Friday, February 24, 2012

Visiting Your Favorite Summer Spot

Inspired by another great idea from The Kids' Nature Book, the kids and I headed out to the beach.  "What?  In the winter?"  Yes!  The book challenged us to think of our favorite summer spot and go visit it!  We love going to a local beach on a small lake in the summer, so that is where we went.

Before we left, we talked about what the beach was like in the summer time.  We used words like warm, bright, sandy, water, etc.  Then I had Trevor draw a picture of the beach in the summertime using these descriptive words to help him know what to draw.

The kids playing at the beach in the summertime.

Then we bundled up and headed out.  When we got there, or course it was very different!  First of all, there were no other people there (of course =).  Also, it was white instead of green (for the trees and grass), the sand was still there, but it was harder instead of nice a soft.  Of course it was cold and windy instead of warm.  We noticed that the sun was still shining and the water was in the same place.  The birds though, were missing, and the water looked different.  Instead of it dancing on the shore, it was frozen around the edges so that it didn't move!  We noticed how the water was hard for a few feet around the edges, but once you looked out a little more, the water still moved.

The kids playing at the same beach in the wintertime.

When we got home we drew how the beach looked.  If you look closely you might be able to notice how there are birds in the summer drawing and none in the winter drawing.  There are people in the summer drawing and none in the winter drawing.  The sun is bigger and brighter in the summer drawing (trying to show warmth).  The sky is a brighter blue in the summer drawing and you can't tell at all, but he colored white over the water's edge in the winter drawing to depict snow and ice.





The kids both really enjoyed cracking off pieces of ice and throwing them into the water.  I think they would have stayed there all day, but it really was very cold, so we only stayed out for a few minutes.  It was a fun activity to do and I think comparing one particular place to itself in a different season was a great way to help a young one understand how the cold air really changes a lot outside!  So, think of the place your child loved going to the most in the summer, bundle up, and head out to see what it looks like now!





 Would you like to have an activity sheet and printable instructions for this and 9 other science activities for preschoolers?

Get my Preschool Science (& Nature) printable pack for free!






 Looking for more preschool information?  Click on the picture below to find a list of all the preschool posts here at Living and Learning at Home, plus some of my favorite preschool resources!


 photo SubscribeButton_zpsdc17ac56.png

14 comments:

  1. What a great idea! We did something similar, but didn't quite make it to the beach while we were visiting my parents. Thank you for sharing at Sharing Saturday! Have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sweet idea! New follower from the hop, hope you come by :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for the kind comments, ladies!

    ReplyDelete
  4. We love to do this too! The kids are always fascinated by the layers of ice, and watching them retreat as spring arrives. We can't take the dogs, though, or they try to swim in the patches where the ice has melted. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a wonderful idea! I wouldn't have ever thought of something like that.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is so smart. We could visit a ski hill in the summer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a fun contrast! I love how it lets them experience the seasons! Our beach (in Houston) is actually more pleasant now (at 70 degrees) than in the summer (at 2 billion degrees)! Thanks for linking up to Teach Me Tuesday!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Like this idea. I have thought about doing something similar around nearby trees but haven't quite got round to it yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a great idea! They could draw a picture of the same tree in each of the four seasons. I'll have to remember that for when my artist get a little, well, more talented =)

      Delete
  9. What a great idea! Living in Texas, where it hit 90 degrees last week, we don't see a lot of difference between Summer and Winter weather. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe you could count the difference in drops of sweat or something =)

      Delete
  10. Lovely. We live near a beach and love heading there in the winter as well. The beach has so much to offer for all seasons. Thanks for linking to Science Sparks

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...