The TinkerLab Journal: Creative Picks of the Week

Hi John,

Happy Friday!

With the air getting warmer here in Northern California, the joy of spending time outdoors is on the mind, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite creative outdoor activities and adventures with you today.

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Paint with Water. Probably the easiest project ever. All you need is a tub of water and a brush for clean outdoor art entertainment.Awesome for the youngest of makers.

Recycled Weaving Fence. Set up this open-ended weaving experience. Make a fence from found materials or items from the hardware store such as wood, bamboo poles, netting, ribbon, yarn, fabric strips, and chicken wire. We share a refined version built for a children's museum as well as an easy backyard hack, pulled off with items from the reycling bin.​

Bird Seed Sensory Box. An engaging sensory activity to entertain toddlers and young preschoolers. Fill an outdoor play table or large bin with bird seed for this fun elevated sandbox experience. Bonus, birds love it so nothing is wasted!​

Cloud Dough Exploration. One more sensory experience, and it's one of my absolute favorites. It only requires flour, oil, and a tub, so it's likely you can set this up without too much trouble. Because it has the potential to get messy, this one is best set up outside (ergo its inclusion in this list of outdoor activities). However! If your weather is less cooperative than ours (at the moment), this works indoors, too. Just set it up over a tarp or large sheet if you're concerned about the mess. ​

Indoor Gardening. If it's not quite warm enough to take yourselves outdoors, you can bring the outdoors inside! For this project, you'll use wheat grass which grows quickly, so it's a rewarding plant for little ones to cultivate. All you'll need are soil and wheat grass seeds. We share some other tips and lots of photos so you can see how quickly this indoor garden comes to life.​

Tidepool Adventuring. This one is for all the folks who live in Northern California: A visit to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, one of our favorite spots for tidepooling with kids. Bring your sketchbooks, colored pencils, and travel watercolors for a creative day in nature.

Thanks for reading, and drop me a line if you try one of our activities or if you want to share thoughts with me.

Wishing you a weekend filled with creative adventures,

​

Rachelle Doorley

Founder, TinkerLab

Read my books: TinkerLab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors + Creative Adventures in Cursive​

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