By Kathryn Peck
Okay, "great outdoors" might be a stretch. Perhaps "Alphabet Practice in the Backyard" would have been a more suitable title.
Either way, I've got 4 kiddos at home, and when it's time to get everyone outside, it often helps to offer new, fun, and relatively specific ideas on what to actually do when we get outside. We usually find something regardless, but sometimes it’s nice to have a plan.
I've got 4 kiddos at home, and when it's time to get everyone outside, it often helps to offer new, fun, and relatively specific ideas on what to actually do when we get outside.
In this case, I borrowed an idea from @where_learning_meets_play and decided we’d try to construct each of the 26 letters of the alphabet with things we found outdoors: sticks, grass, flowers, tiny stones, acorns, etc. My 4-year old is practicing his letters in nursery school, so I knew this would be perfect for him. (And my 2-year old just likes to pick up stones - score!)
We gathered handfuls of grass, sticks and flowers from the yard, which was fun in itself! Figuring out the perfect sized sticks, picking dandelions with plenty of stems, and already discussing which letters they be perfect for.
Inside, on a large piece of cardboard, we got to work. It wasn’t long before my 7-year old joined us. Knowing the letters much better, she was able to help the little ones and was just as interested in the project. Perhaps one of the most fun and most simple activities I’ve come across in a while!
What You’ll Need
- Cardboard base
- Sticks/leaves/grass/flowers from outside
- Glue (to hold tricky letters in place)
- Pencil (optional, if you want to draw the letter for little ones first)
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About the author: Kathryn is the owner of Bicycle Pie and mom of 4 little ones. Also a writer, editor, and former owner of one of Boston's premiere baby boutiques, she continues to write about motherhood, children's products, family life, and all other things that test our skills and patience as parents.
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