Helping Children Welcome Spring

Discover Changes in Nature - Get Ready!

 Adults can help their children discover the changing seasons by sharing the excitement of watching for signs of spring. You will need vases, water, sprigs of bushes and trees, books about spring and seasons.

   Read some books together about spring.  Talk about the seasons. Then on a nice day take a walk in your yard or neighborhood.  Look for signs of spring. On rainy days notice how water runs down hill, forms puddles of water when it is backed up by sticks, or soaks into sand.  Push away mulch in the flower garden and look for any bulbs sending up shoots.  Are there any very early flowers blooming?  Can you find any green grass?  Are farmers or gardeners preparing to plant?

  Cut some branches off a few bushes like willows or dogwood and bring them inside where it is warmer. If you cut some forsythia branches, they should produce yellow 

Children Learn By Observing Nature

flowers. Put the branches in a vase of water.  Notice how the branches have little closed buds. If you have time, take a photo or draw and color a picture that shows the branches on the first day.  Over the next week or two, watch what is happening to the branches and keep the vase filled with fresh water. Where is the water going? Talk about the buds getting bigger and becoming leaves. You could take another photo or draw a final picture to show what has happened.  Later, on a warm day, check around the yard to see if the buds are growing on the trees or if any new leaves are appearing.  Check around the garden to see if spring flowers are blooming. Take along a magnifying glass for a closer look.

Flower Beds

What's Happening in the Flower Beds??

Check what is happening in the flower beds.  Are the bulbs growing?  Are there some flower buds beginning to show?  Watch for birds building nests or finding worms for their new babies.  Can you find any bugs flying or crawling around? What is the weather like in spring? What happened to the snow? When can you plant vegetables or flowers in the garden?

   Provide children with a small rake to help carefully remove old leaves.  They can pick up sticks in the lawn and count them during spring clean up. Winter leaves paper and other garbage behind. Spring is a good time to fill a bag with litter during neighborhood walks. Write down the different kinds of garbage you find. Can some of it be recycled?

How Will This Help My Child?

Children will be learning to observe nature.  They will be developing new vocabulary words about seasons and parts of a plant, as well as first-hand knowledge about the changing seasons. For more see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Season; Facebook, and Pinterest.

photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos 

Helping Children Look for Firsts and Lasts

Spring Is a Time of Firsts and Lasts

Spring is a time of first and lasts.  Since young children are natural scientist and detectives, searching for change during this time of year is a great game to play. They sharpen their observation, writing, and drawing skills. Searching and record keeping can take many forms.

Looking for Firsts

  Families can sit down together with a spiral notebook or papers staples together and think of signs of spring. Make a list of signs and predict the days they will occur.  If you want to bet, the winner can earn a silly reward or some serious money like a nickel.

  What will be on your list?  How about the first time a spot in your yard has no snow? When will the first robin or flock of birds, first rabbit, or first deer appear?  When is the first time you can visit the park and go down the slide? When will the snow be entirely out of your yard or out of the woods?  When will the ice be gone from a lake or river in your area or on a mountain? When will you see the first tree buds and leaves? When does the temperature first hit 60 or 70 degrees.  Think of signs in your particular area that signal a definite change in the weather by what people wear or do?

A Lists of Lasts

  Now make a list of lasts and write them in your notebook or on a calendar—last snowfall, last time to wear a winter jacket, or last time to shovel.

Make Lots of Lists

  You can keep score of who makes the best predictions and do this as a new tradition every spring.

   The idea of prediction and record keeping was made famous by Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” His company printed it from 1732 to 1758 and helped make him a very rich man. It contained a calendar, weather, predictions, astronomy, and daily advice for living frugally and well borrowed from religious books and writers through the ages.

  The “Old Farmers’ Almanac” founded in 1792 continues to this day.  It carries on the tradition of an almanac which is a book about anything and everything deemed useful.  It has the dates when it is best to cut your hair, lose weight, end projects, and have dental care. You name it.  It’s an almanac!

Is It Spring, Yet?

This past winter the forecast was “winter will be warmer than normal, with the coldest periods in late November, early and late December, early January, and early February. Precipitation and snowfall will be below normal, with the snowiest periods in mid- to late December and early to mid-February. April and May will be cooler than normal, with normal precipitation.”

  For more fun activities see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons, on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

How Children Learn from Us

Children Learn Through Observation 

One of the best ways for children to learn is observing others and then trying to do the same thing. From birth through adulthood, we frequently pattern our learning on the behavior of others. Adults are all powerful influences who can foster learning every day.

