Children have such an affinity with the earth and love to learn outside, be with animals, care for plants and observe the seasons. This is a magical time of year to enjoy EARTH DAY with your children.
- Take them outside and get them to listen to the birds- maybe even record them on your phone.
- Encourage them to try to find one bird and closely watch it for a few minutes.
- Look at the plants- some are changing colour, some are coming to life and some are slowing growth and preparing for winter. Collect some plant specimens to bring inside and set up a nature table where children can wonder, sketch and enjoy.
- Go outside tonight and enjoy the full moon- just starting to go down. Get a book from the library on the moon phases and read with children.
- Remember that children learn well outside so perhaps allow them to sit outside to finish homework this term We are fortunate to be blessed with mellow weather in WA so can often have outside learning activities in Autumn. Many teachers who have studied the Naturalist intelligence are now taking children outside for a lesson a day- with great results!
- If you have a family pet, ask your child to try to guess what it is feeling and to take an active part in feeding and caring for the animal.
- This is a great time of year to visit the zoo to observe the animals. If you take some photos your children can try to draw the animals later by referring back to the photos. This helps them to recall details and to pay close attention to shapes, colourings and markings.
- Find a place where there are lots of deciduous trees and gather some for an Autumn table decoration for your house. Children are fascinated by the glorious colours of these leaves!
We all share in the responsibilities of being custodians of the Earth- so help your children to learn about their environment and how to look after it. Our Earth needs us to care like never before!