Learning Through Play

It’s World Baking Day! Celebrate with the Sweetest Story Around and Some Great Indoor Activity Ideas!

EI Editor Posted On May 17, 2015 | Learning Through Play

Gingerbread Man Treats

The tasty tale of The Gingerbread Man is a timeless classic dating back to 1875! It’s also the perfect prop to help you and your little ones celebrate National Baking Day – the literary way! Check out the story from your local library and then try out these great indoor activity ideas to add some hands-on fun to storytime.Turn The Gingerbread Man into a tasty treat to enjoy during story time by baking your own gingerbread cookies! Whether you use a mix or start from scratch, baking introduces key concepts like measurement and temperature while decorating with icing, raisins, and candies helps develop fine motor skills.Cookie Cutter Printing

Get inspired by this cookie cutter cutie and make your own patterns and prints! Just pour a thin layer of paint in the bottom of a shallow container, like a clean, foam meat tray and set out several simple cookie cutters. Then show your child how to dip the cutters into the paint and press onto a clean, white sheet to create their own patterns and prints. Added bonus – save the artwork and re-use as wrapping paper!Story SparkersEveryone’s got a tale to tell and creative writing is a great indoor activity! Use one or more of the following questions to spark storytelling, write your child’s response on a piece of paper, and have him or her illustrate it.

What could you do to keep the gingerbread man from running away?
How would you catch the gingerbread man if he ran away from you?
What could you do with a gingerbread man if you didn’t want to eat him?
Where do you think the gingerbread man came from?
Where do you think the gingerbread man was going?

Gingerbread Man Science ExperimentAt the end of the story, the gingerbread man jumps on the fox’s back to cross the river. Challenge your child to hypothesize what might have happened to this baked buddy if he tried to swim across the river by himself. Write your child’s answer down and then test the hypothesis with this simple experiment:

Buy or make a gingerbread man cookie. (See recipe)
Place the cookie in a bowl of water.
Check on your cookie after a few minutes - have your child draw a picture of what he or she sees and discuss ways the cookie’s appearance has changed.
Repeat step number 4 at 5-minute intervals until the cookie has crumbled into the water.
Talk about other ways the gingerbread man could have escaped, given the results of the experiment and the danger of riding with the fox.

It’s World Baking Day! Celebrate with the Sweetest Story Around and Some Great Indoor Activity Ideas! Happy World Baking Day!

Gingerbread Man Treats

What could you do to keep the gingerbread man from running away?
How would you catch the gingerbread man if he ran away from you?
What could you do with a gingerbread man if you didn’t want to eat him?
Where do you think the gingerbread man came from?
Where do you think the gingerbread man was going?

Buy or make a gingerbread man cookie. (See recipe)
Place the cookie in a bowl of water.
Check on your cookie after a few minutes - have your child draw a picture of what he or she sees and discuss ways the cookie’s appearance has changed.
Repeat step number 4 at 5-minute intervals until the cookie has crumbled into the water.
Talk about other ways the gingerbread man could have escaped, given the results of the experiment and the danger of riding with the fox.

Get Outdoors and Explore! Our top 10 tools and toys for buggy backyard adventures

EI Editor Posted On May 13, 2015 | Learning Through Play

It’s backyard bug week at EI – time to unplug, get outside, and check out the creepies crawling in your own backyard! Below are ten of our favorite outdoor tools and best backyard toys, perfect for investigating the wildlife in your yard, the local park, stream, or shoreline – and just in time for summer vacation!Little ones love to explore! The bug finding tools below are designed specifically for little kids, making investigation and discovery even more amazing.

GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars, are a must-have for backyard exploration! Featuring extra-large, focus-free eyepieces and perfect-fit goggles with placement guide, even toddlers can get an up-close view of far-off nature like birds, nests, trees, and more.

Turn an ordinary drive into an action-packed nature excursion with the two-in-one GeoSafari® Jr. Science Utility Vehicle! Simply press the handles to reveal the 3x magnifier and study the details of many types of terrain and creatures underneath.

See what lurks beneath the surface with the GeoSafari® Jr. Underwater Explorer Boat! A clear plastic bottom with 3x magnifier provides a clear picture of life underwater.

