Feelin Hot, Hot, Hot

Ok, so I picked the coolest day this week to write this...so maybe stop reading now and come back tomorrow when it is supposed to be 93 degrees and uber humid...it will be much more inspirational then.

I mean it...seriously, stop reading and go play outside in this 80-something degree cool wave. I'll meetcha back here tomorrow.



Hello again old friend. (pretend it's tomorrow) Phew! It is steamy out there isn't it? What a change from yesterday. But- good thing you came by today- prepare yourself, after you read through this short list of fun things to do outside on a hot day you won't be able to stop yourself from grabbing all the kids you know, slathering them with SPF and dragging them out of the air conditioning.

So, without further ado...

Top 20 Things to Do Outside on a Hot Day

20. Go swimming- be it pool, pond, creek or ocean or in my case- the plastic baby pool in my backyard, if I can get my son to scootch over
19. Fly a kite.
18. Play shadow tag by stepping on eachother's shadows.
17. Eat a popsicle. Save packing materials and make your own pops by inserting a craft stick into a cup of juice and leaving it in the freezer for a few hours.
16. Go creek walking.
15. Make sun tea by putting a few tea bags into a large glass jar of water and leaving the jar out in the sun for a few hours. Enjoy over ice with honey or sugar added or a fruit or mint garnish. Ooo la la!
14. Make sunprints. Sign your children up for our Sunpainted T's class on August 3rd and they can make an awesome back to school t-shirt with the sun's help! To register,click here.
13. Have a watermelon seed spitting contest or play "Greased Watermelon"- rub margarine, butter or shortening all over a watermelon then toss it in the pool or lake and let everyone try to catch it- and hold onto it!
12. Blow bubbles. Make your own bubble juice with dishsoap and water...some say add a little sugar, corn syrup or glycerin (avaiable at pharmacies) to make longer lasting strong bubbles.
11. Chase bugs.
10. Tie-dye with berry juice. Blend up fresh or frozen berries to a watery smoothie consistency then dip white or light colored clothing in! Allow to dry flat in the sun then machine wash on own in cold water.
9. Build a fort.
8. Paint yourself...with washable paints, mud, or even pudding- then hose off!
7. Go on a picnic.
6. Watch the clouds.
5. Play a classic outdoor game like Hide and Seek, Sardines or Ghosts in the Graveyard.
4. Read outside. I suggest doing so in a hammock if you have one.
3. Build boat out of natural items and launch it in a nearby puddle, pond or creek. Try this for free during Wild Wednesday- July 14 and August 11- from 1-3 pm at Cantigny!
2. Hug a tree and enjoy it's cool shade.
1. Go to Cantigny!

Eat Dirt

"To dig and delve in nice clean dirt can do a mortal little hurt."
- John Kendrick Bangs

Finally, proof that playing in the dirt is good for you. Apparently some of the bacteria found in dirt has antidepressent qualities and can increase learning! Mud pies anyone?

To read just a snippet about these findings, click this Link

To read some solid research, click this Link and download Health Benefits to Children From Contact With the Outdoors and Nature.

Easy-Peasy DIY Ant Crafts

I almost went with the standard, and admittedly cute, egg carton ant with pipecleaner legs and antennae craft for our crawling insect theme story time, but I decide to take inspiration from my awesome ant farm and have the children create simple paper ant mazes, and while we were at it, stamp some ants on their pants!

Anthill Maze

Supplies: paper (copy paper works best, but construction paper is fine), two markers of the same size, tape, a paper clip, a magnet, a craft stick (or a fridge magnet in lieu of a small magnet and craft stick) glue, and a picture of an ant (clip art or hand-drawn)

1. Tape the markers together



2. Pressing down with both markers, draw a "maze" on the paper- squiggles, straight lines, loop-de-loops...it's up to you!



3. Glue the small magnet to one end of a craft stick- or just use a fridge magnet. Tape a paper clip to the back of your ant picture. Thread the tape through one loop of the paperclip so the other loop of metal is left uncovered.



4. Have a buddy hold the paper at the edges with both hands. Lay the ant picture at the "start" of your maze and hold the magnet under the paper directly underneath the ant- then slowly move the magnet and slide your ant through the maze!



Change the picture and you have a whole new adventure- a mouse looking for cheese, a race car on a track, a groundhog or prairie dog tunneling....the possibilities are endless!

Ants in My Pants
Supplies: paper, scissors, cotton swabs, tape, and an ink pad

1. Cut your paper to resemble a pair of pants. Tape three cotton swabs together so the tips line up- and create the three body parts of an ant (head, thorax, abdomen) . To get the most use out of this you can then cut the sticks in half so you have two "ants" from each grouping.



2. Dab the cotton swab bundle onto the ink pad, then stamp onto the paper pants. You may need to practice a bit to get a solid ant form- sometimes kind of tilting the swabs from side to side while on the paper helps to round out the shape. Keep stamping until you think you have enough ants in your pants!

I Heart Ants

I can't help it- I am totally obsessed with these insects! I even stopped myself from doing the ant stomp when I found an anthill in my yard this weekend.

The ant farm is going swimmingly- the ants haven't stopped tunneling and now they cruise through their labyrinth with ease. I am sad to say that we have lost a few along the way. (moment of silence please) The deceased have all been carried out of the tunnels and laid on the surface. When I am 100% sure they are dead and not just in a reeeaaaalllly deep sleep, I will respectfully remove them and lay them to rest outside. Welcome to the food chain...lunch is served birdies!

The whole purpose of buying and...what is the right word?...raising?...hosting?...creating?, this ant farm...hmm. Well,the whole reason I got this ant farm was to have a real-life example to show young children during Cantigny's Sprouts program- a nature based story time we offer each month.

This month's theme was Gone Buggy! The first week we talked about bug bodies and what separates bugs from insects (true insects must have two antennae, six legs, three body parts, and an exoskeleton- wings are optional), the second week we explored insects that fly and this past week we discussed insects that crawl and hop- including the wonderful, amazing, ever-popular ANT.

The children (ages 3-5) were captivated by the ant farm and loved watching the ants crawl through the tunnels! They were quite curious and inquisitive. The most popular question was, "Can they get out?"

Observing the ants provided a great opportunity for music and movement- we hopped like grasshoppers, flapped our wings like butterflies and crawled on all fours- much like our six legged friends. Then, after marching with maracas to the classic "Ants Go Marching" tune, we worked on two simple ant crafts that you can try at home! I will explain them- with pics- in the next post.

I'll leave you with something else to try at home- my favorite insect song! It's to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen
Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

Two antennae, six legs and sometimes wings,

Head, thorax, abdomen, abdomen

There are optional movements-
-Point to head, chest and tummy- repeat
-Make antennae by holding up one pointer finger on each side of your head (sort of like bull horns)
-Hold up three fingers on each side of your body and put your hands at hip level to show your "six legs"
-Do the standard thumb in the armpit chicken wing OR arms out to the side airplane style
-Point to head, chest and tummy- repeat

Sing and move faster and faster and faster until you are all giggling and out of breath and dancing like- well, what else? Like you've got ants in your pants!