The Mom I Want to Be

 Pack a basket with learning opportunities.

 

• paper and pencil
• picnic basket
• blanket
• paper plates
• napkins
• cups
• camera
• homemade sandwichesInvite your child to help check off a list of the foods and supplies that you will bring on your outing. Ask your child to help you write a list of picnic items. (He can cut and paste words and pictures from a grocery-store circular or try writing the words.) Take the list with you to the store so you and he can “read” it as you go through the aisles together. Create the eats together!  Keep the preparation simple so that your child can easily participate. Provide several different choices of containers to carry the picnic supplies. Ask your child to predict which container will hold everything you plan to bring, and then try it out! Encourage your child to make predictions about the picnic before you go. What do you think we will see at the picnic area? What might be the best part of the picnic? Write down his predictions and review them later to see which were true to your experience. Whether you go out to the backyard or take a trip to a park, carry along a camera to record the fun and discoveries of the day! Your child can then write about the event and create his own “My Picnic Adventure” book.

• develops prediction skills
• provides practice with early literacy
• supports early math skills