Earth Day Everyday - Storybooks and Play

We are big fans of outdoor play and celebrating the wonders, joys, and gifts to be discovered while in nature. Building children's connections to the natural world through play remains an important part of our everyday experiences. So Earth Day is a time for us to renew our promise to continue to learn more about what we can do as stewards of the natural world. I am so thrilled to share a lovely invitation to play for Earth Day in this post. 

One of the ways we can support the children in gaining some insights into the gifts of the earth is to allow them time to explore freely in the outdoors. Children can also develop a love of nature through books. Storybooks are a great way to give children not only visual information from the pictures but also inspire dialogue as you build connections to their everyday experiences through reading. This post will also share just a few storybooks from my collection that engage children in thinking about the earth and celebrating her gifts. But first our invitation to play!

Materials: 

Blue sensory base

Round shallow tray

Die-cut wooden frogs, birds, butterflies, and leaves

Books to inspire children to look at the land formations of the earth. I used, "You are Here" by Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield and "Here We Are" by Oliver Jeffers. Both books are wonderful and full of images to inspire children. You could also print out a map of the world or use a globe as a point of reference. 

There is rich conversation awaiting to ignite children's thinking about the parts of the earth and their role in sustaining life through their play. If your child loves puzzles as much as my oldest does. Then the die-cut pieces are a great way to explore problem-solving and spatial reasoning too. There is a lot of learning through this Earth Day play. 

Earth Day Storybooks

Here are just a few of the books we will be sharing with the children this week in celebration of Earth Day. I cannot wait to dive into conversation with the children and support their developing stewardship for the environment through these books. 

Thanks for checking out our Earth Day play and storybook post. If you love this post please consider sharing it. We appreciate you being here. 

Let's make every day Earth Day.

Be Kind to the Earth.

Keep well my creative friends,

Michelle 

Sensory Play With Dried Flowers

Sensory play is one of my favourite experiences to share with children. There are so many opportunities for children to delight in the look, feel, texture, scents and sounds of materials during sensory play. Creating a sensory experience for your child doesn't have to be complicated. Often simple is best, and some of the most loved experiences that we have shared with children include materials from the natural world. 

To create your own sensory play experience a shallow tray provides a great space for your child to explore the materials and items you present to them. A beautiful tray is a great option and I have thrifted many of ours, giving them new life as part of the children's play materials. 

The addition of the small wooden bowls, the tongs and the spoon also invite children to give their fine motor skills a workout. As they investigate the flower's natural properties which build their connections to the natural world, children are deepening their understanding of the environment around them. This type of play engages children's curiosity and wonders. They begin to question, investigate and seek out information as they play and explore. 

I dried our flowers from Valentine's day for this invitation to play by simply placing them out on our marble baking slab for about a week. I wanted to preserve them for some sort of play experience and with the arrival of the spring weather, I knew this sensory tray would be perfect. 

In the bottom of my tray I added pink Himalayan salt. Then placed the dried flowers throughout the tray. Next, I added the bowls, tongs, and spoon along with the long wooden cookie press. The addition of a mirror as a backdrop to your child's play will add an additional element and exploration to the play experience. 

Play some quiet music reflective of the spring season such as, "Earth's Flowers" by Tim Janis to set the tone for a mindful play experience. Tim's music and videos are sure to ignite inspiration for your child's play. 

I am thinking of so many possibilities for dried flowers in our play! How would you use them in your explorations with children? Share below in the comments. 

 "If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, 

our whole life would change."

Budda

Sincerely,

Michelle