Without a functioning recycling system where we live, I tend to hoard recyclables in hopes of putting them to good use at some point. Tin cans, cardboard flat packs, paper rolls, glass milk bottles… You name it, we’ve got it.
Tag Archives: Earth Day
{Muffin Tin} Spring Nature Hunt
In honour of Earth Day, Miss G and I took to the streets of our neighbourhood for a little spring-themed natured hunt today. It was the perfect way to spend our afternoon…soaking in some sunshine, taking in the fresh air, and observing the nature around us a little more closely than we usually do.
Beforehand, while Grae was napping, I gathered up a few things… A muffin tin to serve as a collection receptacle, a print out of nature item tags sized to fit in the bottoms of muffin cups, some scissors, and some tape.
In order to create my tags (which were printed on paper from our recycling bin…hence the holes), I simply created 12 circles sized to fit in our muffin tin (4.5 centimetres in diameter for ours), found some clipart via Google Images, and added some text.
Then I printed them off, cut them out, and stuck them into the bottoms of the muffin tin cups with small pieces of rolled tape.
When Gracen woke up, she was eager to get outside and get searching. We quickly went over the items we’d be on the lookout for and headed out. First stop? The backyard to see if there were seeds underneath our plum tree. Sure enough, there were!
Dandelions and grass were easily collected in our yard, and then it was off down the street to one of the few trees that still has blossoms on it.
After each new find, Grae would take inventory, decide on a couple of new things to focus on, and head in a particular direction.
This time she decided we’d better head back to the backyard to collect some flower buds, moss, and soil from the garden – success!
One of our last stops was to collect a few clovers from a little patch growing through some brickwork in the front of the house.
At this point, we had done pretty well, but as hard as we’d looked, we hadn’t yet found a mushroom or a feather.
We decided we’d take a little break in order to some sidewalk chalk art, and Gracen would ask Papa to take her out again once he returned from work for the evening. Low and behold, they returned with the entire tray full!
Gracen really enjoyed this activity and we’ll definitely be using the muffin tin method in games and hunts in the future. It gave a clear visual of what was needed and what had been found, our items stayed in place and were organized, and Grae really liked everything having its own spot and filling up the entire tray.
♥
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Earth Day Festival in Everett Crowley Park
This morning Miss G and I ventured just a little ways down Marine Drive to a spot we’ve never been before… Everett Crowley Park. Once a landfill, the park is now a huge green space filled with trees, trails, and wildlife – the perfect spot for an annual Earth Day festival.
We arrived fairly early on, meaning that Gracen had her pick of equipment to test out and play with.
We really didn’t know how to properly use this little contraption, but all that mattered to Grae was that it was purple, sparkly, and perfect for swinging around.
After enjoying the toys, we joined the mass and lined up to create some outdoor art. First job – collecting a stash of pretty rocks, glass stones, and shells.
Gracen would have been perfectly happy if playing with her pretty rocks was the activity in itself.
But there was more… We were waiting on some cement mix.
When it arrived, she carefully transferred her gems into the mix, giving each a gentle poke in order to set them in.
With her project finished and in the drying area, we headed off to the face painting station. Earlier on, Grae had seen a little girl with a sparkly butterfly mask painted on her face, and she was certain she wanted one too. The line was painfully slow moving, but we used our time in it as a lunch break and made some friends along the way.
Before we knew it, it was Gracen’s turn.
She sat bravely and patiently, inspecting the artist as she painted.
When it came time to painting the black outline, Grae decided she was done and wanted nothing more to do with the whole process. Luckily, the painter had a trick up her sleeves – sparkles!
So with the promise of sparkles being added at the end, Miss G sat a minute longer.
And she was glad she did. You should have seen the proud little look on her face when she saw herself in the mirror!
Face painting complete, my little butterfly and I headed back to collect her {almost} dry garden rock.
Pleased as punch, she insisted on walking herself out of the park and carrying her cement block the entire way. I’d say it was a good day.