“Almost all creativity involves purposeful play.”

~Abraham Maslow

Head Start Body Start is proud to announce our newest addition to our website and the early childhood community — the HSBS Online Resource Guide!

We’ve developed an inventory of high quality, developmentally appropriate, and up-to-date resources related to early childhood physical activity, active play and nutrition. This user-friendly tool allows you to search by different types of resources (outdoor and nature, music and movement, etc.) and much more.

Find books, DVDs, websites and a host of other formats to help you meet the needs of today’s diverse classrooms, including inclusion resources for children with disabilities and special needs.  Our Online Resource Guide is designed for those working with young children from birth to five (0-5).

So, what are you waiting for? Come take a test drive of our new tool!

Playfully yours, Bethe

Blogger Bio: Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Education & Outreach Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside. She is particularly fond of squirrels. And turtles. And sandpipers. And…

 Top photo credit: tanya_little

Editor’s Note: It may be winter, but what better time to dream and make plans for water-filled fun in your play space when the weather warms up?! Thanks to the charming Jenny Kable for this inspiring post! ~ Bethe

 

Image: Teacher Tom

Image from Preschool Daze Image: Instructables Water Courses

A custom water play sculpture set into the sand area:

Sand and water play areas with children pumping their own water into sand pits:

Katoomba Preschool @ Ric Mcconaghy

Abbortsford Long Day Care Centre @ Ric Mconaghy

Joey Club @ Ric Mcconaghy

Dog Lick Faucet

Friday Five –> Pronunciation:Fri•day ’fiv –> Function: Noun

Definition: Sampling of articles and blog posts that caught our eye that will be of interest to Head Start, parent and early childhood education communities.

Happy 2012, folks!

And talk about a hot topic – PLAY had a big week, this first week of the new year. It was hard to pick only five pieces to feature! (In fact, you might notice I snuck a sixth piece in. Shhhhhh!)

 This week’s Friday 5:

1. This week, there was a lot of buzz about young children’s inactivity, especially in day care centers. Med Page Today posed some interesting questions in their piece, Playgrounds Too Safe to Keep Little Kids Active.
2. A really important article in the Washington Post discussed parents as obstacles to children’s play, and we couldn’t agree more.
3. According to pediatricians (Reuters), poor children are missing out on play time.
4. Time gave a rally call for outdoor play with, Funding Public Parks Could Save Lives.
5. And ending our list on a high note, PLAY ranks highly in this list of 25 Things to Do More of in 2012.

So much great work is going on around the globe to promote play as a vital part of the overall health and optimal development for children. It makes me really optimistic that the play tipping point is close at hand!

Did anything catch your eye this week?! 

We would love to know about it — so please share it in the comments section.

Don’t forget to get outside and play this weekend. It’s good for the mind, body and spirit!

Play on! ~ Bethe

Blogger Bio: Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Education & Outreach Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside. She is particularly fond of squirrels. And turtles. And sandpipers. And…

Top:  photo credit: timsackton

This is becoming a bit of a tradition here at HSBS!

On the 12th Day of Christmas, Head Start Body Start gave to Me…

12 beach balls bouncing

11 toddlers clapping

10 kids a leaping

9 infants crawling

8 children laughing

7 swings a swinging

6 trees to climb

5 hula hoops

4 push toys

3 container gardens

2 sand pits

and a naturalized playground!

No matter what holiday you celebrate, we hope that it is filled with play and laughter.

Season’s Greetings from the staff at Head Start Body Start!

Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Education & Outreach Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside. She is particularly fond of squirrels. And turtles. And sandpipers. And…

photo credit: tsakshaug

Just because it is cold outside doesn’t mean that we need to keep children inside all winter. Dress in layers, wear gloves and hats and keep moving to help you beat cabin fever this year! Check out Active Kids Club for great tips on dressing for the cold.

Remember, the fresh air will do them (and you!) good.

Winter Play Ideas

Snow or No Snow…

• Build a fort with sticks and logs. Use and old sheet or tarp to help block some of the wind and keep warm.

• Go on a wildlife watching hike. Look for squirrels, chipmunks or even the family dog. Check for tracks in the snow, mud or sandy areas. What can you find?!