  Young children naturally follow behavior patterns they observe in other people. One of the earliest signs of this is when babies learn to respond to others with a smile. This comes after days and days of watching someone smile at them.  Speech patterns develop as babies hear the sounds of language over and over again. That is why it is so important that parents talk, sing, and read to their little ones frequently during the day. You can echo the sounds babies make and later they will try to echo your sounds. Little children learn to point, clap and play with toys as we show them what to do. Be sure to respond with enthusiasm when your little one tries to mimic the movements or sounds you show them.

Big Observers       

As babies become toddlers, they 

Pattern Behaviors for Children

become big observers of adult behavior. This is an important time for patterning eating and bathroom habits. Kids this age enjoy games like peek-a boo and start to mimic the speech and actions of adults in pretend play. 

  Preschoolers have fun with motion games like “Simon Says”, “Can You Do What I Do?” and “Follow the Leader” where they follow directions to do what the caller shows or tells them to do. Hokey Pokey, a singing game where everyone does the same motions is another game. Children watch and learn as we show them hand movements to nursery rhymes and finger plays. Imitative behavior continues to be an important skill as children join sports, dance, or learn to play musical instruments.

Imitators 

  Preschoolers love to be the leader and have parents or other kids mimic their motions in games and songs. It is fun to imitate animal movements and sounds together.

  While personal discovery is an important way to learn, imitating others is a quicker way to build many skills. Imitation takes observation, attention, and concentration. Adults need to recognize the power of imitation and be on guard to

Monitor What Children Watch

provide positive models. Studies have shown that children mimic negative attitudes, speech, and behavior as well as the positive behavior.
Of particular concern to many people is the influence of watching violence and aggression either in real life or any device for children of all ages. Child psychologists urge parents to monitor all media coming into the home. Narrow the functions of all devices and place a high level of parent controls. New parent controls will send a print out of internet sites teens view. See grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons.

Photos: Fran Darling,  fdarling fotos

Make Learning Fun in Bottles

Young children can reuse clear plastic soda and water bottles to create interesting science, math, and art activities. They are handy for rainy days, quiet times, and birthday parties. Smaller bottles work best for very young children.

Experiment Adding Items to Bottles

   Gather some clean, clear plastic bottles and remove any labels. Add any of the items below and seal the bottle with hot glue, if desired.
Fill Bottles Creatively
  Fill half of a bottle with cooking or baby oil. Next add water until the bottle is ¾ full.  Add blue food coloring and a few small seashells. Shake.  What happens? Why?
  To make a tornado bottle, roll ten small pieces of tin foil into balls. Fill the bottle with water and a drop of detergent so the bottle is almost full. Twirl and lightly shake to make a tornado.
  Place Styrofoam pieces in an empty bottle and close it.  Rub the bottle on hair. Observe what happens and explain static electricity, the uncontrolled movement of electrons. Go into a dark closet.

Make a Rythmn Band of Bottles

Children may be able to see sparks.
  Add a piece of wet sponge into an open bottle. Sprinkle grass seed or some other sprouting seeds. Grass will sprout in two days. Discuss how plants grow.
 What floats or sinks?  Fill a bottle half full of water.  Drop in small items from around the house like small pieces of paper, paper clips, and tiny toys. If an item has more molecule than the water it replaces, it will sink.  Guess what will float or sink.
 Bottles of Fun
  Rain bottles make beautiful sounds. Fill a bottle with a box of toothpicks and uncooked rice.  Leave about two inches of air at the top.  When turned, rice falls through the toothpicks and sounds like a gentle rain. The bottle is a good addition to other musical instruments.
  Write a number on the outside of a bottle and fill with that number of tiny objects. Children can practice counting, adding, subtracting and counting again.
  Cover some bottles with black paper to make sound mystery bottles.  Collect items from

Make Bubbles

around the house like paper clips, rice, sand, water, pieces of paper, and marbles. Gently shake and guess the mystery sounds.
  Fill a bottle with magnetic and nonmagnetic items and sand. Rub the outside of the bottle with a magnet to attract the magnetic items.
  To make a bottle of bubble solution, gently stir 3/4 Dawn detergent and ¼ water or less.  Label the bottle “bubbles.” Fashion a long thin bubble maker from a hanger that will fit in the bottle. Show children how to blow bubbles. Use under supervision and store out of reach.
Photos, Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
More 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’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Young Scientists Love Fireflies

