One of our favorite things are what we at Tinkergarten call "nature treasures"—any object from nature that looks, smells, feels and sounds captivating to kids (acorns, pebbles, pine cones, sticks, etc.)! And, the pull kids feel to explore, discover and gather nature treasures is universal. This spring, make a nature treasure box—a special holder for the treasures kids find all season long, and a fun call to action to keep on searching, sending and finding the treasures nature has to offer!
This activity is featured in our April Activity Calendar in honor of Earth Day. Download your free copy here.
The Guide
Step 1: Start with a box.
Any box can be transformed into a nature treasure box. If your child loves tiny treasures like pebbles of sea glass, find a small box. If you want to fit a bit more, find a medium box that can fit a bit more.
Step 2: Proclaim your box a treasure box!
Kids do not need a lot of encouragement to use their imagination to transform an ordinary box into an extraordinary treasure box. So, you can simply present your child with an empty box and ask with an air of mystery, "Do you know what this box is?!" Take ideas, then say, "This box is a treasure box—just for you and your nature treasures!"
Step 3: Decorate your box.
Make your box even more special by decorating it. Here are a few of our favorite ways to add flair to your treasure box:
Glue or tape nature treasures like leaves, grasses or dried flowers.
Dip nature treasures and various objects into paint, then stamp them onto your box.
Make paint using natural materials like flower petals, spices and even dirt, then paint your box. [Tip: If you are bringing it back indoors, tap it a few times to get excess dried dirt off before you bring it in.]
Cut up magazines, calendars or other recyclables (especially photos of plants and animals!) and cover your box in a recycled nature collage.
Help your child cut shapes out of the cardboard, then cover the holes with clear tape or contact paper. Stick nature treasures onto the contact paper or tape, then cover with another layer of contact paper/tape for a gorgeous sun-catcher + treasure box!
Step 4: Start collecting!
Whenever you hike, explore or even just step outside your door, kids can keep all of their senses tuned into the treasures nature has to offer. As they find their favorites, add them to your treasure box.
Collecting and treasuring objects from nature is a universal drive and helps kids learn more about and fall in love with nature. That said, the treasures we find each play an important role in their ecosystem. So, here are a few ways to support collecting and teach kids to leave as little trace as they can:
Encouraging kids to take home one very favorite treasure on any given hike. If the one-treasure rule feels too restrictive for you, talk with kids to come up with some rule that helps limit the amount of treasure they take.
If it's hard to limit the treasure they take, you can also photograph some of the treasures they find to help kids let them go.
As kids fill their box with treasures, encourage them to put other treasures back where you found them (when possible) to make room for new ones.
Step 5: Make a display or museum.
As kids gather a collection, encourage them to display or curate them for others to see and savor, too. For older kids, identifying and naming objects by either their scientific names or descriptions can also support them in learning to make connections and building their communication skiils.
Why is this activity great for kids?
As kids collect treasures they activate various behavioral schema, universal play behaviors that support brain development. Interacting with objects in nature flexes kids' senses of sight, touch and smell, and helps them strengthen their ability to integrate their senses. As kids sort and organize their treasures, they will explore early STEM concepts related to size, weight, texture and color.
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By creativity, we mean the ability to both imagine original ideas or solutions to problems and actually do what needs to be done to make them happen. So, to help kids develop creativity, we parents need to nurture kids' imaginations and give them lots of chances to design, test, redesign and implement their ideas.
"Creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”
Why, you ask? For one, it is through being creative that a person is able to get senses, sensibility and spirit working together. Simply put, without creativity, we don't think our kids will live a full life.
On a more practical level, it's also the means by which humans of all ages make an impact on the world and other people around them. A lot of heavy stuff is going to go down in our kids' lifetime, and their generation will need to imagine and implement solutions to big and very complicated problems. Although our kids are still far from public office or the boardroom, today's political and business leaders worldwide are already pointing to creativity as the most important leadership quality for the future.
Although years from the art studio or design lab, little kids can learn to think and act creatively if you give them time and the right practice.
Naturalist
Category:
Thinking Skills
What is a Naturalist?
The oldest and simplest definition, “student of plants and animals,” dates back to 1600. The term has evolved over time, it's importance changing as the values of dominant culture have changed. 400 years after that old definition, Howard Gardner, the paradigm-shifting education theorist, added “naturalist” to his list of “multiple intelligences.” Gardner challenged the notion that intelligence is a single entity that results from a single capability. Instead, he recognizes eight types of intelligence, all of which enable individuals to think, solve problems or to create things of value. To Gardner, the Naturalist intelligence enables human beings to recognize, categorize and draw upon certain features of the environment.
A true naturalist has not simply Googled and learned the names of plants, animals, rocks, etc. Rather, he or she has had direct experience with them, coming to know about them and using all senses to develop this intelligence. A naturalist also has a reverence for nature, valuing and caring for living things from the smallest mite to the tallest tree. A naturalist comes to not only knowing the creatures and features of his or her environment, but treasuring them in thought and action.
Why does it matter?
In the process of becoming a naturalist, children become stewards of nature, a connection that is associated with a range of benefits, including greater emotional well-being, physical health and sensory development (not to mention the benefits to nature itself!). In a world in which primary experience of nature is being replaced by the limited, directed stimulation of electronic media, kids senses are being dulled and many believe their depth of both their interest in and capacity to understand complicated phenomena are being eroded. To contrast, the naturalist learns about the key features of their natural environment by using all of his senses and be interpreting open-ended and ever-changing stimuli.
Fine Motor
Category:
Body Skills
What are Fine Motor skills?
Fine motor skills refer to how we coordinate small muscle movements in the hands and fingers in conjunction with our eyes. Children begin with whole arm movements at birth and refine their movement, using smaller muscle groups as their bodies develop. With time and practice, children are able to enhance and strengthen the movements in their fingers, becoming able to manipulate small objects and perform a range of important life and learning tasks.
Why does it matter?
Kids need fine motor skills in order to perform every day tasks like using fork and knife, turning a door knob, cutting with scissors and catching and throwing a ball. These same skills are essential for tasks associated with higher level learning like hand writing and typing on a keyboard. If kids enter school without good fine motor skills, they can not only fall behind, but learning can become very frustrating. Moreover, they can develop lasting negative attitudes towards learning and themselves as learners.
Sensory
Category:
Body Skills
What is Sensory Development?
Although some scientists classify as many as 20 senses, when childhood educators talk about "developing the senses," we typically mean developing the five standard senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. In addition to honing these senses, educators care about sensory integration, which is the ability to take in, sort out, process and make use of information gathered from the world around us via the senses.
Why does it matter?
The better kids are able to tune and integrate their senses, the more they can learn. First, if their senses are sharper, the information kids can gather should be of greater quantity and quality, making their understanding of the world more sophisticated. Further, until the lower levels of the brain can efficiently and accurately sort out information gathered through the senses, the higher levels cannot begin to develop thinking and organization skills kids need to succeed. Senses also have a powerful connection to memory. Children (and adults) often retain new learning when the senses are an active part of the learning.
So, if kids have more sensory experiences, they will learn more, retain better and be better able to think at a higher level. Makes the days they get all wet and dirty in the sandbox seem better, doesn't it?
Age: 0 to 8+
Time: 1 hour+
Materials: cardboard box, markers or other art supplies
