it this far, you are well on your way to creating or enhancing your own outdoor classroom. The idea of creating an outdoor classroom is similar to that of creating a garden--you want a space that with your nurturing care and attention can be sustainable and maintain growth. Like an indoor classroom, you will need to adapt and make changes over time. Like a garden, you will need to give it love, light and attention. You and your children will harvest and reap the benefits well beyond the healthy doses of vitamin D. Join us for the next (shorter, I promise) installments of this series as we explore making some of these installments on a small budget in a small space and how to take it completely mobile with no designated space at all. Until then, get outside and...

Happy Playing!

A Peek Inside Our Playroom: Welcome to Fairy Tale Land!

There has been a great deal of building excitement over Purim this year with the beginning of the new Jewish month of Adar. The challenge this year is that it is a leap year in the Jewish calendar and there are two months of Adar--this is Adar I. Purim falls in Adar II. Conversations with S have been flooded with the topic of costumes, the Purim story and characters, and, of course, the treats we eat and share on the holiday. Even Y has been toddling around claiming to be Haman with a very believable scowl on his face! So do I try to quell the excitement and shift the focus for the next several weeks? At first, I did. I didn't want it to be "too hard to wait." But then (even I was getting excited by now) I wondered, why is it so terrible to be excited while you wait? Excitement is a wonderful and joyful emotion. And the month(s) of Adar are a time we are called upon to increase joy. So, I told the boys a few days ago that we would do a playroom shift and transform our Fire Station into a Fairy Tale Land!

The boys used watercolor paints in a crayon resist
to decorate our play-theme signs.

The Purim story itself is quite a dramatic one--most suitable for acting, story telling and small world play. It lends itself quite well to a fairy tale theme. I've touched upon the topic of fairy tales with young children before and I do think they hold an inherent value educationally as well as socially and emotionally for children. I do not feel concerned that children won't recognize the difference between fact and fiction. I don't worry about some of the darker content in fairy tales either--literature and play are safe spaces to navigate deep emotions and childhood fears. I do think that fairy tales are rich in language and opportunities to problem solve, think critically and resolve conflict. Through playing and story telling about common fairy tales and fairy tale themes, children gain an empowering role in overcoming childhood challenges as well as a rich vocabulary, deep imagination, creativity, social skills and critical thinking skills to boot.

While I have prepared materials for many of our dramatic play themes, this one I created from scratch. I spread the work over the course of many days in advance and even I was getting too excited to wait until Purim was closer to transform our play space. I am holding off on setting out all of our Purim props and accessories, but I knew I wanted our Fairy Tale Land play-theme to include some key components:

• costumes (both specific character costumes as well as open ended props and playsilks)
• puppets and our puppet theater
• a Three Bears' Cafe in our kitchen/housekeeping area (the boys had been playing about restaurants a lot lately)
• small world play opportunities
• castle building opportunities with a variety of blocks and loose parts
• literature!
• theme related sensory play
• theme related STEAM challenges
• art
• creative writing/recording, story telling and play acting

I will definitely be posting as we delve deeper into this theme, exploring individual fairy tales in a variety of ways as well as incorporating creative STEAM activities, sensory bins and art/creative writing opportunities. Until then, here's a peek in side our playroom...

A collection of hand puppets and finger puppets are ready to go along with our puppet theater. The boys can put on their own impromptu shows (we even have show tickets!) or act out specific stories and fairy tales. 

Castles and building castles are a big component of this theme. We brought out a wooden playcastle I bought last year at a craft supply store and some toy "Purim story characters" (medieval dolls from Safari Ltd.) and also generic dollhouse dolls and furniture. I also included larger building materials in this area (a combination of recycled tubes and magnetiles) to encourage building on to the castle and kingdom. The boys can bring in other toys and building materials from our other shelves and STEAM cart as they wish. 

Costume central! We have baskets of scarves/playsilks, hats, costumes and costume props.

The Three Bear's Cafe can extend into our living room kids table to accommodate restaurant patrons (human or puppet!) 

Our menu, with a bit of my sense of humor and a photo bomb by a particular Ninja Turtle...

Our play shelves and STEAM cart are stocked and ready. The boys really like to have space beyond the kitchen set for setting up cooking/baking activities, restaurants and stores. I devoted two shelves to that purpose. The top shelf has some additional building materials and loose parts, peg dolls and props for small world play. 

I kept some of the drawers in our STEAM cart the same--particularly ones that were getting a lot of traffic from the boys (like our woodworking drawer and scrap wood). I swapped in bear counters in three sizes (perfect for Goldilocks!), some photos of real castles to inspire building ideas and writing/recording ideas, some awesome castle blocks I scored at a thrift store last year (pictured above) as well as Legos and colored wooden blocks.

Our current sensory table is a Porridge Sensory Bin to go along with our Three Bears' Cafe...very simple setup with dried oats and some cooking utensils and wooden dishes.

The boys got busy at play!

Dinner entertainment has been amazing around here...

Parenting hack: Hang mirrors outside of your bathrooms! Your kids will spend all day looking at themselves and you can finally reclaim the right to peeing alone with the door closed!

Happy Playing!