Glimpse a robin's world

• Ages: 4+
• Materials: mirror; string; scissors
• Time: About an hour
• # of kids: 1 or more
• Season: Mid April-Early July

Children—well, all people really—are naturally drawn to animals. Naturalist John Muir said it beautifully:

"Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way."

If you guide your kids to do nothing more than notice, watch, or casually study animals in your area, they will be fascinated and you will have an opening to inspire in them a lifelong curiosity. Then, go one step further by introducing a genuine problem to solve within the captivating context of observing animals. When you combine such an engaging situation with genuine, self-directed problem-solving, you get all parts of kids’ brains firing, and you create the potential for lasting, deep learning. Now, that is mind-making.

What’s one way to do this? Hunt for and find a robin’s nest. Talk with kids about the nest, what they notice and what they think might be inside. Then, challenge them to use a few simple materials (mirrors, string and scissors) and anything around them to make a tool to spy inside the nest without disturbing the nest or its tenants in any way.

Watch as they imagine, design, build, test and adjust their tool. Support them as they execute their vision. Then, stand with them and watch their faces light up as you use their tool to peek into the life of a robin. Cheer with them as you see the bright blue eggs or, if you are lucky, baby robins. In the days that follow, come back to watch the nest and keep track of the robins...and be prepared to build further versions of the tool to reach other nests, high and low.

Why?

You’ll know in your gut that this is an incredibly valuable use of your time together, but it never hurts to hear some research to support that feeling:

• It’s brain science—Priscilla Vail, prominent national educator and speaker, in her article, “The Role of Emotions in Learning,” writes,

  “Emotion is an on/off switch for learning…the 'emotional brain,' the limbic system, has the power to open or close access to learning, memory, and the ability to make connections.”

  It turns out, emotions originate in the brain’s limbic system which is located between the brain stem (the most primitive part that first receives information from the senses) and the cortex (where higher level thinking, creativity, and most of the learning is done). If the limbic system interprets incoming sensory information as negative, then its access into the cortex is denied, and, as a result, thinking and learning are inhibited. However, if the sensory information is interpreted as positive, then its access to the cortex is granted, and the brain directs behavior in such a way that thinking and learning are enhanced.
  So, if the learning situation evokes a joyful emotional response, the brain will be even better able to operate and learn. And, few experiences are more joyful than peeking into a robin’s nest to see bright blue eggs and even fledglings (baby birds)—wonders to behold.

A thrilled explorer gets his first glimpse into the nest.

• Creativity—The complicated and ever changing world into which our kids will grow demands that they be more creative and innovative than generations before. By creative, we mean able to both imagine original ideas or solutions to problems and do what needs to be done to make them happen. By challenging kids to purpose-build a tool and then enabling them to use it to solve a problem, you give them the chance to practice both the imagining and the doing and, more importantly, to develop their creativity.
• Executive Function Skills—Children (and adults) need strong executive function skills, such as focus, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and self control, in order to learn. When you help your kids develop these skills, they actually learn how to learn. And, research continues to point to these skills as critical indicators of kids’ success in school and even of college completion. By choosing such an engaging context and letting kids work out their own solution, you give kids the ideal practice at staying focused and on task.

How?

• Find a robin’s nest.—You definitely do not have to be an animal expert to find a robin’s nest. You need to find the edge of a wooded area, preferably where you see robins in nearby open spaces. Then, look closely for nests in the lower halves of trees, built on one or more horizontal branches (aka in a “nook” in the tree). A birder friend of mine once told me that robins nest where kids would put the nests in trees. Use a mirror or hold up a camera to peek in the nest yourself first, if you want to make sure that there is, indeed, something in the nest.
• Chat before you start—To engage kids’ curiosity, talk with them about what they know and think about the nest before you start developing tools or trying to look inside. Ask questions like:
  • Why do birds build nests?
  • How do you think the robin made this nest? (what materials, what process, how long did it take? etc)
  • What do you think will be in the nest? (Get kids to be as detailed as you can. For example, if they say “eggs,” ask "How many?" or “What do you think the eggs will look like?” and “Why do you think so?”)
  • How do you think the mother robin would feel about us getting close to the nest?
  • How do you think we should move/act if we got close to the nest? (Practice how to move and act before you approach the nest).
• Set up the challenge—Ask: “Would you like to see what is inside of the nest?” Then, provide the mission: Build a tool from scratch that will help you see what is inside the nest without touching or bothering the birds or the nest. Then, show them the materials with which they have to work.
• Materials—We provided a plastic, curved mirror, string and scissors. Then, kids could add anything they could find outside (sticks, branches, other trees, rocks, etc.). [Note: You can use any small, portable mirror you’ve got. We cut out the baby mirror we had in the car (gives a great view).]

