Keyword: Outdoor Activities
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Teaching and Learning about Insects
These resources provide information for early childhood educators who want to help children investigate insects.
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Nature Play: Loose Parts Are the Best Parts
As parents, we tend to focus on how many extracurricular activities our child is doing, thinkingthat the more they do the better their development will be. When chatting with friends, we tend to compare lists of activities as a sign of progress or accomplishment, such as “my child is doing piano lessons, tumbling, and ice…
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The Blue Bowl
In this video, we see a large blue mixing bowl spark children’s interest and lead to this type of complex play. The children work together in a group to reach a common goal of making “soup” in a bowl. They explore the outdoors and find several materials to put in the blue bowl for their…
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Lots of Dandelions
Nature play presents opportunities for teachers to introduce scientific concepts. In this video, we see a teacher join Fawn and Edwin, both age 4, as they blow the seeds from dandelions growing on the playground.
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“Where Does the Water Go?” Investigating Pipes and Plumbing
Kim Burd and Laura DeLucaJohn L. Hensey Elementary SchoolWashington, IL The Pipes Project took place in an inclusive early childhood classroom that holds two sessions each day; children attend only one session. The classroom also has an assistant teacher. The curriculum is play-based and experiential in nature. Topics of study are chosen based on children’s…
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Appreciating the Natural World with Young Children
This resource list contains sources which can aid teachers and caregivers in helping young children appreciate the natural world.
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Cracks and Holes Project
Alicia Lindhorst and Beth FlickAkin PrekindergartenSouthern Region Early Childhood ProgramFranklin County, Illinois The Akin Prekindergarten provides full-day early childhood education for 17 children ages 3 to 5 years old in Franklin County, Illinois. The program is part of the Southern Region Early Childhood Program, a 5-county collaboration of 15 school districts, Head Start, and the…
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The Worm Project
Kim Burd and Laura De LucaJ. L. Hensey Elementary SchoolWashington, IL District #50 The Worm Project took place in morning and afternoon sessions of two self-contained ECE classrooms in the J. L. Hensey Elementary School in Washington, Illinois, a community of about 15,000 near Peoria. Head teachers in the classrooms were Mrs. Kim Burd and…
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Garden Project Sprouts From Simple Question: “What’s That?”
Mary Klug, Deb Wintrip, and Simone HaughtonOwl Child Care Services–Lincoln RoadWaterloo, Ontario The preschool Garden Project started mid-April 2015, while the new shoots where coming up out of the ground. The project lasted until late August 2015, when the harvesting of our garden was completed. The preschool children ranged from 2.5 to 4 years old.…
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All About Gardens
Projects are the part of the curriculum that involves children in investigating objects and events around them that are worth knowing more about. Project work is a way of uncovering a subject rather than just covering it. A project focusing on gardens has the potential to involve the entire class, the children’s families, and community…
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Changes in the Trees around Us
Projects are the part of the curriculum that involves children in investigating objects and events around them that are worth knowing more about. Project work is a way of uncovering a subject rather than just covering it. Most young children growing up in Illinois have opportunities to observe and study the dramatic seasonal changes that…
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Toddlers and Boxes: “Hi! Hi!”
In this video, we see toddlers Hannah (20 months) and Evie (23 months) playing outdoors with a variety of cardboard boxes that are large enough for the children to fit inside.
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Building with Boxes
For families, flexible play materials have the advantage of usually being inexpensive compared with many other toys. They can be especially appropriate for mixed-age groups of children. Children can use them in ways that suit their interests and abilities.
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Two on a Trike
Prompting young children with words to use to solve social problems is an effective teaching tool.
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Straw Painting
Lucille, the young girl in this video clip, is painting outdoors on a sheet of white paper on a table. Instead of using a brush to move the paint and mix the colors, she aims a drinking straw at tiny puddles of the wet paint and blows through the straw to move the paint.
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Shaving Cream
The science fair seen in this video took place on the playground of a child care center. In one experiment, the teacher squirted a layer of shaving cream on top of a bowl of water.
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Observing Chickens on the Playground
Teachers have given children an opportunity to observe chickens during free play, after first having arranged some activities that allowed the children to become somewhat familiar with the chickens in another setting.
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Mila Paints the Fence
This video clip illustrates some of the ways that children can meet early learning benchmarks while exploring art materials outdoors.
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Getting to Know Rabbits
These supervised interactions between children and rabbits occurred during a science fair on the playground of a child care center.
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Flubber
In this clip, young children experiment with properties of matter.
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Experimenting with Balance
Playgrounds are part of the early childhood classroom, and thoughtful planning of activities for the playground environment can help children build skills and meet standards.
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Exploring Trees on the Playground
This video clip provides a glimpse of some of the interactions among the children and between the children and the environment that can occur when teachers involve children in outdoor education experiences.
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Exploring Sound on the Dam
This video clip shows one kind of exploration that is possible when educators arrange outdoor experiences for young children.
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Climbing a Tree
Climbing a tree can be an important accomplishment.
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Bouncing Balls
During circle time, the children played a guessing game about balls.
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Learning Through Music and Movement
Summer events are a way for families and caregivers to have fun and share their favorite music with young children.
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Go Outdoors and Explore: Build Upon Young Children’s Natural Curiosity
When we talk about curiosity in young children, we are referring to their desire to learn about their world. Outdoor spaces are of full of opportunities for discovery. Children can explore the natural environment as well as the “built” environment.
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“Mud-Luscious”: Some Thoughts on Messy Play
Having a designated time for messy play, such as International Mud Day, seems like a good way to raise global and community-wide awareness of how children benefit from that sort of experience.
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Active Play Promotes Young Children’s Development
Active play provides opportunities for children to link their physical movements with the new words they are learning.
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Playing with Sticks: A Childhood Tradition
“It’s just a stick! You’ll find another one.” But the child knows that a good stick isn’t so easy to replace.
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Changing Seasons and New Concepts: Same and Different and Before and After
Fall is a great time to talk with young children about concepts that are important for them to learn.
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Out and About with Preschoolers: Close Up with Visual Arts
Is there a way to help children meet fine arts benchmarks while outdoors? Yes, there is!
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Natural Illinois: The Trees You See
Illinois is home to a wide variety of trees that are as close as your local park or schoolyard.
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Get Growing: Planters and Preschoolers
Here are some tips for gardening with children—from teachers who have tried it.
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Get Growing: Planning a Garden with Young Children
Here are some first steps for teachers who want to involve a preschool class in gardening—whether indoors, on the rooftop, or on the playground.
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Get Growing: Learning about Seeds
Preschoolers can find out many things about seeds before planting them. Here are some teacher-tested activities to help children investigate seeds.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Water Works
Playing with materials such as water can be an important outdoor experience for preschoolers.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Snow Time
Playing with snow can be an important winter-time experience for preschoolers.
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Say Yes to the Mess! Play with Rocks
Materials such as rocks can be important additions to a preschool’s outdoor play area.
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Playground Physics: Watch for Falling Objects!
Preschool children can find out how gravity works through simple playground activities.
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Playground Physics: On a Roll!
Rolling activities can be opportunities to explore principles of science and engineering.
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Play and Self-Regulation in Preschool
Are your children aware of their feelings, needs, and impulses? Can they calm themselves, control their behavior, and focus on tasks?
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Out and About with Preschoolers: The Places You’ll Go!
Go ahead—take those young social scientists outside!
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Out and About with Preschoolers: Sunshine Science
In any season, preschoolers can study characteristics of the sun, the moon, and the clouds in the sky.
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Out and About with Preschoolers: Make Some Music
Preschoolers can have fun investigating dynamics, rhythm, and other elements of music while they participate in music activities outdoors.
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Out and About with Preschoolers: Dancing on the Sidewalk
Go ahead—investigate actions, space, and other elements of dance while outside.
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Out and About with Preschoolers: Literacy Activities
Go ahead—take literacy outside!
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Neighborhood Geography with Young Children
Children’s natural curiosity about places is the basis for learning about geography.
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Natural Illinois: Frogs and Toads
Look closely at a pond or damp spot under a bush or tree or listen for their calls, and you are likely to find a frog or toad.
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Natural Illinois: Butterflies and Moths
You don’t have to go to exotic places to find interesting plants and animals to study at home or in the classroom!