Nature Activities

Sand/Dirt Writing: Using a stick, let your child practice their writing in sand or just plain old dirt in the backyard.

Counting:  How many sticks did you find? Count them.  Count them by twos and fives. Make tally marks with them.

Adding/Subtracting: Great manipulative for learning to add and subtract.  Start with 5 sticks.  Take 2 away. How many sticks are left?

Measuring: After collecting sticks, put them in order from shortest to tallest.  If available, have children measure with paper clips or a ruler.

‘Spindle Box’

Number Identification/Counting: I absolutely love this ‘Spindle Box’ idea from Montessori On a Budget!

Stick fairy house

Building: To encourage creative thinking, let your child explore building with sticks. With my assistance,  P (age 8) built this cute fairy house. She’s difficult to see, but there is a little fairy in there! P drew her and cut her out.

Inspired by our creating, S (age 10), decided to get in on the action.  She built a mini-campfire with sticks and stones.  We actually used it to create a fire in the evening.  Let’s just say, she was more than thrilled!


Learning with STONES

Experiment: Collect different sizes of pebbles and rocks. Have your child drop the pebbles and rocks into a plastic bin of water. What are the differences in the splashes made by each rock? How long did the ripples last? Count and compare.. (adapted from Preschool/Kindergarten Instant Lessons For Little Learners- The Mailbox 1997)

Collecting: My kids love collecting rocks. Let your child pick out a few of their favorites for a rock collection.

Create and Imagine: Create rock sculptures and pictures.

Counting: Just like sticks, rocks are the perfect manipulative for counting, adding, and subtracting.

Explore and Investigate: Using a magnifying glass, have your child compare the different rocks.  Look at the different textures, sizes, and colors.

Sticks and Stones…