Tags
kid's craft ideas, nature study for kids, outdoor play, pet snails, plan to play, silly monsters, weekly activities for kids
Welcome to week one of Plan to Play. I hope this little list inspires you to walk away from the dishes and laundry for a bit and make some memories (and maybe some messes) with your children. Follow the links for full instructions for each activity.. A color-coded (by activity) supply list for the week is included at the bottom of the post to make preparation simple. If you’d like to receive future Plan to Play posts FREE in your inbox, click here. Hope you enjoy!
1. MONSTER MURAL
This activity was inspired by photographs of a Little Monster Party via Celebration at Home. Hang large pieces of paper along one wall and use your imagination and a box of crayons to design a family of silly monsters. When you get tired of them, fold them, stuff them into envelopes, and mail them to friends and family.
2. MARBLE RUN
This is a great rainy day diversion. We actually made ours by tacking the tubes onto a large bulletin board that we propped against the wall but there are great instructions for two other methods at Tinkerlab and Spoonful.
3. DRAW ON FOIL
So simple but so much fun. Just remember that Sharpie markers are permanent so wear old clothes and protect your work surface.
Details at Picklebums.
4. IMAGINARY SOUP
This brings back sunny childhood memories for me.
More at One Perfect Day.
5. PET SNAILS
Have you ever kept pet snails? We are having so much fun with this. We’ve found fourteen in our backyard. Check under blankets of leaves, flower pots, rocks, and logs. We started out using aquarium gravel in their habitat but after reading a bit more, we switched to soil. They’re curious little creatures and so much fun to watch. You can find more information about creating an indoor habitat and caring for them from:
Mama Scout
Pink & Green Mama
Instructables
Teach Green in Brooklyn
And how cute is this free printable snail racing kit from Nature Detectives?
START A FAMILY JOURNAL: FREE PRINTABLE at Gussy Sews
CHAPTER BOOK
Rascal by Sterling North
I’m doing a bit of editing along the way for my five-year-old but so far we are really enjoying this one.
PICTURE BOOKS
One Smug Slug by Pamela Duncan Edwards
The Reader by Amy Hest
The Rain Came Down by David Shannon
The Monster’s Monster by Patrick McDonnell
Are You a Snail? by Judy Allen
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano
roll of butcher paper or craft paper
painter’s tape
crayons
marbles or small balls
cardboard tubes from paper towels or toilet paper
painter’s tape OR thumb tacks OR painter’s tape
aluminum foil
sharpie markers
sturdy piece of cardboard to wrap foil around
something to protect your work surface
old clothes
pot
spoon (or a stick)
pitcher of water
ingredients from your kitchen (flour, sugar, cornmeal, herbs & spices)
“ingredients” from your yard
snails
glass or plastic container
cheese cloth OR panty hose to use as a cover (allows air circulation but helps hold in humidity)
spray bottle of water
soil
sticks & rocks
fruits & vegetables
egg shells (for calcium)
bottle cap for a food dish
seamlessdays.wordpress.com 
thanks for sharing our foil drawing idea… and so many other great ideas! I’m off to check out some links now!
I love this! I am so glad you are putting it all together so all I have to do is check your blog and go from there. Searching the entire internet for fun activities is daunting to me–thank you for weeding through them and sharing your favorites–I am sure many will become our favorites as well! And, from one list-lover to another, I appreciate the reminder to focus on the important, not just the “urgent.”
Oh wow, thanks for including my imaginary soup post! This has made my day – I’m so thrilled to be included among so many great ideas.