Outdoor chalk play is a nearly perfect activity:

• Chalk can be a tool for art or for hopscotch.
• Children of different ages can create together, or
• Younger ones can color independently.
• Kids can practice writing.
• Cleanup with a hose is just as much fun as the activity.
• But — cleanup is optional!

Specific developmental benefits of playing with sidewalk chalk.

Motor development – Kids practice using their small muscles (fine motor skills) to grasp and hang on to the chalk. They use their larger muscles (gross motor development) to bend down, scribble HARD, hop back up to admire their work, run over to your hammock and drag you out to come and see their work. Oh yeh, that hopping on one leg thing? Then the other leg? While thinking? Beautiful electrical storms are lighting up their brains!

Intellectual or cognitive development - When you show your young children how to play games like hopscotch or bean bag toss, don’t focus on accuracy the first time out. What really matters is that they understand that there are rules to remember, and that there is a sequence to follow. Practice will ensure accuracy. For today, their attempts to participate in a group activity (social development) is enough. The confidence and enjoyment (emotional development) they gain from simply trying to participate will motivate them to continue working until they get it “right.”

Language development – Chalk play can enhance your child’s communication skills by simply giving her an opportunity to write letters, draw a picture that has meaning, invent letters that she wants to practice writing. Remember to take seriously whatever she decides to communicate. The sun is shining, and she is trying. She can’t get it wrong.

More language boosts will happen when your child needs to be able to

• listen to rules of a game,
• listen to the other players,
• respond to the words, “It’s your turn, now” or
• blurt out, “Hey! My turn!”

Parenting tip: if she recognizes that brother just took two turns, her sequencing ability (intellectual skill) is coming along, don’t you think??

Whew. Somebody’s gonna need a long afternoon nap, Mommy… yet another benefit of playing outside with chalk.

Firestations and petting zoos have their place, but when you want to take your child on a journey of discovery, a walk in your own neighborhood (with curiosity as his tour guide) is more than enough.

Your young child’s natural inclination to touch and gather is a good instinct for today’s art activity, making collages. Tomorrow and the next day, your preschooler will be able to enjoy his art, and remember the process that led to the finished artistic product. Many tomorrows later, you’ll be gazing at what remains of that day.

In the warm months, he’ll notice grasses, terrain, spent feathers, flowers, lizards, and winged insects. Allow him to gather a petal here, a pebble there. The cooler months will offer a bounty of acorn shells, pine needles, pine cones, fallen leaves, and browned grasses. As he gathers items, ask him questions about his choices (i.e., his thinking processes).

Collage artist Megan Coyle endorses the idea of using “found objects from outside like flowers and leaves, to create more organic works of art.”  The Washington, D.C. artist also advises using a non-toxic adhesive (like good ole’ Elmer’s School Glue) and thicker paper “like watercolor paper or perhaps even cardboard [to] make it easier to hang the collage once it’s complete.”

Young toddlers will enjoy gluing. Random gluing. Pointless gluing. Just making a glue dot on the background paper, then slapping something on it will be a sheer joy. Older toddlers and preschoolers will be capable of creating a more cohesive piece, especially with the morning’s field trip as inspiration. They might draw a picture of a bird to serve as new home for the feathers they found. A curvy line of pebbles looks like the nature trail you just walked, doesn’t it?

Ms. Coyle also offers a rainy-day back-up plan for MommyGarten.com readers: “You can use whatever you have in your craft box, such as tissue paper, wrapping paper, fabric, or magazines. The beauty to collage is that you can take common, ordinary objects and turn them into works of art.” See our blogroll for a link to the adventures of Megan Coyle’s collage canine, Bosty — your kids will love this dog!

Remember to have your artist sign his work — Megan Coyle always signs hers.  Whether your kid signs with a scribble, a paint-dipped fingerprint, a sticker, or a first initial, signing his creation is another way to be proud of his work.

It’s always a little surprising when we realize how wild our babies really are.

I don’t mean the “prefers to go barefoot” version of untamed. Not even the rather cute “my child really likes nuts and berries” kind of wild.

Nope, I mean the poop-whenevah-wherevah-you-want wildness. The snatch or be snatched toy ethics, and the take a nap any-dang-where mode of savagery. Survival of the stubbornest, child bite child.

