Spring trees
Through my window, sunlit trees are tempting me outside. Swaying ever so slightly in the summer breeze, they catch my eye like waving hands or smiling faces.
Outdoor play
Alas, outdoors and laptops don't mix, at least in my experience, but children should be out there, drinking up the sunshine, the fresh air, and the sensory delights of nature and the elements.
Take a look at that tree
If you're a teacher, parent or carer, how about pointing out a tree, shrub, grasses or whatever summer vegetation you can find, and sharing its grace, colours and movements with your children.
Describe
Feel, watch, listen, sniff your chosen wildlife feature. Does it hum in the breeze? Does it feel silky, or perhaps rough, to touch? Does it glisten or twinkle in the sunlight? Swap and share thoughts.
Catering for the cynical
If it's a dull day, or your children are not turned on by that little shrub, turn the chat around and make it funny. Talk of the downside of plants: the dreariness of a yet-to-blossom shrub, or an overgrown bush of thorns stuck bang in the way of the path! Make up a silly name for it. Think of crazy things you could do with it. But hopefully, they'll love it, especially when they really stop to notice.
Activity value
What sort of an activity is that for a child? you may ask. Well, it's actually several at once, each valuable as a skill-developer and experience-enhancer: observation, evaluating, sharing, describing, summing up feelings and views through words and ideas. With any luck, it was a positive experience, luring your child back out in the sun and fresh air tomorrow! Besides, we haven't quite finished.
Creative follow-up?
Now, how about a sketch of that scene too, complete with caption, for the mantelpiece? And a verse, in an arc, over the top?
Kate
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