TAKE IT OUTSIDE

It is amazing how the simplest tasks are easier when they are done outside in the sun and fresh air, and yet we often husk corn, peel vegetables, pit cherries, snap beans or slice peaches in the house. To model creativity we should show children that tasks can be done in different ways and in different settings instead of the same old way. Think of things you might do outdoors instead of inside, inviting your child to help with ideas. Take some of the kitchen tasks outdoors to do, fold the clothes outside, or write letters and read outside. Sit under a tree or on the grass and read a story to your child, and have a snack. Whether you are doing tasks or just relaxing outdoors, take time to watch the birds, talk about the sky and clouds, or watch the trees and leaves move in the wind.

WATER

Like clays, sand, earth and pebbles, water is an "open ended" natural material. Children are no different than adults. We all enjoy the beauty of water, and we love using it in many ways for play, relaxation, and reducing stress. Be sure to allow your child time each day to play with water, whether it is in the bathtub or elsewhere. Inside or outdoors, you can keep children busy and happy with a plastic dish pan containing a few inches of water and things to pour, fill, empty, float and sink. You can add liquid soap, give them straws, and join them in laughing and blowing bubbles. Or...try this experiment. At a table outdoors or inside, place several layers of paper towel under individual plastic cups containing a little liquid soap and a straw. Blow LOTS of bubbles to overflow the cup. Next, CAREFULLY drop a few droplets of food color on top of the bubbles. The geometric designs you see will amaze you.

SANDCASTLES TO MUD STEW

Surely you remember the joy of playing in the wet sand or mud as a child. Find ways to help your children create and enjoy making mud pies, sandcastles and other sand/mud inventions. If you don't live on a beach, create a sand pit or a sand play area in your yard. Be sure the child is dressed appropriately; this kind of creating can be messy. Wet the sand; show how it can be molded and dribbled. Give the child discarded, safe cans of many sizes for molding. Provide items like shells you have collected, or golf tees and party toothpicks for castle flags and decorations. You can also give the child an old saucepan, plastic bowls and spoons, and a plastic pitcher of water for making "mud stew". They can add grass, leaves, twigs, pods and pine cones. Model creativity; be sure to accept if they invite you to a pretend "dinner."

SNOW AND ICE

If you live where it is cold enough for ice and snow during the year, you know that snow is a terrific open ended play material. Children love sliding, rolling, climbing and falling down safely in the snow; they love making snow people and snow angels. Try something new...Make an ice candle! On a cold (below freezing) afternoon, put water in a small or medium plastic bucket outside. The next day, the water will have frozen at the top and around the sides, but not in the middle. Lay the bucket on its side and pour a kettle of very hot water on the bucket, helping your child slide out the molded ice. When you set it upright, you will have a beautiful ice candle holder that looks like fine crystal when a lighted votive candle is placed inside. Watch it at night from your window.

COLORED SAND PAINTINGS

Colored sand paintings have been done by many cultures in many ways for centuries. Gather or obtain some clean sand, dividing it into small margarine tubs. Add different food colors to each container and let the sand dry out overnight. Put a cookie sheet under your child's work, and let your child drip white glue to make a design on sturdy colored paper or recycled white cardboard. Let the child dribble one color of sand onto the glue, lifting the paper to let the excess sand fall in the cookie sheet. Pour this sand back into the container, and let the child add more glue and a different color of sand to the design. Repeat this process until the design or picture is finished, letting the creation dry flat and thoroughly.

NATURE WALK

Take a walk in a park or woods with your child, bringing along a paper bag. Collect moss, fungi, acorns, interesting small stones, and pine cones or seeds. Talk about your discoveries as you go. Later you can make a unique plaster of Paris wall decoration with your findings. Use your outdoor sand box or line the bottom of a plastic dish tub with sand. Let the child choose and place his or her favorite nature findings in a shallow depression in the sand, putting the "best" side of the items face down. Mix up a SMALL amount of plaster of Paris, cover the creation, and make a hole for hanging before the plaster sets up. A great way to save a memory or make a gift.

DRIFTWOOD

Walks in the woods or on a beach can produce findings of interesting pieces of dry deadwood or driftwood. Save these in a small box until you have an interesting assortment. Add to this box various mosses or lichen, shells, stones, cones or other nature items your child finds. Obtain a few dried, colored straw flowers and break the stems to shorten them. On a "rainy day," put newspaper on a table, let your child choose a piece of driftwood or deadwood, and lay out the assortment of nature items. Shake excess dirt from the mosses, and let your child glue moss to the wood wherever he or she chooses. Then let your child choose and glue other findings to the moss and wood. A few dried flowers can be added for color; these can be poked right into the moss. Every creation your child makes with these natural materials will be different and beautiful.

REAL CLAY

Go exploring and try to dig up real clay for children to use. Dig up some from a river bank or a shallow lake...you may even be able to dig down and find it in your yard. If not, obtain gray pottery clay from a hobby store and let your child reuse it for years. Keep it in a large jar, wrapped with wet rags. If it ever dries out, soak it for a day by filling the jar with water. When you pour off the water, the clay will be as soft and slippery as ever. The process of creating with clay is very different than with play doughs, because clay is more flexible. Children can slide and push clay into shapes and stick pieces of it to other pieces. Try it yourself!

PET ROCKS

Many children want pets, and can't have them for various reasons. Children also love to collect stones and rocks. Put those two facts together. This is your cue to do some outdoor exploring with your child to gather some hand sized stones or rocks. Then find scraps of fake fur, buttons, pipe cleaners and other odds and ends, get out the glue, and help your child make his or her own "pet rock" to carry about, to talk to and to love. Smooth stones can also be painted, either as "pets" or for attractive gift paperweights.

GRASS AND FLOWERS

Do you remember making a whistle out of a blade of grass, or making a "daisy chain" crown, bracelet or necklace from flowers? Instill a sense of magic in your child by recalling those outdoor memories. Recreate these simple wonders with your child. Read Edward Duensing's book "Talking to Fireflies, Shrinking the Moon: A Parent's Guide to Nature Activities" for ideas. (Plume, 8.95)