Once again we are new to the neighborhood. Moving isn’t new to my kids, but that doesn’t really make it any easier.

Everything seems new.

Everything seems different.

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My kids keep turning into the wrong driveway on the way scooting home from school.

Exploring your new neighborhood is one way to start feeling at home in your new space.

You notice things that seem the same as your last home.

You start to feel like things aren’t so new and scary.

It helps you feel at home.

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

I created this Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt for my kids when we moved to Mississippi (3 moves ago) and we have re-used it every time since.

Read Also: 4 Steps to Help Prepare Your Kids for a Move

The good news, is you don’t have to have just moved for your kids to find this fun. The Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt is also just a way to turn your next walk on its head.

Materials:

• Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt (download for free below)
• Clipboard
• Pen or Pencil
• Walking Shoes
• Camera (optional)

Download FREE: Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

Activity:

Put your scavenger hunt on a clipboard. You can decide to either give each kid their own clipboard and scavenger hunt or work on it as a team.

I put one on a clipboard for us to do together. (Family bonding is also part of moving survival.)

Before we left the house, we read the items listed on the scavenger hunt together. I also gave them each a camera. This part is optional, but my kids love taking pictures and it helps them slow down a little when we’re walking.

We took our scavenger hunt on our clipboard, cameras, and walking feet out into the neighborhood.

You May Also Like: Spider Web Hunt with FREE Printables

My twins had a blast running up and down the new sidewalks finding the things on our scavenger hunt.

It also encouraged them find familiar things like mailboxes and fire hydrants that helped them see how our old neighborhood and new neighborhood have things in common.

This was a fun introduction to our new area.

It’s a small thing – but when you’re moving with kids it is small things like this that slowly help a new place feel like home.

Download FREE: Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt

Get More Fun Scavenger Hunts Here!

My preschoolers loved counting. Any excuse was a good one.

Help me count out spoons for everyone? Yes!

We can only check out 20 library books. Can you help me check how many we have? Yes!

Want to go for a counting walk adventure? YES!

If you kids are at this point, then these easy activities are for you. I am a huge fan of keeping things simple, so these are number activities that you can do with no prep.

When you get back from your counting walk or when you find yourself with some spare time to fill and an eager number counter – sit down and do one of these activities to encourage number recognition, counting with one-to-one correspondence and more preschool number skills.

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5 Preschool Number Activities

Many of them used our Counting Bears which are a wonderful hands-on math materials for Preschool and Early Elementary (You can find them HERE).

Here are five fantastically simple number activities:

1. Counting Bears: Sort and Count

To play you need some Counting Bears (see above) and a table.

Pour the counting bears on the table and have your child sort them by color. For more than one child you can divide the bears into groups or have the children work together.

When they are done sorting, ask “Which color of bears has the biggest group and which is the smallest?” Have them guess and then count to confirm.

2. Counting Bear Pattern Challenges

My twins thought this is fabulous fun. We have been working on patterns for a while and this is a fun way to practice.

Divide the bears somewhat equally between the people playing.

Have each person create the beginning to a pattern. We call this “creating a pattern challenge.”

When everyone is done with their pattern, have them rotate to the next person and try to continue their pattern.

To add some number work into your patterns, give limitations to your patterns such as; patterns much contain 2 green bears or must be 3 bears long.

3. Rainbow Scavenger Hunt + Count

To play, start with a clear table or large space on the floor. You will be creating a rainbow with your toys and other materials.

One color at a time, have everyone hunt around the house, playroom, or classroom for items that match that color. For example, first you will send everyone to find things that are red.

When they come back, arrange them in a line or arch and then move onto the next color.

To keep the colors somewhat even, you may want to count how many things you find as you go. Otherwise, similar to the sort and count activity above, when you are done hypothesize about which color has the largest and smallest group and then count to determine.

You May Also Like: Finding Round Nature Hunt for Toddlers and Preschoolers

4. Number Book

Read a book with Numbers. This list of Counting Books is a great start. We read Have You Seen My Dragon by Steve Light.

As you go, have your child represent the numbers mentioned with their Counting Bears. This helps them start to tie the number to the numeral on the page.