Summarizing our explorers' ideas.
• Support kids as they imagine, design and build—This can be the tricky part. Depending on their ages, kids will be more or less able to do this on their own. The key is to let them drive as much of the process as they can. For example, if you have a 5 year old, you want to let him come up with as many ideas as he can. Accept all of them, even ones that you know will not work.
  
  For example, kids in our class imagined a range of solutions including: giant stilts made out of sticks; pulley systems to raise the mirror up; using mirrors together as in a periscope; and tying a mirror to a long branch.
  
  You can help move the process along by summarizing the ideas for kids and helping them to pick one to start with. Help gather materials that are too heavy or challenging for them to gather. Cut string and tie knots if need be, but make sure you are cutting and tying where the kids wants the string to be cut or tied. If a design fails, remind them that that is part of the process and is good, as long as they learn how to improve the design.
  If you have more than one child, encourage them to work as a team and support them in the same way—by asking questions and offering to help execute their vision.


• What if I have little ones?—If you have really young kids (under 4), they will not be able to envision or build a tool. However, they can learn by listening to you as you model and talk through the process of wondering how to use the materials, testing out designs and building the tool. Then, they will certainly enjoy and benefit from using the tool to see into the nest.

If you are as curious as I was about robins, you may want to read more on Cornell's All About Birds. Fascinated by how a bird can build such a design marvel? Read about how robins build their nests.

Planting seeds

• Ages: 2+
• Materials: pots with holes for drainage; potting soil; seeds and water
• Time: About an hour
• # of kids: 1 or more

Like ours, your kids may readily marvel at spring’s spectacular show—the flowering trees and plants are hard to miss and always impress. Meanwhile, a quieter, even more powerful miracle goes on spring through fall. Every day, from the smallest of seeds, tiny shoots sprout to generate new life. Even the mighty Sequoia, arguably the largest living thing on Earth, starts from a seed no bigger than a grain of wheat. This simple but utterly mind-blowing process is right there for kids to experience in a profound way with you.

Every child wonders from where living things came (if you've yet to field that age-old question "Where did I come from?", it's coming...). So, we introduced the activity to our daughter by wondering, “Where do you think all of these magical plants come from?" followed by, "What does it take to start a plant? to grow a plant?” Then, we figured, how better for her to start to answer those questions than to get her hands on some dirt, seeds and water, then watch the magic unfold.

If you are in the countryside with lots of garden, great. Or if you are like us, smack in the middle of the city but with ample window sills, great again. It only takes a few pots, some potting soil, seeds and water. In only a few days, you’ll begin to bear the fruits (well, leaves) of your labor, as shoots will begin to emerge, providing endless opportunity to observe, dialogue, name and nurture as they grow!

If you do have a garden, yard or (shh, don’t tell), a great local park like ours, we recommend taking this a step further by also sowing seeds outdoors in the real earth. It’s a great way to extend the learning and yet another reason to keep going back outdoors.

See more photos of our process and baby plants!

Why?

Here are just a few of the many ways kids benefit from planting and caring for seedlings:

