Magical Book-based Learning Outside!

It's time for another Creative QT guest blogger to share their wisdom. Today we've got Dee from @chestnut.academy inspiring us to get outside and bring two classic children's books to life. A former teacher with a Masters in Elementary Education, Dee is passionate about helping her two 'little nuts' to learn through play and develop a passionate appreciation of nature. Keep reading for two fabulous ideas for some summer fun bringing books to life outdoors.

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Chestnut Academy is all about learning through experiences! Our top two favorite ways to enjoy our time together are play based learning and getting outside. The real magic happens when these two experiences are combined! One of our favorite ways to incorporate outside play is to act out classic children's books.  

The great thing about books is that they encourage your child to be imaginative. When you allow their imaginations to run wild outdoors, the learning opportunities are endless! Here are some examples from the “Fairytale Theme” we did a couple weeks ago:

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

After reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff story, we headed to the park with some friends! Another mom friend and I pretended to be the trolls and the girls pretended to be the goats! This presented the perfect opportunity to talk about and act out vocabulary from the story.

We discussed the following concepts in detail to help our kids gain a better understanding of the story:
1. Small, medium & large.
2. 1st, 2nd & 3rd.
3. First, middle & last.

The girls giggled the entire time and enjoyed eating pretend grass on the other side. Then, we traded places and the girls became the trolls. Such a fun way to play WITH our kids at the park!

Little Red Riding Hood
When the weather allows, we try to do a short walk after dinner each night. One night after reading Little Red Riding Hood, we incorporated some imaginative play into our stroll. My three year old, put on a little red hood, carried a basket and collected prizes from nature. Together, we gathered a pine cone, daffodils, little blue flowers, a rock, two magnolia flowers, and some sticks.  She was overjoyed with each treasure she found!

Learning through play is the best learning for my little three year old. This also presented the perfect opportunity to talk about and act out vocabulary from the story. As you notice, we take every opportunity to enjoy hands on learning in our family!

1. Collecting, searching, gathering.
2. Organizing & sorting.
3. Trails, forest, wolf.

Getting outside, (with my little Chestnuts, 3 yrs old & 4 months young) has a magical way of revitalizing and calming us…simultaneously...(I don’t fully understand how this combination works, but it always does). If the weather is agreeable, we get outside, and are automatically surrounded by play based learning opportunities. I hope that this article is a good reminder that learning can happen easily with very little preparation and at no extra cost.

For more fun ways to incorporate play and learning, check out our Instagram account @chestnut.academy. If you have any great book-based outdoors learning please tag us as we'd love to see them!

We feel so inspired to get outside and bring some of our favorite family books to life! Thank you so much to Dee for these cute ideas, so perfect for the summer!

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Creative QT designs quality + innovative toys that declutter homes and inspire creative play. Founded by parents of five, Adam and Dana Sue Hinkle, Creative QT’s vision is to empower parents and encourage a culture of families that Make Time Together. All products are designed to enrich families’ lives through active, creative play and play based learning. Creative QT products are laboratory tested for compliance with CPSC requirements and are free of lead, cadmium and phthalates so you can play with confidence. So, go ahead … today is the day: be your kid’s hero.

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