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Respect and Nature: Indoor Sandpit and River
Celebrating Black History Month
Wangari Muta Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist and the first African woman to win the Nobel Prize. The first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. She won a Nobel Prize for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. She started the grass-roots movement of planting trees in 1976 conserve the environment and improve the community’s quality of life.
(https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2004/maathai/biographical/)
Indoor Sandpit and River Activity
Children tend to love the sensory experience derived from sand and water, as it allows them to play for long periods of time where their imagination can run wild and free. Since we will be setting up a nature-inspired theme, it will provide us a learning opportunity to talk about ways to respect nature.
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- Sand - If not available, mix 4 cups of flour with ½ cup of baby oil (Substitute with any type of oil)
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- Plastic animals
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- Aluminium foil or parchment paper
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- Nature loose parts such as rocks, sticks, leaves, etc.
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1. To make the sand, add flour to the bin then gently pour in the oil and combine. Add flour or oil as needed to create texture of sand.
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2. Transfer the sand to the container that is going to be used as the sand box.
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3. Cut a narrow piece of aluminum foil to create something to hold the water.
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4. Part the sand in the middle and place the aluminum foil.
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5. Pour water in the aluminum foil to create a river. Optional: Add drops of food colour to the water.
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6. Complete the bin by adding animals and nature loose parts. This could be collected from your backyard or an outdoor walk.
You can ask your child to help you set-up this activity. This will give them a chance to actively help others. Once the bin is ready to play with, sit in a comfortable place and allow your child to lead this activity by following what interests them. A sensory activity like this provides kids with an arena to refine their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills by scooping, funneling, pouring, sifting, digging, etc. Sit alongside your child and actively engage in their play. Find an organic opportunity to talk about what we can do to respect nature and animals. This is a simple and effective way to raise their environmental awareness. Ask them questions such as “What do you think happens to the animals if someone threw garbage in the river?”, or “What do you think happens to animals if someone ate all the food from the plants?”. Discuss the importance of keeping nature clean and safe for animals to live and thrive in. Nature is our united home. Ask your child “What do you think we can do to respect and care for nature?”.
Tip: You can introduce a hands-on and practical way to help animals and nature by going out on an outdoor adventure, like a walk in the park, and asking your child what they observe that does not belong there (litter). Ask them how that makes them feel and what effect it has on animals and the environment. You can ask them to pick a few pieces together and either put it in the garbage or recycle it (ensure you use gloves and have sanitizer handy). This could be one way we show respect to the nature around us.
EarlyON