Okay, it's summer! So here are ten things to enjoy while it's hot, sunny and being outdoors is fun....
1. Make something out of mud. Even better do it after it's rained. What is that mud like? How is different from dry dirt? Is there one way it's still the same?
And then read Mud by Mary Lyn Ray with illustrations by Lauren Stringer.
2. Play flashlight tag in the dark.
3. Go on a shadow hunt to find the following shadows. But take an adult along because grown-ups need to have fun too:
a. Find a shadow with a bright hole in it.
b. Find the biggest shadow you can. Figure out what made it.
c. Find the littlest shadow you can. Figure out what made it.
And then Read Flashlight Night by Matt Forrest Esenwine and illustrations by Fred Koehler.
4. Fly a kite. But make one first. Here are sites with easy how-to instructions.
And read The Emperor's Kit by Jane Yolen with illustrations by Ed Young
5. Make a FOOT painting. Sure, you've probably done fingerprinting. But have you ever painted with your feet? It will really let you STEP UP as an artist. Try mixing your own paints first. Here's some how-to sites to help you.
And read What If You Had Animal Feet?! by ME Sandra Markle with illustrations by Howard McWilliam.
6. Look at the world through a magnifying glass. Especially something you never thought to look at closely before. See anything that surprised you?
7. Put on a puppet show with puppets you make yourself. Here's some sites with ideas to help you do just that.
8. Learn one constellation you didn't know in the night sky. Find out what story people used to tell about it. Then make up a new story yourself.
Mmy favorite constellation is ORION. And here's a couple of sites with star stories, including ones about Orion.
And read Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton
Hope you have fun with these activities. And to share an adventure that happened one summer, Read Gasparilla's Gold by ME Sandra Markle :-)! Of course, any time you read one of my books it's like I'm right there sharing it with you.
HAPPY SUMMER!
