5 Outdoorsy Activities for Spring

GeorgeLouis at English Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

It’s spring and it won’t last, even if it’s not warm enough as yet in some parts. Let’s make the best of it and spend time outdoors. Get the family out and more importantly get the kids to play outside. Here are 5 outdoorsy activities for this spring:

1. Take a walk in the woods. No woods? No problem. If you live in a city, check out the urban wildlife. There are always those plants and critters which brave the concrete and crowds in our cities. Spot them. Observe them. Take pictures.

2. Try a new outdoorsy sport. Hesitant? That’s not unusual. Perhaps you should try it with a friend? 

3. Have kids? Well, get them to sit outside in a nice shaded area and try a craft. It’s the outdoors – clearing up messes is easier! 

4. Have a picnic! Yes, a nice old fashioned picnic. Make some simple food and carry it to a place where you can have it at an unhurried pace. Hey, don’t forget to carry some water or other fluids. 

5. Meet family and friends. It’s a good time to catch up with family and whatever’s been happening in their lives. Put a table out and enjoy something cold to drink, snacks and chit-chat. It’s important for both you and your family to socialize, don’t overlook it.

 Well, that’s a short easy list to follow. Go on, enjoy your spring!

English Games to Practice Phonics with Kids

For the time-strapped parents, here are 4 5-minute English games to practice phonics with your preschoolers at home.

Alphabet Cookies

This is an English activity that will taste good too! Employ kids to make the cookie dough. Have them measure 2 cups of softened butter and 1 ½ cups of caster sugar in a bowl. Give them a plastic ladle with a blunt and comfortable handle to mix the ingredients. Help them fold in an egg yolk 2 tsp vanilla extract and briefly beat until it’s of a firm texture. Sift 3 cups of plain flour and give them to the kids to mix with the dough. Have the kids use their hands then to mix and press the dough. Begin the lesson with them when the cookie dough is ready. Dictate letters and have them make the letters with the dough on a pre-buttered and pre-heated baking tray. Bake them then and you will have alphabet cookies to go with your coffee and milk for the kids!

The Name Game

After learning single syllabled words, it’s her own name that the child learns to write. Here is an English game with names. Cut out a few more squares from white paper than as many letters in your child’s name. Write a letter each from her name and a few more random ones on the squares and tuck them away in an envelope. Hand over the envelope to the child and ask her to form her name from the letter cutouts in the envelope. Praise her performance at the end of it.

The Spring Game

Besides practicing syllables with your child, this English game will help them practice reading too. Find out 10-20 spring related words. Take an A4 sized white paper and fold it into half lengthwise. Write the second syllable of the spring words on the left fold and the first syllable on the right. Have them choose the correct syllable from the right and write it on the left fold to complete the words.

The ‘E’ Game  

Besides practicing phonics, you child will learn new words while playing this English game. Give her several cutouts of the letter ‘e’ and write down a list of words that will make complete and meaningful words with ‘e’ in the end and another set that will not make words with ‘e’. Have her glue ‘e’ next to the words that she feels make sense with an ‘e’ in the end.

Have fun exploring the funny world of the English language!