I Love Dirt!: 52 Projects to Help You and Your Kids Get Outside, Get Dirty, and Enjoy Nature
I Love Dirt! presents 52 open-ended activities to help you engage your child in the outdoors. No matter what your location—from a small patch of green in the city to the wide-open meadows of the country—each activity is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a child's sense of wonder.\ To learn more about the author, Jennifer Ward, visit her website at jenniferwardbooks.com and to learn more about the illustrator, Susie Ghahremani, visit her website at...
Search in google:
I Love Dirt! presents 52 open-ended activities to help you engage your child in the outdoors. No matter what your location—from a small patch of green in the city to the wide-open meadows of the country—each activity is meant to promote exploration, stimulate imagination, and heighten a child's sense of wonder. To learn more about the author, Jennifer Ward, visit her website at jenniferwardbooks.com and to learn more about the illustrator, Susie Ghahremani, visit her website at boygirlparty.com. Julianne J. Smith Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. - School Library Journal Children's picture book author Ward (Because You Are My Baby) has compiled a slim book of activities designed to introduce to children ages four to nine the joys and mysteries of nature. Arranged by season, each activity is basically a variety of "stop, look, and listen," whether involving the birds, flowers, leaves, or snowflakes. With a few exceptions, the activities themselves are minor and are mostly discussion questions (e.g., Do puddles look like mirrors? Can you draw with mud?). Activities are accompanied by Q&A sidebars called "Help Me Understand" that answer a common question children will ask (e.g., Why does it rain?), and each ends with a checklist for desired outcomes, such as stimulating wonder or stewardship. While the importance of outdoor play is heavily documented, many kids today simply won't have the patience to stargaze with mom, and most parents won't have the time to sit quietly and reflect on what it might be like to be a butterfly. A book with more hands-on activities is likelier to connect. Not a necessary acquisition for libraries.
Foreword Richard Louv ixAcknowledgments xvIntroduction xviiSpring: Activities for Warm Days and Rainy WeatherSpring Into Spring 3Bouquet of Color 5Move Over, Clover 7Hear, Here! 9Wiggly for Worms 12See That Tree? 15Leaf Looking 18Going On a Bird Hunt 21Be Like Audubon 25A Little Birdie Told Me 28Up, Up, and Away 31Build That Nest 33Rain, Rain, Come Again 36Puddle Jumpers 38Summer: Activities for Hot Days and Warm NightsDigging Dirt 43Antics 46Sun Fun 49Butterfly Cafe 51Ladybug, Ladybug 54Handy Plants 56Wow, Water! 58Water-Hole Watching 61Stone Age 64Rock 'n' Roll 66Backyard Lullaby 69Moon Shadows 72Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star 75Fall: Activities for Cool Days and Cloudy WeatherTimeOut 81Zoom In 84A Thinking Place 87Wild Hide-and-Seek 89Take a Walk on the Wild Side 91Some Web! 94Roly-Poly Races 96Look Up, Look Down, Look All Around 98Cloud Racing 101Wandering Wind 103Say, "Whoosh!" 105What Goes Up Must Come Down 108Groovy Gravity 111Falling for Nature 113Winter: Activities for Cold Days and Snowy WeatherTweet Treat 119Snow Me Some Fun 122Fluffy Flakes 124Cloud Breath 127Dot-to-Dot Stars 129Bare Naked Trees 131Snow Tales 134Feathers 'n' Fur 136Slip, Slide, Wild Ride 138Wild and Wintry 140Winter Garden 143Resources and Recommended Reading 147About the Author 151About the Illustrator 153
\ School Library JournalChildren's picture book author Ward (Because You Are My Baby) has compiled a slim book of activities designed to introduce to children ages four to nine the joys and mysteries of nature. Arranged by season, each activity is basically a variety of "stop, look, and listen," whether involving the birds, flowers, leaves, or snowflakes. With a few exceptions, the activities themselves are minor and are mostly discussion questions (e.g., Do puddles look like mirrors? Can you draw with mud?). Activities are accompanied by Q&A sidebars called "Help Me Understand" that answer a common question children will ask (e.g., Why does it rain?), and each ends with a checklist for desired outcomes, such as stimulating wonder or stewardship. While the importance of outdoor play is heavily documented, many kids today simply won't have the patience to stargaze with mom, and most parents won't have the time to sit quietly and reflect on what it might be like to be a butterfly. A book with more hands-on activities is likelier to connect. Not a necessary acquisition for libraries.\ —Julianne J. Smith\ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.\ \ \