5. Dancing Bear Pairs

My daughter essentially invented this game. She likes to pretend with the Counting Bears while we do activities with them and she was pretending a couple were dancing when it dawned on me this was the perfect way to introduce odd and even numbers.

To play Dancing Bear Pairs all you need are Counting Bears. If you wish, some number cards can also be used to continue working on Number Recognition.

To play, explain: that your bears are going to a dancing party and they all need a partner. Unfortunately, one of the bears at the Odd Party won’t have a partner, but if they are at an Even Party everyone will.

Let’s see what kind of party the Number 4 is. Have your preschooler find four bears, pair them off and then declare it must be an Even Party.

Continue with different numbers, both odd and even.

read also: playful preschool math activities

The Guggenheim might not seem like the most little kid friendly field trip idea, but we had a blast exploring shapes on our visit.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often called The Guggenheim, is an art museum located in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and it’s famous for it’s architecture as much as for what is found in it’s renowned collection.

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Learning about Shapes at the Guggenheim

I took my twins to the Guggenheim for the first time one hot summer day when they were six years old.

Before the Field Trip

Before I go on a field trip of any kind with my kids I like to prepare myself. I usually start by visiting the website for wherever we’re going. In this case I was thrilled to find The Guggenheim website to be super helpful.

I read the basic tips for visiting, got directions, and took note the family events they have for the future.

I was particularly intrigued by the Kindergarten visit ideas they had for teachers. This visit guide focused on the Geometric shapes in the Guggenheim which I thought would both interest my kids and extend what they were learning about in math.

Also read: Everything you need to know about NYC with Kids

Then I packed my bag for the next day. I included my basic adventure supplies as well as;

• Notebooks with a shape hunt drawn on one page for each kid or hunt on paper with clipboards.
• Colored pencils in a Ziplock Bag
• Pencils
• Camera

During the Field Trip

My kids both love art and going new places so they were pretty excited about this trip. In the back of my head I also knew that my kids don’t like to be indoors, quiet, or relatively still for too long so I had some ideas to keep them engaged planned.

1. The Shape Hunt

This I drew out in their notebooks. You could easily make one on the computer and make copies if you are visiting with a larger group.

While we were riding the train, I talked to them a little about the building and showed them the shape hunt. We labeled the different shapes together. When we got there I gave them each their hunt and a pencil and they started looking at the foyer while I paid.

For the Guggenheim Museum, Wright used many geometric shapes but chose not to use rectangles or squares. It is a building completely without 90º angles which my kids found fascinating once I pointed this out.

We did see a ton of other shapes, though, wherever we looked. The entire structure is an amazing combination of different shapes.

After we all marveled a bit about that, we started hunting for shapes in the art work. My son loves any sort of scavenger hunt so this was his focus throughout.

My daughter needed some other ideas to keep her engaged.

2. What’s your favorite?

In each exhibit, as we looked around the museum I asked them to find one sculpture or painting that is your favorite.

Sit and look.

What do you like about it?

How does it make you feel?

What shapes do you see in the piece?

Would you like to draw a picture of it?

These questions slowed them down a bit and gave me a little time to look around each space as well.

If drawing the whole thing is overwhelming, which is completely understandable. Try drawing just a part of the work of art.

Perhaps focus on one object or change one small part in a fun way.

read also: a visit to the eric carle museum

3. Name the Art

Don’t feel like drawing? Can you imagine what you would call the work of art? This is another fun way to get kids thinking about the art.

After they have named it, look at what the label and read the title the artist picked.

Does knowing the title change the way you understand the artwork?

4. Compare and Contrast

Comparing and contrasting things is a skill my kids are learning about with their kindergarten curriculum. We’ve mostly done it with elements of stories, but you can also compare two works of art.

How are they similar to each other?

How are they different?

5. Move like the Art

This works for paintings, but best with sculpture. Can you move like the art?

My daughter loved doing this with the sculptures of dancers but there are a lot of fun pieces this works well with throughout art museums.

