My Little Robins

Loving and Learning in the Nest

Nature Play Inspired by The Big Snow

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I've heard parents say that what they miss the most when their children grow up is playing with them. I think this will be true for me. I love watching my children play, and, when the laundry is folded and lessons are done, joining in on their imaginary scenarios. 

Sometimes, they think them up themselves, and sometimes, they need a little encouragement. The longer I've done this Charlotte Mason early years life, the less guilt I feel for presenting play ideas to my children. Inspiration is always welcome. 

(I've used affiliate links in this post. You can learn more about them in my policies. You might also want to check out my affiliate Amazon Store!)

In the first edition of the Idea Nest, a monthly resource that I'm sending out free this year, I put together some playful ideas for the book, The Big Snow, by Berta and Elmer Hader. Most of these ideas can be done outside or in, but of course, outdoor play is the best kind of play!

When I read the book to my kids, admittedly my six-year-old was the only one who made it through. My four-year-old was intrigued, but became distracted by something else at about the half way point. My two-year-old put in a solid two minutes of attention, which is pretty developmentally appropriate for his age 🙂 I think we will try to read it again, but our Big Snow outdoor play time was a big success. 

Building Shelters

In the book, some animals need to seek shelter, and others don't because they plan to leave. I helped my boys create a tarp shelter on an old, dead tree in our back yard. A shelter can look like anything you and your little ones can dream up, but I basically attached a rope to one end of the tarp, tied it around the tree, then took the other end of the rope and pulled it tight. I staked the other end to the ground, then draped the tarp over the taught rope. 

If I could have found a big stick, I would have made the shelter more like Tinkergarten suggests here.  But I think any kind of shelter is magical for children! 


Once our shelter was complete, we pretended that we were preparing for winter by gathering up pine cones, pine needles, and other nature treasures. 

We also scooped up some icy snow to make an igloo-type shelter. Add some little animal figurines, and this play could go so many different ways! For some STEM play, gather some small food containers and boxes and throw together some shelters. Make a base out of sticks, then top with a yogurt carton or cardboard box roof. 

Related: Schemas of Play in the Great Outdoors

Ice Tinkering

This is probably one of my favorite outdoor play ideas. This fall, we left a mud-kitchen soup pot outside, and it filled up with water. My middle boy discovered that the first big freeze had turned it into a perfect circle of ice. There were natural treasures in it, like pine cones and leaves, things that the little animals in the Big Snow might need for their winter preparations. We dumped the ice out of the pot, grabbed wooden crab mallets that I bought solely for playing outside, and we started chipping away at it. 


Even if you don't live in a cold climate, your kids will love this throughout the year. Put about an inch of water in a plastic container, and then add something from nature, like flowers, rocks, or leaves. When that freezes, add a few more nature treasures and another layer of water. Continue to do this until your container is full and frozen. 

In the warmer months, this is a great way to stay cool. In the winter, it's a sweet celebration of snow and ice- not to mention a way to keep a little one's attention! It also builds gross motor skills, is a good sensory activity for rough-and-tumble kids, and encourages problem solving. 

Related: We Have Play-Based Learning All Wrong

You can join us in our preschool play adventures through the Idea Nest, which is free in 2020. You'll find Charlotte Mason-friendly ideas to anchor your days, including literature, play, and habit inspiration. 






Introducing Idea Nest- Free Early Years Resource

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I was in the camp of "you don't need a curriculum for your young child" until I had a young child who needed a curriculum. He didn't need instruction, but structure. We tried many options, and I realized that I wanted a different feeling in our home for the early years. 

Playful experiences. 

A life fed on ideas. 

Not a lesser amount of formal lessons. 

Nothing formal at all. 

For over a year, I've toyed with the thought of creating a play-based menu of ideas. something that we could pick and choose from, have a structured activity when we need it, and not feel the guilt of another to-do list left undone. 

Related: The Complete Charlotte Mason Preschool Guide


Introducing the Idea Nest

In 2020, I'm putting together free monthly ideas for your early years preschool and mine. The ideas will center around a theme, but not in a unit-study kind of way. We'll explore ideas through books, hymns, Bible stories, and play-based activities. 

January's theme is Fresh Start. You and your family can work on the habit of forgiveness and rework your routines for a fresh start in the New Year. 

Not A Curriculum

Since I didn't want a curriculum, this isn't one. Choose activities that work for your family. When creating this resource, I also thought about my older child. There are things in the Idea Nest that she will love, too, and can be used as a supplement to her year one curriculum. 

My middle guy is so obviously pleased when he knows I have a plan for him and not just his sister. When I pull out a designated book to read to him, or have a little activity, he suddenly feels included. Homeschooling is no longer something just for his big sister and me. He's a part of it, too. 