Capture and study tadpoles, frogs, fish, butterflies, and more with GeoSafari® Jr. Bugnoculars! Built-in magnifiers, snap-lock lid with airholes, and watertight bottom are great for on-the-go scientific studies.

We’ve also got a complete line of serious scientific tools for bigger backyard investigators!

Explore on land or underwater with the GeoSafari® SeaScope! This 4x telescope can be used to scope-out specimens in the water, with a removable flashlight to illuminate dark underwater conditions, a built-in ruler for on-the-spot measurements, and a thermometer for tracking water temps.

Three pocket-sized GeoSafari® Adventure Pens enable kids to collect and capture, examine and investigate, study and learn about anything and everything they find outdoors – on the spot!

Kids can observe and learn with Nancy B’s Science Club™ Binoculars & Wildlife Activity Journal! From wildlife-watching to hands-on learning about the surrounding ecosystem to flora and fauna drawing exercises, the journal is packed with nature activities sure to get kids excited about the great outdoors!

Scientists can get down-to-Earth with Nancy B’s Science Club™ Nature Keeper and Tree Diary! Budding botanists observe and detail seasonal changes in nature with activities like pressing leaves and petals.

The outdoors changes when the sun goes down! Check out these fun finds for nighttime missions.

Little ones can discover in the dark, just like an owl, with the GeoSafari® Jr. Bright Eyes Magnifier! This owl-shaped magnifier includes 2x and 8x magnifiers and red LED night vision lights for nighttime exploring and magnification.

Take a closer look with the GeoSafari® Wearable Adventure Tools: Glasses and collect samples and examine specimens with 6 cool science tools built-in! Includes removable tweezers, collection vial, 6x magnifying lens and more. Great for outdoor STEM summer fun!

Kids of all ages can check out the craters of the moon and more with the GeoSafari® Vega 360 Telescope! With 18x, 36x, 40x, and 80x magnifications, this is the perfect telescope for aspiring astronomers.

Get Outdoors and Explore! Our top 10 tools and toys for buggy backyard adventures backyard-bugs-blog

GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars, are a must-have for backyard exploration! Featuring extra-large, focus-free eyepieces and perfect-fit goggles with placement guide, even toddlers can get an up-close view of far-off nature like birds, nests, trees, and more.

Turn an ordinary drive into an action-packed nature excursion with the two-in-one GeoSafari® Jr. Science Utility Vehicle! Simply press the handles to reveal the 3x magnifier and study the details of many types of terrain and creatures underneath.

See what lurks beneath the surface with the GeoSafari® Jr. Underwater Explorer Boat! A clear plastic bottom with 3x magnifier provides a clear picture of life underwater.

Capture and study tadpoles, frogs, fish, butterflies, and more with GeoSafari® Jr. Bugnoculars! Built-in magnifiers, snap-lock lid with airholes, and watertight bottom are great for on-the-go scientific studies.

We’ve also got a complete line of serious scientific tools for bigger backyard investigators!

Explore on land or underwater with the GeoSafari® SeaScope! This 4x telescope can be used to scope-out specimens in the water, with a removable flashlight to illuminate dark underwater conditions, a built-in ruler for on-the-spot measurements, and a thermometer for tracking water temps.

Three pocket-sized GeoSafari® Adventure Pens enable kids to collect and capture, examine and investigate, study and learn about anything and everything they find outdoors – on the spot!

Kids can observe and learn with Nancy B’s Science Club™ Binoculars & Wildlife Activity Journal! From wildlife-watching to hands-on learning about the surrounding ecosystem to flora and fauna drawing exercises, the journal is packed with nature activities sure to get kids excited about the great outdoors!

Scientists can get down-to-Earth with Nancy B’s Science Club™ Nature Keeper and Tree Diary! Budding botanists observe and detail seasonal changes in nature with activities like pressing leaves and petals.

The outdoors changes when the sun goes down! Check out these fun finds for nighttime missions.

Little ones can discover in the dark, just like an owl, with the GeoSafari® Jr. Bright Eyes Magnifier! This owl-shaped magnifier includes 2x and 8x magnifiers and red LED night vision lights for nighttime exploring and magnification.

Take a closer look with the GeoSafari® Wearable Adventure Tools: Glasses and collect samples and examine specimens with 6 cool science tools built-in! Includes removable tweezers, collection vial, 6x magnifying lens and more. Great for outdoor STEM summer fun!

