Did you know that A. A. Milne’s infamously inspiring wood is actually 500 acres? The 100 acre wood is based on the 500 acre Ashdown Forest in East Sussex.

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Beforehand

The Ashdown Forest is a pretty place for a ramble, but knowing the stories of Winnie the Pooh definitely makes it more magical. Before you hike, really familiarize yourself with the Adventures of Pooh. If you’re doing it with this hike in mind, you might want to really talk about the different spots in the woods or with older kids, make a map together of how you envision the woods.

Read about Pooh’s Adventures
The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie the Pooh
Buy Online

or Listen to the Audiobook
The Collected Stories of Winnie the Pooh
Buy Online

Watch Winnie the Pooh.
Available on Amazon

Hike in Ashdown Forest

Ashdown Forest
Wych Cross
Forest Row RH18 5JP
United Kingdom

• Brochure with More Info about the spots that inspired Pooh stories.
• Mapped Walks with more info.

You have to use your imagine to see the woods through his eyes, but what a gorgeous spot to hike and pretend.

The brochure included about has spots or places around the loop trail that inspired some of the stories in the Winnie the Pooh adventures. You can see: the river where Pooh saved Piglet, Eeyore’s gloomy spot, the Hefflelump forest and tree trap and more.

None of these are labeled in the forest, you need to either print the map or have it pulled up on your phone. I always think it is best to warn your kids that this isn’t like a Disneyland view of Pooh. This is the real place that Milne hiked and they have to be prepared to use their imagination like he did.

Afterwards

Pooh Corner. Sussex.

After your hike, if you have time you can also visit Pooh Corner. This is a small spot at the edge of Ashdown where there is a little museum and you can pop in for tea.

More about Pooh Corner

Home Activity Ideas

Back at home, if your kids are excited about the hike and all things Pooh they might enjoy:

• Re-read some favorite stories or watch Winnie the Pooh again. You can take it one step further by encouraging your kids to act out their favorite story with Pooh Character Puppets like these ones.
• Write your own Pooh story. Older kids who love to write (or homeschoolers who want to add a little writing to your adventure) could write their own story about a spot in the forest.
• Matching Game. Kids under 5 would love this adorable matching game inspired by the characters and stories of Winnie the Pooh. Find Online
• Make Winnie Pooh Honey Snacks together. You can use this easy recipe.

You May Also Like:
Great Britain Literature Inspired Unit
(has lots of bookish adventure ideas!)

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!

Crisp white chalk lining green, the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of cleats thunking a leather ball…aside from my beach the soccer field is probably my happiest place and I am hoping to pass that love along to my kids.

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Luckily we recently got a early sneak peek at the new movie ALEX AND ME and it has my kids extra pumped to kick around the soccer ball.

We have a weekly family movie night and this week ALEX AND ME was our movie. This new movie stars real life soccer star Alex Morgan as she coaches a tween who wants to make the local soccer team. It is probably as cheesy as you would expect, but we all really liked it.

The story is full of funny moments, inspiring themes, and lots of girls playing quality soccer. It is a predictable plot, like most family-sports-comedy movies, but enjoyable nonetheless. For kids who love movies about sports and soccer in particular or who adore Alex Morgan – this is a sure win.

In a former, non-CF, non-one-lung-short, non-mama life, I played a lot of soccer. Saturdays in that life meant waking up early and stepping out onto a soccer field. They meant shin guards and striped socks and worn cleats. They meant sweat and speed and tackles and I loved it.

In another life, I also coached.

I coached the littlest guys. Three year olds to about age 7 (the 7 year olds catch on a lot more quickly, if you’re curious) and I loved that too.

I’ve always loved sharing things that bring me joy with others, especially little guys who soak up new information like eager sponges.

ALEX AND ME reinvigorated the soccer bug in our house. My kids were outside the next day eagerly kicking the ball around and channeling their inner Alex Morgan. I’m excited to encourage their interest. If this is you too, you’re probably wondering where to start.

Obviously you could sign them up for a league, but if you just want to have a little fun first and explore the sport – you can start at the park or your backyard.

So, how do you teach a little kid to play soccer? 

What Will You Need?

One of the great things about soccer is that it doesn’t require much. Truthfully, you could start with just a ball and some green space. People all around the world learn this sport with just a ball and a little open space.

