{"id":6280,"date":"2020-03-17T17:57:13","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T17:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/?p=6280"},"modified":"2023-05-01T13:40:19","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T13:40:19","slug":"now-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/news\/now-what\/","title":{"rendered":"Now What?"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Liz Driscoll<\/strong> Looking for ideas to help your children continue learning, exploring — and avoid feeling cooped up — when their schools or daycare centers close? The answer may lie no farther than your backyard or nearest park.<\/span><\/p>\n Here are five easy outdoor activities you and your kids can try now, or any time the fancy strikes:<\/span><\/p>\n Take a journal and find an outdoor spot where you can carefully observe what’s around you. Look for insects munching on plants, pollinating flowers, crawling in the earth or zinging through the air. How many can you see? Sketch them carefully and note their colors, size, what they are doing and how many you notice. You can keep doing this throughout the year to see how things change with each passing season.<\/span><\/p>\n There are some mighty strange stems in this world — stems with hairs, stems with spines, stems that are tall, stems that are square\u2014keep a tally of your stem safari! You may find stems that behave in weird ways:<\/span><\/p>\n Slug huts are secret forts that enable the imagination to roam wild. They are places for stories, games, daydreaming, singing and relaxing. Find fallen branches and make the frame. Try an easy and sturdy teepee. You might need to secure the branches together with a bit of twine or willow branches. Scout around for shrubbery that you could weave through your frame. You can be creative in your materials here\u2014the more natural materials you use, the better you blend in and your slug hut is camouflaged. You can also use old bed sheets or tablecloths. Bring in your books or sketchpad, and play away!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you’re at home, get your parent’s permission first. You also shouldn’t do this in other places, like parks, unless you’ve gotten approval from the person in charge.<\/p>\n So many trees, so many hugs to give. Read Shel Silverstein\u2019s \u201cGiving Tree\u201d \u2013 or any other favorite book in a comfortable crook of your favorite tree. Take a bark rubbing or two \u2013 or enough to make a collection! Really notice the bark. What color is it? And would you say it\u2019s smooth, rough, shiny or papery? Any other words you can use to describe it?<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Borrow one of mom or dad\u2019s pie pans and gather some soil from the garden. You may need a trowel to dig deep into the earth to fill your pan. Add a little water, mix well, really, really well, keep mixing, making mud and more mud! What color is your mud pie? Can you find different soils to make different \u2018flavors\u2019 of mud pies? Any pebble toppings? Or other findings you can use to decorate? When you\u2019re done, be sure to practice all the handwashing skills you\u2019ve been learning lately!<\/span><\/p>\n Check out <\/span>\u201cMischief for Kids,\u201d<\/span><\/a> part of NC State Extension\u2019s \u201cGrow for It!\u201d website. And if you can’t get outside, how <\/span>does garbage-can gardening sound? Find out more online at <\/span>growforit.ces.ncsu.edu\/2018\/10\/garbage-can-gardening\/<\/a><\/p>\n 4-H also offers a great guide with lots of indoor and outdoor activities in healthy living, crafting and science, technology, engineering and math, and it’s available for free online. See 4-h.org\/about\/inspire-kids-to-do\/activity-guide\/<\/a> Parents can also find ideas in a series of videos<\/a> produced by NC State’s Department of Horticultural Science.<\/p>\n Liz Driscoll works for NC State Extension\u2019s 4-H program and is a specialist in the university\u2019s departments of Horticultural Science, Crop and Soil Sciences, and Entomology and Plant Pathology. She\u2019s also an experienced mom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 4-H, young people make new friends, develop new skills, become leaders and help shape their communities. <\/span>In North Carolina, 4-H<\/a> is delivered by N.C. Cooperative Extension, a statewide outreach partnership between NC State University, N.C. A&T State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and 101 local governments statewide.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"raw":"By Liz Driscoll<\/strong>\r\nNC State Extension 4-H specialist<\/em><\/span>\r\n\r\nLooking for ideas to help your children continue learning, exploring -- and avoid feeling cooped up -- when their schools or daycare centers close? The answer may lie no farther than your backyard or nearest park.<\/span>\r\n\r\nHere are five easy outdoor activities you and your kids can try now, or any time the fancy strikes:<\/span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_176573\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"] Without going far, kids can explore and learn from familiar environments. Liz Driscoll, an NC State Extension 4-H specialist, suggests five easy outdoor activities to try when your kids are feeling cooped up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":6281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[126],"class_list":["post-6280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-10"],"acf":[],"flickr_id":"","youtube_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6280"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6282,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6280\/revisions\/6282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cals.ncsu.edu\/international-programs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nNC State Extension 4-H specialist<\/em><\/span><\/p>\nInvestigate Insects<\/b><\/h2>\n