Read: Why Our Preschool At Home Is Different This Year

Low Prep Ideas

I am not a mom with a lot of extra time for cutesy stuff (have you seen my Instagram account? Hardly a cutesy thing present. Except for my kids 🙂 ) There are a few tools that we use outside that are really fun, but they are mostly ready to go. If there's any preparation for an activity in the Idea Nest, it is very straightforward and not time consuming. 

Sign up below to receive your free Idea Nest and to get access to the subscriber library. 






Froebel’s Alphabet Sticks: ABC’s Outdoors

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Ever since writing my post about Charlotte Mason and kindergarten, I’ve been trying to get more familiar with Froebel’s ideas. Friedrich Froebel lived in the late 18th century and early 19th century, and his principles on early education deemed him the affectionate title “the father of the Kindergarten.” Unfortunately, Froebel did not have an outstanding way with words, as pointed out in an introduction to his collection of letters explaining his Kindergarten principles, Froebel’s Letters. His works are a little cumbersome to read. There are a lot of ideas that Charlotte Mason accepted as valuable for young children, and some of them that she dismissed with sharp allusions in her her volumes. In another pamphlet Froebel wrote, called “How Lina Learned to Write and Read,” my shoulders, which were slightly slumping after poring through his bulky letters, perked up a bit. He recommended building the alphabet with sticks outside, which to me, sounded like a fun, Charlotte Mason style way to learn the ABC’s outdoors.

Froebel’s Alphabet Sticks

In “How Lina Learned to Write and Write,” Froebel described a reading instruction method that is pretty different than what Charlotte Mason described. Lina, at the age of six, showed an interest in reading a letter that her father had received. So, her mother took her outside and taught her how to make letters with sticks. Mother taught her each sound in her name at first, and then she made the letter with thin, small sticks. The rest of the process is somewhat similar: she learned an interesting word, like “father” or “mother”, by learning each sound and its symbol, and then writing it with sticks.

While Charlotte Mason thought that reading and writing were a bit more separate than this, I think the process of writing letters with sticks is engaging, low-maintenance (which I always look for!) and can be done nearly anywhere.

Suggestions

Froebel recommended using thin sticks for this process. We have a pretty silver maple tree, and the smaller branches are perfect for this. We’ve also collected willow boughs before, and their flexible branches would work well for alphabet sticks, too.

Letters with straight lines (like H and T) are the obvious choices when building letters with sticks, but Froebel recommended using a thumbnail to pierce a thin stick to make it bend easily to build letters with curved lines, like R and P. You could even get creative and add in little pebbles or the flexible stems of ubiquitous dandelions. Instead of introducing an entire word and its letters all at once as Froebel recommended, choose a letter that represents the beginning of a familiar word, and introduce it. Teaching an entire word’s worth of letters is a little more ambitious than Charlotte Mason’s approach!

Miss H and I built some letters on the ground, as Froebel mentioned, but we also tied some of the letters together with twine. She had fun playing with the letters for a few days!

When to Start

You can introduce this activity when your child shows interest in letters, although it is probably best with children at least three years and older. Your littlest children can join in too, like mine did! He loved rearranging the sticks for me 🙂

 

Why I Love This

I’m always on the search for ideas that fit with Charlotte Mason’s methods. This stood out to me for a few reasons. 1) H and I have done something very similar to this before. She had a ton of fun with it, and it was a natural, by the way learning experience. 2) It’s outside! Anything that we can do outside always has the added benefit of appealing to all the senses.

Other Ideas for Learning the ABC’s Outdoors

  • Shadow letters: Why not get creative, and make letters with stick shadows? See if your little ones can experiment with holding up multiple sticks to make shadow letters.
  • Mud drawing: When it’s muddy outside, use sticks to write letters in the mud.
  • Stick hunt: Sometimes sticks just naturally look like letters. What kind of stick shapes can you find? (We’ve found Y, L, etc.)
  • Twine sticks: Wrap your alphabet sticks in twine so they keep their shape. Connect the two sticks by wrapping the twine around them several times, and then tying a knot.

Froebel's Alphabet Sticks: Outdoor ABC's ideas for preschoolers.

