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Learning Together Joyfully: All About Spring

Spring brings new beginnings as the shadows grow shorter, days grow longer, and the birds return to sing. Springtime can renew our energy and motivate us to pursue new activities and enjoy nature. If you are a parent, grandparent or educator, busy balancing your many daily duties, and looking forward to enjoying the Springtime with your children — read on! Here you will find engaging and interactive Springtime activities appropriate for family members or for the classroom. Now that daylight saving time has arrived, you may even have time to explore the Resources section of the playlearngrowtogether.com website to reflect on the “why’s” behind these ideas. This one stop blog shares up-to-the-minute tips for you and your family to explore together (virtual or real) in your local community or around B.C.’s lower mainland. All this and more in this bi-weekly post for you to consider as you play, learn and grow together!

1.  Read and Sing together 📚 

“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading at all.” ―Oscar Wilde

READING:

“Reading is dreaming with open eyes.” ―Anonymous

How can you encourage your children to listen and talk about reading and language, or beg for a bedtime story or a trip to the library even when they choose the same books each time? Take their lead and sing, read and share their favorite books daily! The following favorite books about springtime activities may encourage you to build literacy activities into your daily routine. Reading together, planting bean seeds, watching birds’ build nests, playing outdoor games or observing all the different flora and fauna activity during Springtime are engaging learning opportunities whether enjoyed in the classroom or at home.

  • Plant some bean seeds and share videos or the book of the classic story – Jack and the Beanstalk.
  • If your child is ready to enjoy discussing the beginning, middle and end of the story, here is a sequencing activity to download and do together.
  • The following titles, including links of where to purchase them, encourage exploration of what Springtime has to offer to children and families.   
  • Happy Springtime by Kate McMullan
  • Share this U-tube presentation of the book Have you seen Birds? by Joanne Oppenheim and Illustrated by Barbara Reid. Examine and discuss the beautiful detailed illustrations and use of different coloured plasticine with your child. Consider making play dough or purchasing modelling clay for children to create their own real or imaginary birds.
  • These simple questions can stimulate discussion and familiarize children with the parts of a story. Keep in mind the primary purpose of reading together is to develop children’s love of books and reading so the purpose of asking questions is to enhance their understanding of the story.
  • Of course –most of these books are available to borrow from your local public or school library.

SINGING

Singing a Springtime song is a great way for children to explore rhyming words and become attuned to the rhythm of language. Their receptive language skills or ability to listen to the pattern or sequence of a melody, lyrics and patterns are enhanced through singing and build important early math and reading skills.

  • At the end of a cold and cloudy winter, spring is the perfect time to talk (and sing!) about the sun! Enjoy this set of Spring songs with lots of movement, laughter and learning. Be sure to include classic songs such as Mr. Sun performed by Raffi.

2. Create together: Building and Moulding 🧩 

“Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within a child.” ~ Joan Almon

“Learning recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge.” ― First Peoples Principles of Learning

  • Young children love to use their imagination to create and then tell someone about how they created their finished “masterpiece”. Play dough or modelling clay facilitates these positive experiences for children. It also allows them to strengthen their fine-motor skills; feel emotionally proud, competent and confident; build language and vocabulary to describe what they are doing; and with adult prompting learn more about numeracy.
  • If you wish to purchase some modelling clay check out these two web sites:
  • If you have time to make play dough with your child, here are plenty of Play Dough recipes.
  • To encourage numeracy learning while enjoying play dough:
    • Make the recipe for play dough and discuss quantities as you measure the ingredients together;
    • Ask children if they can make different shapes? a circle? a square? a triangle?
    • Play the Dice match game
  • Mathematical skills and knowledge, such as understanding sizes, shapes and patterns, counting, adding, subtracting and sorting are skills that can be increased by playing with play dough as well as blocks. As you use blocks and play with your children, be aware of some important and fun questions you can ask to further develop their mathematical skills. Read more about some questions to prompt children to expand their vocabulary and further develop their sense of numbers.

3. Explore together 🌍

  •  “The point is that the pleasures of spring are available to everybody, and cost nothing.” ― George Orwell

Spring is a perfect opportunity to include authentic science-related activities into your family outings or classroom. Watching birds, planting seeds and gardens, observing the release of fish at the hatchery or exploring local indigenous art are all opportunities to highlight real-life learning experiences and engage in outdoor physical activities. These types of activities promote motor development and support children to use and learn about all parts of their body, to use both sides of their body, and ultimately to become physically stronger.

ACTIVITIES TO DO ANYWHERE

  • After your birding adventure, enjoy reading magazines that offer further information about birds and how they live. Magazines are another format of books to read and often include a combination of games, activities, stories and factual information. They are a great way for children to be introduced to the differences between non-fiction or factual stories and fiction or story narratives.

ACTIVITIES AROUND THE LOWER MAINLAND

  • Salmon Release Tour:

HIKING

  • Hike through Cates Park and discover the collection of indigenous art located in and amongst this spectacular setting.

4. Engage and Interact:

“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” ― Leo Tolstoy

“Relationships are at the heart of well-being.” ― Dr. Jean Clinton

The partnership between school and home – the relationship between educators, parents and children – is now understood to be of critical importance. As educators seek to understand their students’ learning styles, what motivates them, and their unique gifts and abilities, partnering and engaging with parents, becomes paramount to the success of any child’s well-being and learning. More and more, we are seeing educators seek ways to interact with parents who they now view as the child’s first and most important teacher. Where possible and as time allows, it is equally important for parents to be involved with their child’s school and educators. When a strong partnership between home and school exists, there is a free flow of ideas and communication describing and enhancing the learning of the children. The following imaginative play activities are but one way for home and school to work together to develop children’s movement, enjoy dance, song and drama and engage with the natural environment.

ANYTIME, ANYWHERE:

  • Go a hike, take binoculars and scout out Robin’s building their nests.  Afterwards, share the video of some ravenous baby robins fed by their mother. 
  • Have fun together on a Bear Hunt as you pretend you saw a bear on your latest hike. Mime the actions, along with the author Michael Rosen, as he reads and shares his storybook. 
  • Have plenty of GAMES available to play with friends or family in the classroom or at home.

ACTIVITIES AROUND THE LOWER MAINLAND:

  • Check out the summer camps at UBC. There are a wide variety of choices – everything from farm wonders to ropes course to music programs to exploring farm wonders. Hurry though as the camps are filling up quickly!
  • Sign your child up for the Weekend Nature Club at VanDusen Botanical Garden!
  • If you and your child are interested in music, check out the outstanding VSO Summer camps – virtual and live!

5. Reflect: Thoughts of the Day… about Spring, Inquiry, and Play-Based Learning 💭

“Spring is painted in daffodil yellows, robin egg blues, new grass green and the brightness of hope for a better life. Spring is far more than just a changing of seasons; it’s a rebirth of the spirit.” ―Toni Sorenson

Spring is a time for rebirth and hope for the future – which is very much needed these days. Learning about the seasons supports children to learn about patterns and the passage of time and change ― whether it is the weather, impact on wildlife, or food we grow and eat. Each of the seasons offers educators, parents and care-givers opportunities to enhance children’s literacy, numeracy, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Music) development through inquiry-based learning activities. Children learn best by engaging in tangible topics that they can observe, question and experience in stimulating and dynamic environments. Inquiry-based activities, that focus on children’s questions, interests and observations, stimulate and expand their knowledge. Ideas that focus on nature, such as included here, encourage joyful learning for educators, families and early learners as they play, learn and grow together.

Upcoming April, 30 2021 Blog: Social Emotional Learning