Fresh Air Fun!

Getting outside doesn't have to be complicated: there's tons of fun and learning just waiting to be discovered in your backyard, around your block or at your local conservation area. To get you started, RVCA's Outdoor Educators have compiled some awesome activities to help you maximize your outdoor adventures! 

Elementary School Activities: 
Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun natural artNatural Art — Hey kids! Why not get outside and collect little pieces of “nature” and create a work of art? What can you use from your backyard to make your own unique masterpiece? A few blades of grass? Maybe a few twigs will help? How about those pinecones? There are treasures to be found! Build your design outside, take a snap and leave it behind. 
Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun alphabet copyAlphabet Walk — Hey parents, here’s today’s RVCA Fresh Air Fun tip! Take the little ones for an “alphabet walk.” Can you see letters in shapes around you? Or find objects for every letter of the alphabet. Access our ABC check list here (download PDF)
Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun nature detective artScavenger Hunt — Hey kids! It’s a spring scavenger hunt! Get outside see what you can spy during your outdoor adventure. Get your scavenger hunt here (download PDF).
Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun BooklistBooklist — Hey parents! Pair a fun children’s story with your next walk outside. Make connections from the book to nature while watching the squirrels, jumping in puddles or sitting under a magic tree! Check out Interpreter Andrea and Rebecca’s recommended reading list! Reading List (download PDF)
 
Conservation Area Fresh phototakingPhotography fun! What a better way to capture your backyard fresh air fun than with your camera! Whether spring is blooming or the snow is blowing, what beautiful outdoor image can you freeze in time? The flight of a feathered friend, the unique patterns of a frosty leaf, the buds about to burst?
Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun literacyReady to read — Weave literacy skills into your next bit of fresh air fun! Make a list of all the things you see on your walk while encouraging literacy skills. Younger children can guess the first letter based or draw pictures, while older kids can try to spell the words. You can help them fill in the blanks later! 

Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun loose partsLoose Parts Play — Loose parts are random items that children use to build, play, create and more. Look through your home and think like a kid: boards, tires, fabric, boxes, old kitchen items, buckets, sticks, tubes, pipes, logs, rocks, recycling items and more can all become loose parts. And there is no better place to play with them than outside!

Why is this type of play beneficial for kids?  Loose parts encourage kids to be physically active and creative. The learning is hands on, engaging, and encourages children to communicate and be cooperative along with developing great problem-solving skills.

Rainy Day Play — Water is a wonderful inConservation Area Fresh Air Fun rainy dayvitation for play and exploration! A puddle, a ditch, a stream, or a pond in your neighbourhood or backyard can all lead to some excellent fresh air fun. Raid your recycling bin for containers that you can use as scoops. Use an old kitchen strainer as a net. Find a pail, bowl, or basin to collect water and any creatures you might find. Don’t forget your rubber boots! Want to know what creatures you found? Make observations about sie, number of legs, antennae and how it swims. Then look it up later using our bug ID cards or online. This is a good spot to start: //www.ducks.ca/resources/educators/

Parents, be sure to watch your kids near deep or fast flowing water!

Dry off and pair your experience with a fun story. Check out “Over and Under the Pond" by Kate Messner or "In the Small, Small Pond" by Denise Fleming. If you have a library card, many books can be accessed through digital library connections like OverDrive Tumble Books for free.

Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun toad houseToad House — Hop to it and try your hand at creating toad habitat in your own backyard! Toads are great neighbours because they love to eat bugs and slugs. Learn more from Ranger Rebecca as she gives tips on how to build a toad house with your little ones. Don’t forget to post and tag us in your creation! 

 

Conservation Area Fresh Air MudMud Kitchen — How about building a mud kitchen?

The messiness of play and learning can take its tole on your indoor space and patience! Try taking it outside for some fresh air fun. Grab some containers from your recycling, buckets, old kitchen utensils, bowls, pots, pans, etc. that you have lying around and set up a mud kitchen in your backyard. Find a spot where your children can dig in the soil or sand and collect ingredients from nature. Fill some containers with water and watch their imaginations go! Although you may see lots of fancy set-ups for mud kitchens online, we have found that children are more than happy to sit on the ground or work with their tools on a stump, bench, board, or picnic table. When the play is finished, you can throw everything in a plastic bin or sturdy reusable shopping bag. Washing things off is totally optional!   