• Science (and life) lessons—Seeds are incredible evidence of nature’s brilliant design. Just the fact that they contain all of the nutrition and DNA you need to make a plant is amazing. Once your seeds start to sprout, kids can use them to practice observing, measuring, and even experimenting. Young kids will learn through exposure while older kids can learn new vocabulary and make connections to things they have already learned. Even if all you do is plant, care for and watch your seeds and seedlings closely, kids will build a foundation of understanding about the miracle of birth, the life cycle of plants and the survival of both a single living thing and an entire species.
• Patience and Waiting—Teaching kids the art of patience pays off big time—it's been proven by grandmothers and researchers for generations (If you haven't heard of it, you've got to check out the Marshmallow Experiment). Although not long from an adult’s perspective, the time required for seeds to sprout (about a week) is long enough for kids to struggle to remain interested. In this age of instant gratification, it is hard to find ways for your kids to practice waiting that have such a great payoff as waiting for seeds to sprout.
• Getting Dirty—There are lots of reasons to get your kids playing and digging in the dirt. Dirt was ranked one of the 5 best toys of all time by Wired Magazine’s Geek Dad—and for very good reasons. Kids can play with dirt in endless ways, and it is widely available at no cost. Handling a small gardening shovel and packing soft dirt into pots also helps kids develop the fine motor skills they’ll need to do all kinds of things, including keyboarding and writing. Experts also argue that dirt is actually good for kids’ health.

How?

There are many resources online to help you sprout seeds the “right” way. But, for our purposes, we followed a simpler protocol:

• Gather materials—We started out with 8 small pots, a bag of potting soil, a hand trowel (small gardening shovel) and four different kinds of seeds. We chose herbs (thyme, basil, cilantro and chives) so we could grow them easily and use them in our cooking, adding yet another layer to the learning. Specifically, we chose chives because they grow easily in the wild and because they are monocots and, as such, look noticeably different than the other plants as they sprout (something cool to notice). We also chose cilantro because they have much bigger and more interesting seeds.
• Set up pots—Put dirt into the pots so that they are nearly full (leave about ½ inch to the top) and loosely packed. Add water to the soil before you add the seeds so that the soil is moist but not soggy. Warm water absorbs best.

• Investigate seeds—Take a minute or two to play with and observe the seeds. Pour them into your and your kids' hands. Roll some between your fingers. Notice things. Comment on what you notice. Maeve noticed that cilantro seeds are "like balls" and are "much bigger than thyme seeds," for example.
• Sprinkle seeds (or pour them in, as Maeve did)—Sprinkle seeds on the top of the soil. Then, add a light layer of soil on top of the seeds. Or, use a pencil tip or other thin object to gently poke seeds down beneath the surface.
• Water and warmth—Place them in a warm place and keep them moist, but again not soggy. Seeds only need water, air and warmth to germinate.
• Make markers—You can label your plants any way you like, but make sure to label which pot has which seeds. We took twigs from the park, stripped a bit of bark using a potato peeler and then wrote the seed type on the stick.
• Visit and notice—We decided we would visit the plants each morning to care for and observe them, making sure we made it a daily ritual. After a few days, Maeve appeared to lose interest, but was happy to help water. Each day, we asked, “What do you notice?” and talked about what each of us noticed. Finally, on day 7, there were noticable bits of green to care for! 
• Extend - Learn about plants!
  • Learn about cotyledons—Also known as “seed leaves,” are the very first leaf-like structures on a new seedling. As a seedling grows, the cotyledons (monocots or dicots) will whither and new leaves, known as the "true leaves," will form. These true leaves will have the shape and form that we associate with the given plant.
  • Measure and count—Kids can measure once per week and keep track of how much their plants grow. Or, they can count new leaves each week and compare how quickly the different types of plant generate new leaves.
  • Transplant and continue to grow—Once the true leaves appear, you can start to transplant or thin out your seedlings so they can continue to grow into plants. We plan to put two to three seedlings in a single pot, giving them about ½ inch of space between them.
  • Harvest and taste—As soon as we can, we will snip and harvest leaves from our herbs to taste and then to incorporate in something we cook together...our nod to the “farm-to-table” movement.
• Extend—Comparing environments. After we planted our pots, we set off for the park to find a spot with ample sun but low foot traffic. Then, we dug up the surface dirt (down a few inches), moistened the soil, sprinkled our seeds, dusted some earth on top, watered a bit more and wished them good luck. We'll continue to return periodically to check on our seeds, and compare how they grow vs. our window sill seeds. 
• Connect to literature—Although there are many, here are three wonderful books we enjoyed as we waited for our seeds to sprout:
  • Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
  • Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
  • How Groundhog's Garden Grew by Lynne Cherry

Read more about growing each of the 4 herbs we chose:

basil

chives

cilantro

thyme

Magic petal potions

• Ages: 2-8
• Materials: glass jar; sack or bindle; water
• Time: 45 minutes to an hour
• # of kids: 1 or more

Seeing spring again through kids’ eyes, you realize how sensational and totally magical it is. And, with so much blooming and bursting going on, it's the perfect time for kids to make magic petal potions.