To really have some fun with games and get a better idea of the sport, I recommend:

1. Soccer Ball. Make sure you have the appropriate size for your child’s age.

2. Space. A park, the backyard, a nearby soccer field if you can find one. In a pinch, an indoor gym works too but the ball will roll much more quickly than it would on grass.

3. Shinguards and Cleats. If your child signs up for a youth league, these are a must. Shinguard protect those bones on the front of your legs from the inevitable kicking that will occur and cleats keep you from sliding around on the grass. Note: soccer socks are worn on the outside of shinguards (not underneath) to hold the shinguard in place. Simply fold over any additional length.

4. Cones. You can get by with using other things to mark the corners or designate areas for different games, but cones are easy and inexpensive.

5. Pop Up Goal. This is optional as well but I will say that the younger the kids the more difficulty they have with the abstract idea of cones representing a goal. These little pop up goals are portable and more reasonably priced. 2 is best, but even just one to practice shooting is great.

Teaching the 3 Basics of Soccer

There are three basic skills in soccer. Dribbling, passing and shooting which could all be summarized as ball control.

The stronger your control of the ball, the better you will be at all three. This is why you see people of all ages doing impressive juggling tricks with the ball.

It’s certainly fun, but it also increases their ability to control the soccer ball. This fun balloon game from The Inspired Treehouse uses the basic ideas of juggling a soccer ball with a balloon to give a child more response time.

In a game however, the three main things you will do are dribble, pass, and shoot. These are all done with your feet because, aside from the goalie and throw ins, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands in soccer.

1. Dribbling

Dribbling is the act of moving the ball down the field with your feet. There are a lot of fancy dribbling moves that you can eventually learn, but first you want to get used to moving the ball with your body.

There are two main kinds of dribbling:

1. Close and Quick

This type of dribbling is used in games when you are moving the ball in an area near other players.

Before you start learning fancy moves, start by getting used to moving the ball with different parts of your foot. Roll it with the bottom of your foot. Tap it to one side and the other with the insides and outsides of your feet. Keep your knees bent and your body balanced.

One way to practice this is to dribble through an obstacle course. Set up some cones or toys to dribble around. Pretend the cones are defenders and you don’t want them to touch the ball but you want to go as quickly as you can.

Games such as Sharks and Minnows are also popular for practicing this type of dribbling.

2. Long and Fast

This type of dribbling is used when there are wide open spaces. If you are sprinting down the field with the ball and there is no one else near, you can kick it out further in front of you to move faster. Typically the laces of your cleat are used to kick the ball because they naturally fall in front of your body as you run and the toe of your shoe is far less accurate.

One way to practice this is to simple have races to different places. Race to cones, around a tree, or to a person and give them a high five. Be creative. The point is to work on kicking the ball ahead of you a ways and running after it to move quickly to a destination.

Games such as Red Light, Green Light also work on this skill.

2. Passing

Passing is using your feet to kick the ball to another person on your team.

Start by learning to pass the ball with the inside of your foot. It is common to see a lot of kids kicking the ball with the toe of their shoe when they are first learning. This feels more natural in some ways, but encourage your child to practice with the inside of their foot. In order to complete a pass you should:

*bend your knees for balance
*place your non-kicking foot next to the ball and pointed towards your teammate
*turn your kicking foot sideways so the big flat inner part of your cleat hits the ball
*swing your leg forward and kick the ball
*follow through with your leg towards your target

If you’re wondering why, the answer is simply that the inside of your foot is larger and therefore far more accurate and easier to control than your toe.

These ideas from The Inspired Treehouse tackle the idea of kicking with some basic drills. Often people simply practice passing through repetition with a partner. One of our favorite ways to practice is setting up some bottles, tall cones or bowling pins like you would in a bowling alley and bowl with the soccer ball – using the inside of your foot to kick the ball and knock down the pins.

3. Shooting

Shooting is quite similar to passing, the difference being that you are trying to avoid a person instead of give the ball to one.

Given that it is essential to get the soccer ball into the goal to win a game or score a point, this is an important skill to learn. The best way I had shooting explained to me was that you are passing the ball to the goal, but there is a defender in the way.

I think often we overthink shooting and goal scoring because we feel more pressure than when completely a pass, but the technique is quite similar.