Stalk Strange Stems<\/b><\/h2>\n
\n
Build a Slug Hut<\/b><\/h2>\n
Hug a Tree<\/b><\/h2>\n
Make a Mud Pie<\/b><\/h2>\n
Looking for More Ideas?<\/b><\/h2>\n
About the Author<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n
About 4-H<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n
How many insects can you find? Look closely, and you might even notice a spider.[\/caption]\r\n
Investigate Insects<\/b><\/h2>\r\nTake a journal and find an outdoor spot where you can carefully observe what's around you. Look for insects munching on plants, pollinating flowers, crawling in the earth or zinging through the air. How many can you see? Sketch them carefully and note their colors, size, what they are doing and how many you notice. You can keep doing this throughout the year to see how things change with each passing season.<\/span>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_176577\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]
Have you ever noticed how different plant stems can be?[\/caption]\r\n
Stalk Strange Stems<\/b><\/h2>\r\nThere are some mighty strange stems in this world -- stems with hairs, stems with spines, stems that are tall, stems that are square\u2014keep a tally of your stem safari! You may find stems that behave in weird ways:<\/span>\r\n
\r\n \t
Build a Slug Hut<\/b><\/h2>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_176578\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\"]
Build a slug hut like this, and you could have a place to kick back for hours.[\/caption]\r\n\r\nSlug huts are secret forts that enable the imagination to roam wild. They are places for stories, games, daydreaming, singing and relaxing. Find fallen branches and make the frame. Try an easy and sturdy teepee. You might need to secure the branches together with a bit of twine or willow branches. Scout around for shrubbery that you could weave through your frame. You can be creative in your materials here\u2014the more natural materials you use, the better you blend in and your slug hut is camouflaged. You can also use old bed sheets or tablecloths. Bring in your books or sketchpad, and play away!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nIf you're at home, get your parent's permission first. You also shouldn't do this in other places, like parks, unless you've gotten approval from the person in charge.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_176568\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"1024\"]
Try taking pencil-and-paper rubbings of tree bark. Do you see similarities and differences among different trees?[\/caption]\r\n
Hug a Tree<\/b><\/h2>\r\nSo many trees, so many hugs to give. Read Shel Silverstein\u2019s \u201cGiving Tree\u201d \u2013 or any other favorite book in a comfortable crook of your favorite tree. Take a bark rubbing or two \u2013 or enough to make a collection! Really notice the bark. What color is it? And would you say it\u2019s smooth, rough, shiny or papery? Any other words you can use to describe it?<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_176580\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"169\"]
What can you find to decorate your mudpie?[\/caption]\r\n
Make a Mud Pie<\/b><\/h2>\r\nBorrow one of mom or dad\u2019s pie pans and gather some soil from the garden. You may need a trowel to dig deep into the earth to fill your pan. Add a little water, mix well, really, really well, keep mixing, making mud and more mud! What color is your mud pie? Can you find different soils to make different \u2018flavors\u2019 of mud pies? Any pebble toppings? Or other findings you can use to decorate? When you\u2019re done, be sure to practice all the handwashing skills you\u2019ve been learning lately!<\/span>\r\n
Looking for More Ideas?<\/b><\/h2>\r\nCheck out <\/span>\u201cMischief for Kids,\u201d<\/span><\/a> part of NC State Extension\u2019s \u201cGrow for It!\u201d website. And if you can't get outside, how <\/span>does garbage-can gardening sound? Find out more online at <\/span>growforit.ces.ncsu.edu\/2018\/10\/garbage-can-gardening\/<\/a>\r\n\r\n4-H also offers a great guide with lots of indoor and outdoor activities in healthy living, crafting and science, technology, engineering and math, and it's available for free online. See 4-h.org\/about\/inspire-kids-to-do\/activity-guide\/<\/a> Parents can also find ideas in a series of videos<\/a> produced by NC State's Department of Horticultural Science.\r\n
About the Author<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\r\nLiz Driscoll works for NC State Extension\u2019s 4-H program and is a specialist in the university\u2019s departments of Horticultural Science, Crop and Soil Sciences, and Entomology and Plant Pathology. She\u2019s also an experienced mom.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n
About 4-H<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\r\nIn 4-H, young people make new friends, develop new skills, become leaders and help shape their communities. <\/span>In North Carolina, 4-H<\/a> is delivered by N.C. Cooperative Extension, a statewide outreach partnership between NC State University, N.C. A&T State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s National Institute of Food and Agriculture and 101 local governments statewide.<\/span>"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"