10 things
I don’t know about you, but even though I am planning home learning, replying to emails, and doing household chores etc, I really do have lots of time on my hands at the moment (I’ll admit, some days Netflix doesn’t ask me if I’m still watching…) So here are 10 things I’ve been doing which I thought you might like to try.
1. Loose Parts
It’s the perfect time to clear out cupboards and sort through the junk drawer (we all have one!) Whether it’s collecting sticks on your daily walk or sorting through the garage and finding a bag of unused nuts and bolts, now is a great time to start collecting. Take a look at this blog for more tips and info!
2. Packaging
Now that we are at home 24/7, I have found we’re finishing staples like cereal and tea faster. So this means we either have an over flowing recycle bin or we filter out the good stuff for our home corners! Here are some of the items I’ve collected ready for when I go back to school.
3. Tin Cans
Tin cans are perfect containers for holding pencils, counting sticks, and other loose parts. If you ask your school kitchen nicely, they’ll save you the huge ones! I use electrical tape to make the cut edge a bit safer - you can pick this up from Poundland. You can also drill a hole in the side so you can hang them on your fence, gate, or a pallet divider using a large S hook. Here is how I use mine in the outdoor classroom.
4. Nature Glitter
Late spring is a good time to collect dried flower heads which later can be added to playdough or used to make potions. You can also save the petals from cut flowers; nothing needs to go to waste! I usually lay them out on a tray to ensure they are totally dry before I put them in a container. You can add a few drops of flower essence to the dried petals or even the playdough to give another dimension to this sensory play.
5. Counting Sticks
This is another one for your daily walk. You can leave the sticks as they are or strip the bark back using a knife or vegetable peeler. Once you’ve done that, bundle some in groups of 10 with an elastic band and leave some as singles. It’s as simple as that!
6. Flower and Leaf Pressing
Take time during your daily walk to take in the nature around you. You’ll start to notice flowers and leaves knocked to the ground by animals or previous walkers. Collect them up and press them using heavy books (or a flower press if you have one!) These can later be used for transient art, looking at under a microscope or to create window mandalas.
7. Egg Boxes
This is a great one to start collecting now ready for your Autumn trip to the park (or Summer one if we’re lucky enough to be back at school by then!) There are many ways to use egg boxes but one I love is using them to collect nature treasure.
8. Butterfly Feeders
It’s so important to support local wildlife and teach the children about looking after their environment. This is a really easy one and all you have to do is collect a jar (or 30 if you want everyone to do it!) Here’s how.
A gorgeous alternative is to fill the jar with bird seed
9. Cardboard
I am passionate about re-using anything I can so I always collect cardboard from packaging. I usually just cut it up along the fold lines and then put the pieces in little baskets in all the areas of learning. The creative area for artwork, the writing table for mark making and writing, the home corner for writing shopping lists or taking down phone messages, the construction area for drawing diagrams, the reading corner for drawing a picture of their favourite part of the story - the list is endless.
10. Bird Feeder
This is a nice one alongside the butterfly feeder. You can hang these in your outdoor classroom and then watch as birds come to feed. For now, collect bottles of all shapes and sizes, and then once you’re back at school you can construct them with the children! Do it yourself here.
I hope you are inspired to give some of these a go. If you do, I would love to see photos!