Excursion Nature Jars
Description:
Families to take their children on a series of excursions in a variety of different nature settings, for example bush, forest, city and beach. During each excursion, children will collect items from this natural environment and place them inside a large glass jar. These jars can then be displayed at home and used for a range of purposes, including drawing items inside the jar, drawing the nature setting from which the items came from, studying and discussing the items in the jar, using the items for art or craft activities or simply displaying the jars as a snapshot of a family outing. Families could even print and display a photograph of themselves in the nature setting on the front of the jar to capture a meaningful family moment spent together. Families can take their child back to the nature setting at a later date to empty the jar, returning the items to their original place.
Promote learning by:
- Introducing new vocabulary in each nature setting (Literacy)
- Encouraging children to select items from the nature setting which represent that setting
- Returning items to their original place (Sustainability)
- Counting items as they are placed in the jar (Mathematics)
- Using items for art and craft experiences or loose parts play (Creativity)
- Encouraging children to write a list of the items inside the jar on a label to be placed on the outside of the jar (Literacy, Reading)
- Families spending quality time with one another (Healthy Minds & Bodies)
- Spending time in outdoor environments (Healthy Minds & Bodies)
