This project came up by accident. We were at the pond and we watched small bugs and tiny new frogs get on the lily pads. We started talking about different plants and I asked my son if he knew that some plants can actually eat bugs. His eyes almost popped out of his head.

So we went to the library that afternoon after I was bombarded by a million annoying curious questions. We found a kid’s book about the Venus Fly Trap that was a really cute fiction book. We also got online and looked up pictures and information about real life Venus Fly Traps.

Then it hit me. We needed a craft/game. So I came up with this. What you will need: cardboard from a pizza (or just cardboard cut in a circle), green paint, green paper, scissors, glue, and a few pieces of black paper.

Paint your circle green. We used the small paint roller (that Allie always uses) and it worked great because the paint came on thin and even. The paint dried really quickly. For a paint free version you can just glue some green construction paper onto the cardboard. You will want to make both sides green.

While the paint is drying you can cut out triangles of green construction paper.

Cut the black pieces of paper into strips or small pieces and then wad them up into small little balls.

After your paint has dried, put a bead of glue around the edge and have your child place the triangles with long points out. I had to do a few to show my son, but he got the hang of it pretty quickly.

When you are done it should look like a big green sun. My son was a tad confused until I folded it in half.

Then he grabbed it and made it chomp. After I finally got him to stop chasing the dogs with his new Venus Fly Trap, I had him stand in one place.

I tossed the wadded up pieces of black paper (our flies) and had him catch the flies with the Venus Fly Trap. He did really well. We counted the flies as we caught them.

We learned all about a new plant (along with a whole new aspect of nature – carnivorous plants), made a cool puppet-like toy, played a fun game, practiced motor skills, and sharpened our eye coordination.

Here is the information on the book we checked out from the library.

Venus the Very Proper Fly Trap by Lynne Burton-Hupp

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Today’s Guest Post is from Janna who blogs at  The Adventure of Motherhood , we met at a conference and immediately bonded over our love of activities and linking them to books.

Mountains of toys, video games, movies, and computers were either non-existent in my childhood or almost non-existent. Three of my favorite toys really weren’t what most people would consider toys, but they gave me hundreds of hours of enjoyment.

Outside is where I wanted to be. I wanted to be in the dirt, playing with water, or up in a tree.

Dirt

• looking for roly polys or “pill bugs”
• making mud pies
• squishing my toes in mud
• digging a hole in an empty lot
• burying things
• riding my brother’s dirt bike

Suggested Book: Jeff Foxworthy’s book of poems Dirt on My Shirt.

Water

• swimming
• spraying the hose
• the sprinkler
• water guns and balloons
• dancing in the rain
• splashing in puddles
• observing earth worms

Suggested Book: Mo Willems Are You Ready to Play Outside? (An Elephant and Piggie Book)

Trees

• to hide
• to rest
• to enjoy the shade
• to challenge
• to swing from a branch
• to pick some fruit
• to dream big dreams

Suggested Book: Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree

When it comes to having fun outside, I still find myself in the dirt, spraying the hose, or attempting to climb a tree. These are three things I intend to share with my daughter, and joys I hope to never outgrow. What things will you never outgrow from your childhood?

If you have children’s books that you love and would like to share them with other moms, please consider linking up to my weekly meme called Feed Me Books Friday. It’s kind of like an online book club from moms, and a great way to compile a stellar library list.

If you’d like to learn about a project to record the stories of  YOUR youth join me at MommysPiggyTALES.com.

Getting Started In early Spring, we had lots of fun starting seeds indoors! This helped to give Emily an appreciation for how long it takes plants to grow. She took very good care of her seedlings.

Next, we planted seeds and transfered some of the seedlings over to the garden plot. We found it helpful to have a kid-friendly garden layout, so as to avoid any little feet accidently squashing plants. Some good options include: raised beds, container gardening, or going with a square foot garden layout.

Kid-Friendly Garden Ideas

1. Raised Beds

2. Container Gardening

3. Square Foot Garden Layout

We chose to go with a square foot layout, which gave us plenty of vegetables and was a clear way for Emily to navigate her way around the garden without fear of stepping on any of the seedlings.

To be even more kid-friendly, we even gave Emily her very own space within our lot where she could grow whatever vegetables or flowers she wanted. She chose lots of broccoli, tomatoes, lettuce, and marigolds!

If possible, give your child his/her own special garden space!

Ten Gardening Chores Kids Can Do:

1. Planting Seeds
2. Making Seed Markers
3. Watering Plants
4. Weeding (with supervision)
5. Harvesting Vegetables
6. Loosening Soil
7. Laying Down Straw
8. Decorating the Garden (handmade mobiles, pinwheels, banners, etc.)
9. Picking off bugs.
10. Collecting Seeds for Next Year’s Garden

Garden Themed Books! Of course, we took advantage of our local public library as much as possible over the course of the Summer. Our favorite “garden” reads are The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss….