Good things to know about the guggenheim with kids

• There is a cafe with good, but expensive food. You can only eat in the cafe area.
• There are bathrooms, but they are somewhat hidden. Use the map or ask a friendly staff member to help you find one. We used the bathroom near the cafe when we stopped for a snack.
• The museum isn’t huge. We saw almost everything except the special exhibit in a morning. However – with all field trips I think it is important to only do as much as your kids are ready for. You want them to leave feeling positive about the experience.

after the field trip

Afterwards – create art of course!!

Immediately afterwards we went across the street to Central Park and one of our favorite playgrounds. You can read my full guide to all of the Central Park Playgrounds in this post.

The next few days though, we created a lot of art. I think art of all kinds begets more art.

With kids this age there are a ton of options, but I think open ended exploration with different materials is best. Pick an artist or style and play with the materials they use most frequently. Our favorite is making really BIG art.

Here are three art themed blogs that I adore for kid art ideas.

• Meri Cherry – amazing color bursting process art ideas
• The Artful Parent – lots of creative material explorations and projects
• Art Class Curator – great for tying art to kids

Find More Learning Through Adventure Ideas
in My Book!

Today is all about the color Blue. Below are some fun ideas for playtime, snack, and more.

This is my personal favorite color so I’m excited to dive into fun blue books and blue themed activities as part of our Rainbow Week.

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Books About the Color Blue

Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle
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Full of fun animal noises and a wonderful message about kindness this is a great read. 2+

Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff
Order Online

Baby Bear explores the world and finds colors along the way. The world is a bright beautiful place. 2+

Blue Themed Activities

Wear Blue

Part of the fun of a color week is finding an item of clothing or two to wear for the day. We decked out in Blue and then snapped some selfies before we headed out for the morning. (Cognitive + Self Help)

Make a Blue Snack

Gather some blue foods and have a blue snack. My kids went to the store with their dad and picked blueberry (SOY)yogurt and blueberries. We ate them mixed together. You can also make a blue smoothie, bake some blueberry muffins, or whatever else you can dream up.

Blue Art Invitation

Create a basket of Blue art materials. My basket included; blue markers, blue colored pencils, blue crayons, blue stampers, blue gummed art tape, and some blue tissue paper. Place this on your art table with some blank paper as an invitation to create. (Fine Motor + Creativity)

Press Here Board Game

This is a great board game to practice creative thinking and visual problem solving. It also happens to be full of bright colors so it was a fun one to pull out this week. You can learn more or order one here.

Shades of Blue Painting

Gather blue and white paint and either a paint tray or cups. Then cover your art space, get paint shirts or smocks, and some paintbrushes and paper. Set the paper to the side and start with just the paint. Pour blue into each cup and then invite your child to add some white to each cup. Go slowly. Use a skewer or spoon to stir the paint and see what shade of blue it makes before you add white to the next cup. When you have an array of blues that your child is happy with pull out the paper.

Blue Sensory Bin

I was inspired by this simple Rainbow Sensory Bin to make one for the color blue. You could easily make one for any of the colors. Gather various items in the color of the day that have different textures and place them in a sensory bin for your child to explore.

Color Week Projects

Rainbow Journal : Blue Page

Continue the Rainbow journal today that you are using for the entire Preschool Color Week. You can find directions for starting one on our Red Day page. For yellow day, turn to the next blank page and have your preschooler copy the word BLUE. Then have them use the basic of Blue art materials to draw whatever they want on the facing page. (Literacy)

Collaborative Rainbow

This is the other project that will last you the entire Preschool Color Week. Today add to the Rainbow in the blue space. Gummed Art Tape is hugely popular in our house right now so we added some Blue today. (Creativity + Social Skills)

Missed the beginning? Start with Red Day!

As adults we like to rush through our days as quickly as possible checking things off our to-do list, but sometimes children can teach us why we need to slow down. I learned a little about this a couple weeks ago. 

We were at German Fest. It was filled with sausages and beer and loud polka music. This all would have been great except for the fact that Mississippi has yet to get the memo about Fall weather and it was hot. Really, really hot. 

Our twins were red faced and getting crabby. My husband and I were starting to look at each other with that ‘We’re not going to last much longer” look. And then my son said he wanted to go see the firetruck.

