Q. What tree goes Meow in the spring? A. The willow tree with catkins. Catkins is another name for pussy willows and pussy willows is another way to explore some kindergarten readiness and learning fun. If possible, find some pussy willows that you can show your little one and share a tickle with the soft fuzzies. This easy art idea kept 2 little hands busy for quite awhile as she explored painting, touching and gluing.
The first step is to protect the table or floor and your child’s clothes with some paper and a paint shirt or old t-shirt. Then let your child paint a tree on a stiff paper or cut-out side of a cereal box. Our set of paint dabbers doesn’t have brown so I squeezed some blue into a dish first to mix with orange. Then, I just mixed both orange and blue in the dish and Little Lee used q-tips, making big circles and little circles. Talk with your child about the shape of the tree: is it round? is it flat? does it have arms? etc. This will help your child observe what a tree looks like to paint. Once that part is done, it needs to dry. The next step is gluing on some cotton pieces. (Separating a long cotton batting chunk into smaller sections doesn’t look like it would be hard but my grownup hands were needed to help the kidlet ones tear it up.) I just squirted some glue into a plastic tray to make dipping easier. Then the glue needs to dry, too.
Using tools and practicing fine-motor skills are obvious skills learned. But there’s also observing, shapes, creating, organizing, language and patience involved as well. We explored science and nature using the pussy willows. To extend the learning, ask your child to think of other things that are soft such as feathers, quilts, marshmallows, pillows, and more. What things are not soft? Lego on the floor is not soft especially on barefeet and mustaches can be prickly even though they tickle under chins just like pussy willows. What are some other learning activities and spring fun with pussy willows?
During the day, taking a walk in the park or around the neighborhood is one way to celebrate the earth. What’s the weather like? Is there any wind? What kinds of plants and animals do you and your child see? Expanding children’s general knowledge and experiences gives them a basic foundation to build on.
See if you and your child can collect a few different rocks, for those past the everything in the mouth stage. Check out their shapes, use them for counting and making groups.