Kids of all ages can check out the craters of the moon and more with the GeoSafari® Vega 360 Telescope! With 18x, 36x, 40x, and 80x magnifications, this is the perfect telescope for aspiring astronomers.

Great Gifts for Mom!

EI Editor Posted On May 7, 2015 | Learning Through Play

There’s no one quite like Mom! She’s always there when you need her, with a kiss and a hug or a snack and a bedtime story. Help your little ones show their love and appreciation with one of our sweet Mother’s Day printables!Choose one (or all!) of our downloadable coupons, featuring our very own Frida, Frankie, and Shelby:

PLUS, add some color to your Mother’s Day celebration with our downloadable coloring sheet, featuring Mama Frida feeding healthy fruit snacks to her own little chickadees.

[Download Mother's Day Coloring Page]

Happy Mother’s Day!

Great Gifts for Mom! Mother's Day Gifts

PLUS, add some color to your Mother’s Day celebration with our downloadable coloring sheet, featuring Mama Frida feeding healthy fruit snacks to her own little chickadees.

[Download Mother's Day Coloring Page]

Happy Mother’s Day! READ MORE

Gifts from the Heart: Teacher Appreciation Week

EI Editor Posted On May 5, 2015 | Learning Through Play

This week, we've invited a special guest, Marcia Gresko, our product development lead and a former teacher herself, to share some wonderful suggestions for how to tell your favorite teachers “Thank you!” Vases carefully constructed from #2 pencils. Baskets brimming with scented candles and lotions. Homemade gourmet goodies, from salted caramel sauce to buckets of pretzels hand-dipped to look like apples!It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, the time to thank the hard-working professionals who have such an influence on our children. The average elementary school student spends 943 hours a year in school. That’s a lot of time with teachers!As a teacher for 15 years, I’m here to tell you that I marvel at your craftiness and appreciate the gift cards. What I am also here to tell you is NOT to worry if you’re not crafty or are on a budget. What I have framed, kept in albums, and treasured over the years are the heartfelt, hand-written notes from parents and students. My husband, a high school math teacher, has notes and drawings proudly taped to the windowsill above his computer. It truly is “the thought that counts.”

Here are two ways to work with your child to create personal and memorable messages to teachers while also learning some simple poetry forms. Win-win!Cinquain Poetry Cinquains have five lines and a specific structure.

Line 1 1-word title (noun)
Line 2 2-word description of subject (adjectives)
Line 3 3-word words ending in –ing that describe actions (verbs)
Line 4 4-word phrase that expresses feelings or adds to description.
Line 5 1-word synonym for title (noun)

[ Download Teacher Appreciation Cinquain Poetry Template ]

Acrostic PoetryAn acrostic poem uses the letters in the poem’s topic to begin each line. All the poem’s lines relate to or describe the topic.

[ Download Teacher Appreciation Acrostic Poetry Template]

When your child is done with his or her poem, have your child illustrate it.And, if you’re really determined to craft something cute, you and your child can always create a custom frame for the poetry gift. Glue colorful magnetic letters, puzzle pieces, crayons, even buttons to an inexpensive frame, or create a simple frame from wooden rulers.Check our Teacher Appreciation Week Pinterest board for more A+ teacher gift ideas.

Finally, if any of this seems overwhelming, a simple, heartfelt note is lovely!

Gifts from the Heart: Teacher Appreciation Week

Line 1 1-word title (noun)
Line 2 2-word description of subject (adjectives)
Line 3 3-word words ending in –ing that describe actions (verbs)
Line 4 4-word phrase that expresses feelings or adds to description.
Line 5 1-word synonym for title (noun)

[ Download Teacher Appreciation Cinquain Poetry Template ]

Acrostic PoetryAn acrostic poem uses the letters in the poem’s topic to begin each line. All the poem’s lines relate to or describe the topic.

[ Download Teacher Appreciation Acrostic Poetry Template]

Finally, if any of this seems overwhelming, a simple, heartfelt note is lovely! READ MORE

7 Simple Steps for a Stellar Night of Stargazing

EI Editor Posted On May 1, 2015 | Learning Through Play

It's Space Day - time to go galactic! Grab your telescope or binoculars and head outside tonight for some stellar springtime stargazing. Although any clear night is a good night for stargazing, the spring sky offers a great view of some very special constellations that are sure to dazzle your family. Follow the seven simple steps below for a stellar night of stargazing that your family won’t soon forget!