For reasons I don’t entirely understand, there was a firetruck celebrating German Fest. They were letting kids hop in the front and offering them coloring books. Sure, we said. We stomped across the grass and assumed they would pop in the truck, jump out, grab their coloring books and we could head for the AC. 

Our son climbed in the front and then out the other side. Our daughter started in the back and then hopped out. They both started wandering around the truck. I suggested we get coloring books to speed along this process. 

Then my son asked me, “What is this for?” He was pointing to one of the many switches on the side. I had no clue and I could see that he was curious, so I told him to ask a firefighter. He was a little unsure about this, but his sister bravely walked up to one of these large men and said “What does that do?” 

The firefighter bent down and answered her question. This led to another question and another. Soon they were following the firefighter around the truck as he demonstrated everything to them. Where the hoses were and how they got hooked up. What was inside the different compartments and what they used each item for. Their questions were endless and his patience, seemingly, was as well. 

They were utterly fascinated and this kind man took the time to share his expertise with these two young children. 

We forgot about the heat. We forgot about needing water and wanting AC. 

We learned a lot about firetrucks and then when they were done, they grabbed those coloring books and headed for the car full of ideas.

GO: Field Trip Ideas

Visit a Fire Station
from Bambini Travel

Fire Station Open Day
from Play Learn Everyday

Fire Hydrant Walk
from Bambini Travel

READ + SING: 

10 Books about Firetrucks
from My Storytime Corner

Books about Fire Trucks
from Growing Book by Book

Books about Fire Fighters
from Gift of Curiosity

STOP, DROP AND ROLL (Song)
From Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes

Five Little Firefighters (Craft + Song)
from JDaniel4’s Mom

ENVIRONMENT:

Melissa and Doug Firefighter Costumes
find it here

Play Firetrucks
find it here

Fire Station Duplo Set
find it here

Firetruck Party Activities and Decorations
from Mamas Happy Hive

CREATE: 

Cereal Box Fire Truck
from Play Create Learn

Firetruck Building Invitation
from Bambini Travel

Counting at the Fire Station (free printable)
from Growing Book by Book

Easy Shapes Fire Truck Craft
from Sugar Aunts

Firefighter Thank You Cards
from Fun Handprint Art

Homemade Cards for Firefighters
from B-Inspired Mama

Fire Truck Flame Painting
from JDaniel4’s Mom

PLAY:

Firefighters Dramatic Play
from Play Create Learn

Fun Ways for Kids to Learn about Fire Safety
from Edventures with Kids

Fast and Easy Fire Truck Play
from Kitchen Floor Crafts

Emergency Vehicles Unit
from Every Star is Different

F is for Firetruck
from Theres Just One Mommy

Firefighter Brain Break Movement Ideas
from Pink Oatmeal

 Fireman Birthday Party with Great Play Ideas
from The Jenny Evolution

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Interest Led Unit Ideas

After returning from our Fall Nature Hike, our little ones were excited about leaves. My son in particular recounted for me several times how he stood under the tree and the wind blew and then the leaves fell down. Some even landed on him and this of course was the highlight of his tale.

I of course immediately set about gathering books about Fall.

One of my favorites that addresses his particular interest very well is Leaves by David Ezra Stein. It is a darling book about a little bear experiencing his first Fall.

On our art table, we started with these simple Drawing Prompts.

We sat down at the table with cups of crayons and paper with my very basic tree outlines and created. As we colored (yup, I joined in this time scribbling away on my tree) we chatted about what colors we were using.

Here are some questions you could ask:

*Tell me about the colors on your tree.
*Hmmm…is that a darker orange or a lighter orange?
*What colors were the leaves we saw on the tree outside/at the park/on our hike?

You can also do a little self talk, which yes feels a little silly until you get used to it, but is an excellent way to model your thought process and language.

Try:

*This red looks very dark…I think I might try this lighter shade.
*I have lots of orange on my tree. I might add some yellows too like the tree we saw outside.
*Hmm…I’m trying to remember where the leaves were on the tree. I might check this photo/book to remind myself.

Our twins are developing language, learning colors, and using fine motor skills to grip and maneuver their crayons, but we are also just creating, and chatting, and sipping tea.

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