Jodi Valenta – Page 3 – Kids Discover Nature

Seven Cool Icicle Activities

by Jodi Valenta

After a recent deep freeze in New England, with temperatures at -11 degrees, a mid-winter thaw is always welcome. It offers the perfect opportunity to get outside with the kids and enjoy a respite from the stale indoor air. Since the weather also creates the perfect conditions for the development of icicles and the eaves of the house, they make for a great opportunity to have some fun.

Below are fun activities you can do with icicles:

Exercise. Walk around the house and look closely at all the icicles and explain how they form.
Observe. Choose one icicle that can be reached. Measure it once per week for a week or two and observe the difference in length.
Create. Break off an icicle and use it to draw pictures in the snow.
Build. Break off many icicles and use them to build something or make a door for a fort.
Read. Take a trip to the library and search for books about icicles.
Chat. Talk about why water dripping from icicles is a hint that Spring is on it’s way (thank goodness!).
Contest. See who can find the longest, oddest and prettiest.

* Caution: It’s a good idea to oversee anything kids do with icicles because they can be dangerous, especially when them observing from below.

Fifteen minutes is all it takes for everyone to enjoy a bit of fresh air, feel the sun on your faces and learn about icicles.

Thanks for reading and think Spring!

Outdoor Activities for Kids

13 Cool Things to Do with Snow

by Jodi Valenta

Mid-winter presents challenges when you are a parent with the goal of spending time with your kids outside everyday. Luckily, with all the snow also comes a host of new opportunities for fun. It is easy to find creative ways to play even with piles of snow in your yard — they can become an awesome new snow slide.

Following is a list of some creative ways to have fun in the snow. They are perfect activities for when kids are rammy and need a way to blow of steam and rid them of the the indoor itchies (as I like to call them).

1. Making snow angels is always a big hit!
2. Dig tunnels into the snow and build a snow city.
3. Create a personal snow mountain and play “man/woman on the mountain.”
4. Similarly, use the snow mountain to make a slide or “ski” run.
5. Dig holes in the snow and observe the blue light and look for the snow fairies that created it.
6. Create a snow fort by piling snowballs to form a wall.
7. Get out the buckets and shovels from summer and play with the snow as if it is sand.
8. Build a snowman, of course!
9. It doesn’t just have to be snowmen, how about snow creatures like a dog or deer?
10. Play snow tug-of-war — the losing team will crash into a soft pile of snow!
11. Build an igloo or snow den and decorate it with leaves and branches.
12. Jump from snow covered rocks or even the edge of a terrace or deck into soft piles of snow. (Safety note: check to make sure there isn’t a hard surface or sharp edge under the snow into which children are jumping).
13. Make giant snowballs. Hold a contest for characteristics such as the largest, smallest, roundest and bumpiest.

What are your family’s favorites things to do with snow?

Nature Activities for Kids

Involve Nature in Holiday Preparations

by Jodi Valenta

Wreath-making is a great way to encourage a connection to nature during the winter.

It is so much more difficult to encourage kids to go outside when it’s cold! Lately, my daughter always says “no” when I ask “do you want to go outside?” My son, who has become the poster toddler for the “terrible two’s” refuses to take one step into the snow. I really can’t blame him. For someone with very little experience with the cold, wet and (now) crunchy stuff, it is hard to deal with. He wants me to carry him everywhere we walk in the yard. This doesn’t go over well with me, so he stands on the deck and watches us while complaining the entire time. I just chuckle to myself knowing that next year, I won’t be able to pull him away.

Last weekend, determined to get my daughter outside and helping to prepare for Christmas, I encouraged her to help me make the wreath for the front door. We walked around the yard
collecting natural items that could be used to augment the plain balsam wreath I already had on the door. Without knowing what to expect, we liked how it turned out! We used clippings from a white pine, a beech tree and a viburnum bush. Then we added a few branches that had red berries and a little artificial cardinal I had in our Christmas decorations.
Here’s the result of our creation:

If you would like to make a wreath for your door, you will need the following materials:

One 22″ wreath (you can buy it a the local garden center)
Sharp scissors to use for clipping
Clippings from your yard – use your imagination! You can collect anything such as bare or pine branches, even branches with dried leaves or berries, feathers (washed and disinfected), leaves from evergreen vines, trees and bushes, pine cones or anything that looks pretty or interesting.
Green craft wire
Ribbon to make a bow

Once you have everything collected, bring it inside and arrange it all on a large table or work area. Begin placing the clippings in the wreath by pushing them one-by-one into the wire that was used to hold together the wreath. Arrange the clippings any way you find appealing. For pine cones and the like you will need to use the craft wire to attach them to the wreath. You can either wrap the wire around the item and wire it to the wreath, or drill holes into the item (such as acorns) and go from there. Finally, add the finishing touch by adding a bow using the craft wire.

