{Playing Through Autumn Day 8} Sound Scavenger Hunt

Getting outdoors is one of the best things about the cooler weather of fall, and I love to find ways to get L connected to the world around her. Lately she has become very aware of the different sounds she hears around her on a regular basis. That kid can hear a train, plane, or barking dog long before I do. It's actually kind of impressive. To capitalize on this interest and to help foster her awareness of the world around her, I created a sound scavenger hunt for us to try at a local park.

I printed up this list, trying my best to predict what we'd be most likely to hear on our hunt. Turns out I was pretty close, with the exception of other kids playing, because it was a wet and chilly morning and there weren't any other kids there! (Helpful hint: I printed this out on card stock, so it was much more durable that regular paper for L's tiny hands. The added bonus was that it held up in all the moisture of the wet air that morning.)

L was listening closely, and it didn't take us long to hear lots of birds and cars. 

In fact, there were trees absolutely brimming with birds. I guess maybe they had more sense than we did and were trying to stay dry! 

And she's off! Soon after, we also had the good fortune to hear an airplane, a flock of geese (awesome!) and leaves rustling in the trees. Of course, we also got the pleasure of hearing a crunchy leaf on the trail:

Perhaps the most fun, and somewhat unexpected, sound we had the good fortune of hearing was L's feet splashing in the giant puddle we encountered on the trail. In our family, there is ALWAYS time for puddle jumping!

The entire family got in on the action of listening for new and different sounds, and it was a roaring good time indeed. L has been holding on to that sound list for several days now, which is proof enough that she had a fabulous time.

How do you get your kids connected to the world around them?

10 Reasons Public Libraries ROCK!

The first thing I do when I move to a new area? Find the public library, of course! Ahead of even finding the grocery store or nearest gas station, I scope out the locale of the public library. Why? Because public libraries ROCK! Let me tell you all about it!

1. They're free. Or virtually free. Mine generally costs me a few bucks a month in late fees and the like, but if you're even slightly more responsible than me in this area, they are free. FREE!

 

2. They are a wealth of resources: books, newspapers, magazines, reference materials, music, movies, children's materials, even Internet access.  All right there at your fingertips.

 

3. They pretty much have any book you could possibly want. Even ones that are (sadly) no longer in print.

4. They contribute to the local community in so many ways: children's programming, book clubs, readers' circle, various other interest clubs, you name it. Libraries bring people together.

5. Even when you owe them money, they are still nice to you.

 

6. They encourage kids to become readers. Having a personal library card does wonders for getting a reluctant reader to check out some books. Literally and figuratively.

 

7. They bring in authors and other great speakers so that you can quietly hyperventilate about seeing your idol (like I do!) or you can learn something new.



8. They are air conditioned in the summer and toasty warm in the winter. (This may seem like a lame one, but when you're in the grueling heat of summer or the frigid chill of winter and you need to get the kids out of the house, the library is your best friend.) While you're in there, you may as well pick up a book or two!

9. They put together great thematic lists and compile book recommendations so that when you finish that excellent novel you're reading, they'll be right there with another title you're likely to enjoy. They also make magic happen when your kids are stuck on one subject (be it trains, dinosaurs, the ballet, what have you). They'll help your kids find other titles on subjects that interest them...just in case you need a break from reading Knuffle Bunny for the 712th time.

10. They are filled with people who love books as much as you do! From staffers to other patrons, you can always find someone who will love to talk books with you!

Also, did I mention that they are FREE?!

Farmer's Market Frolics

Despite the blazing hot weather we've had of late, I still try to get L out and about in our neighborhood. I also, of course, try to find things that we can do early in the morning, to try to avoid as much of said blazing hot weather as possible. Enter: our community farmer's market. 


I was trying to think of a way to make our trip a little more meaningful, so I created a little visual discrimination game for L to take along with her to the market.

I made picture cards with photographs I found on the Internet of various fruits and veggies I was sure we'd see at the market.  I covered them in contact paper and bound them together into a little book.

I'm always in favor of a good visual discrimination activity (for another simple visual discrimination game, click here) and I also love activities that make L think and give her the opportunity to use her emerging language skills.  This little scavenger hunt gave her the chance to practice all of these skills while exposing her to an awesome experience within our community.

Over breakfast in the morning, L flipped through her new book, and we talked about some of the things we might see at the farmer's market.  After that, we were ready to head out and see what we could find!

We quickly found nearly everything in our book, plus lots of other surprises! L had a magnificent time exploring the market and discovering all kinds of yummy things to eat and meeting loads of friendly people from our area.

By the end of our trip, we were all nice and sweaty, and L was positively glowing with blackberry juice!  She even met a friendly dog, which was certainly the highlight of our outing! Bonus: we found every single item in our book! It was such a fun day!