Imaginative Play at the Park

It has been raining almost every day, but today we had a dry afternoon so I decided to take the children to the school yard across the street. I took 4 children, ages ranging from 4 to 7. We started out on the play structure, but when the after-school crowd showed up, we relocated to the grassy field.

What a ball we had! First we did log rolls. We laid flat on the ground with our arms above our heads and rolled and rolled and rolled. Then we moved on to crab walking and racing.

Our final activity lasted about an hour and attracted a number of the after-school children. There was dry grass, cut the previous day, lying about in clumps. One of the children decided to make a small nest. All of the children gathered straw and then picked some mushrooms for eggs.

I suggested that maybe we needed a bird and when two more children approached, one volunteered for the position. We then needed a much bigger nest which required a lot more straw-gathering. At one point we had 8 children participating, but the after-school leader came to fetch our new friends after a while.

We talked about how much work it must be for birds to build their nests, since they can only carry a small amount of material at a time. By the time we finished, we had a giant nest and all four children curled up in it and pretended to nap. They even created straw pillows.

It never ceases to amaze me what simple activities can spark imagination and create hours of lively fun.

Children with Sensitive Skin

My mother recently introduced me to a great product for children with sensitive skin. It is called NutriBiotic Non-Soap Skin Cleanser and can be purchased at health food stores.

If you worry about regular soaps drying out your children's face too much, but still want to keep them clean, this is a viable alternative. It's Hypo-allergenic and pH balanced and doesn't seem to sting their eyes.