fawn&forest

We're celebrating Earth Week at fawn&forest by taking the kids outside & getting creative! Today we have an intriguing outdoor project from Jennifer Ward's fantastic book let's go outside!

Buried treasures. Treasure maps. Excited kids. My older son (pictured above) decided that he wanted his buried treasure to be snap pea seeds. So we set out...to do project #11, Buried Treasures in let's go outside!

"Many animals in the wild bury "treasures" as a means of survival, such as squirrels who stash nuts for the winter. ... Invite your children to bury some "treasure" and then create a map to its location. Invite a friend or family member to follow the map to see if the treasure can be located. If she has never buried anything or created a map before, read on to discover how it's done."

The boys placed their treasure in a tiny metal canister & we set out in the yard looking for the perfect place to dig a small hole for the treasure. We buried our treasure and spent some extra time digging in the dirt, always exciting! Afterward, we spent time drawing maps of our yard -- a great outdoor observational activity. Of course, our map included a giant X where the treasure was buried. Will Dad be able to follow the map and find the buried treasure?!

"Excerpted from LET'S GO OUTSIDE! by Jennifer Ward, (c)
2009.  Published by arrangement with Trumpeter, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston.  www.Shambhala.com."

To purchase Jennifer Ward's book Let's Go Outside! click HERE.