The beauty of focusing on a letter and number (or math skill) each week is that you can easily tie these into everyday activities. Without much thought or preparation or supplies. And why not do some of these impromptu activities outside? As Albert Einstein said, "Look deep into nature and then you will understand everything better." Here are 12 different outside activities to do with your child that tie in letters, sounds, counting, colors, seasons, and weather!
Outdoor Scavenger Hunts
1. Look for objects that begin with the letter sound of the week
2. Find a handful of one type of object in different sizes (4-5 stones or sticks) and then line them up smallest to largest, comparing them and using "bigger, biggest, smaller, smallest" vocabulary
3. Do one of our free picture drawing Outdoor Scavenger Hunts! There are 3 Outdoor Scavenger Hunts in one download printable: Letter Sounds, Shapes and Sizes, and Colors and Textures
Crafts and Projects Integrating the Outdoors
4. Paint the letter of the week on a rock or decorate a rock with a certain number of spots or stickers
5. Print a free coloring page on a topic that really interests your child (let them pick the page!) and color together outside
6. Create a Mini-Museum: Help your child make small label cards for a few interesting objects they find outside, sneaking in some letter practice by focusing on beginning letter sounds and/or having your child write or trace the labels (see picture below!)
Enjoy Our Beautiful Earth and the Seasons
7. Go for a rain walk with an umbrella and talk about the different types of precipitation in your seasons
8. Create a Spring Weather Worm (see picture below!)
9. Go for a walk outside: sing your ABC's while walking or do letter of the week action items (bounce for "B", hop for "H", skip for "S", tiptoe for "T")
Respect and Learn about Wildlife
10. Make and hang up a Cheerio bird feeder, counting out certain numbers of Cheerios (just thread Cheerios on a pipe cleaner or garden wire and then tie it in a knot at the top and hang it on a tree)
11. Read a children's book about insects or birds outside and then look to see if you can find any of the insects or birds you just read about to connect reading to real life
12. Go for a walk after a rainstorm and gently put earthworms from the sidewalk into the grass - count how many you save!
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