TGSG Note: I am excited to have my friend, fellow blogger and cool mom, Leslie Quigley of Recycle Your Day pop over for a guest post.
Enjoy the wiggly squiggly learning adventure.
See ya outside! ~ The Grass Stain Guru
Over the past year, I’ve become a frequent visitor of the Grass Stain Guru for play outdoors inspiration. A couple weeks ago, we resurrected our worm bin so we could begin vermicomposting again.
Our first attempt was a fail so were very eager this time around to do it, right. Since the worm bin has been set up, my (almost) 3 year old son has been intrigued by worm (red wrigglers) behavior and asks to feed them or see them almost on a daily basis. He really enjoys lifting the lid of the bin and watching them all scram back into the soil.
After tweeting about our new worm and bin set up, the Grass Stain Guru herself replied and recommend a book called Diary of A Worm by Doreen Cronin. How perfect, I thought. So, the next time we were at the library we checked it out. The book is filled with lot’s of fun illustrations and has great humor for tots and adults! In the story, the worm keeps a diary of his daily life happenings.
Each day brings adventure for the worm as he tells his highs and lows of worm life. Diary of A Worm is a fun tale that kids can relate to and describes worm behavior in a silly fashion. The book is for ages 4-7 yrs. I think it’s a great read to have, especially, if you’re planning to vermicompost (and have kiddos). It allows your child to dream about the life of a worm and helps them understand their importance.Speaking of worms… How about them caterpillars? Now, that Spring is here, nature is coming to life… which also means it’s also butterfly season. Recently, my husband and I took our boys to Kidspace Museum (Pasadena, California). We adopted two caterpillars as part of their Butterfly release program.
We like to involve our children in nature activities as much as possible and
figured this ways an easy way for our 3 year old to get a bit more understanding of his favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. Since the adoption, we have not been able to take our eyes off of them. Upon adoption we were given a ”Caterpillar Observation” paper which allows your child to draw what he or she may be seeing.My son loves to witness them eating and stretching. We discuss what differences we see and his position. Watching the caterpillars usually keeps him fascinated for a few minutes. Were very excited to witness the metamorphosis of a butterfly occur. I don’t remember doing this as a child!
Once our caterpillars, “Dino” & Dina” turn into butterfly’s we hope to go back for the release. I’m not sure who’s more excited… me or my toddler. LOL!
Whether it’s worms or caterpillars; getting your child acquainted with our friendly critters and nature is imperative to the future of this planet. Spring has sprung… go outside and start digging up some dirt and or worms. Mother nature is calling your name!
