I created this activity book as part of a sponsored post for Goldfish® Crackers and SocialStars. #GoldfishCrowd
Judah has always been a curious kid. Most of the time he would rather explore on his own than play games or watch tv, and one of his favorite things to do is hunt for bugs in the back yard. He has this adorable safari vest and bug collecting kit that he loves breaking out, and I can always find him moving around yard furniture or his sandbox to discover what creepy crawlies he can find under them. Since the weather is starting to warm up and we will be spending more time outdoors now, I came up with a “Back Yard Adventure Book” full of fun outdoor learning activities to help enrich his time and go hand in hand with what he is doing at school.
The book is filled with fun coloring pages, spaces to tape in plants or leaves, areas where he can use words to describe what he sees, tools for discovering and collecting, and even some snacks for when he takes a break. You know how much I love Goldfish® Crackers, so it should be no surprise that I tucked in some of their new Goldfish Mix Xtra Cheddar + Pretzel crackers to munch on and also to use in his activities. You don’t have to include a snack, but I think it’s a fun way to tie in food with the activity. Just make sure whatever you add to keep proper portion size in mind! Not a cheddar fan? That’s okay, they also offer Goldfish Mix Chocolate Mint + Pretzel crackers and Goldfish Mix Honey Mustard + Pretzel crackers. My personal favorite is the mint flavor, but Judah loves all of them!
I chose each of the activities based on his level of understanding and what he can easily find in our yard, and then whipped up my pages super quickly in PicMonkey. I printed them on card stock paper, and then sealed them all (except the coloring pages) with self-laminating plastic sheets. These are very easy to find in your local office supply store or general big box store, and all you do is peel and stick them together.
You don’t have to do the laminating part, but it keeps the pages nice and wrinkle free, plus it’s great to use with dry-erase markers! Here are a few samples that I used below. To print them for yourself just click to go to a high quality pdf file and print directly from there. I have ten pages in our book for now, but the great thing about having it all in a binder is that pages can be added and taken away as things change!
For the discovery tools, I added a magnifying glass, some tweezers, crayons and a breathable collection cup. He loves his new adventure book, and I love that it helps encourage him to dig in and think about the world around him. He adores searching for new bugs, and I am planning on adding a few more insect identification pages later on to help him learn about new things out there in the world.
He can easily spend an entire afternoon on the hunt, and sit down every so often for snack time while he fills in his pages with discoveries. Another cool way to use the book is in combination with learning how to read – I have several “critter” related simple words printed out, and as he sounds them out he can fill them in with Goldfish Crackers. Fun, right? I think so!
If your kids aren’t into bugs or the outdoors, you can easily customize an adventure book to whatever they like – cars, animals, crafts, building things, and so much more! No matter what you fill it with, it’s a great way to help them learn, grow, and observe the world around them!
Did you know Goldfish snacks has a #GoldfishTalesPromotion going on? Now through 4/30 you can create a photo or video that shows off Goldfish crackers in an art or games theme via Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #GoldfishTalesPromotion to enter. Posts using #GoldfishTalesPromotion may appear in the gallery on GoldfishSmiles.com. No Purchase Necessary. Open only to 50 US/DC residents 18+. Ends 4/30/16. Official rules and more at www.GoldfishSmiles.com. Void where prohibited.