Once again you will align one foot by the ball pointing to the target, you will use the other foot to kick the ball forward and follow through towards the goal. The difference in technique is that you want to put some additional power behind a shot that would be unhelpful to your teammate when completing a pass.

Shots are typical performed with either the inside of your foot, like described above, or with the laces of your cleat. The toe is still not a good choice.

Practice shooting by kicking the ball into the goal from different angles. Maybe set up cones in a few different places. Farther away. Closer. To the right. To the left.

You can practice on a big goal or a tiny pop up goal like they did on Play Learn Everyday. Either way make sure to celebrate a little after you score!

Then put it all together.

No skill is performed in isolation during a game, so make sure to work on putting them all together once you have learned the basics.

Dribble quickly to a goal and shoot. Pass back and forth between players until you get to a goal. Put a defender in the way that you have to dribble around to shoot on a goal.

Soccer is a fun sport. It encourages running and teamwork and creativity.

What more could you want? So, grab a soccer ball, find a spot of green and have fun!

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“The very hungry caterpillar!” The sun is pouring through the wall of floor to ceiling windows. My twins are racing ahead of me down the corridor to the huge green caterpillar ahead.

It is 10 am. We burst through the door the moment The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art opened and we are ready to go!

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Friday Field Trip to Eric Carle Museum

Field trips, adventures, whatever you call them they are fun. They are also incredible opportunities for hands-on, real life experiences – or just to see things you love on a huge scale.

This field trip was especially special because it combined many of our loves; children’s books, art, and Eric Carle. Here is how I prepared;

related curriculum or projects

*Animal theme. My kids love animals and learning about them also happens to be a First Grade science goal.

*Developing literacy skills including independent reading, reading comprehension and the role of the author / illustrator.

Before the Field Trip

• Schedule a date and time and plot your route and transportation. We drove from Brooklyn up to Amherst. I’m still pinching myself that we live close enough to do this trip in a day, but it was a long day!
• I also visited the  Eric Carle Museum website to read about the current exhibits.
• To get the kids excited we started reading and re-reading books by Eric Carle.
• We also visited the official Eric Carle Website for more info about him, his books, and some activities.
• Our morning invitations for the week leading up to our Eric Carle Museum visit were all related to his books.

7 Eric Carle Inspired Morning Invitation Activity Ideas

We start our day with Morning Invitations. They ease us into the day with creativity and learning and children’s book. For a couple of weeks prior to our trip to the Eric Carle Museum I introduced some different activities a few times a week.

1. Explore your Eric Carle Picture Book collection and vote for your favorite.
2. Make our own tissue paper art using instruction from the Eric Carle website.
3. Use art supplies to create a picture of our favorite animal after reading What’s Your Favorite Animal?
4. Imagine and dictate our own animal stories using these Eric Carle Animal Cards.
5. Very Hungry Caterpillar Coloring sheet from the Eric Carle website.
6. Retell our favorite Eric Carle picture book using legos and again using these magnets.
   
7. What would you munch through? Creative Invitation.
8. Created math problems for each other using the Eric Carle Number Cards and loose parts.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art

During the Field Trip

The first thing we saw was this light table so I was pretty sure we were in a magical place.

We started our trip at the art studio. It was an incredible space! By getting there at opening we had the entire thing to ourselves for a while.

There was an invitation to create sculptures on the table and my kids dove right in.

They worked with focus. Occasionally they stopped to chat with each other or the kind person staffing the studio.

This also gave me a chance to check out their other projects which all oozed with inspiring creativity.

In the corner there was this little toddler area for littles who won’t be quite as engaged by the table activity.

This fun latch board would also keep babies and toddlers busy.

When we eventually tore ourselves away from the studio my kids raced down the hall to the Hungry Caterpillar and this cozy library space.

Then we went through the exhibits. This one was our favorite. It focused on Eric Carle’s books about nighttime.

My kids loved the “Night Stroll” and the huge lite bright table.

Good things to know about the eric carle museum

*There are kid friendly bathrooms adorably decorated with Brown Bear characters.

*There is a cafeteria space (pictured above) but the only food available is a vending machine. I recommend packing a lunch.

*There are kid friendly details everywhere. Even just little things like clipboards and paper to draw on in the exhibits.

*Exhibits change. Check the website before you go for what’s currently on site.

after the field trip

Back at home we returned to our books. We re-read favorites and especially the night time ones. We also worked on perfecting our caterpillar drawing.

common core standards addressed

*Literacy standards including retelling stories, building independent reading skills, ask and answer questions, understanding the role of author and illustrator.

