I have been trying to sneak some learning into our Summer fun this year. I grabbed this book at the library and it created the perfect opportunity for us to go explore a Pond. While the book is geared towards preschool age children, I got my boys (6 and 8) involved by helping to read the book to my toddler.
Pond Walk by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
I also made this little Pond Scavenger Hunt worksheet for our trip to the Pond. You can either circle or color all of the things you were able to find on your pond walk. You can download a copy HERE or by clicking on the picture below. I did generalize it to things I know are found in Utah and things talked about in the book but I’m sure it will work in other places as well.
(This worksheet is for educational purposes only. The free clipart used in this worksheet came from Clker.com and Arthur’s Clipart.)
We first visited a small man made pond at a local Village shopping center. Our main objective was just to have fun feeding the ducks so you can imagine my kids’ excitement when we had big cat fish, koi fish and even a turtle come out to enjoy our bread.
My kids got up close and personal and noticed some tadpoles and small fish in the water.
It was the perfect small outing for a Sunday afternoon and it got my kids pumped up to explore something bigger.
Our next adventure was a bigger pond. I couldn’t believe it was so close to our house without us ever going in the 3 years we’ve lived here. Not only was there a big man made pond for fishing and exploring, but they also have 3 big playgrounds at the park, water features for the kids to wade their feet in, a small splash pad and a pavilion perfect for a picnic lunch. I’m so happy I researched it beforehand so I came prepared with swimming suits, towels and a picnic lunch and we made a whole day out of our visit there.
Some of our favorites…
Beautiful, blue dragonflies.
Lots of Mommy and baby ducks.
I came prepared with small glass jars for the boys to gather some water from the pond and see what they found. We didn’t take anything home with us and made sure to pour our jars back out in the pond after our adventure. The jars were a HUGE hit!
One of the best parts about this summer adventure, it was totally free!
I love your blog! I am a grade one teacher in Alberta and started following you because of the great crafts you do with your children. However, I have come to enjoy the blogs about the fun you have with your children even more. I wish all of my students could have a family like yours. Thank you for sharing your fun. Jodi
i love this Rachel! so fun!!
I love the idea of going on a nature walk with a check off list of things to spot. Just may add this to our adventures next week.