Importance of outdoor play

In our preschool room, we like to think of our playground as an outdoor learning area. Outside time is not a time for teachers to relax and watch kids play. It is important to engage in activities with your children. I love outside time, because it allows us to do really "MESSY" art projects and activities...which i may love more than the kids!

So far this year we have used our outside playground to:

Plant a garden: 

Children were given seed packets and plastic garden tools. We have two garden boxes in our play yard. One for preschool and one for pre-k. The kids loved digging and using the watering cans to completely saturate our poor little seeds! We have planted seeds about 5 times this year, because the children keep digging them up or over watering them! But finally this time i can see some seedling starting to sprout. HOORAY!

Play in the mud:

Mud play is so much fun and there is no reason to not let your children indulge. Put on their bathing suits and let them have at it!!! Kids use so many of their senses while playing in mud and it's a great way to cool off on a hot day! Plus in the summer you can hose them off when they're done!

Make S'mores in a solar oven:

We used small plastic trays lined with aluminum foil, but you can use a regular cardboard box. 

Line a box with foil and place your S'mores inside. Cover with a foil reflective top (we used poster board) then leave the S'mores out in the sunshine and check on them every 10 minutes to see them "cook"

Ask your children why they think the chocolate melted and the marshmallow cooked?

Eat and enjoy!

Teddy Bear Picnic:

Invite your children and their friends to a teddy bear picnic. Make sure you bring your favorite bear. Set out some blankets and play food for your bears. Some other activities we did at our picnic were teddy bear parachute (bounce your teddies on the parachute) Honey pot bowling with Winnie the pooh ( i decorated pop bottles using acrylic yellow paint and clip art bumble bees) But I must say our children s favorite activity at the picnic was our teddy swings! I tied rope around branches of our trees ( low enough for the children to reach) Then I allowed the children to tie their  bears around their tummies and swing them! It was so cute :) Don't forget the gummy bears and teddy grahams!