You’ve seen playgroup. It’s a jungle in there.

Your backyard is probably more of a wildlife sanctuary than you realize.

With a few simple additions (bird feeder and water source) to what your backyard offers, your family can enjoy the regular company of bird visitors. Your children will see that animal companions need food, clean water, and safety — just like the rest of us. Kids will also develop their empathy instinct as they see birds busy with their survival tasks: finding food, flocking together, flying away from danger.

Not much backyard? Even one side of a fence will accept a passionfruit vine. Butterflies and other pollinators will visit often. For a more purposeful butterfly garden, plant herbs that you might want for your own use, then resolve to share. Offer sweet fennel, parsley, and dill for the caterpillars (the larvae that will turn into a butterfly), as well as food sources for adult butterflies. They like to dine on mustard greens, garlic chives, oregano, thyme, among many others.

Developmental benefits

Infants gain visually interesting and cognitively stimulating life experiences when they spend time outside with family members who are tending to the bird feeder or refilling the water source. Babies always see those type activities inside the home. To observe outdoor living and caretaking will expand their horizons.

Toddlers and preschoolers who help support backyard wildlife gain a sense of their roles in the world beyond their home. Responding to the needs of creatures who peacefully share our space with us will add meaning to the important concept of responsibility.

Boost your young learner’s organization skills by helping her to:

• Make a schedule of tasks.
• Conduct a butterfly count.
• Track bird sightings on a chart.
• Learn the names of the butterfly host plants.

Children who interact with creatures even wilder than they are learn responsibility, compassion, organizing skills, and most importantly, respect for needs beyond their own.

If there’s one thing Mother Earth does better than any of her sister planets, it’s giving birth.

She gestates. She grows things.  She’s a Fertile Myrtle. She’s a baby mama. She’s preggers. Get my drift?  She’s like Jon and Kate plus 8 wowzillion, ya dig?

The horny old broad has some randy heirs, too. Some of them breed every few days, while others modestly wait a year between litters. Yet, some of her more introverted progeny, like bamboo forests, get the urge once every 48 years.

Here’s how to invite some of Mother Earth’s offspring to a play date with yours.

Babies live by the WIIFM — “What’s In It For Me?” — principle. A windowsill herb garden will answer that question to your infant’s satisfaction. He can enthusiastically participate in the tending of this mini-garden.

Your older baby (6 -12 months) or toddler (12 -24 months) can:

• Use a small cup to water the plants that you tell him need care. At first he will need you to guide his hand; later he will imitate what he sees, then eventually, he will comply with your instructions on when and where to dump the water.
• Help you harvest the basil for tonight’s spaghetti. Or the cilantro for tomorrow’s scrambled eggs. Regardless of how much of the table food baby eats, he can be involved.
• Nibble along with you as you harvest the herbs.
• Smell the bounty of scents that an herb garden provides. Bruise the leaves and stems between your thumb and forefinger to release essential oils and fragrance. Hold the herb to your own nose to let baby know that an interesting smell awaits his attention.  Then offer the sample to him, about 3 inches from his face — see if he leans toward the scent, or otherwise shows an interest, before moving it closer to his nostrils.

Although preschoolers can deal with more information than infants or toddlers, the trick is still to stimulate attention without taxing attention spans.  Quick, daily parts of the gardening process will make for a developmentally appropriate introduction to gardening, and its ultimate purpose, self-care. Planting, then watching the garden for signs of growth, then ultimately harvesting, will give you plenty of teachable moments to share with your child.

If you are growing a lettuce, herb, or vegetable patch outside, your 3, 4, or 5 year-old can:

• Harvest according to your demonstrations and instructions.
• Use a sorting activity to build math skills. Tell him that today you will pick green things and red things, for example.  Give him a green crayon and a sheet of paper so that he can draw a depiction of a the green veggie you’ll be harvesting.  Provide a separate sheet and a red crayon for tomatoes, etc. Every time either of you collects an item, take the time to place it on the pile (or basket or bowl) that belongs to the corresponding illustration.
• Wash the day’s bounty to your satisfaction.
• Arrange and proudly serve up salads to hungry, appreciative family members.

No garden of your own? No worries, Mommy. A picnic will do. With Eric Carle’s classic tale, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, as your guide,  your child can hear a good story, become more familiar with counting, and taste-test the earth-grown foods mentioned in the book.

