Habitat Park! June 22 - 26
This week, let’s move our bodies and head outside to Habitat Park! By the end of the week, you’ll have stretched, met some wiggly friends, and explored nature & wind! Join us as we explore through activities, stories, and lots of free resources.
Educational Background
Nature play and spending time outdoors has many positive affects for our wellbeing. Habitat Park is a unique space for children to engage, learn, and observe nature at its best. Children can play peek-a-boo in our prairie grass maze, learn about gardening, and even sample a green bean or two. There are so many opportunities to awaken our senses; explore our Sensory Garden home for every color in the rainbow with plants, flowers and many of our pollinator friends.
- Language Development – Children can learn new vocabulary by engaging in conversations with adults about nature and the wonders of the outside world.
- Motor Skills – Children utilize gross motor skills by running, jumping, rolling, and walking throughout the paths and grassy areas in the park.
- Social & Emotional Development– Children have opportunities to explore the emotions of empathy and leaning to care about living things (insects, plants, and flowers).
This week’s activities (all Facebook Live sessions at 10:30 AM):
MONDAY
Vito’s back to kick off Build It week and to act it out live on Facebook.
TUESDAY
Calm your body and stretch with some ABC Yoga with Alex.
ABC Yoga Explore measurement through how we use our bodies everyday to move and cover distances
Download the PDF Lesson | Sample PDF
Create your own wind sculpture with Cori & Amelia.
Wind Sculptures Explore the weight and density of different materials as we combine and watch them dance in the wind!
THURSDAY
Investigate Worms and make your own observational drawing.
Earthworm Investigations Investigate and draw how worms burrow in the ground and make tunnels.
Explore the Activity Page
FRIDAY
Vito will close out the week with a live story time.
Over the weekend, check out our recorded Story Times, Home Zone building activities, and Free Learning Resources!
Home Zone highlights:
- Clasificando en un paseo por la naturaleza Explorar diferentes objetos de la naturaleza y clasificarlos usando diferentes atributos.
Descargar documento PDF
- All in Illinois Outdoor walks, tallying, & scavenger hunts Activity
- Bubbleology Activity
- Sunny Day Painting Activity
- Tiempo de Cuentos: Gilberto y el Viento
- Story: Froggy Plays Soccer
Family & Teacher Resources:
- Tar Beach reading with the Author!
- NAEYC Engaging Toddlers in Nature Play
- Illinois Early Learning Project, Natural Illinois Tip Sheets
- Páginas de consejos, La naturaleza en Illinois
- National Geographic, How getting outside can bring out the explorer in your kid, Plus 20 fun activities that will inspire curiosity and self-confidence
- NAEYC Outdoor Play Is Essential to Whole Child Development
- Parenting Science, 12 benefits of outdoor play
- Harvard Health Publishing: 6 reasons Children need to play outside
- National Geographic, Get Outside Challenges
- Kids Gardening: Garden Activities with Kids