It turns out, potion-making is a perfectly engaging pursuit for most kids. What can kids put in a potion? A splash of water, then anything else they want. To make a potion, kids search, collect, combine, mash, stir, shake, and repeat. They stop to look and sniff the potion as it transforms in color, form and scent. They try a little of this, then a little of that, changing course as they get real-time feedback. It’s tinkering at its best.

So, just grab a glass jar for each kid, make sure you bring a little water and head outdoors. Endless ingredients and potential concoctions await...

See more photos from a glorious day of making petal potions in Prospect Park, Brooklyn.

Why?

• Kids learn to tinker—The kind of playful and iterative exploration kids do when they make potions is fundamental tinkering. And why is tinkering so important? Mitchel Resnick and Eric Rosembaum of MIT’s Media Lab remind us that,

  “Tinkering is more important today than ever before. We live in a world that is characterized by uncertainty and rapid change...Success in the future will depend not on what you know, or how much you know, but on your ability to think and act creatively—on your ability to come up with innovative solutions to unexpected situations and unanticipated problems.”


• Sensory development—As they make potions, kids not only flex their senses of sight, touch and smell, but they strengthen their ability to integrate the senses. Why do so many teachers talk about sensory development and integration?
  Sensory integration is the ability to take in, sort out, process and make use of information from the world around us. The better kids are able to tune and integrate their senses, the more they can learn. Plus, until the lower levels of the brain can efficiently and accurately sort out incoming information, the higher levels cannot begin to develop thinking and organization skills kids need to succeed.
• Schema—There is a set of repetitive behaviors that kids all over the world exhibit. Any parent will recognize them as soon as he or she hears about them, and they are known to child development experts as "schema." By giving kids opportunities to practice these schema, you can actually encourage important brain development. Several schema are activated as kids make potions. Gathering ingredients and carting them around supports the “transporting schema." As kids mash and mix ingredients, they practice the “transforming schema." Stirring the potion gives kids a workout with the “circulation schema.” (Read more about schema).

How?

• Gather materials—You only need a glass jar (e.g. mason jar, recycled salsa jar) and enough water to add about an inch or so to the container.
• Set a goal—Suggest to kids that they make a magic potion (what kid can resist?!). Then, step back. We called ours “petal potions” because there were so many petals around in the park. Along with the goal, we asked kids, “What can you put in a magic potion?” After saying “Yes. What else?” to a few ideas, we told kids that they could put in anything they wanted. By giving kids a broad goal like this, you give them both the reason to start making and the freedom to make in their own way.

• Hunt for ingredients—Kids can use a bag, sack or a bindle to gather all kinds of ingredients like petals from flowering trees, clovers, dandelions, freshly cut grass, dirt, bark and more. Once kids have a good bunch of ingredients, they can circle back to turn them into a potion. Remind them that they can always go off again in search of more.
• Offer a special ingredient or two—You can hunt for a few different materials that kids might not find on their own and leave them around for kids to try. For example, I try to collect things that heighten the scent of the potion such as lilac blooms or dried lavender (which I bring from home).
• Gather a few sticks—Kids will need a stick or two for mashing and stirring their potions.
• Make a potion—Kids can add about an inch of water, then do whatever it takes to mix up their potions. They can use sticks to mash or stir. Or, kids can put the top on and shake it up. Let them do their thing and give them plenty of time.
• Talk—As they are working, ask them what they notice about their potion. If you don’t get much back, ask to see it. Mention something that you notice (e.g. “I notice that the water looks different than when you started.”). Or, ask to smell the potion and mention something that you notice about the smell (e.g. “I notice a sweet smell in there. I wonder what makes that smell...”). This should prompt them to observe, notice and talk with you about the potion as well as their process.
• Keep the jar handy—Once kids start making potions, they tend to want to make them again and again.