by NicciLouise

Playing outdoors

With suitable clothing it is the government recommendation that all children should have the opportunity to play outside every day (1). Children should have every chance to experience snow! You can catch snowflakes together on hands clothes and faces (2). You could make snow angels by lying on your backs in the snow with arms out before slowly moving your arms up and down.

After you have made a snowman, woman , or even a snow dog why not look at the snowflakes through a magnify glass? You can do the same thing to ice and frost and these also give children the opportunity to investigate changes as they melt (2)

Reading the rainfall (3)

Find a good spot in the centre of your garden or anywhere outside away from shelter.
Place a plastic measuring jug and anchor it with stones.
Make a note of the time
At allotted intervals go with your child to measure the amount of water in the jug, for example daily, four hourly or two hourly.
Empty the jug after you have read it and place it back ready for the next reading time.
Remember the number and make a colourful rain chart so you can see at what times in the day or week the most rain fell.

Which way will the wind blow? (2)

Cut out six streamers using coloured crepe paper that are around a meter in length.
Help your child to tape them to one end of a cardboard tube, or a length of wood.
Bury the bottom of the tube in a bucket of sand or pebbles ensuring that it stands up firmly on its own.
Making the bucket the centre use chalk to draw a compass on the surrounding concrete or tarmac so that each point comes out from the bottom of the bucket. Remember: the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Can you tell which way the wind is blowing?

Playing Indoors

Make a bird feeder (4)

Take an empty, clean juice cartoon and rough up its surface with sandpaper.
Cut out a long rectangular hole, or window, the length of the cartoon on the side opposite the nozzle.
Paint the cartoon all over. What colour does your child think would be best to not scare off the birds?
Push a netted bag of seeds through window and pull the top through what was the cartons spout.
Varnish the bird feeder or paint it with PVA glue to help it withstand bad weather.
Use wire or string to hang the feeder up in your garden for the birds to enjoy.

Checking up on the weather forecast (2)

Watch the weather forecast in the morning and on a paper, divided in two columns, draw a picture on a piece of paper together of a sun, cloud, rain or snow to depict what the forecast predicted. At the end of the day in the second column you can decide together what the weather actually did and draw that picture too. Are they the same?

Thirsty? Why not have a smoothie and pretend it’s already summer?

Take 2 tablespoon full of frozen summer fruits and half a banana and place them in a blender.
Add a generous glass full of rice milk or coconut milk for an older child, or whole goats milk for a younger child. You can use cow’s milk, but this can make it heavier on the stomach.
Add a tablespoonful of goats, bio or plain yoghurt and a spoonful of ice-cream.
Switch blender on and blend until smooth.
Pour and enjoy!

Keep following this blog for more fun activities. Look out for the ones for special occasions as well as different activities for children depending on their developmental age and physical ability. In the mean time Happy Parenting!

References

1. Department for education and skills. Statutory framework for the early years foundations stage. Nottingham : Department for education and skills, 2007.

2. Featherstone, S. The little book of outdoor play. London : Featherstone Education, 2005.

3. Sunshine, Showers and snow. Coleman, A. s.l. : National Childminder Asociation, 2012.

4. Parragon. Ultimate activitiy book for kids. Bath : Parragon , 2006.