The most important lesson to be learned: Food doesn’t really come from a box or a window on the side of a building — food comes from a hands-on process.

Yesterday’s post:  Water Wednesday — no nagging, no conservation.  Just fun.

Check back tomorrow for more of Earth Day all week at MommyGarten.com!

Earth Day is a good occasion to remember that 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water, most of it oceans.

Children of all ages love playing with water, in water, on water. You will love that they grow in multiple developmental areas with such a simple, inexpensive toy: H2O.

Infants will enjoy water play whether it happens inside or outside, and even if you insist on calling it a “bath.” Babies slap at the water to make splashes, to hear new sounds, and to investigate cause and effect (cognitive development). Bath time enhances body awareness and motor development — underwater kicks feel different, and the warm temperature of bathwater touches skin like no other substance can. To extend bath time (or wading pool) fun and learning, add:

• Plastic, non-breakable cups for filling, pouring, capturing soap suds.
• Brand-new sponges in different sizes for squeezing.
• Bath-size squirt toys.
• Large plastic spatulas for stirring and even bigger splashing than hands alone can accomplish.

Toddlers and young children definitely need to be outdoors to experience all that water and their imaginations will inspire them to do.

Offer them:

• Paint brushes. Kids this age will enjoy “painting” the driveway, sidewalks, the bricks on your house.  They will use fine motor skills, gross motor skills, thinking ahead and planning skills to complete their project.
• Hoses. Some nozzles have several spray patterns built in.  When your child tests different ones to find the best one for washing the remnants of yesterday’s chalk drawing off the sidewalk, she will engage in higher order thinking skills.
• Sponges. If you’re going to spend all that time outside, getting water in your crocs, don’t you at least deserve to have help getting your windows washed? Don’t be bashful — chores are an important part of self-care (emotional development) and responsibility (social development).
• Squirt bottles. When they play water tag (and you know they will), a squirt bottle helps them aim, and helps you make sure eyes, ears, and feelings don’t get water logged.

Check back tomorrow for more of Earth Day all week at MommyGarten.com!

Whether strolling through a neighborhood, or through a park, your fellow (feathered) citizens are ready to help you teach your child about Mother Nature.

It’s Earth Day all week long at MommyGarten.com, and today we talk about some of the compelling creatures who share the outdoors with us and our children.

Spring is for the birds

The sunny and mild spring months provide numerous opportunities for your inquisitive child to observe bird life cycles, parenting skills, and habits.

Settled babies (3 months and older) will have the hearing acuity to notice bird chirps and become interested in searching for the source of the sounds. To stimulate your baby’s language and listening skills in this unique way, not much is required of you, Mommy (or Daddy). Just some time outside, sunscreen or a shady overhang, and a golden silence that the birds in your neighborhood or park will fill.

Toddlers completely understand the concepts of “hungry” and “food”, don’t they? The idea of “throwing,” too ya think? Sounds like a trip to the local duck pond to me! Even in the middle of cities, ducks can make a home in human-made bodies of water.  Your toddler will love the cause and effect (cognitive development) of throwing bits of bread, then watching his popularity soar among the urbanized waterfowl. Daddy will like that your child spent the day working on his pitching arm (motor development).

Words of warning (that you already know): toddlers toddle. Don’t get dangerously close to the water’s edge — it’s not necessary, because the plump citified birds will come to you when they get a whiff of free lunch. Which leads me to another word of warning — one that my daughter and her best friend learned the hard way in 1993 at the Tulsa zoo: if you see geese, keep your distance, unless you want to learn the origin of the slang term “goosed.”

Birds enchant preschool-age children because they are earth creatures, yet sky creatures, too. Children old enough to sustain an interest in a more structured field trip will be able to notice the varying sizes and colors of birds, hear the differences in the sounds the birds make, and talk about the event at a later time. You might even find their artwork inspired by what they have seen and discovered while birdwatching.

Yesterday’s post: Mother and Child Reunion.  Mother Earth, that is.

Check back tomorrow for more of Earth Day all week at MommyGarten.com!

It hardly seems fair.

Every week, the moon has her own day: “Monday” in English; in Spanish “lunes” reminds us of lunar events.

