Learning About Trees

After we made our flower we moved onto learning about trees. Bubble was fascinated by the roots so we Googled some pictures that showed how they were underground, and discussed the way trees use them to get water and nutrients.

WE USED:

* toilet roll
* scissors
* glue
* sturdy cardboard (the thicker the better)
* cotton balls
* green food colouring diluted with water
* paintbrush
* tape (we used masking tape)
* twine or brown wool

Lay the toilet roll onto the cardboard and using the top as a guide draw your branches. You want a flap as wide as the top of the roll at the bottom of the branches.

Cut a slit in each side of the toilet roll so the cardboard branches can slot into the top.

Glue cotton balls to each branch - as many as you like!

Using a paintbrush (or cotton bud) paint the cotton balls with the green diluted food colouring.

Lay a strip of tape along your work surface sticky side up, and attach short lengths of twine all the way along. The tape can then be stuck around the inside edge of the bottom of the tree trunk.

Triangles and Pyramids

We did a few volcano related activities today, and subsequently learnt about triangles and pyramids as well.

WE USED:

* paper
* pencil
* ruler
* scissors
* cardboard (we used a opened up cereal box)
* sticky tape
* textas/colour pencils

Draw a triangle on your piece of paper making sure each side is the same length. I made our triangle 5cm on each side and ensured they were even using the following method:
Draw a line for the base of your triangle to the length you want.
Use a ruler to measure and mark the central point on your line. Draw a line straight up from this central point (make this line longer than your chosen dimensions).
Using the ruler again draw your side lines using the central line as a guide. Make sure the end of your ruler is fixed at the end of the base line and then adjust the other end of the ruler along the central line until it sits on your chosen measurement.
You'll now have a perfect triangle with equal sides.

Use your triangle template to make the outline pictured above on your card. To draw the square just make sure each side is the same length as those on the triangles.

Cut your shape out.

Use your ruler to bend along each fold line.

Once all of the lines are folded over it should easily form a pyramid. Draw on your details with texta and pencils before taping up. I made three of these and hid Bubble's afternoon tea inside them (blueberries, rice wheels and a babybel cheese) before we went to the park - she loved discovering what was inside her "canos" :-)

Triangles and Pyramids (Part 2)

Another volcano/pyramid activity, this time using straws. This was lots of fun, we'll be doing it again tomorrow and trying out other 3D shapes, like cubes and maybe a sphere if we get very ambitious!

WE USED:

* straws
* scissors
* ruler
* marker
* blutac (could also use plastacine or playdough)

Cut some straws into equal lengths. To make the job a bit easier I laid our straws along a strip of blutac on the table, measured along them in 5 cm increments and then drew a line across with permanent marker.

Using the pen lines as guides Bubble and I then easily cut the straws to the right length without having to measure each one.

Roll some balls of blutac.

You can now use your straws and tac to create 3D shapes. Bubble was fascinated by the triangles in the pyramid and counted them all.

Bubble making her own volcano structure.

Looks like an active volcano to me - so very cute :-)

Beach treasure hunt

Bubble and Squeak have both been into pirates lately; Bubble gets around singing a pirate song she learnt from one of her favourite dvd's and wearing a pirate hat, and Squeak toddles along behind saying "ahhhrrr!". So today we headed down the beach to have our very own treasure hunt, it was easy and so much fun we will be doing it many times I think!

WE USED:
* small shovels
* small toys from a dollar store (it cost only $9 for all of the ones we used on our treasure hunt; two sea animal toys, a whistle, some sea slime with a whale toy inside, a set of rings bangles and gloves and some plastic bead necklaces)
* small plastic bags (ziplock would be best) or paper bags
* peg basket

I placed each of the little toys into a plastic bag to protect it from the sand, and then while Bubble explored the rocks I quickly buried them in different spots, marking each with a big 'X'. Squeak had fallen asleep during our walk to the beach, but Bubble had a ball discovering the crosses and digging up each treasure like a real pirate.

Other ideas:
You could make your treasures to fit a theme, or create pirate maps to show where the treasures are buried. The treasure doesn't have to be toys, it could be beautiful shells or maybe pieces to a puzzle that the kids can put together at the end of the hunt.

Please Note:
it's really important that you make sure everything you bury is dug up again, and nothing is left behind. If you have a lot of items to bury then mark where they are clearly and keep count so nothing gets missed. Also check the time of day that you are digging so you aren't taken by surprise by an incoming tide :-)

We used the peg basket to sift the sand and find shells and rocks. We also used it to carry our treasure once it was dug up.

Bubble digging up treasure.

Her first find, some play sea animals.

Some sea slime and a toy whale.

It wouldn't be a treasure hunt without something sparkly :-)

More sparkly treasures.