• With all the leaves off the trees it’s MUCH easier to spot our feathered friends, so why not take a bird walk?! Encourage children to look high and low. Can they spot any nests now that the leaves are off the trees? To vary the activity, change the ways you move on the walk: walk on tiptoes, hop or move your arms and fly like a bird! For a fun activity at home or your center, make bagel bird feeders to hang outside. (Substitute almond butter if you have peanut allergies.) The birds will thank you all winter!

Snow…

• Is there snow on the ground? Go sledding, make snow angels or play Snowball Hockey. Make a snow ball and use sticks or wrapping paper tubes as your hockey sticks.

• Make footprint trails for children to follow – and let them make a trail for you! Try moving in different ways through the snow – galloping, taking giant steps and making zig-zag and other patterns.

• Capture your snow day memories with this fun idea for a “headless” snowman. Post your pictures to our Online Community!

How do you like to play outdoors when it’s cold? Tell us in the comments section below.

Playfully yours, Bethe

Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Education & Outreach Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside and enjoying Mother Nature. She is particularly fond of  chatting with squirrels.

Top  photo credit: tanya_little.

From time to time we like to feature great resources here at The Body Smart Blog that will help people interested in naturalizing their outdoor play spaces. As research shows us, health benefits and opportunities for academic and social development are associated with well designed outdoor play spaces which promote play and interaction with natural elements.

Recently, The Natural Learning Initiative launched a great resource called the Green Desk. This interactive resource not only allows you to search for  common questions and answers about naturalizing a play space, but it allows you to submit questions of your own and have them answered by staff, who are leaders in their field.

You can find information about design features, safety, pathways, how to deal with mosquitoes and everything else in between. Don’t see your question covered? Simply submit a question and the Green Desk folks will provide you with evidence-based answers to help you create a successful project.

One of my favorite features in their PDF, Affordable Settings and Elements. This user and budget-friendly piece will walk you through multiple projects to enhance the natural features of your play space.

So visit the Green Desk. We bet you’ll be glad you did! You can also follow the Natural Learning Initiative on Twitter @NaturalearningI.

Playfully yours, Bethe

Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Education & Outreach Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside and enjoying Mother Nature. She is particularly fond of  chatting with squirrels.

photo credit: Nathan Put-Fernandez

It’s that time again — nominations are open for the Eddies!

As I write this, I am picturing all the nominees practicing their acceptance speeches in the mirror. Of course, they are all in bath robes, speaking into a hair brush. They even have curlers in their hair. Yes, even Teacher Tom.

But I digress. Here are my nominations for this year’s Edublog Awards. I must add that there are so many amazing folks sharing ideas and resources that it was hard to pick only one per category, so naturally I just went with who would look better in curlers.

• Best individual blog: Squigglemum
• Best individual tweeter: Jenny Kable @preschoolplay
• Best twitter hashtag: #playoutdoors
• Best teacher blog:  Teacher Tom
• Best educational use of audio / video / visual / podcast: Rae Pica – Body, Mind, Child – BAM! Radio 

Let’s admit it, the season of elastic waistbands is upon us. But it’s also the time to gather with family and friends — so why not get moving and play together?!

 This long weekend, why not…

• Sign-up for a local Turkey Trot run/walk. Even if you aren’t in optimal shape, walking a 5 K is doable. Or, walk a nearby Rails to Trails route.
• Set up a family chalk walk. Send the kids out with sidewalk chalk and have them draw a line path around the neighborhood. They can make squiggly lines, zig-zags, or have you going in circles! Then, just follow the lines to family fun!
• Take a animal tracking hike. Lots of areas have had rain or even snow, which is perfect weather to look for tracks. The beach is also a great place to look for tracks. Birds, squirrels, raccoons, or deer — you never know what you might find! What to add a story into the activity? Read: Big Tracks, Little Tracks: Following Animal Prints (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1) For older children, check out this great tracking activity from Nature Skills.Com.

It doesn’t matter what you do — just get outside and play! It’s good for body, mind and spirit.

