Outside Play

Now that the weather is warming up we are spending much more time outside. My kids love the outdoors, so much in fact it is always a challenge to get them to come back in. Insert Boog telling me "no in, no in" over and over again and Littles crying/going limp to make it difficult to pick her up and bring her in. (okay it isn't always that way, sometimes they listen and come in without putting up a fight).

Playing "catch me" at the park

Outside play is very important in this house, not only because of fresh air, sunshine and exercise, but because it has been a great teaching tool with Boog.

One of the first few words he started to use was "Out" which meant he wanted to go outside. He has always enjoyed it.

Boog 3 months old basking in the sun.

 As Boog has gotten older he has become increasingly interested in nature and exploring it (a big part of this is bugs and finding them). How I create my "lesson plan" is purely base on what he finds. For example: If we find a Lady Bug I have him say "Lady Bug" back to me and repeat it at least three time (repetition is key). Then I move on to describing the bug and then have Boog describe it to me. Through out the day I ask about the bug to reinforce what we learned earlier outside. This simple task has increased his growing vocabulary and encouraged him to use three word phrases. When Boog now see a Lady Bug he tell me, " Tiny Lady Bug. Lady Bug Tickles." This has also helped with Littles too, she tells me "bug" now whenever she spots one!

In the recent months we have added Rollie (Rollie pollie), pinch bug (earwigs), Spider, lady bug, tickle, ant, sand, worm, red, black, white, and many more to his everyday vocab. This many not seem like much to most parents, but it means the world to me. My little boy who couldn't even call me "Mama" at two years old, can now describe the world around him to me!

So take your kids outside and have them show you the world through their eyes, it is a magical place!!