Keeping the grandkids happy and occupied can sometimes tax even the most creative mind. Here are a number of activities you might like to think about. They're easy to do and cheap to fund and should keep them happy for hours.
This edition we're exploring nature-based activities and green craft.
If you have any ideas we can pass on to other grandparents use our CONTACT US form to share it with us and we'll share it with our readers.
This edition we're exploring nature-based activities and green craft.
If you have any ideas we can pass on to other grandparents use our CONTACT US form to share it with us and we'll share it with our readers.
Upcycled Folk Art Competition
Let their creative energy soar with an art competition. Put together a box of things that would normally be put in the bin. Be quite broad with the selection. Put scissors, glue, pins and tape in another box. Challenge individuals or teams to create amazing works of art from their would-be trash. Put out the challenge to your community. Have an evening showcase at your school and invite parents, community officials and other neighbors to see how these brainiacs can turn trash to treasure. Partner with a local museum to exhibit or even host an auction for the items.
Take a Nature Walk
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Take your kids for a walk on the wild side with a guided nature tour. Identify inhabitants of the wild and discuss what would happen if their natural habitats were destroyed. After the activity, allow your group to brainstorm ideas for how humans can protect the land and animals around us. Make the most of your time outdoors by getting them to collect flowers, seed pods or interesting leaves, feathers or any other natural item that takes their fancy.
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Plant something... anything
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Earth Day is the perfect time to embark on a large family project like a garden, but if you don't have the space or the inclination for such an endeavour, there's no shame in starting small. Planting just about anything -- even a tiny windowsill plant -- is a valuable lesson for kids on how plants grow and how to nurture them.
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Have a backyard treasure hunt
This might be the easiest scavenger hunt you've ever organized -- no need to hide anything or buy items for the kids to find. Just let them loose in the backyard with a simple list of common backyard items: sticks, stones, feathers, flowers, bugs, different-coloured leaves, whatever you can think of. Older kids can build fairy houses and find patterns in nature. And if you play your cards right, you can have your yard cleaned up for free: Give bonus points for litter that can be trashed or recycled.
Magic frog
Draw a cute frog black outline on bright yellow construction paper, then have the kids put dots on the frog with “blue” bingo markers. It is magic to them to see the dots turn out “green” on the frog!
Crayon rubbing leaf scavenger hunt
Most adults have done a crayon rubbing or two as kids themselves. This makes a game out of an art activity and doesn't require too much effort on the part of parents.
To make the crayon rubbings:
It's best to show kids how to make one before they begin their hunt. Peel the paper off of an old crayon, set a piece of paper on a leaf or something with an interesting texture, just for demonstration purposes, and rub the crayon over the paper until the texture or shape outline starts to show through.
How to play:
To make the crayon rubbings:
It's best to show kids how to make one before they begin their hunt. Peel the paper off of an old crayon, set a piece of paper on a leaf or something with an interesting texture, just for demonstration purposes, and rub the crayon over the paper until the texture or shape outline starts to show through.
How to play:
- Once the group knows how to make a crayon rubbing, ask the kids to run around the yard to make crayon rubbings of as many different types of leaves as they can in 25 mins.
- Encourage them to look closely and find leaves of varying shapes, sizes, and even leaves that have special features (like tears, bug bite marks, etc.) To save your landscaping, tell them that the leaves must already be lying on the ground.
- The child that comes back with the most crayon rubbings of different types of leaves is the winner.
- To continue playing, kids can go back out to make as many crayon rubbings as they can of different tree trunks, rocks, or anything else with an interesting surface.
Make a nature mask
Stretch their creative powers and get them to connect with nature by making their own nature mask.
Just cut out some mask shapes from stiff paper and then let them collect things from the garden to decorate them. Nothing is off limits... flowers
Just cut out some mask shapes from stiff paper and then let them collect things from the garden to decorate them. Nothing is off limits... flowers
Play some free on-line games
Kids love computer games and they can be very educational as well as entertaining. This site has some free eco-based games that kids can access on their mobile or tablet.
http://www.primarygames.com/science/greenworld/games.htm
http://www.primarygames.com/science/greenworld/games.htm
