Grown-ups love figures. When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, “What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?” Instead, they demand: “How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?” Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince, 1943, translated from French
Park Outings
Going to the park can be an outstanding way to spend quality time together as a family. Of course there are all the jungle gyms, slides, and swings you can play on, but there are other things you could also do afterwards.
Collecting wild flowers, pinecones, nuts, and leaves that you could classify later on when you return home is plenty educational and fun. You could also take a shoebox for each of your children and begin a little “memory box” by taking the wild flowers or leaves and pressing them, then placing them inside the shoebox along with the information discovered about the plants such as computer printouts. Take the printouts and glue the nuts, leaves, or flowers to them is another activity you can do with the treasures you find while at the park.
Also, encourage your child(ren) to write down the date they found the park treasures so they can always look back and remember when you spent those moments together as a family. This is an excellent way to strengthen your family bond.