*Speaking and Listening skills including speaking clearly so others can understand me and use words to describe my world.

*Math standards including adding and subtracting within 20, telling time in hours and half hours, and measuring objects with objects.

*Science standards including how young animals are the same and different as their parents.

*Other (non-common core) standards for first grade include exploring different styles of art and illustrations and strengthening personal creative style.

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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!

The sound of Japanese Taiko Drumming is unmistakable. It sounds like thunder and yet instead of heading away, you feel drawn to come closer.

The first time we heard taiko drumming we were at the New York Botanic Gardens in the Bronx.

We were walking in one of the gardens towards the conservatory and we heard it. The thumping was growing louder and faster and my daughter starting walking and then running ahead. She needed to know what it was.

Around the corner were a line of women and huge drums. Knees bent, arms pulsing, and drums thumping these women were building their drumming louder and stronger and faster.

My daughter watched spellbound.

Learning Through Adventure

She probably could have stood there for hours, but a few minutes later the drums stopped and as we moved to go into the conservatory, one of the women asked if there were any children who wanted to come try the drums.

With a quick glance from her and a nod from me, my daughter raced to the front arms waving overhead ahead. Her fearlessness never ceases to amaze me.

Serious and quiet at first and then quickly growing more confident with the help of her patient, kind teacher, soon my girl was up there thumping away with a huge smile on her face.

This is why I love learning through adventure.

I love the spontaneous nature of it. Even though I’m a planner and list maker, I love that I can’t completely control when something new is going to spark their interest.

I love how it brings something alive so much better than a book or photo ever could. My kids know exactly what taiko drumming is. They’ve felt the drums. They’ve tried to make those loud, echoing sounds.

I love that these experiences keep coming up in our conversations for weeks and months and sometimes even years later – so much more often than other table or structured activities seem to.

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Almost a year later we moved from New York City to San Diego CA. We were busy adjusting to a new school and new routines and unpacking boxes. One afternoon I took my kids to the library by our new home. I was helping my son look for his favorite graphic novels, when my daughter came racing over to me.

“Look Mama! Look Mama! This little girl is drumming just like I did!” she yells in a not very library friendly voice, waving a book excitedly in one hand.

“That’s so cool. Can you show me?” I asked (demonstrating a much quieter but enthusiastic voice) and waving her over to my lap.

She climbed in between my legs and put NATSUMI in my hands.

The Book: Natsumi & Making Connections

Natsumi

written by Susan Lendroth and illustrated by Priscilla Burris
Find Online

This is a book to love for so many reasons. It is about a little girl who is desperately trying to find her place among her families Japanese traditions. She tries a variety of traditional activities, but none of them are a fit for her loud active personality. Eventually her grandfather introduces her to taiko drumming – sorry that’s a bit of a spoiler, but important to my story.

I love the character of Natsumi. She reminds me so much of my spirited daughter. I love the way she is able to find a way to participate and still be completely her.

I love the illustrations and the storytelling. I love the surprise ending – sorry I ruined that for you! It’s still worth reading though, I promise.

My daughter loved it for all of those reasons I think, but she was most excited to find a reminder of her experience with Taiko drumming. We read and re-read NATSUMI at the library and later at home after checking it out.

We also talked about some of the other Japanese traditions mentioned in the book – the tea ceremony, the dancing. My daughter was curious about the dancing so we checked YouTube to see if we could find a video. (See below for the one we watched.)

Building More Connections

A couple weeks after we read NATSUMI, we got on a plane for Disney World. After a day of Mickey and princesses at the Magic Kingdom, we headed to Epcot on day two.

We had just finished watching a 360 degree movie about China and were hunting for a snack when we heard a familiar sound.

There in the middle of Disney World’s Epcot was another row of strong women taiko drumming. The powerful sound thundering and racing. Beautiful and powerful.

My kids both sat transfixed on the hot sidewalk and watched.

Later when the drumming stopped we would walk through the little Japanese garden and try some Japanese food in a pavilion.

Later my daughter would remind me about NATSUMI still sitting in our library basket at home.

Later we would find Japan on a map and notice that it was right across the ocean from us now that we lived on the west coast.