 

Toddler Schedule for a Charlotte Mason Home

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My middle guy, my E, is three now. He is all energy and angst, moving from cheerful and smiling to angry and destructive faster than a political meme earns angry reactions on Facebook. I’ve realized that beyond a good night’s sleep, keeping a regular schedule is so good for my toddler. We can curb meltdowns when he knows what is coming next. I think that some Charlotte Mason families struggle with this, since our days are not anchored by formal lessons. But, just because we aren’t formally educating our children yet doesn’t mean that we should throw schedules to the wind. Establishing a toddler schedule is developmentally appropriate, and Charlotte Mason mentioned it in Home Education: 

The fact is, the child has already formed a habit of wakefulness or of feeding at improper times, and he is as uneasy at his habits being broken in upon as the cat is at a change of habitation; when he submits happily to the new regulation, it is because the new habit is formed, and is, in its turn, the source of satisfaction. According to Dr. Carpenter, “Regularity should begin even with infant life, as to times of feeding, repose, etc. The bodily habit thus formed greatly helps to shape the mental habit at a later period. On the other hand, nothing tends more to generate a habit of self-indulgence than to feed a child, or to allow it to remain out of bed, at unseasonable times, merely because it cries…'” pages 131-132

 I wanted to share the schedule the works for my toddler, and worked for his sister when she was a toddler, but I imagine that what works for you will be different. 

Toddler  Schedule for a Charlotte Mason Home

(I’ve used affiliate links to share great products with you in this section. You can read more about the in my policies.)

7:00 On our best mornings, I’m up at this time, waiting in the kitchen with breakfast made. I’ve had a shower, a few minutes of Bible study, and an attitude that is ready to conquer all (or at least any temper tantrums that come my way!) At 7:00, our OK to Wake Clock turns green, and an enthusiastic five-year-old storms down the stairs. If her gusto to start the day hasn’t woken up her two brothers, I let them sleep. We have rough time frames in our schedule, anchored by a few big things. It’s best if our morning starts off slowly and peacefully.

7:15-8:00 There’s plenty of time to eat breakfast in our schedule. This works well for us because sometimes we wait until after Daddy has left for work to start eating. And sometimes E will sleep in until 7:30, so this works well for us either way. At breakfast, we read a devotional and a story from a Bible Story Book

8:00 Earlier this year, I rearranged our schedule to fit in a cleaning/getting dressed time. This might sound silly to you, but this was probably the best thing I could have done for E! He no longer fights cleaning up after himself in the morning, or getting dressed. In the past, we just hung out in jammies until we felt like going outside. Heck, sometimes we went outside IN PAJAMAS. This is an awesome perk of homeschooling, but as it turns out, it made those times when we actually needed to get dressed and get out of the house SUPER stressful.

8:30 Now that everyone’s dressed, we have some time to play together. I try to give E direct attention at this time, because I notice that it affects him for the rest of the day. I’m certain that many of his temper tantrums are from feeling a little left out. We play with trucks in our basement play room. Sometimes I’m able to fit in a lesson with Miss H at this time, if she requests it.

9:00 When we’re home, this is Little Brother A’s nap time. Once or twice a week, we leave the house at this time instead of waiting around for A to sleep. If we’re out an about we’re usually:

  • Playing at Tinkergarten
  • At the park
  • Having a play date with friends

Related: The Complete Charlotte Mason Preschool Guide

If we’re at home during this time, we’re probably: 

  • Playing in the backyard
  • In our basement playroom, reading books and playing with trucks, Lego Duplos, or dolls.

10:00 Snack time! No matter where we are, we usually have a snack at 10:00. This helps to anchor our days. Then, it’s back to playing!

10:30 If A takes a good nap, this is when we leave the house. We usually:

  • Go for a nature walk
  • Visit the library
  • Head to a park
  • Run an errand

12:00 is my panic time. If we aren’t home, or close to home, at noon, I start to feel a little anxious. We eat lunch around 12:15, and have about 45 minutes to chat and relax.

1:00 A goes down for another nap at around 1:00. I so wish I could tell you that E goes down for his nap then, too, but he kicked those naps right around 2.5. Instead, I use this as quiet time for my older kids. They play quietly in the basement together, read books, and sometimes watch a TV show.

2:00 After about an hour to myself, I go play with my kids. Miss H usually thinks up a craft at this time, so E ends up playing independently. But, being in the same room as him seems to make a big difference.

3:00 A wakes up from his nap, and my big kids are ready to do something. I try to encourage E to pick an activity at this time because his big sister often calls the shots. In the afternoon, we often:

  • Play in the backyard
  • Make something in the kitchen
  • Do a little craft
  • Play in the basement

4:30 After moving from room to room today, we’ve made lots of good messes. I ask the kids to clean up. E sometimes fights this. He’s usually very good at cleaning up his toys, but it’s the other things he pulls out during the day that make the house feel messy: the socks he threw off haphazardly, the three different pairs of shoes he wore. This is the habit we’re currently working on.  Telling my kids to go clean something without actually following them to be sure that they are indeed cleaning is the only way to get them to play together happily. Ha! So, some days we all clean together, and on some days, my kids go play like they’re best friends in order to avoid me.

