Discovering Fresh Snow Prints

Fresh Snow Tell's Its Story 

Every time there is fresh snow a new story appears in the backyard. Families can help foster curiosity and love of nature by showing children ways to observe wildlife. A young nature detective can learn signs of animal life around the neighborhood. Looking for tracks in mud or snow give clues about animal visitors any time of the year. It provides an excellent opportunity for storytelling, taking photographs, and writing little books.

Learning Animal Signs

  Very young children can build an early understanding about how prints are made. You can use mud, sand or play dough to introduce the idea of pressing a little hand or foot in the soft material to make a footprint.      

Hunt for Tracks While Hiking

Walk together outside in a muddy or snowy area and notice the big and little tracks you make. Do boots make different tracks than shoes?  Who makes the bigger print? Drag a stick along the ground to see the kind of mark it leaves. Are there any tire or snowmobile tracks? Look around trees in the snow or dirt for any animal tracks.

   Families can check out guidebooks like “Tracks, Scats, and Signs” by Leslie Dendy to see if any of the prints match. What kind of tracks does your dog or cat leave?  What direction was it going?  Are there any deer or squirrels around?  Can you see hoof marks or hand- like paw prints?  What marks to bird feet leave? Did they leave parts of their lunch behind?

  Before you go outside or when you come back inside, read some books about common backyard animals.  Some suggestions include “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats, “Tracks in the Wild” by Betsy Bowen or “What’s in the Woods?” by Zoe Burke.

Making Casts

Check All Tracks and Take Pictures

Children can take some photos or casts so when you are back inside, they can draw a picture showing some of the tracks you made or saw on your walk.  You can print a simple sentence on the bottom of the page to tell about the picture. Use the play dough to make animal tracks found in the guidebook. It’s great fun! In a few days, check out the yard again to see if there are new tracks.  If you visit a beach or pond area, look for different tracks.  What kind of animals might live here?

Families will be helping to build curiosity and observation skills which are important for an appreciation of nature and problem solving.  Talking together as you walk outside develops good vocabulary and conversation abilities. Families will be fostering a life-long habit of noticing animal clues and signs.  If you use a guide, children will learn the importance steps of searching in a reference book. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com, wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, and Pinterest.

Closing the 32 Million Word Gap

Talking, Explaining, Pointing Out - Increases Vocabulary

It is so exciting to hear children’s first words.  Did you know that how adults respond and build on early attempts at speech are two of the most important things to ensure children’s future success?
  Psychologists Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley found that children whose parents and caregivers are always talking with them, explaining, and pointing things out have a much greater vocabulary than children who do not get this experience. There can be an exposure gap of 32 million words between one preschool child and the child in the next chair by age four. The gap is significant since vocabulary growth is linked to school achievement.
 Vocabulary Hints
  What are some things that families and caregivers can do to build children’s vocabulary?  Talk your way through the precious time you have with children.  “Mommy is looking for her keys.  Let’s put on your shoes.  Let’s get into the car/bus.  We are going to the grocery store.  There’s a shopping cart.  Let’s pick out some oranges.”  Children will be more expressive, ask questions, and carry on a conversation if adults talk with them.
  Invite friends and family to go on an outing.  Three parents of toddlers were overheard in a park, pointing to a truck and conversing with their children.  “See the truck.  It’s a really big truck!  The truck is red.  The horn goes “toot-toot”.  The truck is moving away. The man on the truck is waving to you. Wave back.”
  Respond to toddlers’ directions. 

Respond to Todlers' Directions

If they want to walk to a tree, follow them there.  Try to understand what is capturing their interest.  If toddlers pick up a twig that has fallen off a tree and want to put it back, help them. This is a perfect opportunity for explaining what might have caused the twig to fall and to praise them for understanding that the twig was part of the tree.
  Toddlers may point to the full moon as it rises over grandpa’s house and say, “Hmm, hmm?”  It is a perfect time for grandpa to talk about the moon, the way it lights up the night, and to pull out the book,  “Good Night, Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown or make up a story.
Reading Builds Words
  

Stop and Point Out Objects, Characters, Illustrations...

Reading aloud to children is one of the most time-honored and effective ways of increasing vocabulary.  Stop to point out illustrations and talk about them.  Look for all the objects that are red or identify all the characters pictured on the page.  Ask questions about what may happen next in the story. Relate the story to events in children’s lives. “The story is about a butterfly.  Where did we see a butterfly?”
photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
 More Vocabulary Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’
website: Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest