We officially traversed over 600 hours outside last year. We’ve hit this particular mile marker the last 2 years, so I’m not overly surprised. We get a LOT of our time outside doing school (intentionally), or accidentally falling into education, because outside is truly the best place in the world to learn. So how do we make this time happen? How do we get our school time in AND 1000 Hours Outside time in?
Have an easy way to take school outside. Our milk crate is one of my favorite items. It’s super easy to load it up with stuff we need for the day, to head out to the yard or porch to do work.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again- chalk is one of the most under rated homeschool tools. You can use it dry, use it wet, crush it and mix it with water to make chalk paint, and it ALL washes away regardless. It comes in TONS of colors, and is economically priced enough that you can use it often and not break the bank. It also washes off of children, hair, and clothes. We use it nearly weekly.
For us, it started with a doodle. Then it turned into a mushroom neighborhood. Then it turned into gnomes for each mushroom house. Within 24 hours we had an entire Gnomie Village. While placing various buildings like grocery stores, restaurants, hospital, cafes, etc….we were intentional about spacing, how far away things like grocery stores were away from the home, road ways and sidewalks to get to places, and all other kinds of city planning. We also worked on spelling and writing as we had to label our various buildings. What started as a doodle, turned into a 2 day city planning lesson, spelling, safety (for the gnomes of course), spatial awareness, and critical thinking.
Chalk is also great for working on math and fractions. The various colors allow for easily color coding different components for easier identification. We drew pies. Whole pies to be exact. THEN, we drew a line down the middle in a different color for halves. A third color gave us quarters. A different pie, and different colors, taught us thirds. Macro coloring on the driveway made for fun, AND easily identifiable concepts because it was all color coded.
With an older sister and a younger sister, we had the PERFECT natural little hand and big hand for telling time. We’ve been working on reading a clock for a few weeks and this was a fun way to get Eleanor involved too. I drew a super sized clock on the drive way. I would tell the girls a time, and Athena would help Nora lay down as the hour hand, and Athena would then find her place as the minute hand. They giggled and had a blast the whole time that they were a clock.
Nature Journals are something I’ve wanted to do forever, and I feel like the girls are finally at a place where they get it enough to really do! I got them each a notebook over the summer, and we started taking it with us to places like the zoo. On a separate piece of paper, Athena will dictate what she wants to write to go along with her drawing. When we get home, she adds her comments to the picture she did while we were out. This way we don’t get stuck sitting forever while she takes her time writing, she doesn’t feel rushed or get frustrated messing up, and she still gets to do her drawing there with the animals.
RIP to the OG Mud Kitchen. After a few years of being outside, and being VERY well loved, it quite literally went to the trash. I am so thankful that over the summer a kind friend passed on the crib they’re no longer using. The plus to this is that it’s a full sized crib, not a mini like our original, so there is enough room for both girls to stand and work! They find rocks, flowers, walnuts, random berries, leaves, and whatever else they can get their hands on to bake in the mud kitchen. Hand me downs, Dollar Store, & thrift stores are the best way to get outdoor cooking gear. Double bonus- the boys across the street love to come over and play at the mud kitchen too.
Family walks are another favorite. We are so fortunate to live around a number of paths/hikes, along with access to the cabin outside of state college. Of course when Dad is with us, we HAVE to bring the boys along. We often stop to check out lichen, try to figure out what mushrooms we’ve come across, various bugs flitting around, tree identification, and so much more. Walks are top notch learning that incorporates family time, and kinetic learning.
The Nurtured Bee 