My Nature Wand and My Spider Mobile

My Nature Wand is a great activity for ages 0-12, because it allows all children to take an active part in the process. Older children feel empowered to gather all the materials and follow the illustrated instructions, while younger children enjoy playing with the bubbles. Everyone benefits from shared time spent on creativity and problem-solving.

In our Critter Corner, you see that the ground squirrel is the featured animal of the week. At Treehouse, we tailor the week's activities to what you, as a family, might see with the changing of the seasons. Please call up a few friends for a play date and have some fun with the scavenger hunt! These activities are much more enriching for the learning process when other children are learning together.

To download project sheets for printing at home, right-click the image, select "Download as JPEG," and save it to your desktop. Please note that most printers are not borderless, so you may have to cut around the edge to remove the white border. So, print out your project/parent sheets and get outside!

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The Treehouse Family

Treehouse -- Issue1/Fall 2016

I know not everyone is a fan of spiders. Still, it is vital to educate kids that spiders are essential to our ecosystem and without them, the natural order and hierarchy would be in jeopardy. I decided that the Orb-Weaver was our critter this week, so you can share a few fun facts with your child from the parent sheet.

After you have gathered all of your materials for the Spider-mobile project and before your children assemble this week's project, play the Montessori-inspired game, My Spider Eyes. This game is an excellent exercise for little ones who are just learning to count. I have provided the word and small circles so that you and your child can "see" what two looks like and sound out the word.

As for the Spider Mobile project, I have added pine cone weaving in step one because it is a fantastic activity for younger children; it really works on those fine motor skills!