….and Seeds! Seeds! Seeds! by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace.

….and decorating a photo frame with dried beans (which Emily learned are also seeds). There are many more gardening craft ideas on Frugal Family Fun Blog too!

With lots of hard work, our garden was in full bloom!

Gardening is one of the best ways for kids to learn about where their food comes from, basic plant biology, and exposes kids to nature. As an added bonus, we saved lots of money by growing our own organic vegetables! I made a fun garden goody bag for Emily to harvest her vegetables in, and it was a great hit! I love to share good things, so I thought you might like one too!

Good luck!!

Congrats Luna!!  You Won. Check your email !

You could do this activity with flowers as well.

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With Earth Day coming and spring warming us up and taking learning outside I have collected some of our favorite nature crafts and activities ! If you remember how your perspective changed when your teacher decided to take your class outside you don’t need to be told how such a simple act can open up young minds to learning.

Giant Sunflower Craft ( above)

Nature Color Match!

Rock Bugs

Nature Brochure Craft

Beach in A Jar

Spring  Tree

Coffee Grinds Sensory Tub

Looking for Earth Day Activities?

Spring is finally here!  I love spring and everything it brings from baby birds, to flowers and especially Easter candy. This sensory tub was a huge hit with my son and we have been chilling outside digging in it , filling the eggs with the birdseed and bugs and not worrying about it spilling on the kitchen floor.

1. Gather your materials. You will need a plastic tub or large casserole dish, some birdseed, kid garden utensils, some Easter eggs, plastic bugs, and flower sequins.
2. Pour your birdseed into the tub.
3. Add your bugs, shovels and sequins. 
4. Add your little gardener and have fun.

Garden Books

Quiet in the Garden by Alki is a calm book about listening and watching all the bugs, birds and animals going about their day in a not so quiet garden. Starting with a hungry robin readers watch as all the animals take turns eating and asking others about what they eat. Finally the little boy who is watching all the bugs and animals eat picks some vegetables and fruits from the garden and sits down to have a picnic.  I liked how this book showed how all these animals and bugs thrive within a garden, and how you can hear all the noise if you just sit still and listen.

Jack’s Garden by Henry Cole is a garden version of the classic ” The House That Jack Built”. We watch as Jack prepares, plants and cares for a garden. I like the detail that the book goes into from the worms in the soil, to the seedlings, birds, flowers and insects that all work together for a garden to succeed. My son loved that Jack seemed to be a teenager, not sure where he got the idea but teenagers are the height of cool for my 3 year old. I also really appreciated the detailed drawings of things along the edges of each page, from slug eggs, to specific insects and different flowers, they all offered more learning while reading.

Song of the Flowers by Takayo Noda is beautiful, bright and the three times I tried reading it with my son he declared ” I don’t like this book!” . The text is very figurative, it reads like a lullaby and for my literal preschooler it just didn’t hold his attention. The text is actually very repetitive which is normally a huge hit with my son as well as other children his age but it simply didn’t cut it. The illustrations are paper cut outs and are stunning! Grab this book and have a look for yourself, but I can’t recommend it since it was such a flop at my house.

You May Also Like :

Newspaper Flowers
Nature Color Match
Sensory Tub : Coffee Grinds

This craft was one of those ideas that I had and hoped I wouldn’t regret. Food coloring , small eye droppers that squirt and a toddler could have been a recipe for disaster but not only did we have fun and survive , how awesome are those leaves? I was planning on posting this next week but couldn’t wait to share. We have been talking a lot about the changing colors we see on our tress but this could also be used for a fun garland if you don’t want to make a branch.

1. Gather your materials. You will need some coffee filters, a large piece of construction paper ( white or brown), red, yellow and green food coloring, eye droppers,3 small dishes , water ,crayons,  scissors and glue.
2. Start by drawing a branch .
3. Have your child color the branch they can add more branches if they like too!
4. While they do that draw leaves on the coffee filters. 
5. Pour some water along with the food coloring into the small containers, pop the eye droppers in ( one per color)- a big tip put a thick fabric place mat under your child when they are doing this step. It will absorb the coloring so it doesn’t get on other things.  Of course this will stain it so do not use your new William Sonoma ones !
6. Using the eye dropper drop the colors onto the coffee filter leaves.
7. Use multiple colors for each leaf if you want.  Using an eye dropper is intricate and helps develop your child’s  fine motor skills.
8. Let dry- ours dried over night.
9. Cut out the branch
10. Cut out the leaves
11. Add glue to the branch
12. Add your leaves and let dry.