But Mother Earth gets just one day per year? Well, let’s make the most of it.  We declare it Earth Day all week at MommyGarten.com.

We’ll tell you tips to help your baby, toddler, or preschooler grow and play outdoors — and the developmental benefits for doing so.

Infants

It’s easy to forget how unknown each new experience is to a baby. A baby born above the equator in the cold months (November to February, usually) has probably been carefully shielded from outdoor breezes. Within a few months postpartum, she will be ready to catch an outdoor wave of fresh air. When the wind taps her on the shoulder, ruffles Mommy’s hair, or dislodges dandelion seeds, baby will be interested and observant.  That means she’s thinking and noticing (cognitive development).

Toddlers

So she has mastered your cool tiles and wooden floors, eh?  Walking around, chasing siblings, bouncing up like a rubber band whenever her footing fails her. But does she know what a back yard really is?  Has she felt the silky tickle of blades of grass between her toes, or felt how Mother Nature’s carpet pads the thud of her tentative feet? I think it’s time, Mommy. Now, in the spring, before the stickers hatch in the summer heat. Learning more about her body and how it feels when she goes outdoors will not only enhance her motor development today, but that body awareness will help her enjoy sports later in life.

Preschool-age

God made dirt and dirt don’t hurt. That’s what your kid thinks, anyway. Don’t fight it, Mommy. Save your energy for the “Mudpies are not really pies so you shouldn’t try to eat them” debate. Dirt and water offer a rudimentary chemistry lab lesson. Children will adjust the “recipe” until their mudpies are the texture, size, and shape they desire. Making their own prop for pretend play shows great resourcefulness.  Please encourage it – let them make pie!  Then let them hose off before coming inside.

It’s Earth Day all week at MommyGarten.com!  Check back tomorrow for more child development tips and research-based information.

Instead, she sees this weekend’s Spring Equinox for what it is: THE season for outdoor play. There is a world of sensory lessons that await baby beyond your screen door.

New smells, new feelings, new sounds, and new colors will fascinate your baby, or returning toddler, as she experiences the her body in ways that she cannot when she’s inside.

It’s Elemental

Your baby, toddler, or preschooler can learn about Earth’s simple pleasures, like … um, earth. Barefoot and ticklish, your child can discover gentle blades of grass, playfully shifting sand, or the passive pleasure of a catching a breeze.  For children over the age of 3, who are less prone to sampling, mud pies are easy chemistry lessons:  What makes the mud easier to stir?  Why did brother’s mud pie melt when he added water?

Water is a ready resource for keeping multiple ages of kids busy.  Clean, too.  Especially after the mud pie buffet.  The younger ones (6 months to 24 months) will enjoy pouring water from cup to cup, bowl to bowl, or watering your budding spring flowers.  Older ones (2 years and up) will enjoy props like (brand-new) sponges for squeezing, “cleaning,” and let’s face it, sponge-bombing each other (much safer than water balloons if you have young children).

Developmental Benefits

Social and Emotional: A child’s keen interest in wildlife, even backyard wildlife, is an opportunity for parents to nurture empathy and responsibility.  Help your young children build these valuable character traits by “adopting” some of your neighborhood birds.  It’s win-win: A full feeder for the birds, free bird-watching for your family.

Language Skills along with Body Awareness and Self-Care: Give your toddlers and preschoolers words for what they are experiencing. “The sun is so bright. Here are your sunglasses. Put them on to protect your eyes.” or “Let’s put on sunscreen to protect our skin.” Remind them to drink water to replenish from all that panting and thirsting.  Large muscles will get a workout from the running, climbing, and bending to stalk a bug.  Smaller muscles will have to refine themselves for the demands of the season: picking flowers or grasping weeds to pull.

A mental workout awaits, too.  Thinking skills are on high alert, noticing animal sounds, keeping up with the flight path of a butterfly, and examining the fine details of favorite rocks.  If you keep a garden of vegetables or flowers, you will have a built-in lesson on colors and life cycles for the children who are old enough to be interested.

Next month in honor of Earth Week, MommyGarten.com will devote five days of blog posts to outdoor learning and playing.  We’ll cover Do-It-Yourself field trips, animal companions, and other living things.  We will also offer free, downloadable play plans to enhance outdoor activities.