Happy Thanksgiving! – Bethe

 photo credit: timomcd

Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Education & Outreach Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside and enjoying Mother Nature. She is particularly fond of  chatting with squirrels.

Ask any adult, and I bet they can share childhood memories of the mighty hula hoop. This simple, inexpensive plastic toy has been delighting children since it was invented in 1957 and has even earned a place in the Toy Hall of Fame. 

The hula hoop is a great play prop to encourage movement and physical activity and help children work on object control skills. But don’t limit yourself to just traditional hooping, which can be difficult for young children to master. No, our friend the hula hoop has lots of uses for active play!

Here are just a few ideas to get you started: 

1.  Jumping Around: Arrange several hula hoops in a circle on the ground close enough to that they are touching. Each child stands in a hoop, once a signal has been given, each child jumps form one hoop to next in the circle. Give the signal again to stop, turn around and jump the opposite way.

2. Driver’s Seat: Get inside the Hula Hoop with your child. Pretend it is a car. Who will be in front and be the driver and steer as you move around? When your child takes the driver’s seat he is practicing stability. Make it a bit harder by adding some resistance to the child’s pull. What type of car are you driving and where are you going? Use your imagination!

3. Hoop Toss: Create a big target such as milk jug or soda bottle (filled with some sand to weigh it down) and toss the hoop to land around the target. Start close and slowly increase the distance.

4. Get Rolling! Roll hoops across an open area to get children practicing running and catching. Vary the distance to vary the challenge. Increase the fun by rolling more than one hoop at a time and see which one the child decides to catch.

5. Run and Roll: Lay a hula hoop on the ground for one partner to stand inside. The other partner stands beside the hula hoop and rolls the hula hoop across an open space. The partner standing in the hoop runs to catch the hula hoop before it falls to the ground and brings the hula hoop back to its original spot. Partners take turns rolling and running to catch the hoop.

6. Musical Hoops: Boogie around an open area to the music until it stops, then jump into any hula hoop that is on the ground (one per person). Add some extra fun and movement practice by giving a designated movement skill to do inside the hoop before boogie time starts again.

7. Through the Hoop: Form a single file line of several children. Give the first child in the line a hula hoop to hold over their head. Children will pull hula hoop down over their bodies and then give the hoop to the next person in line. Time the activity and see how fast the hula hoop can move through the line.

8. Hula Hoop Safari: Give each child a hula hoop and a plastic magnifying glass. Have each child spread out and place their hula hoop in an open spot of grass. Lying on their tummies or squatting, encourage the children to go on safari inside their hula hoop, looking for bugs, worms and anything else interesting they come up with. 

How do you hula hoop?! Share your ideas with us!

Playfully yours, Bethe

In honor of  Take it Outside Week we’re doing a resource round up to help Head Start programs, preschools and childcare programs naturalize their play spaces. Whether your program is in an urban, suburban or rural area you can create a thriving play environment that incorporates many natural features.

Why naturalize your play space? That’s a good question! One of the best reasons is that health benefits and opportunities for academic and social development are associated with well designed outdoor play spaces which promote play and interaction with natural elements. Plus, young children are naturally (ha — get it!) attracted to these greener settings. 

Here are some great resources to get you started.

Helpful books: 

• Natural Playscapes by Rusty Keeler
• Plants for Play by Robin Moore
• Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation by Sharon Danks

Helpful websites:

• The Natural Learning Initiative (Be sure to check out the Green Desk!)
• Nature Grounds (Be sure to check out the search-able plant data base.)
• The Natural World landing page on Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center (ECLCK)

HSBS Tip Sheets: 

• Benefits of Outdoor Play
• 10 Tips to Enhance the Environment 

How about a little inspiration? Check out this video of some of our HSBS grantees in action.

Good luck and let us know how it’s going! We would love to see pictures of  your play space.

Take it outside! ~ Bethe

Blogger Bio: Bethe Almeras, MS, is the HSBS Education & Outreach Director. A long time educator and play advocate, she is passionate about outdoor play and connecting children with nature. In her free time Bethe writes a blog, The Grass Stain Guru, and can often be found playing outside. She is particularly fond of squirrels. And turtles. And sandpipers. And…

 photo credit: gdpaule