Later we would start talking about seeing the drumming and eating the food and wandering the gardens in the actual Japan.

All because of the magic of adventures and experiences with kids. And all because learning through adventure simply inspires more learning and more adventure.

Want More?
Read: Japan Unit for Kids

This post is part of the Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Series.
Look below to Find more Asian Pacific American learning ideas.

Welcome to our fifth annual Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month Blog Hop! Below you can explore ideas about sharing with kids the rich cultures of this vast and varied region.

For even more ideas, visit our blog hops from last year, 2016, 2015 and 2014. You can also follow our Asia and Australia & Oceania boards on Pinterest.

Participating Blogs

Pack-n-Go Girls on Multicultural Kid Blogs: 10 Fun Facts About Thailand for Kids

Chinese American Family: Tools to Dream – 101 Points of Chinese American Pride

Crafty Moms Share: A Look at Japan

Bicultural Mama: 5 Ways to Use Chopsticks in the Kitchen

Bambini Travel: Learning About Japanese Taiko Drumming with Kids

Kori at Home: Fun Facts About the Philippines for Preschoolers

Wise Owl Factory: Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park – Free Printable

It rained for the first time since our move and we learned something new about San Diego – when it rains snails come out.

Maybe you’re super unimpressed because this is just common knowledge to you, but where I grew up earth worms wiggle out of the dirt when it rains.

My kids however were super impressed.

They spotted the snails first. They were everywhere. On the wall of our porch. On the sidewalks and driveways. On the ground in our garden.

Not being one who particularly enjoys things that wiggle and squirm, I was not super umm excited about this discovery.

My kids however were SO excited.

I’ve learned, after years of learning through adventure with my twins, that it is best to embrace these moments – even when I’m not super excited about the theme – because the best learning happens in these natural learning opportunities. 

click for all of our previous interest driven projects

If this seems like something that would interest your kids or if you too find snails pouring out of their hiding spots after a rainfall, then this unit will point you in the right direction so you can make the most of this opportunity.

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Snails Unit for First Graders

Snail Field Trip

So if you live in an area where there are snails head outside to a garden area and see if you can spot some.

Our snails in San Diego like to crawl right out onto the sidewalks when it rains. My friends in the UK spot them in their bushes.

Wherever you find them, show your kids how to gently observe them and then put them back where they were found.

I started by pulling out our bug adventure kits to give them some tools to observe the snails.

read also: adventure supplies i can’t live without

There is no doubt that seeing the real thing and having it sit in your hand or crawl on your arm offers so much sensory information that you can’t get from seeing a picture.

Activity Ideas

Snails were completely new to us – again you may not be impressed but that was our starting point.

So, what is a snail?

Snail is a common name loosely applied to shelled gastropods.

We learned later that there are more kinds of snails – but more on that in a bit.

Literacy Activities

In our bug kit are these cute little field note clipboards and they inspired some self directed writing about their findings. (Note: I made a copies of the little page – only one is included per set).

Activity for Later:

• Read The Snail & The Whale and then retell the story with this Story Telling Wheel from Rainy Day Mum.
• Read more books about snails – these were our favorites.

Art Activities

• Also related to the book THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE you can make this cute Movable Paper Plate Craft from Crafts on Sea. My kids used this like a puppet show.

STEM Activities

To me, one of the most important science skills for this age group is learning to slow down and carefully observe something.

They made little welcoming habitats for the snails and put a couple in these bug jars. They based their habitats off of the environment in the gardens where they were found which I thought was some good problem solving.

You May Also Like: Spider Web Hunt with FREE Printables

They also used magnifying glasses to look closely at the snail’s bodies and shells.

The data recording forms asked how big the subject was, so they went inside to find a ruler and started measuring their snails.

MORE IDEAS

• How Animals Eat Their Food: Exploring Macroinvertebrates from JDaniel 4’s Mom
• Study snail anatomy and more fun facts from Preschool Powol Packets
• Learn about Snail habitats, spirals and more with these awesome activities from Rubber Boots and Elf Shoes.

Applying Our Snail Knowledge

About a week after we had found our snails, read about snails and explored a lot of the activities linked above, we learned something new.

There are sea snails.

My twins had the opportunity to go to the Birch Aquarium to learn more about animals that live in tide pools.

They were delighted and surprised to find out that Sea Snails are one of those animals.

