Get Outside ANYWAY: It's Pouring, It's Raining and We're Not Complaining!

In the three years I have run my outdoor playgroup, I have preached the importance of getting outside ANYWAY. There's no bad weather, the old Scandinavian proverb boasts--there's only inappropriate clothing. And for my own little brood, we are pretty all-weather players. We go out in warm, in cold, in sun, in rain, in wind, dark, you name it, we've played in it (barring dangerously inclement conditions). Puddle jumping is not an activity reserved for "special occasions;" a puddle is already call for a special occasion! Children, like their clothing, can be washed and dried. But when it comes to my outdoor events, I've always cancelled, postponed or relocated indoors for rainy weather because--gasp--what if nobody comes?!

S named this our "Rain Forest"

But yesterday was Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish celebration of the "new year" of the trees. And it was raining. Not even just a little. A lot. No one says, celebrate the trees only if it's sunny! In fact, in the dead of winter here, very rarely is it going to be a "beautiful day in the neighborhood" on Tu B'Shevat. And do you want to know what was happening in Jerusalem yesterday on Tu B'Shevat? SNOW! I had some great activities planned for my playgroup and it would have been very easy to just postpone or cancel--but yesterday I decided to walk my talk. Yesterday I decided the show must go on! And instead of changing the date, I changed the activity and decided that if nobody else came, at least I could stop being afraid of nobody else coming. Spoiler alert: people still came! And we had the whole park to ourselves...well, us and the trees and a lone squirrel.

I have written a slew of articles here on rainy day activities to do indoors, but today I am starting the first in what I hope will be a slew of articles on playing outdoors in the rain. Rain play is so incredibly fun. Instantly, your space is filled with two of children's very favorite loose parts: mud and water! As adults, we can have a lot of rainy day baggage. My best advice on rain play is to travel light, so let's unpack some of those bags today and get you on your way outside ANYWAY.

Fiction: Playing in the rain will make you sick.
Fact: Playing outdoors in the rain or cold will not, in fact make a person sick. Adequate clothing and protection is necessary for comfort. Keeping an eye on younger children who may not be able to communicate if they are cold or uncomfortable as well is important. But children and clothing dry. Healthy habits indoors and outside are the best way to stay healthy. With some planning and preparation, everyone (even you) can be comfortable and have fun--even while you're wet!

New favorite location to read Tap The Magic Tree by Christie Matheson--so great to see older siblings reading to the younger ones and this book is fabulous for that!

Fiction: The children will not like playing in the rain.
Fact: It might be time that I gently hold up a mirror. A mirror to you and a mirror to me. Children often respond to what the adult reflects. What are your feelings about the rain? Now I want you to think of a time you liked the rain. If you are like me and many others, that time was in your youth! If you were berated for jumping in a puddle or getting muddy, your feelings likely changed. If you were around other people who complained about getting wet or rainy days, your feelings likely changed. If you continuously heard and associated rain with "bad weather" or "not a good day to go outside," your feelings likely changed. What if you reflected a different attitude toward rain play? I will honestly say that for me this involved some "faking it till making it" on my part, because like so many others, I have some rainy day baggage. It is true that some children will have hesitance and/or discomfort in rain play for a variety of reasons--physical, sensory, intuited from others, etc.--and with planning, patience, sensitivity and creativity, these can be overcome! (So can yours.)

testing the trajectory of a stick dropped in a puddle

definitely a fan of rain play

Fiction: The parents of the children in my care will not want them to play outside in the rain.
Fact: Some parents may have hesitance and concerns about this. It is important to know your why and to be ready to defend it! For sure, you want to adhere to best practices and also be respectful of the families you work with if you are in a care-giving or teaching role. Engaging parents in preparing for all-weather outdoor play so that the children are set up with everything they need and explaining how your program will work in regard to outdoor play goes a long way in supporting the effort to get outside ANYWAY.

Here are some tips for that planning and preparation, whether it is for your own family or other children in your care:

