Castle Creations
Question: Hmmm…what do we do outside today?
Criteria: Easy Fun Cheap
Answer: Castle Creations!
- Go to the dollar store and buy a container of little men (cowboys, Indians, knights or soldiers)
- Grab a bucket and some spoons
- Find an area with lots of sand or dirt that has access to water
These kids created their castle creations in a sandbox with kiddy pools close by. By the time they were done the pool and the sandbox looked the same…muddy! 
If you look closely at this picture you can see that the evil warrior got catapulted into the side of the castle because he attempted to overthrow the King.
VICTORY! The good knights recovered their Queens castle! Shortly after the mud monsters demolished the entire kingdom… 
There are plenty of other fun things to do in the dirt. Check out these other correlating posts here at Nature For Kids…Dirt Boarding and Digging Station. Send pictures of your castle creations to shawna@natureforkids.net and we’ll post them here.
sandbox, outdoors, kids, summer fun, activities for kids, activities for children, dirt
Mutton Bustin
The rodeo was in full effect this weekend and we were convinced by some friends that it was the place to be! So we put on our pearly button shirts and cowboy hats and took to the arena. Well at least one of us did. Our oldest son, Cru, decided to take part in the Mutton Bustin competition. Now if you’re a real cowboy you call it Mutton Bustin not Busting. So get it right partner!
Before the competition began Cru said, “Cowboys have to be tough huh Dad.. at least that’s what the song just said.”
He got 2nd place and won a John Deer tractor toy with a time of 3.01 seconds. Take a look.
Do your kids love the flying dirt, speedy horses, and wild bull excitement of the rodeo? Send in a picture of your little cowboy! shawna@natureforkids.net
Container Gardening
Now that the spring rush is over, your nearest nursery has more than likely reduced the prices of their flowers and other plants. If you haven’t already done so, now is a great time to let your kids get their hands dirty and make a container garden. It’s an easy way to introduce your child to the fun and rewarding process of gardening and Nature For Kids.
At The Nursery: Choose flowers or vegetables that are already established and ready to be transplanted into your container. Seeds are a little too late to get started now. Try to choose plants that are just preparing to bud out. That way you’ll have the blooming to still look forward too. But we can’t be too picky…it is the middle of June.
Preparing The Container: Find a container with holes in the bottom or sides to allow drainage. This can be anything from a pot bought at a store or an old rusty wheelbarrow found behind the barn. Terra cotta pots are inexpensive and a clean slate for your budding artist. Get out the paints and let your child create a one of a kind container.
Now that you’ve found the container you’ll be using, place a layer of large rocks or gravel, filling the container about 1/4 full. This will be sure to allow proper drainage and save on potting soil. Next dump the potting soil into the container to fill it about 3/4 of the way. This will leave enough room for our plants. Stir up and mix the soil allowing it to soften and aerate a bit. Prepare two-inch holes where you want your plants to be placed.
Transplanting The Plants: Carefully grab the plants (more than likely they’ll be individually set in plastic cubicles). With your fingers squish the plastic base with your fingers. This will loosen up the plant and allow you to pull it out of the plastic easily. After your plant is out gently loosen the roots of the plant without knocking off too much dirt. Place the plant in the hole you dug earlier. Press the dirt firmly around the plant. The dirt should be level with the base of the stem. Place in a sunny spot. To give your plants a boost, feed them a little Miracle Grow or aged chicken manure.
It’s amazing the ownership and responsibility kids will take on after going through this process of picking, planting, and watering. It’s something for them to be very proud of and see quick results for their efforts.
Email us a picture of your container garden at shawna@natureforkids.net!
Filed under Crafts For Kids, education | Comment (0)
Our Dirt Board Fun
After writing the Dirt Boarding post on Nature For Kids yesterday I thought we’d go try it out. So, as promised, here is a short recap on our dirt board fun! Oh and enjoy the music. The boys insisted I put their video to the “Transformers” theme music because, “Mom, it’s sweet and the most best”.