It was fun to watch them apply their snail knowledge to their sea relatives when they talked about their anatomy and other adaptations.

They were confident scientists and proud to share what they knew. To me, it was such a cool example of the amazing power of providing kids the time and materials needed to follow their random interests on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Isn’t it cool how simple and empowering an easy learning opportunity can be?

There are lots of great ways to bring STEM topics to life for your kids or students. You can do experiments, you can read great STEM books, you can investigate with tools and real materials.

read also: What We love about STEM Reads

However, I think a field trip into the community is one of the best ways to bring STEM topics to life.

Field Trips…

• Give real life context to the skills you are learning.
• Motivate kids who are struggling.
• Build connections between the classroom and the community.
•  Help reach children with different learning styles.

Here are 10 of our favorite STEM Field Trips for bringing to life science, technology, engineering and math concepts.

10+ STEM Field Trip Ideas

1. Nature Walk (Science)

If you are learning about the natural world, seasons, weather and more then getting outside for a nature walk is a natural field trip. Our preschoolers took a walk each season to look up close at whatever season we were learning about. Our favorite was the Signs of Fall walk.

2. Visit Real Animals (Science)

The zoo, the aquarium, the farm, the pet store. If you are learning about animals – go observe live animals. Whether you pick one animal to observe and draw and learn about or explore a whole range, seeing the real live animals is a valuable experience for any animal unit.

3. Farm, Farmers’ Market, Grocery Store (Science)

Learn where food comes from by visiting one of these places (or all of them).
One of my favorite field trips is going to a pick-your-own farm. Every year in the early summer we go pick own berries. (Don’t miss our tips for berry picking with toddlers)

4. Visit Different Environments – Beach. Forest. Desert. (Science)

Live in the mountains? Go visit one. Live in the desert? Go see the plants up close. Live near a lake or the ocean? Go get your hands and feet wet. Books and pictures and samples are great, but the real environment offers so much more for the senses and curious minds.

Also Read: 3 Reasons Every Field Trip Needs an Adventure Journal

5. Garden (Science)

Flowers and growing plants are common learning themes. Get out in your community and see some plants or flowers up close. Learn how to grow things or about different types of plants at your local Garden, Botanic Garden, or Garden store.

Read Also: How to Use Picture Books with STEM Learning

6. Science Museum (Science and Technology)

If you have a science museum then this is a great choice for a STEM field trip. Lots of science and technology and other STEM topics are explored on a bigger scale in science museums. Make sure to check online beforehand to see what exhibits will work best for your kids.

7. TV Station (Technology)

How do images get into our living rooms every evening? Go find out. Call and ask your local TV station if they are okay with some inquisitive kids coming to observe and ask questions at a quiet time of the day.

8. Repair Shop (Technology)

Taking things apart and putting them back together often fascinates kids. See if you can visit a repair shop in town that focuses on phones, computers or other kinds of technology. Make sure to bring questions about how things are fixed, what tools they use and how do they get to be so good at repairing things.

9. Skyscraper (Engineering)

If you have a kid or class interested in the building then nothing is cooler than visiting a skyscraper (or whatever the tallest building in your area may be). Be inspired by the size. Notice the design. Draw the building. Compare to other buildings in books. And don’t miss the amazing view from the top that is only possible because of an engineer’s vision.

10. Hardware, Mechanics, or Other Parts Store (Engineering)

Introduce your little budding engineer to the tools of the trade, whichever they are most interested in.

11. Math Walk (Math)

One of our most favorite and popular field trips ever was our counting walk. This is a fun field that practices counting skills and number writing skills with toddlers and preschoolers. For older kids, turn it into a number finding or addition trip by altering the directions slightly.

also read: 16 summer adventures with free bingo printable

12. Grocery Store or Farmers’ Market (Math)

Put math in action by practicing numbers or currency at a grocery store or farmers’ market. Give your kids a certain amount of money ($5 is a good start at a Farmers’ Market), practice how to make a purchase and then encourage them to make the pick and purchase on their own while you stand nearby for help only if needed.

Nothing makes a topic come alive and have meaning like finding ways to practice them in the real world.

Get more Little Walk and Big Adventures ideas in my book!

“It just never gets any easier does it?” my husband commented to me the other day.

One of our twins was having a meltdown about taking a shower – because obviously it is the absolute end of the world to not be stinky and covered in dirt.

