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Your Library is More Than Books!
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Benefits of Spending Time Outdoors There is scientific evidence that playing outside improves physical and mental health, and children of all ages love it. We know that the more time a child spends in nature, the more likely they are to grow up to be good stewards of our planet. More outdoor time is linked with improved motor development and lower obesity rates and myopia (nearsightedness) risk. Safely getting some sun also helps us make vitamin D that our bodies need to stay healthy and strong. Playing outside promotes curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. Studies have found that children who spent more time in nature exploration had improved learning outcomes. Research shows that when children spent time in natural settings they had less anger and aggression. Impulse control and focus also improves. Stress and depression are lower for all people who spend time in nature. So get out there with your kids today!
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Babies & Toddlers Even infants and toddlers can play and learn in nature. Take a walk through the trees using a carrier or stroller. Throw down a blanket on the grass or soft earth. Let your baby enjoy the fresh breezes, bird songs, forest smells and plant textures. Give them some outside tummy time, blowing bubbles for them to reach for and watch glisten in the sun.
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Pre-K & Grade School Build nature sculptures with twigs, leaves, rocks, and more by sticking the collected items into a play dough base. Ask your child what kind of patterns they see outside. Bike or walk with the family in your neighborhood or find a new park to explore. Describe what you see along the way and talk about the weather. Use a lot of details to help kids learn new words and engage all their senses. Take story time outside. Pick books that talk about nature and help your child make connections.
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Older Kids & Teens Stay engaged with the outdoors as a family. Hold a nature scavenger hunt or start a nature collection. Look for local plants, trees, animals and birds. Collect rocks, acorns, leaves or pinecones. Leave a trail. Kicking a soccer ball, throwing a frisbee, jumping rope or playing any sports you all enjoy can keep the outdoors fun as children get older. Pack a picnic or plan a barbeque outside with friends and family.
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Attend a Storytime at the library
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Need help finding your next read? Check out what we're spotlighting.
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Access free help with your library card.
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Let's Go Outside! Help Your Kids Connect with Nature
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The Little Gardener : Helping Children Connect With the Natural World by Julie A. CernyWhat it is: Part how–to, part teaching tool, and part inspiration. A thoughtful combination of detailed instructions, tips, anecdotes, and seasonal activities designed to connect gardeners to natural systems.
Read it for: Fun projects, useful charts, and creative journal prompts
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The Curious Kid's Science Book : 100+ Creative Hands-on Activities for Ages 4-8 by Asia CitroIncluded: Over one hundred simple science experiments to do at home, including activities about plants and seeds, water and ice, molds, bacteria, fungus, engineering, food, baking soda and vinegar, the environment, and living things How it can help: Just one experiment a week will help build children's confidence and excitement about the sciences, boost success in the classroom, and give them the tools to design and execute their own science fair projects
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What's included: Ideas, photos, activity instructions, and inspiration you need to get outdoors with your family all year round such as play leaf pile games, take a hot chocolate hike, make corn husk dolls, go on an animal home hunt, and much more with hundreds of ideas for all ages, abilities, and family types.
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Who it's for: New parents, families with babies and toddlers who want to get outside How it can help: “Family-friendly trail” is often a misleading phrase, and doesn’t take young children under the age of 5 into consideration, whose safety and comfort require a different perspective. The unpredictable nature of little ones leads many parents to put their adventure dreams on the back burner, missing out on years of meaningful experiences as a family.
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Reviewers Say: “A Little Bit of Dirt, recognizes, quite rightly, that nature is the perfect classroom for kids. Asia’s book is the ideal resource for anyone wanting to teach children important lessons through play, exploration... and getting just a little bit muddy!"
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What's Included: 50 experiments that use easy-to-find grocery store items. Each experiment includes the science behind how it works, a Hypothesize section for everyone to think about what they think will happen, science vocabulary that helps apply the STEM research to real life and Try This! prompts with even more ways to experiment, with your experiment.
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Family Friendly Activities Include: walnut dye a T-shirt, make mud & straw bricks, build a debris hut, weave a wildflower crown, cast animal tracks, brew dandelion tea, catch minnows with spiderwebs, and more
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The Ultimate Book of Scavenger Hunts : 42 Outdoor Adventures to Conquer with Your Family by Stacy TornioWhat's Inside: 42 scavenger hunts with a leveled difficulty rating system so you can find both easy and difficult items within each hunt. Each hunt comes complete with factoids and information about the items on the list, and each item is accompanied by a colorful spot illustration so that the hunter can easily identify what they are looking for. Who It's For: Families with kids ages 4-10 in any location--from city to farm to beach to mountains
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Contact your librarian for more Parent-Caregiver books!
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