Choose a clear night and a wide open space! It’s tough to see stars through clouds, haze, or fog but the night sky sparkles when it’s clear.
Set up at dusk. Pull out your blankets, pillows, and sweatshirts, find your flashlight and check the batteries before it gets dark. If you’ve got binoculars and/or a telescope, this is the time to take them out and set them up. If you don’t have a telescope, we recommend purchasing a children’s telescope and/or binoculars, like the Binoculars and Moonscope – both are easy to use and come with journals packed with activities perfect for getting kids involved in science.
Don’t forget the snacks! Score a star-shaped cookie cutter and go wild! Press out star-shaped PB&Js, ham & cheese, or grilled cheese sandwiches as a main course. Snack on five-pointed cheese and cucumber slices. And for dessert? Star-shaped brownies and Jello or Rice Crispy Treats pressed into stars and crescent moons.
Start simple – with the moon! Although it’s easiest to see the stars and constellations on a moonless night, the moon is the largest and brightest object in the sky – a great starting place for kids. Next, search for a planet. How do you tell the difference between a planet and a star, you ask? Given their distance from the earth, stars appear to “twinkle” (small changes in the earth’s atmosphere create variances in the way we see the pinpoint of light given off by the star) but planets in our solar system, which are much closer to Earth, appear to give off steady light.
Close your eyes. It’s easier to see stars and constellations when your eyes have adapted to the dark, so squeeze your peepers tight and count to 200. Then try to spot The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper (both visible year-round from the northern hemisphere). The Big Dipper is highest in the sky and the star at the top of non-handle side of its “bucket” leads the eye directly to Polaris, the star that starts The Little Dipper’s handle.
Arc to Arcturus and Speed on to Spica! This simple rhyme will help you find two of the special springtime constellations. Starting at The Big Dipper, follow the handle to the first bright star, Arcturus, in the constellation Bootes. Continue the handle’s path to a second bright star, Spica, in the constellation Virgo. Arcturus – an orange giant - is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, and Spica – a blue giant – is the brightest star in Virgo.
Flashlight fun! When you’re done gazing at the springtime sky, lie back and relax. Enjoy the evening outdoors with your family, and have some fun with your flashlight! From shadow puppets to spooky stories, everything’s more fun in the dark!

7 Simple Steps for a Stellar Night of Stargazing

Choose a clear night and a wide open space! It’s tough to see stars through clouds, haze, or fog but the night sky sparkles when it’s clear.
Set up at dusk. Pull out your blankets, pillows, and sweatshirts, find your flashlight and check the batteries before it gets dark. If you’ve got binoculars and/or a telescope, this is the time to take them out and set them up. If you don’t have a telescope, we recommend purchasing a children’s telescope and/or binoculars, like the Binoculars and Moonscope – both are easy to use and come with journals packed with activities perfect for getting kids involved in science.
Don’t forget the snacks! Score a star-shaped cookie cutter and go wild! Press out star-shaped PB&Js, ham & cheese, or grilled cheese sandwiches as a main course. Snack on five-pointed cheese and cucumber slices. And for dessert? Star-shaped brownies and Jello or Rice Crispy Treats pressed into stars and crescent moons.
Start simple – with the moon! Although it’s easiest to see the stars and constellations on a moonless night, the moon is the largest and brightest object in the sky – a great starting place for kids. Next, search for a planet. How do you tell the difference between a planet and a star, you ask? Given their distance from the earth, stars appear to “twinkle” (small changes in the earth’s atmosphere create variances in the way we see the pinpoint of light given off by the star) but planets in our solar system, which are much closer to Earth, appear to give off steady light.
Close your eyes. It’s easier to see stars and constellations when your eyes have adapted to the dark, so squeeze your peepers tight and count to 200. Then try to spot The Big Dipper and The Little Dipper (both visible year-round from the northern hemisphere). The Big Dipper is highest in the sky and the star at the top of non-handle side of its “bucket” leads the eye directly to Polaris, the star that starts The Little Dipper’s handle.
Arc to Arcturus and Speed on to Spica! This simple rhyme will help you find two of the special springtime constellations. Starting at The Big Dipper, follow the handle to the first bright star, Arcturus, in the constellation Bootes. Continue the handle’s path to a second bright star, Spica, in the constellation Virgo. Arcturus – an orange giant - is the brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, and Spica – a blue giant – is the brightest star in Virgo.
Flashlight fun! When you’re done gazing at the springtime sky, lie back and relax. Enjoy the evening outdoors with your family, and have some fun with your flashlight! From shadow puppets to spooky stories, everything’s more fun in the dark!

It’s International Dance Day – Let’s Boogie!

EI Editor Posted On Apr 29, 2015 | Learning Through Play

The family that dances together… well… they have a lot of fun together! This weekend, why not turn on some tunes and throw a rockin’ dance party for your family? Below are some great ideas to get your little ones moving and grooving. Don’t forget the camera!

Learn a line dance! Search YouTube for the Chicken Dance or the Electric Slide or add some Spanish flavor with the Macarena and bust a move – together. Not only does dancing improve cardiovascular health and build muscle tone, but it also increases flexibility, balance, and coordination.

Rock it – robot style! Throw on Devo’s Whip It! or Styx’s Roboto and show off your best mechanical moves. If you want to impress your older kids (or redeem yourself after showing off your mad moves), rip Daft Punk’s Robot Rock to prove the robot is timeless!

Play the blues, riff some reds, and shred those yellows! Get little ones rocking – to tunes they’ve composed! – with Magic Moves® RainbowJam™ an awesome dance toy for kids! Mini maestros touch the wand to a color to hear its musical note, touch multiple colors to compose their own masterpieces, or sing and dance along to nine jammin’ color songs! Different musical styles – from rock and Latin to jazz and country – keep kids moving and grooving.

Everybody FREEZE! Freeze dancing is always a kid favorite – and it’s perfect for preschoolers, combining physical movement and body control. Playing is simple. Someone mans the music and everybody rocks. Stop the music and everyone freezes! No need to send wigglers “out” – just turn the tunes on and try again.

Throw back – all the way back! – to the 50’s! Pull up some Chubby Checker on Pandora and try The Twist. Then search Dee Dee Sharp’s Mashed Potato Time and follow along with the steps below:

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
Snap your heels together.
Snap your heels outward so your toes are pointing toward each other.
Repeat!
If you’re up for a challenge, try the steps above, but lift one leg to the side as you snap your heels outward (snap heels together, snap the toes of one foot back in as you lift one leg to one side, snap the heels back together, and lift the other leg to the other side).

It’s International Dance Day – Let’s Boogie!

Learn a line dance! Search YouTube for the Chicken Dance or the Electric Slide or add some Spanish flavor with the Macarena and bust a move – together. Not only does dancing improve cardiovascular health and build muscle tone, but it also increases flexibility, balance, and coordination.

Rock it – robot style! Throw on Devo’s Whip It! or Styx’s Roboto and show off your best mechanical moves. If you want to impress your older kids (or redeem yourself after showing off your mad moves), rip Daft Punk’s Robot Rock to prove the robot is timeless!

Play the blues, riff some reds, and shred those yellows! Get little ones rocking – to tunes they’ve composed! – with Magic Moves® RainbowJam™ an awesome dance toy for kids! Mini maestros touch the wand to a color to hear its musical note, touch multiple colors to compose their own masterpieces, or sing and dance along to nine jammin’ color songs! Different musical styles – from rock and Latin to jazz and country – keep kids moving and grooving.

Everybody FREEZE! Freeze dancing is always a kid favorite – and it’s perfect for preschoolers, combining physical movement and body control. Playing is simple. Someone mans the music and everybody rocks. Stop the music and everyone freezes! No need to send wigglers “out” – just turn the tunes on and try again.

Throw back – all the way back! – to the 50’s! Pull up some Chubby Checker on Pandora and try The Twist. Then search Dee Dee Sharp’s Mashed Potato Time and follow along with the steps below:

Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart.
Snap your heels together.
Snap your heels outward so your toes are pointing toward each other.
Repeat!
If you’re up for a challenge, try the steps above, but lift one leg to the side as you snap your heels outward (snap heels together, snap the toes of one foot back in as you lift one leg to one side, snap the heels back together, and lift the other leg to the other side).