The other one was near tears after struggling through their homework for over an hour. (Parents whose kids don’t naturally do well in school – I feel your pain and theirs. It’s so hard.)

My husband who had been helping with reading walked back into the kitchen with this defeated remark.

“Nope.” was my reply. “It changes but it never gets easier.”

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I’m sorry. If you’re holding out hope that parenting will at some point get easy. I don’t think there’s an easy part coming.

I could tell you know about how much I love my kids – because of course I do. And I could tell you that it goes too fast and you’ll miss thing you didn’t realize you would – because yeah that’s true too.

Instead, I think it’s important to just state it: parenting doesn’t get easy.

Here’s the thing about kids though – whatever is annoying you now? That will pass.

My mom spent most of my childhood repeating two mantras to me:

One was “Patience is a virtue.” (Sorry Mom, I’m still failing on that count.)

The other was “This too shall pass.” At the time I thought she was talking to me but now I’m not sure. Sometimes at least I think she was reminding herself. Regardless, I repeat it to myself often now.

Diapers don’t last forever.

Sweeping every time they eat will end too – or so I’m told, we aren’t there yet.

Some day they’ll move out and some quiet will return too.

also read: How to survive the first 3 years with twins

But just like everything in life there is good and bad about every age and while yes, it will pass – don’t wish this time away.

If you spend all of your days waiting for the hard bits to pass you miss the good.

In our house, the diapers are finally gone but now my kids cannot seem to remember to flush the toilet. Ever.

My kids make their own lunches but the result is a kitchen in utter chaos and me trying very hard not to yell “please close the refrigerator!”

My kids can tell me what’s wrong now, but they also tell me absolutely everything that is on their minds from 7 am until 7 pm.

My twins are not easy at 6, but it’s a different hard than 6 months.

It’s more of a mental exhaustion instead of a physical one. It’s much more chatty but there is less crying. It’s more letting go and a lot more worrying.

However, just like babies smell great, learn awesome things like how to suck their toes, and are adorable when they sleep – 6 year olds have good parts too.

CLICK TO LEARN MORE

And I guess for me that is the point. Easy isn’t coming. Easy parenting isn’t a thing. Raising a person was never intended to be a simple or brief task.

Stop waiting for the easy. 

The bad things – they will pass. I promise they will eventually sleep. They will eventually learn to use the bathroom. They will eventually feed themselves and do some things without destroying your house.

I’m pretty sure mine will eventually master reading, learn to flush, and remember to close the refrigerator door.

But instead of waiting for those things to get easy, I’m enjoying the things that already are. I’m enjoying the moments when they learn a new word. I’m enjoying when they laugh at my jokes. I’m enjoying the moments when I get it right or when they do.

In between the mess and chaos and the noise there is good at any age. It’s not easy, but it’s life and it’s good.

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The 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea begin Friday, February 9, 2018 and we are EXCITED!!

Winter Games Unit Ideas

Field Trip Ideas

What better way to bring the Olympics or Winter sporting events to life (assuming you don’t get to actually go to South Korea this year) than to try your hand at some winter sports? Some little kid friendly ideas include:

1. Ice Skating
2. Sledding (we’ll call it bobsledding)
3. Skiing
4. Snow Shoeing

Activity Ideas

The following are divided into developmental and curriculum areas to help you plan.

Literacy Activities

• Best Picture Books about Winter Sports for Kids from My Storytime Corner
• Picture Books about Ice Skating from Homeschool Preschool
• Winter Olympics Writing Prompts – get those here!
• More Winter Olympics Literacy Printables from The Wise Owl Factory
• Explore Ice Skating Through Art with KidArtLit

STEM Activities

• Cookie Tray Ice Rink from Yoga Pants & Pearls
• Hockey Science Experiment from Creative Family Fun
• Winter Counting with Snowflakes and Ice Skating from Homeschool Preschool

Social Studies Activities

• Find PyeongChang, South Korea on the Map
• Don’t put it away yet – also use the map to find different competitors home countries and/or route a map from your home to South Korea just for fun.

Gross Motor Activities

• The Science of Sledding (also great STEM!) from There’s Just One Mommy
• Learning About Friction While Playing in the Snow (also STEM!!) from From Engineer to Stay at Home Mom
• See the above field trips – all are super gross motor themed. 

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