5:00 It’s time to start dinner. Sometimes they are still “cleaning” and this makes it easy. On more restless days, I let them watch a TV show. On nice summer evenings, they play outside while I cook. It varies.

6:00 Nate gets home from work around 6:00, and we eat dinner right away. Ideally, we finish dinner by 6:30 or 6:45 so there’s still a little time to play before bed. We don’t give baths every night, so that frees up some of our time in the evening.

7:00 We started to put E to bed a little earlier once he gave up his nap.  He often melts down by 7:30, and then he gets upset when he sees me put Little Brother A down to bed. So we’ve learned that putting him to bed before his nap-loving little brother is best for everyone. We try to put him down to bed at 7:15, which gives him almost 12 hours of sleep.

My Priorities

Right now, my priorities for my toddler guy are that he gets plenty of sleep, and that he gets plenty of time outside each day. These two factors seem to affect the number of meltdowns we have. Unlike his big sister, he does not ask me to read him books multiple times a day. I’m sure this would make some people nervous, but he is in a language-rich environment. He hears stories when I’m reading to his siblings, and he also reads books that he chooses before bed.

Your schedule will undoubtedly be different, but the important thing to remember is that children thrive on routines. These routines, that give our children comforting structure, are also what will aid us in habit training. By doing similar things everyday, we are establishing those triggers, the things that set off good habits.

I don’t try to fit in ALL THE THINGS in our day, and I don’t stress if we don’t tally up four hours of time spent outdoors. My biggest concern right now is that my children have consistency in our home, and that they know they are loved.

This early years planner was created just for you, so that you can add consistency to your days. Plan out daily routines, habits, and choose from a list of Charlotte Mason recommended activities to plan your days. You can find the planner here. 

 

 

Kids’ Advent Calendar Handicraft

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When I think of the word “handicraft,” I think of a project that my kids and I have made together that won’t go into the trash after a couple of weeks. Unlike those little cardboard Advent calendars filled with sub-par chocolates that the grocery store sells, I wanted to make a way to celebrate the season that we’d use year after year. This simple Advent calendar is magnetic and therefore space-saving: just put it up on your refrigerator or other magnetic surface, and when January rolls around, stack the jars and put them away. Kids will love helping you make this, and will especially enjoy revealing a surprise every day.

Advent calendars are often used as a way to merely count down the days until Christmas. But if we thoughtfully consider how what we want to put inside each little jar, an advent calendar can help children focus on Christ at Christmas. You can tie this into other advent traditions, like the Jesse tree or acts of kindness.

Related: 100 Handicrafts for the Early Years

(I’ve used affiliate links to share how to make this handicraft. You can read more about my policies here.)

Kids Advent Calendar Handicraft

I was able to find magnetic spice tins at the dollar store. There were two in each pack. The lids are clear; which kind of ruins the surprise, but if you’ll stuff the containers with Bible verses, the clear lids won’t be a problem at all. We also found the number stickers at the dollar store, except they aren’t very sticky. You can either make sure you buy high-quality stickers, or paint the numbers on with acrylic paints.

To avoid the inevitable fight about who gets to open each door, I bought three different colors of stickers, one for each child. They will know what color sticker they are, and hopefully this will help stop arguments. If it’s not a red day, they’ll have to wait.

Materials

  • 24 or 25 small magnetic spice tins, available at a dollar store (there were 2 in each package)
  • A magnetic surface for your spice tins- this can be a new, clean cookie sheet, or your refrigerator door! You could also use a square piece of wood big enough to fit the 25 tins, and hot glue them on. But that doesn’t save much space, does it?
  • Acrylic paint, in a color of your choice
  • Hot glue gun and sticks
  • Decorative scrapbooking paper, or colored tissue paper
  • Number stickers (optional) I used three different colors, one for each of my children
  • 25 small pieces of paper with Bible verses, acts of kindness, etc., OR small trinkets

Directions

  1. If you chose to use a wooden board, paint it in a color of your choice. If you have a metal pan or are using the refrigerator front, skip this step.
  2. Place the stickers on the tins. This is a great thing for little ones to help with, and a fun by-the-way activity to help reinforce their understanding of numbers!
  3. Measure how big the window is on top of the tin lid. Cut a circle out of the decorative paper so that you can glue it, pattern side up, under the lid. This will hide the passages or objects you put inside the tins. Because I was short on time, I chose to stuff each tin with a little bit of tissue paper to hide the treasures inside.
  4. If you are using a wooden board, hot glue the tins onto the board. If you are using a magnetic surface, arrange the tins how you’d like them. Be prepared to arrange them over and over again, because little ones love playing with these tins!
  5. Open one tin each day to see what’s inside!

 

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