The weather is getting warmer here in Colorado, and we have been taking daily walks right after dinner. The other day, we discovered a pond in our neighborhood filled with goslings, ducklings, and frogs, and it has become a favorite spot for my girls. Ever since we discovered the pond, the questions have started rolling ... Read more
Discover the tools you need for knitting and crochet to create beautiful and practical kitchen items. Explore simple projects to add a touch.
As Big Brother is getting older it's really interesting to see both his interests and skills develop into more specific skill sets. Lately he's been really interested in the building of things (mostly stemming from a love of Legos, Magnatiles, and our wooden railroad track.) As he leans that way I'm finding myself looking for other creative ways to develop those interests and skills. A few weeks ago he had the chance to observe a beaver dam up close with my husband on one of their nature walks. This lead to some great questions. A few days later I followed up with a drive to a local man made dam which he was able to inspect from a distance. When we came home I set up this building investigation in the yard. It was inspired by a great tinfoil river activity we did last year from the amazing book 101 Kids Activities That Are the Bestest, Funnest Ever by the team over at Kids Activities Blog. Similar to that experience, we used tinfoil to create a river (this time on our lawn.) This time we set it up on slight slope. The boys and I also collected natural materials from around the yard that might be useful in building the dam. We collected sticks, acorns, rocks, and old reeds from lilies. I added in a few non-natural materials I also thought Big Brother might want to use: modeling clay, popsicle sticks, and lumber scraps. Big Brother's goal was to be able to get his dam to hold enough water so that these three acorn boats could float. It was so interesting to watch his process, which mostly involved trial and error. First he started with just a pile of the wooden natural materials. When he observed the water move through those, he decided to try using more rocks. With each trial he would tweak his design a little, before trying again. In the end I encouraged him (although I was really trying to let it be his process to try using a little clay. I led him to the idea that he had seen mud on the beaver dams.) He started to get into the idea of building a space for the water to collect. He never quite got to the place where all the boats could continuously float, although his last design definitely best slowed down the water. He continued to tinker on his dam a few more days, and even brainstorm other materials he would like to add in. (Including trying to find some clay like mud on our property.) We'll definitely be looking for other ways to invite building experiences. What do your children like to build? This post may also have been shared at some of these terrific link parties.
A coloring sheet about the Hoover Dam, aimed at 1st graders studying geography and landmarks.
A herbivorous mammal weighing 16–35 kg and measuring up to 1.3 m from snout to paddled tail, the beaver (Castor canadensis) is Canada's largest rodent and the second-largest rodent in the world (after the capybara). It is primarily nocturnal and lives a semi-aquatic life.
. Born into the spotlight as the daughter of two renowned actors, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, Ava Elizabeth Phillippe
Comprendre la forme du terrain est essentiel pour en réussir l'aménagement. Dans le cas d'un extérieur tout en longueur, il convient d'éviter l'effet "couloir" qui peut être désagréable à l'oeil avec des éléments paysagers et/ou menuisés adaptés. Les paliers permettent par exemple de rythmer un jardin long avec plusieurs zones qui se distinguent par leurs niveaux. Créer des allées ondulées, notamment à l'aide de la végétation, est souvent conseillé par les paysagistes pour contrer l'allure jugée "stricte" de certains terrains élancés. Mais on peut aussi choisir d'exploiter cette physionomie singulière en soulignant les perspectives extérieures déjà dessinées. Une pose verticale du bois permet ainsi d'accentuer les contours d'une terrasse longiligne. Et il existe bien d'autres pistes pour rendre un extérieur en longueur agréable au quotidien ; comme en témoignent ces 13 exemples inspirés.
Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam. If you're studying pond life for kindergarten you'll love this activity for your kindergartener to build a beaver dam.
