5 Fun Nature Ideas to Get Your Preschooler Through The Summer

We are very excited for the school year to begin, but realize the dog days of summer are upon us! Many of you are probably pool-weary, and looking for some fresh ideas of how to entertain, and enrich your little ones over the next few weeks. At LANK we can hardly contain our enthusiasm for our upcoming yearlong learning focus; LANK Learns Nature-ally. We intend to embrace our beautiful grounds and include the great outdoors in many of our classroom activities. At home, you can enjoy the natural world with your child and at the same time incorporate some fun into these last few weeks of summer. Try one of these five nature ideas before returning to school:

Take a Nature Walk Take a nature walk, and document the experience in a journal. Stop at various points along the way and have your child draw pictures. Use photographs as well! Record your child’s words on the paper. This will be a keepsake.
Have a Picnic Let your child help choose what foods to pack, and also assist in making/ packing the items. For older preschoolers and kindergarteners, create a menu with the names of foods and drink to be consumed on the picnic. What fun!
Start a Collection Children love to find nature items and care for their growing collection. Use an egg carton, muffin tin or fishing tackle box to house these interesting finds. Try a rock, insect, pinecone or flower collection. This will keep your little one busy hunting and observing!

Take an Inside Activity Outdoors Let your child enjoy painting under a tree, at a park, or in the backyard. Bring a basket of books to a special spot and read outside. Your child’s focus and creativity will be enhanced!

Try Some Old Favorites Try some old favorites catch fireflies, fly a kite. One of my personal favorites is to go outside to star or moon gaze. Bring a blanket and enjoy gazing at the overhead sky. Take pictures and repeat for several nights. This might just become a family tradition!