You will find that you enjoy this project. You might even finding yourself signing carols! During this time of hustle and bustle, it really helped me get into the holiday spirit. As for my daughter, she feels proud that the wreath on our front door was created with her help and your children will, too.

Lastly, to all my readers, thank you for your support!! I really enjoyed writing for you this year. As you know, I only do this part time (and often only when I have some spare time), and I thank you for continuing to follow my blog even during the slow periods. I am planning some great new features for 2010, so please stay tuned. I wish you all the best for a wonderful and happy holiday season. I also pass on to you a nice verse in a card I received from friends which says,

May we live peacefully

with one another and

in harmony with the earth.

Outdoor Activities for Kids

Include the Outdoors in Thanksgiving Traditions

by Jodi Valenta

So the BIG day is just around the corner! In three days we will be gathering around the table to enjoy a delicious turkey dinner with family and friends. My little ones are getting excited about the upcoming holiday. We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner and our family members will be starting to arrive on Wednesday. The preparations for the feast started on Saturday with silver polishing, meal planning, grocery list making and centerpiece creating. Now the hustle and bustle begins with grocery shopping, cooking, ironing, setting, baking and everything else I am forgetting to add to the list.

It always takes so much effort to prepare a feast that lasts for an hour (15 minutes for the kids). But it’s about more than just the eating — it’s about family, creating memories, relaxing and enjoying a delicious meal that was lovingly and thoughtfully prepared and being thankful for all that you have and have been given. I have been hosting Thanksgiving for many years and with each year my meal and timing improve (I think), though I am still having trouble with the timing the making of the gravy. Thank goodness my Mom is always there to save it from being a total flop.

If Thanksgiving is a tradition in your family, you can include the outdoors. One of our favorite activities is to go for an stroll after Thanksgiving dinner. It’s usually dark, but but we arm ourselves with flashlights and go anyway. There is something about taking a walk in the brisk air that keeps you from feeling like a big lug after the meal. On clear nights you can look to skies to enjoy the sight of the moon and stars. In the arc of the light from the flash lights, you can see leaves blowing across the road and sometimes a raccoon or fox scurrying into the woods.

Some families play football or go to watch a football game, some go hunting and others go for a hike or run in a turkey trot. How does your family include the outdoors in your Thanksgiving tradition? Instead of passing out on the couch, why not get everyone together do something outside this year? It is a great way to spend time with family, doing something healthy, and connect with nature. Why not create a new family tradition?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy!

Nature Crafts

Spring Flower Power!

by Jodi Valenta

Spending a lot of time exploring outdoors is a top priority in our family. There is most definitely a correlation between how much time we spend outdoors and the behavior of my kids: more = better! Since spring has arrived, we have been outside every day smelling (and picking) dandelions, violets, daffodils, and all the wonderful flowers that are blooming. It has been so great to run around and stretch our legs. We have also spent loads of time just observing all that is sprouting and blooming going on around us.

Here’s a great activity for your little sprouts (as excerpted from the “First Nature Activity Book):
Pressing flowers is a simple and magical way of preserving beautiful flowers and leaves so they last forever. Flowers with flat faces are best such as pansies, primroses, and daisies. Pick flowers that are dry and press them right away so they maintain their color.

Equipment:
Scissors
Heavy books
White paper for blotting

1. Open the book. Cut out a piece of blotting paper about the same size as the open book you will use. Fold the paper in half then open it out.
2. Lay the blotting paper across the book. Arrange the flowers flat on the right half of the paper, leaving space between them.
3. Carefully fold the left side of the blotting paper over the flowers. Then close the book over the blotting paper.
4. Put some heavy books on top of the book to weigh it down. Leave the plants to dry for at least four weeks.

After four weeks, they can be glued into a nature diary, onto a card for Mom (an especially nice idea!), or a picture to hang in your child’s room. The nice thing is that you will have the flowers to enjoy long after they have finished blooming outside.

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