Through the summer months fireflies also known as lightning bugs and glowworms are like golden seeds sown throughout the night. They are best seen on warm damp nights from darkened homes. They thrive in forests, fields, and marshes near water. The purpose of all the flashing is to find mates.
  Observing these beetles is an excellent way to teach young scientists about insects. Fireflies like all insects have six legs. They have a small head covered by a large thorax shield. Their two antennae are long and are in constant motion.  Beneath grey wing covers is a pair of large dark veined wings folded when not in use. They also have an abdomen. Some segments underneath are sulfur yellow. These are the lamps that carry on chemical reactions to make light. Their larvae and eggs also glow.
  When children see fireflies during the day, teach that they are insect friends. The larvae kill snails, slugs, earthworms (unfortunately), and insects that are harmful to garden plants.
All About Glowing
  The adult’s sole purpose is to find a mate by glowing. The male’s glow part covers the entire end of the abdomen. In the female, only the middle portion of the abdomen is converted into a lamp. Fireflies produce cold light, the most efficient light in the world.  The chemical reaction is 100% light.
   During the day children enjoy looking at fireflies through a magnifying glass which can be part of a handy science box, along with small jars, spoons for picking up insect specimens, colored pencils and paper for drawing and printing a few words.
  Insects should not be handled. They can be harmful. If scared, fireflies shed drops
of blood that taste nasty to predators and can be poisonous to some animals.
Catch and Release
  To catch fireflies turn off all house lights. Go outside and aim a flash light covered with thin blue tissue paper at the ground, aim the light directly up and down quickly, or imitate the flash patterns (uncovered light) they may emit. Never shine a light directly on fireflies. You will scare them away.
  When close enough, catch your fireflies using a net. Place the caught fireflies into a clear jar with a lid that's been pierced to let in air and has a moistened paper towel inside to keep the air in the jar humid. Then fireflies can breathe and won't dry out.  They are very fragile.
   If they are not afraid they will continue flashing. Is there a pattern? Draw fireflies so you can find them later in daylight. Let them go within a day so your yard will have even more natural glows in the future.
  Families can check on line for more about Fireflies at http://creationwiki.org/Firefly. Also, to see the famous firefly light symphony of the Great Smokey Mountains of Tennessee and other National Parks at

http://www.firefly.org/synchronous-fireflies.html
Photos: 
Fireflies: https://www.flickr.com/photos/anitagould/2644364956/ & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Firefly_composite.jpg
Fireworks: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos 
More 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’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Outdoor Winter Fun with Kids

fdarling fotos

Since many animals are nocturnal or scarce, children rarely see shy and secretive animals in the wild. But animals leave their tracks and mysteries for children.
  Take a walk in your own backyard in winter or along the beach in summer.  These tracks will tell a story.
  Observe human tracks in your yard. How can you tell which way the person is going?  What are they doing? Were they taking out the garbage or delivering a package? Look at the patterns of boots and shoes soles. Observe how they are different in size, tread, and walking pattern.
  Do family dogs and cats leave tracks in the snow? Being able to distinguish between domestic dog and fox footprints is important.

fdarling fotos

Making Tracks
   Make new tracks. Drag a stick behind like the child in the book “The Snowy Day” by Keats. Take some pictures or make drawings with markers in a science. notebook. Leave some seeds and check on the spot later. Did animals visit?
  Now can you find some wild animal tracks in your backyard, park, or trail? Try to identify them before the snow is too deep. Explain to children that most animals are nocturnal. They look for food at night and sleep during the day. Their tracks in the snow are often around their homes or trails where they can find food.
  Many free animal track keys are on-line and very helpful. The book “Animal Tracks of the Great Lakes” by Stall is also a handy book.
 Show children some common tracks in your area like rabbits, squirrels, deer, fox, birds, raccoons, chipmunks, shrew, bear, and skunks. Sometimes they will be trailing each other. Why?
Decode Tracks
  When you first find a set of tracks look for the most distinct print. Note the shape of the heel pad, and count the toes. Even though adults may already know the animal, make it a scientific game. Look at the animal track key, think out loud, and eliminate animals by looking at characteristics closely.
  Take out a ruler and show children how to measure a track. Is there evidence that you have several animals, perhaps adults and young ones? Note the habitat. Why are the animals there? Does evidence show animals visit this spot often? Why?  Look around for berries and seeds.  Is there evidence your animal is a tree climber because the tracks stop there abruptly?  Follow some tracks. Where do they lead? Did the animal dig, hop sideways, or run off suddenly? Note that rabbits’ long back paws lead the way because of how they hop.
  Although there is no substitute for first hand study, it is fun to watch trail camera wildlife videos on You Tube with children. View them alone first, however.
photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
More 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’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest