Play With Me: Work [Part 3]
By: Shannon Mallery, Program Assistant Sr. - Mature Adults
This week of Play With Me: Ages 6-9 finishes out the Work series. In this installment your little ones will get the chance to do the work that they have always wanted to do, "grown ups" work.
Play With Me is a series of interactive and meaningful activities that you can do over technology with the children in your life. Before getting started, adult assistance will be needed to help collect and setup supplies for the children. Consider sending the supply list ahead of time so the adult can prepare in advance.
For this week it is important to note that they ability level of each child varies. Please only use the items for the activity below that you feel your child can handle safely.
Supplies/Setup
This week of Play With Me: Ages 6-9 finishes out the Work series. In this installment your little ones will get the chance to do the work that they have always wanted to do, "grown ups" work.
Play With Me is a series of interactive and meaningful activities that you can do over technology with the children in your life. Before getting started, adult assistance will be needed to help collect and setup supplies for the children. Consider sending the supply list ahead of time so the adult can prepare in advance.
For this week it is important to note that they ability level of each child varies. Please only use the items for the activity below that you feel your child can handle safely.
Supplies/Setup
- Clear jar
- Soil
- Rocks
- Moss
- Small plant
- Craft stick/or long object
- Water
- Grow Chart
Chances are you have been doing some sort of work out of doors. Whether it is getting your garden ready for winter or raking up leaves. Fall is a season of change that brings plenty of work with it.
While things like raking, cutting and digging with a garden shovel may be beyond the abilities of young children they are still very curious about out of doors work and would appreciate being able to be a part of what is going on in the yard and garden. Although this Fall it might not be possible to work in the garden together you can still plant together, just in a different way perhaps. This year you can garden in a jar! As I walk around my yard I see some little plants and seeding trees that are just getting big enough to be noticed. They are perfect for planting in a jar.
You and your little one can play guardian to these little plants over the winter, give them water, make sure they have sun and watch them grow. In the spring you can transplant them back into the garden. It will be a lesson in responsibility and caring for something and you can do it together. Print the attached chart to keep track of your care giving actions. Touch base regularly with your little one to share and talk about your progress.
You can use any small clear container to plant in. I used an empty spice jar and a fancier covered jar. The covered jar once belonged to a beloved member of the family and makes using it for this project even more meaningful. Perhaps you have something similar with a personal connection that you or your child can use.
To make you plant in a jar:
You and your little one can play guardian to these little plants over the winter, give them water, make sure they have sun and watch them grow. In the spring you can transplant them back into the garden. It will be a lesson in responsibility and caring for something and you can do it together. Print the attached chart to keep track of your care giving actions. Touch base regularly with your little one to share and talk about your progress.
You can use any small clear container to plant in. I used an empty spice jar and a fancier covered jar. The covered jar once belonged to a beloved member of the family and makes using it for this project even more meaningful. Perhaps you have something similar with a personal connection that you or your child can use.
To make you plant in a jar:
- Fill the bottom 1/5 of the jar with small rocks.
- Add soil in the next 2/5. Use enough soil to cover the roots of the plant with a little room to grow.
- Make a small hole with the craft stick in the soil to place the plant in. Don't go all the way down to the rocks.
- Place the plant in the hole so that there is soil below the roots. Cover the top of the roots with soil as well.
- Pat the soil down a little to secure the roots in place.
- Place the moss on top of the soil. The moss will help cut down on bacteria and other toxins in the jar.
- Add a very small amount of water to settle the plant in.
- Keep in indirect sunlight.
- Water as necessary.
- Remove any rotting material.
A completely closed jar will need to be opened and aired out if there is condensation on the inside.
You can use an eye dropper to water smaller planted jars.
Next week's Play With Me starts the "family" series! Until then, Stay engaged, Be heard and remember to Play More with DPR!
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