• Have a dry change of clothes ready in your car, home or classroom. In a classroom, I'd suggest 2 or more. Include yourself here!
• Have dry towels and blankets available in your car, home or classroom.
• Waterproof rain gear can really aid in everyone's comfort. I'd suggest some or all of the following: rain boots/shoes, waterproof pants or suits, raincoats, ponchos, rain hats and/or umbrellas. If you are running a program or working in a school/daycare, it can be helpful to have parents bring/send these in ahead of time to remain on site. In my mobile program, I come with some child sized and adult sized "disposable" rain ponchos just in case. Plastic bags go a long way in a pinch--honestly, some recycled grocery bags over your shoes and a trash bag with a hole cut for a head to go through really will keep someone dry! It's not a fashion contest, folks.
• Areas of "shelter" can be helpful in the rain. Your shelter can be permanent (like a covered deck) or temporary (like a pop up tent or tunnel) or even mobile (like umbrellas or a rain fort!). Trees are great shelter from the elements, so think like an animal, bird or bug, and seek your shelter there!
• Travel light and travel waterproof. If you are mobile like I am or even just headed out to the yard or playground with stuff in tow, for once, plastic is your friend. I use a collapsible wagon to haul my load. For my activities and materials, 2 gallon ziplock bags are great. The activities done outdoors in the rain are also going to be different than usual, as they, too, will need to be waterproof. Paper activities and resources can be laminated. Books or other weather sensitive materials that will be used under covered areas can be stored and carried in plastic bins or bags that seal.

Fiction: There's nothing to do outside in the rain!
Fact: There's a LOT you can do outside in the rain. In fact, if it's your first time exploring rain play, I encourage you not to plan too much. Get to know your environment. Let the children get to know it. This is a whole new world of play and wonder!

For our event yesterday, I wanted to keep the theme tree related. Trees are such amazing sources of shelter in the rain that I decided building and using shelters would be a great take-along. I brought a pop-up tunnel and play tent. I also brought a few dollar store plastic shower curtains, bungee cords and clothes pins. We built a makeshift rain fort using these materials and some very helpful trees. The children helped as well. Older ones liked the designing aspect and connecting materials with bungee cords and clothespins. Younger ones enjoyed handing off supplies as needed. And everyone enjoyed playing, hiding and reading inside!

Y is determined to find everything in our scavenger hunt game...

We also had a fun Parts of a Tree Scavenger Hunt Game I made and brought. To make the game fun and accessible for all ages (pre-readers included) i used photos of leaves, bark, seeds/cones/pods/nuts, twigs and branches, animals and birds who live in/near trees, fruits/berries that grow on trees and roots. I laminated the photos and punched a hole in the corner of each one to store it on a metal ring. The kids ranging in age from 2-tween all had a great time searching for and finding just about everything! We didn't see any fruits or berries at our park and it took a while before S discovered our lone squirrel running for shelter under a tree.

I honestly did not know how my own kids would do in the rain. The boys are almost always game to jump in a puddle, but intentionally going outside and staying outside in the rain is somewhat novel and especially so in the cooler months of the year (although yesterday was quite mild here). I was sure to keep my own attitude and outlook positive. I took it slow and took my time. There was no need to rush and no need to push. And you know what? The only whining was when it was time to leave! (Well, except a few extra whines from Y about sharing the tunnel, wanting help to climb up a bouncy toy on the playground and umbrella frustrations...) And C? She was a pig in mud! Literally at some points!

I'll have more rain play activities for you soon. In the meantime, here's a great resource from The Empowered Educator on encouraging outdoor rain play.  I travel light in the rain, but I definitely still made room for a copy of the free e-book and my laminated poster! Got rain? Get outside ANYWAY! And as always...

An amazing view of roots. Can you spot a stick in Y's favorite letter?

Happy Playing!

A Peek Inside Our Playroom: Trees & Loose Parts

Something about the dead of winter makes me itch to get outside and play! And it is only fitting that it is typically in the dead of winter that Tu B'Shevat, the Jewish "new year of the trees" is celebrated, honoring the new season for fruit trees in Israel. Here in the mid-Atlantic US, our fruit trees are still pretty dormant. It will be a couple of months yet before we see buds and blossoms and the return of their leaves. But trees of all kinds are something to be celebrated (and played about) in any season! And one of my very favorite ways to play is with loose parts.


Over the past few weeks, I've gradually stocked and shifted materials on our shelves that have something to do with trees--whether it's that they are made from wood, come from a tree, are about trees or some of the wildlife that live in them...

Our Nature Table is set up for some Tree-riffic Small World Play...

Whether it's building and designing with loose parts on our rug, sculpting with salt dough, small world play or constructing, deconstructing and reconstructing foam trees with loose parts, there's something for everyone here--even little C!

I began by stocking our play shelves with various wooden loose parts and blocks, tree blocks, cinnamon sticks, wooden peg people, seasonal accents and decorations having to do with trees and even a collection of wooden teething toys in various shapes.

Sometimes the kids will play with a set up of loose parts for weeks and other times, I can tell when it starts to get a bit stale... In this case, rather than do a huge overhaul, I add something in, maybe swap a few things. Who says trees can't also be a celebration of color? So I added in some burlap ribbon, and later our wooden Grimms rainbow stacker and peg people set, some felt squares and rainbow scarves...

And just like that, it's as if it were brand spankin' new!

A small world setup by S

How far can you go...

Meanwhile, at the atelier...

The boys worked on sculptures with salt dough and a variety of loose parts including feathers, sticks, pussy willow branches, peg clothespins, cinnamon sticks, wooden craft sticks, golf tees, and other small wooden loose parts. I set out some clay/dough tools as well. This could certainly also be done with clay or playdough. I chose salt dough for it's ability to air dry in case the boys would create something they wanted to preserve.





When the salt dough was past its prime, I swapped in some craft foam "trees," and golf tees, feathers, sticks and pussy willow branches, artificial flowers, leaves, snowflakes, apples and even some random cabinet knobs I once purchased for a project that didn't work out...

I was amazed at how into this the boys got. The sculptures emerged, shifted, morphed, changed and even came with stories...

A creation by Y

A creation by S

Another one of Y's masterpieces...

S's "Robotic Tree. He has arms, a face and holes that caterpillars munched in him..."

"...he even has feet!"

Trees are such a versatile and wonderful play theme no matter the season or the reason!

Want to do more?

• Read here for more about trees
• Read here for more about Tu b'Shevat, to be celebrated this year on Monday, February 10, 2020 (beginning sundown the night before)

Well, I've got to make like a tree and leave! We'll be back soon and until then...

Happy Playing!

DIY Recycled Art Blank Books

I love using Tu b'Shevat as an opportunity to teach children about ways to recycle. We keep a scrap paper bin in our Art Center and over time it collects the boys' old art work, magazines or catalogs, bits of papers from cutting projects, old greeting cards, gift wrap, foil, tissue paper, and more. The boys love our scrap bin! S uses scraps for gluing, cutting, hole-punching, taping, folding and more. Y, who is ever ready to color, write or draw, frequently pulls out a paper to do that with or will take small scraps from our tiny little trash can and ask for help to glue or tape them on a larger one. Throughout the house, we also hang and display the boys' artwork whether it is a directed project, process art or something S brings home from school. Every so often, we need to clear out the display to make room for updates and when we do that, art work gets put in one of a few places: the, um, round file receptacle in the kitchen, a grandparent, the scrap bin or, perhaps for very some very special items, a folder on our bookshelf.

As of late, S has been very interested in illustrating books. On a recent trip, he filled each page of a tiny notebook I gave him with illustrations that portrayed a story he was able to dictate to me. He was so proud to "write a whole book!" I love supporting my little writer and nothing feels more valuable than preserving your story in the format of a book. I'm not sure the notebook industry (or my wallet) can keep up with his current pace and while I certainly don't feel that his artwork and writing are wasteful uses of notebooks, I do want to encourage a mentality of sustainability here. As we learn about the many gifts we receive from trees, I decided to gift my boys each with their very own recycled art blank books using papers from our scrap bin and some oil and watercolor paintings they did over Chanukah that were still hanging on our family museum wall. These will be the perfect take-along for our trip up north to visit my family. The boys can color, write, draw and doodle or even tape in pictures and small mementos.

To make your own recycled art blank books, just select a piece of art you like for the cover. I chose something done on thicker watercolor paper as it is a bit sturdier. It can be standard size or any size! For the rest of the pages, you can use blank paper, lined paper, graph paper, colored paper and/or more recycled art. Even if there is already a bit of writing or drawing or some stickers on a few pages, it's fun to be surprised as the pages turn!

Any combination of papers will do and, personally, I think the diversity of it all makes it more fun. You'll want to cut your pages to the same size if they are not already in that form. From there, once everything is folding down the center and lined up like a book, I used a blunt needle to poke two holes in the margin, about an inch or two from the bottom on either side. Using embroidery floss, yarn, string or thread in your color of choice, run a cord through the two holes and tie a double knot or bow to secure it. Now the boys can write and illustrate as many books as they please--scrap paper and recycled artwork are resources that are in abundance in this household! These would also make a lovely gift for friends or family.

We may not be saving too many trees here with two busy artists and authors--but we are certainly using and appreciating their wares to the fullest this Tu B'Shevat.

Happy Playing!

Our Storytelling Tree: A Collaborative Mixed Medium Process Art Project Perfect for Tu B'Shevat!

Storytelling, small worlds and dramatic play are a pretty big deal here, and I especially love involving the family in creating some of our own props. We also had so much fun on our last multi-medium process art experience over the winter break that even though school is back in session for S, I wanted to include more activities like this in our afternoon routines together.

The after nap hours during the week are often a little hectic. Everyone's energy is low. It's the end of the day. This time of year, it gets dark out quite early. We've been away from each other at work and school and everyone is eager to share this limited time together, but the pace can feel a bit rushed for big afternoon activities or outings. Engaging in art together is one way we are able to slow down the pace a bit, tune in to each other and be creative as a family. Even better if what we're doing isn't a project that is intended to be completed in one sitting. When I found this wooden tree sculpture on super sale post holiday season at our craft supply shop, I knew it was the perfect foundation for a collaborative art experience. I didn't exactly know yet what we would do to it, but it was going to make the perfect storytelling tree for our home and perhaps, in drier seasons, even our playgarden!

A few tips before you begin, should you decide to undertake this project or something similar:

• Choose a work space that will accommodate all of your family members comfortably. Our dining room table is the best option for us in terms of having enough space, being a good height for me and the boys alike (Y uses a high chair, S can sit or stand). 
• Cover your work space; this will get messy! I finally dedicated an old bedsheet to this purpose after throwing away the last of our super cheap shower curtains last month. It was on its way to the donation pile, but now its making its final stop in a new venue.
• Cover your artists if you wish. I have an apron I wear for messy art. S is willing to don an old t-shirt of mine over his clothes and Y loves his "sah-mock," a vinyl long sleeved child's smock. When our paints are washable, I give the option to cover up or just take precaution and push up sleeves.
• I try to have all of our materials gathered together and readily accessible at our work space. Sometimes when my plans are a bit more spur of the moment and spontaneous (as you will see), that means I take the risk of darting upstairs in the middle of a painting project knowing I could come down to a colorful surprise... 
• Include wet wash cloths in that list of materials! These will be handy for hands that are averse to being sticky or painty mid-project.
• Let loose and let go. This is a big one for me. Especially with a collaborative art project, know that everyone is going to have their own vision and ideas. It helps to slow down. To breathe deeply and take your time. To put on some soothing background music if you wish. Make sure you have a space of time and location that can accommodate this. It is as much about the experience as it is about the end results. 
• Clean up can be daunting, but I like to tackle it right away when we're done for the day. It's easiest to wash trays, bottles and brushes before everything has dried and caked on. What I've found to be true is that having spent a chunk of quality and intentional time with the boys beforehand, they are more willing to busy themselves for ten minutes without being (too) underfoot while I wash up dishes and hang up smocks. They can also help carry in materials or even wash them given some rags and soapy water in their sensory table or at the sink. I generally opt to do this part myself for the purpose of saving time and sanity at that point. If transitioning from messy art together to the clean up process and routines that follow is challenging, I highly recommend having a transitional activity set up for afterward--even if that's an ice pop or favorite TV show. Yes, you read that right.

On Day 1 I set out recycled sushi trays of acrylic paints in green, teal, white, black and brown. Some laminated paint sample cards helped us to visualize shades and hues of our colors. I also got out our textured roller sponge brushes. These are a favorite brush for both my boys--even S, who is not such a painting fan in and of itself loves to paint with these. I think I found them at Five and Below several years ago and we really can't get enough of them here!

I have to say that even after that first day, the tree looked so incredibly lovely with the colors blended as they were and the unique textures and designs left by the roller brushes that it almost seemed a shame to change it at all. But on Day 2, I had squeeze bottles filled with green, white and black washable tempera paints and empty ice cube trays plus a selection of thin paint brushes ready to go. With our shades and hues of green laminated paint sample cards out and ready for viewing, the boys (especially S) got busy squeezing and mixing colors. S made sections of white and green, black and green, and even black, white and green. Squeezing and mixing the colors definitely took precedent over anything else for him and he was not as interested in painting with them using our brushes. Y, on the other hand, loved dotting and dabbing and doodling with the paintbrushes and was eager to use up S's abundant supply.

Seeing how much joy both boys had in squeezing the paint right from the bottle made me think that it might be fun to squeeze it right on the tree. Our tempera paints are rather thin, though, so to thicken it a bit, I added a generous squirt of glue to each bottle (and an equally generous squirt of green paint to the black and white bottles) before letting them loose at the tree!

Unsurprisingly this resulted in some painty puddles! And then, in my typical If You Give a Mouse a Cookie fashion, I had a spark of inspiration. Combs would be a super fun way to spread and scrape the paint around. I'd like to say that I have a set of inexpensive plastic combs just for such occasions. Yes, I'd like to say that, but I can't--because I actually just have an inexpensive set of 3 combs total. For all of us. Myself included. So please don't judge the shades and hues of green you may or may not see in our hairdos over the weeks to come--I think I washed all the paint out. Y actually was so amused to see his comb at the table that he immediately grabbed it up, painty bristles and all and proceeded to comb his own hair! Oh dear...