Indoor Activity Games: Teaching With Fairy Tales

EI Editor Posted On Apr 27, 2015 | Learning Through Play

Supplement story time with these great, hands-on, indoor activities for kids! Below are some playful ways to bring the timeless tale of The Elves and the Shoemaker to life. You know the story – the elves surprise the shoemaker and his wife with beautiful new shoes to sell in their shop and in turn, the shoemaker’s wife sews tiny little elf clothing as a thank you. A good deed is always rewarded!Indoor Activity #1 – Shoe Shopping CollageHave a collection of catalogs, magazines, or flyers sitting around? Encourage your child to cut out pictures of shoes, sandals, sneakers, boots, or other footwear. Discuss when and where the different types of shoes are worn. For example, sandals are usually worn in warm weather, while boots are worn in cold or rainy weather. Then get out the glue and construction paper and create a Shoemaker collage!Indoor Activity #2 – Shoe ArtKids love hands-on play! Salvage one of your child’s outgrown shoes and create a DIY designerdecoration for his or her room. Or decorate a pair and use them as bookends! Here’s how:

Prepare the shoe by spray painting it a bright or glittery color.(Parents should probably manage this step!)
Help your child gather decorative items such as beads, feathers, rhinestones, sequins, glitter, pom-poms, and other small, lightweight treasures.
Your child can create his or her own couture masterpiece by using Use sticky craft glue and a Popsicle stick or disposable brush to apply items to the shoes.
Let dry thoroughly and display!

Indoor Activity #3 – Thank-You Card Discuss how the elves helped the shoemaker and his wife and why the shoemaker and his wife made the elves clothing. Ask your child to name someone who has helped him or her,and create your own special thank you notes! Decorate the outside of a manila folder with crayons and markers and write the words your child dictates as a thank you note inside.Indoor Activity #4 – Sole RubbingsCheck your family’s closets for shoes with different types of soles and gather a few white pieces of paper and peeled crayons (have your child help you peel afew if you don’t have them on hand – it’s a great fine motor developer!). Then, show your child how to lay a piece of paper over the sole of a shoe and rub the side of the crayon over the paper to reproduce the pattern on the sole. Compare and contrast the different patterns the soles make as well as the different lengths and widths of the shoes.

Indoor Activity Games: Teaching With Fairy Tales

Prepare the shoe by spray painting it a bright or glittery color.(Parents should probably manage this step!)
Help your child gather decorative items such as beads, feathers, rhinestones, sequins, glitter, pom-poms, and other small, lightweight treasures.
Your child can create his or her own couture masterpiece by using Use sticky craft glue and a Popsicle stick or disposable brush to apply items to the shoes.
Let dry thoroughly and display!

Ten Fun Arbor Day Facts That Willow-maze You

EI Editor Posted On Apr 23, 2015 | Learning Through Play

Dazzle friends and family with these amazing Arbor Day facts! Then download this awesome activity sheet from the Nancy B’s Science Club™ Nature Keeper & Tree Diary, full of engaging ways to help your own budding botanist celebrate this special day.1. Green & GorgeousRoughly 1/3 of America is covered by forests.2. Keep on Trunkin’Every six years in Japan, local men careen down the side of a mountain sitting atop enormous tree trunks. This wild ride is part of the 12,000 year old Onbashira festival – hundreds of thousands come to watch and yes, riders have been killed.3. Should It be “Chemis-TREE”?Several legal (and illegal) drugs – including aspirin, chemotherapy drugs, and ecstasy – are produced from chemicals found in trees.4. Different States, Different DatesArbor Day is celebrated on different dates in different states, according to the best planting seasons. Originating in Nebraska with settlers who missed the trees of their hometowns, the first Arbor Day was proposed by tree-loving politician and newspaper editor J Sterling Morton in 1872.5. Barking Up the Wrong TreeThe world’s most dangerous tree, according to the Guinness Book of World’s Records, is the Machineel tree. Found mostly in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, the tree’s dripping sap causes skin blistering and blindness and eating the fruit causes ulcerations of the mouth and esophagus.6. Breathe EasyJust one tree can product up to 260 pounds of oxygen each year. So two mature trees can make enough oxygen for a family of four – each year!7. We Hope She Brought a BookIn 1997 activist Julia Butterfly Hill began a logging protest that lasted more than two years – she spent the entire time sitting in a California redwood tree.8. Hellloooo up there!The tallest tree in the U.S. can be found in California's Redwood National Park. This Coast Redwood is 369 feet tall and more than 2000 years old!9. Tutti FruttiA single grafted tree in New York can bear up to 40 different fruits, including peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, and cherries10. Where am I?You can use a tree as a compass. In the Northern Hemisphere, the rings on a tree stump will be slightly thicker on the southern side, which receives more sunlight.(Compiled from SaveATree.com, TreePeople.org, LandArchs.com, and ArborDay.org)

Ten Fun Arbor Day Facts That Willow-maze You

Celebrate Earth Day! Three Wild Ways to Make Environmentalism More Meaningful

EI Editor Posted On Apr 21, 2015 | Learning Through Play

April 22 marks the 45th annual Earth Day celebration and a great opportunity to introduce your kids to the importance of protecting our planet! Planting a tree, participating in a coastal clean-up, and picking up litter are great, eco-friendly activities, but if you’re up for a bit of a challenge, give these three Earth Day exploration activities for kids a go. They’re sure to make a lasting impression on your little ones, inspiring a lifetime of healthy living and environmentalism.

Eat Your Words!
Visit a local farm and discuss how purchasing locally-grown produce saves transportation energy, and how certain foods take less energy to grow than others (beans take much less energy to farm than livestock, for example). Then hit the grocery store – preferably one that sells local produce – and help your child choose and cook a healthy dinner. Be sure to use cloth napkins, not paper, and share any leftovers with neighbors to minimize waste!
Step Away from the Car – All Day!
Walking to school is one thing, but can your family go all day without burning any fossil fuel? Could you walk to the store and back or take the bus to soccer practice? If that’s not feasible, coordinate a carpool with other parents to cut down on gas and oil usage. It just takes one day to increase your family’s awareness of our dependence on fossil fuels.
Take a Closer Look.
Check out the water near your home with the GeoSafari Jr. Aqua Magnifier. Simply scoop water from any lake, creek, river, or beach and view the contents through the three magnifiers. It’s a guaranteed catch: you’ll find oodles of Plankton and other microscopic critters! Now try this again in your bathtub or sink to see how clean your tap water is, and discuss what your community does to purify your water sources. Talk about what happens in communities without access to clean drinking water and research some of the solutions scientists are working on to help.
Swap, Not Shop!
Ask your kids to go through their toys and find a few gently-used but still-working toys. Coordinate a toy swap with your parent friends and let the kids “shop” for new toys rather than buying them. Discuss where non-recyclable (particularly plastic) items go when they’re thrown away and Google photos of landfills. Trading toys rather than tossing them is a great way to “reduce, reuse, and recycle!”

Celebrate Earth Day! Three Wild Ways to Make Environmentalism More Meaningful

Eat Your Words!
Visit a local farm and discuss how purchasing locally-grown produce saves transportation energy, and how certain foods take less energy to grow than others (beans take much less energy to farm than livestock, for example). Then hit the grocery store – preferably one that sells local produce – and help your child choose and cook a healthy dinner. Be sure to use cloth napkins, not paper, and share any leftovers with neighbors to minimize waste!
Step Away from the Car – All Day!
Walking to school is one thing, but can your family go all day without burning any fossil fuel? Could you walk to the store and back or take the bus to soccer practice? If that’s not feasible, coordinate a carpool with other parents to cut down on gas and oil usage. It just takes one day to increase your family’s awareness of our dependence on fossil fuels.
Take a Closer Look.
Check out the water near your home with the GeoSafari Jr. Aqua Magnifier. Simply scoop water from any lake, creek, river, or beach and view the contents through the three magnifiers. It’s a guaranteed catch: you’ll find oodles of Plankton and other microscopic critters! Now try this again in your bathtub or sink to see how clean your tap water is, and discuss what your community does to purify your water sources. Talk about what happens in communities without access to clean drinking water and research some of the solutions scientists are working on to help.
Swap, Not Shop!
Ask your kids to go through their toys and find a few gently-used but still-working toys. Coordinate a toy swap with your parent friends and let the kids “shop” for new toys rather than buying them. Discuss where non-recyclable (particularly plastic) items go when they’re thrown away and Google photos of landfills. Trading toys rather than tossing them is a great way to “reduce, reuse, and recycle!”

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