Connections Winter Update
When was the last time you spent an afternoon with your hands in the dirt? And I mean really getting messy—digging, mixing, shaking, stirring, and pouring dirt and water. When did you last spend quality time looking at a worm? Did you notice how it moves its body? Or how it feels in your hand? Can you remember the satisfaction of spending endless hours outside? For many of the children participating in the Connections program, visits to the Museum provide a rare opportunity to spend time in the outdoors in a safe, comfortable environment.
In its second year, Connections is providing over 1,250 children time to explore nature through creative play. Through extended programming around the theme On the Bay—the land, sea, and air around the Bay Area—children will mix up mud pies, hold worms, climb around trees, dissect an owl pellet, create flying creatures, visit our beach, and more. And within Lookout Cove’s 2.5 acres, children can spend countless hours discovering the great outdoors.
We know it has been a successful visit when they leave the Museum covered with dirt, mud, paint and a smile on their face. Hopefully, these children will remember their time at the Museum and continue to nurture their relationship with their local environment.
Here are some simple ideas to support your children in creative outdoor play:
- Fill a large bin with dirt. Place gardening tools, watering cans, and buckets. Allow children to dig, mix, and explore the many different types of mud they can create. Dress your children in older clothes and allow them to be covered in mud.
- Or simply go outside and play in the rain and mud. Adults seem to worry more about getting wet and messy then children. Make sure you have dry clothes and a warm cup of hot chocolate ready inside. Mud and water are excellent sensory experiences that support children’s understanding of their bodies and their surroundings.
- Go on a bug hunt. After a rain is the best time to find worms, slugs, and snails. Let your children hold them—they won’t bite! What does it feel like? How do they move their bodies? Make sure you put your found creatures back where you found them.
- Or simply put out dirt, shovels, seeds, and water. Wait and see what grows!
Twitter
Share