Yes, this is truly the joy and excitement of art together here. Having little to no plan but infinite amounts of spontaneous ideas and inspiration. I took one last squeeze to the tree before setting it to dry and washing out our bottles, brushes, trays and, um, combs.





S was eagerly recalling the day we used glue to paint and pour on small loose parts on our Frozen Mixed Medium Paintings when I first introduced this project, so I promised him our final step would include copious amounts of glue, glitter, baubles and bits. Day 3, our final day of painting brought us a tray of beads, glass gems, wooden letter tiles and rhinestones along with a couple of jars of clear gel glue mixed with two shades of green glitter and some wooden craft sticks for stirring, scooping, drizzling and scraping. Once our tree was bedazzled and be-dried, I took it out front to apply a coat of spray acrylic finish for added protection against the elements and we were done! But for this storytelling tree, that is not a means to an end, but rather its beginning. It shall be part and parcel to many a day of action and imagination here. And until then...

ta da!

Happy Playing!

Tu B'Shevat Loose Parts in Play

Ok, so you have all of your tree and Tu B'Shevat themed loose parts out and ready, but now what? Today I will take you through a few fun and simple ways our loose parts have come into play here this week! Some were entirely child-led while others were invitations or provocations I set up for the boys. Feel free to use these ideas in your own home or classroom and I always love seeing the way others are using loose parts in play and learning as well.

Both of the boys have taken a liking to our STEAM Cart drawers
and S especially loves the scrap wood drawer for building houses. He has created several intricate designs and adds in various peg dolls when he's done building. We've so far not created any permanent structures with the scrap wood and one of the ways I offered to support S in preserving his houses was to take photos of buildings he particularly likes and create a building journal together. I love the template provided in Pocket of Preschool's All About Building bundle but you can also make your own journal or blueprints book using graph paper, a photo album, a notebook or stapling together scrap paper. This is a great way to give value to your young builders' process, to incorporate writing and literacy, and to encourage planning, critical thinking and problem solving! It has also helped S to feel more secure in building his structures in shared play spaces (where Y can also get to them) and not to whisk away his materials to a solo location. Y is working on not knocking over structures without asking and S is working on sharing our many resources in common play areas.

Y has really enjoyed designing and tinkering with our tree loose parts collection. He loves getting a mirror tray to design on or even just transferring small parts in and out of the wooden bowls. He knows now how to carry a bowl with two hands to the table and also how to return them to the shelf when he's done. S even likes to use the snowflakes and flowers to add to the "tree" in the back of the shelf! While both of the boys have come up with great ways to use our loose parts on their own, I also set up a few simple table time activities for them over the week.

 Incorporating playdough or clay with loose parts can add a sensory component and all kinds of unique new design opportunities. What gravity may have previously prevented is now possible with a temporary medium to connect loose parts in novel ways. To set up a simple playdough invitation, you can use a sectioned tray along with some of your loose parts and some favorite clay or playdough tools. We used our current batch of homemade playdough, but you can use store bought or use clay or kinetic sand or whatever type of dough you like best. This activity is just right to stand on its own or you can incorporate a themed playdough mat for added inspiration. I love the free printable tree playdough mat from Picklebums.
It made a great backdrop for our playdough invitation and was just as much fun to use with loose parts and no dough! Y especially enjoyed it this way and returned to the table repeatedly throughout the morning to play.

The dead of winter may not be a time that many of us outside of the framework of Tu B'Shevat think about trees, but it is a time that many tree related products are on super sale at craft stores. That's where I found a couple of unfinished wooden tree decorations on major discount (not to mention the tree shaped cookie cutters you saw in our playdough invitation for 10 cents a piece). We have used one wooden tree for a collaborate process art project that I will post on shortly and the other, intended for hanging small pictures on looked like the perfect tree shaped weaving loom! I already have visions of it in our play garden holding bits of strings, ribbons and materials for bird nests in the Spring, but for now, it is a great indoor activity for weaving ribbons and working those tiny little fine motor muscles pinching miniature clothes pins.

 My favorite thing, perhaps, about using loose parts with my boys is that so often I am inspired by their play. It is a lot less of me setting up activities from my own ideas or ideas I see elsewhere and a lot more of me supporting activities that they create from their own ideas. Join us next time for a great family collaborative process art project for Tu b'Shevat and until then...

Happy Playing!