Outside Play Is Not A Waste Of Time.......

When I play outside.......

I take risks
I face challenges
I solve problems
I make choices
I belong
I learn about my world
I discover and explore
I experiment
I imagine
I create
I take responsibility
I collaborate, communicate and co-operate
I lead
I can be noisy, messy and adventurous
I am independent
I am resilient
My body is strong
I learn about the natural world
I invent
I build
I am calmer and less anxious
I have a strong immune system
I wonder
I feel good about myself
I can be wild
I can be still
I find out what my body can do
I observe, I smell, I touch, I taste
I focus and concentrate
I feel connected to the natural world
I watch things grow
I explore mathematical and scientific concepts
I solve conflicts
I pretend
I am motivated
I am curious
I am master of my universe
I am healthy
I make up stories
I master physical skills
I have fun

Outdoor Play is NOT a waste of time

Give me long stretches of time, unhurried, unstructured play outdoors
It makes me happier, healthier, stronger and smarter.

Credit for this article goes to Jenny Kable from Australia, Let the Children Play

Lots Of Rain = Lots Of Mud

"Young children thrive & their minds & bodies develop best when they have free access to stimulating outdoor environments for learning through play & real experiences".      Jan White

"The world is MUD-luscious & PUDDLE-wonderful".   E.E.Cummings

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow..........

entrance into Stomping in the Mud

bamboo heavy with snow

bamboo becomes a tunnel

up to a foot of snow in our play space

our music tree

mud kitchen becomes a snow kitchen

Stomping in the Mud takes a snow day..........

Taking Care Of The Birds.......



The ingredients -  tree cones, lard & bird seed




the fun begins




spread on the lard




roll cones in the bird seed




hang the bird feeders up





watching for the birds




bird seed molds




Recipe for bird seed molds
3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, 1 envelope unflavoured gelatin,
3 T. corn syrup ( I didn't add)
Mix together then add bird seed.
Spray molds with nonstick spray. Press seed mixture into molds.  Put straw all the way through, leave 2-3 hours. Remove straw, lay on wax paper, allow another 2-3 hours or overnight.  Hang in tree by twine through straw hole.

"In order to see birds, it is necessary to become part of the silence"  Robert Lynd



Rain, Rain And More Rain........

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain".

That is certainly what we did this week at Stomping in the Mud, our first real rainy days.

 Loose parts were moved....

golf tees were hammered into Styrofoam...

painting 

printing making

play dough play

water play...

and more fun loose parts play; followed by a lovely walk in the woods before 'going home time'.

It was learning through play as usual at Stomping in the Mud!

Wow........



In the forest, right behind our play group yard, we have a river running through.  Colquitz River is more like a creek most times of the year.   This year, we have many salmon swimming up stream to spawn.




Salmon Fact - Salmon change to red a couple of days after spawning, then they die.



Salmon Fact - Most salmon can swim about 14 km per hour.




Salmon Fact - All salmon spend part of their life in fresh water & part of their life in salt water.




Salmon Fact - In the wild, less than one out of 1,000 salmon eggs laid live to be spawning adults.




If you look at the bottom right hand corner of this picture, you will see orange salmon eggs.





Salmon Fact - One of the most remarkable things about salmon is how they manage to find their natal stream after spending years in the ocean migrating for thousands of miles. One study says the salmon find their natal stream by the smell of it & another study says that the brain of a salmon is sensitive to the magnetic field of the earth & that this may be a factor in the homing instinct. Regardless of the mechanism that enables a salmon to do this, their ability to find the origin of their birth is a remarkable feat.




One of the falls, the salmon jump up to continue their journey.

The children enjoyed their nature walk, the spawning salmon and took pride in showing their parents.