Overall it was a fun and dirty experience. I did the first couple of passes down the hill to pack the dirt down so it would be a little smoother for the kids. They had a blast climbing and sliding for a good hour. It was difficult to pull them away from the activity even though it was getting pretty hot outside. Mentioning popcicles and running through the sprinklers did the trick though. I think we’ll keep an eye out for bigger hills when were out and about in the future.
Do you have any unusual outdoor activities to share?
Filed under education | Comment (0)Dirt Boarding
Well since we’ve been on the subject of Dirt this past couple of days here at Nature For Kids I thought we’d keep on..keeping on. First off let me tell you that if you ever want something fun to do just go to YouTube and search for “Kids and Dirt”. There are heaps and gobs of entertaining movies.
I stumbled upon this one of three kids dirt boarding. You can tell they have experience with skateboarding. It looks like they’re just going down a worn dirt path on top of a skateboard deck.
I don’t know about your neighborhood but ours is surrounded by hills with dirt paths like this made from ATVs. It made it easy for my 6 and 4-year-olds to give this dirt boarding business a whirl. Here’s some good footage for you all to watch.
The dirt or mountain boarding I’ve seen consists of using large skateboards that have bindings and off-road wheels and soooo much faster and intense. So I guess we’re off to a good start using the skateboard deck with these little ones. I’m sure it will provide a slowmotion version of the sport, and hopefully lots of fun. Here’s a short recap of our dirt boarding fun.
Have you ever been dirt boarding? Let us know here at Nature For Kids.
Filed under education | Comments (7)Digging Station
Here’s a great new idea at Nature For Kids…Have you ever heard of a digging station? I hadn’t until I visited The Green Hour Forum. It’s just an area of dirt dedicated for digging, somewhat like a sandbox. There’s no plants or grass. things can be hid in the dirt like toy dinosaurs, a variety of rocks and even worms. For extended fun grab the hose and transform it into a mud station, perfect for pie making. This station can provide perfect unstructured outdoor play time.
Take a look at the Castle Creations post for more dirt filled fun ideas!
At Parenting.com they featured an article about kids and dirt. I found this to be interesting…”There’s a lot to be learned in the dirt, like how worms wiggle and what happens to sand when it gets wet. It also inspires the kind of creative play that’s great for fine motor development – patting, shaping, filling, and dumping small toys,” says Nancy Close, Ph.D., assistant professor at Yale’s Child Study Center.
Check out these great kids having fun!
Kids And Dirt
Is there an unwritten code that says you need to have your child’s uniform clean for every baseball game? I hope not because I’m getting sick of washing Cru’s pants. He’s had four games in the last two weeks and I’ve washed his uniform all four times. At his last baseball game I almost told him to not get dirty and then I thought, that’s the silliest thing to say to a kid before he takes the field. Sliding into base and diving for the ball are the greatest parts of the game.
This whole experience got me thinking about dirt and why I’m fighting against it. I’ve come to the conclusion that the dirt wins! And I concede for good reason. Dirt is fun, natural and inviting.
This story from the Colorado Springs, Gazette helped get me to this point. I laughed out loud when I first read it! It talks about how a pile of dirt was unloaded in the local park and how the technology ridden kids reacted. Here’s a little excerpt. “I don’t see kids in the park much. An alliance of adult-structured activities and “Guitar Hero” seems to keep them from just going out to play.” but when the dirt arrived things changed. “It was as if one had tipped off the others with a text message reading “OMG, DRT PILE @ PARK. L8R.” And they all converged.” The writer goes on to explain, “Here was a desert, a beach, a mountain, a jumping-off point, not just for the mind but for the feet, and a soft landing, too. The appeal was clear, even to an adult.” He goes on to close with “…some joys never seem to go out of fashion: plunging into a pool in July, running across the playground on the last day of school, giving your big sister a wet willy and, it turns out, enjoying a dirt pile.” How true!
So now when my kids come in covered in dirt and other unidentified stains I smile and remind myself I have a bulk sized container of stain remover and a handful of happy kids.
If you have any great snapshots of your kids playing in the dirt send them in to Nature For Kids by email at shawna@natureforkids.net.
