Critter Playground
Say the word ‘playground’ and a child smiles, add small critters into the mix and it becomes irresistible!
Create a critter playground with your children and have fun for hours while learning important developmental skills and curriculum!
Developmental Skills / Curriculum:
Problem-Solving
Observation Skills
Persistence/Perseverance
Sensory Awareness
Spatial Awareness
Physics: Force of Motion
Language Arts: Prepositions
Science: Animal Needs, Adaptations, Habitats
Download and Print the Critter Playground PDF
Have your child sketch their dream playground on a piece of paper
Go on a hike/walk and collect interesting items to use in the critter playground construction (think: slides, swings, zip-lines, tunnels, bridges, or whatever else was in their dream playground)
Plan out your critter playground and start construction
When you’re ready add critters, but remember to safely search and care for critters (if you need a reminder about this click here)
Observe how the critters enjoy your playground and move about, then check off preposition words you witnesesd in the space on the bottom of the worksheet
Some ideas to help inspire..
Arches to climb through and up
Soft leaves and fluffy seeds to curl up on
Stacked rocks as a ‘rock wall’ to climb
Acorn caps or seeds as watering holes
Tree bark as a tunnel or bridge
Small stick pile for crawling and camouflage
Stick with a seed as a ‘swing’
Flat stick with a triangular rock or stick underneath as a fulcrum to create a ‘see-saw’
Stacked seeds for a tower to climb
Tall vertical sticks for climbing
Mushrooms and leaves for color and shade
Share your Critter Playground images to learningwithoutdoorsco@gmail.com and we will feature some on our site!
