Easy and cheap outdoor spring lesson plans for all ages: Art Walk

 Hello fellow educators! Yes, you too, grams and gramps, if you care for kids, you're an educator! Today, on this bee-you-tee-full spring day, I'm sharing some super simple outdoor spring lesson plans that cover science, art, math and even music and community outreach. These lesson plans were inspired by my baby grands Milo (3) and Juno (18 months). 

We're Omi (granny) and Opi (grampa) to nine kiddos. We were homeschool parents for many years in the early 1990s-2000s. Now I call myself an Om-schooler. Recently, Opi and I took Milo and Juno for a walk around the neighborhood. Milo insisted he bring the nifty egg-shaped sidewalk chalk that Auntie Molly (our oldest and a second gen homeschooler herself) sent. 

Along the way, he,  Juno and we would stop to color lovely pictures on squares of sidewalk. At one point, a neighbor called out the window that she really appreciated the sidewalk chalk drawings as they brightened up her day. Later, the we took mom and dad on the Artwalk to show them our pictures. It occurred to me that we could extend this into cross-curricular lesson plans by making our own sidewalk chalk and sharing our Artwalk throughout the community. Sidewalks surrounding hospitals, nursing homes and senior centers would be great places to share Artwalk drawings. 

To make sidewalk chalk, mix plaster of Paris, water and tempera paint. Tape off the ends of coin rollers, paper towel or toilet paper tubes. Fill with mixture and allow to harden. You could also fill Styrofoam egg cartons for half-egg shaped sidewalk chalk. 

For preschool math lesson plans, teach skip counting by encouraging children to color on every third, fifth, tenth sidewalk square (depending on which skip counting pattern you're currently working on). For music lesson plans, we sang spring songs on our Art Walk, kind of like Christmas carols only spring singing! 

I know, these are ridiculously easy but that's the beauty of authentic learning experiences...they develop naturally from activities you're already doing! Peace! 

Earth Month recycled trash crafts: homemade musical instruments

 Hello my fellow educators! Time to spring into Earth Month and what better way to celebrate the environment than by protecting it. And what better way to do that than to reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose and what better way to do that than with recycled trash crafts? Here are "recipes" to make homemade musical instruments from the recycle bin or using found household object. Whether you teach at home, school or in a community setting, your students will love these activities. And as a former homeschool parent now in Gen 2 homeschooling with the baby grands, I'm gearing my lesson plans toward all ages including the toddlers. Juno, Emmett and Remus, Omi has you covered! 

First and simplest recipe for homemade musical instruments is to repurpose items from your pan cupboard and junk, erm, I mean utensil drawer! I've been privileged to enjoy four kids and nine grandkids and a favorite activity is a kitchen band. A funnel makes a great trumpet! An egg beater or wire whisks are great for percussion. Experiment with various spoons and metal, wooden or glass bowls to create a panoply of drum sounds. Kids can even simulate bells. 

Speaking of bells, have kids create homemade bell musical instruments using clean aluminum cans and jar lids. Smooth down any rough edges by running a can opener around the sides to press down (good job for older children). Next, pound a nail into the top center of closed end of can. Use nail to pierce a hole in the edge of the jar lid. Use recycled string or yarn to tie a loop through jar lid and then run it through hole in can. Make a large knot to secure. 

Make windchimes from recycled trash. Windchimes are very easy trash crafts to make. Repeat procedure for the homemade bell musical instruments punching several holes in aluminum cans and securing four or five can lids. Suspend them below the can so they can blow freely. 

Homemade "xylophone". Use recycled flatware (spoons, dinner knives and forks) to make chimes. Bend heads of spoons and forks so they will connect more easily. Cheap flatware works best as it is more bendable. Or leave flatware as is to create a xylophone. Have an adult drill holes in handle ends or use double stick tape to secure string or yarn scraps. Suspend from hooks attached to a flat board or 1x1x12 piece of wood. Encourage students to test sounds and arrange according from high to low. 

Stay tuned for more recycled trash crafts! Tip Junkie has a list of 28 free printable recycled trash crafts for Earth Day to take you all through Earth Month!