How can this play support learning? Here are just a few examples:

  • Ask your children about the ingredients they are using.
  • Count the scoops and numbers of things they adding to their creations.
  • Offer the opportunity to record their recipe either through words or pictures. 
  • The acts of scooping, stirring, grasping, and more are all great ways to develop fine motor skills. 

Have fun! Don’t for get to check out our blog at https://www.rvca.ca/blog.

Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun mapsMap & Compass — Get back to basics with this edition of fresh air fun! GPS technology is amazing but it doesn’t always work the way we expect it. Traditional map and compass work is a great way to explore outside. Break out your old compass and see if you can figure out how to find north and the other cardinal directions. Grab some paper, pencils, and colouring tools to make a map of your backyard or neighbourhood. See if you can match north on your map to magnetic north and see how that can help you navigate on your adventure. Ranger Rebecca explains more at https://youtu.be/6e9J29G8xD8 

Conservation Area Fresh Air Fun loose partsSidewalk Chalk — Do you have a container of sidewalk chalk lying around? In our forest school programs, we have discovered that it’s not just for sidewalks. We bring it with us to mark our path on outdoor adventures and write what letters things start with. We mash it with our mud kitchen tools and mix it into our creations (think sprinkles for delicious mud cupcakes) or add water to make paint and create artwork on rocks and logs. The good news for clean-up? Just wait for a rainy day or let the kids get out the hose! 

How does this play support learning? Here are just a few examples:

  • Creativity and imagination
  • Fine motor skills used for mashing, scooping, and mixing
  • Problem solving and figuring out how to use things in a different way
  • Talking about and maybe writing down our procedures

Conservation Area Fresh bugs slugs alphabetTiny Habitats — Did you know you might have some tiny habitats hiding right in your backyard? Do you have a rock sitting in your garden? How about a big stick or log sitting on the grass by your shed? Try lifting it up and looking underneath: you might be surprised what you find. When you're finished, be sure to put the rock or log back so the things living underneath stay safe.    

How does this play support learning? Here are just a few examples:

  • Talking about and describing the things you are seeing.
  • Asking questions as to why they are there and what makes it a good habitat.  
  • Counting the different creatures you see.

Resources:

  • Under One Rock: Bugs, Slugs, and other Ughs by Anthony D. Fredericks, illustrated by Jennifer DiRubbio
  • A Log’s Life by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by Robin Brickman

Conservation Area Fresh owlsPretend to be an animal — Classic fresh air fun: pretend to be an animal! Try hide and seek with a forest friend twist – the little owls fly out into the forest and hide from one of their owl friends. When everyone is ready, the owls start to hoot and their friend listens to try and find them.  

Middle and High School Activities:

Pond Study: Using bugs to test for pollution

Some bugs are more sensitive to poor water quality than others. In this hands-on science experiment, get up close and personal with the benthic invertebrates that live in your local pond or stream to determine whether or not its polluted. Instructions here!

Join the world’s largest treasure hunt!

Just you and your phone, chasing a secret — if you have to be outside, this is how to do it! The global geocaching movement is all around us, including at Baxter Conservation Area. Use your phone to track down the secret treasures tucked into our trees. Download the Geocaching app for iPhone or Android to get started. Bring a friend!

Trail Journaling

Forest therapy is great for your mental health. Next time you're on a hike, at the cottage or even at a local park, tune into your wild side for a few minutes. Put away your phone, find a comfy spot to sit and just watch and listen. What do you see? What can you hear? Print your trail journal here!

Five Senses in the Forest

Take a nature break! Harness the restorative power of nature to help you stay grounded and able to cope with the stress all around us. Try our Five Senses in the Forest mindfulness activity here. 

Naturally Artistic Challenge

Create your own outdoor masterpiece using nature’s gifts. Using rocks, twigs, leaves and any other natural materials you find, build your design outside, take a snap and leave it behind. Post it on your socials and tag us with #RVCAFreshAirFunFind instructions here!

Photo challenge

Forget the selfies! Put your phone to the test: What beautiful nature photo can you freeze in time? The flight of a feathered friend, the unique bend of a tree branch, the buds about to burst? Filters allowed! Be sure to post to your socials and tag us with #RVCAFreshAirFun.

 

 

 

 

 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Contact Us

Address:
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
3889 Rideau Valley Drive
Manotick, Ontario K4M 1A5

Phone:
613-692-3571, 1-800-267-3504

Email:

Hours:

Regular Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Member of: conservation ontario