Welcome to this week’s Gnome Zone Challenge. Below you’ll find all the information and instructions you need to complete the challenge and to extend it for younger or older kids. You have a full week to complete it before the next week-long challenge begins. Good luck and have fun!
The Challenge: Nature Walk Names
Supplies needed
• Items from nature (e.g., twigs, leaves, stems, grass)
• A piece of paper (any color and approximately 8 ½” x 11” or larger)
• Pencil
• Glue
Here’s what you do
- Take a walk in your yard and/or your neighborhood common areas. Collect interesting natural items likes leaves, pebbles, and twigs. Don’t forget to keep your eyes out for gnomes who might be hiding on your walk too!
- Once you’re home, write your name in large letters on a piece of paper. For the little ones, start with just the first letter of child’s name.
- Glue the collected natural items over the pencil lines.
- Look how beautiful your name is… just like you!
SHARE YOUR ART! Show us how beautiful your name is by posting a picture of your Nature Walk Name art to your family’s Facebook or Instagram and tag us in the post with #PoudreLibraries. We’ll share as many pictures as we can.
Challenge Extensions
For the little ones –
• Talk with your child about the natural items you collected. Are they soft, yellow, or sticky?
• Point out the first letter of the child’s name wherever you see it – signs, cereal boxes, and book covers, for example.
For the older kids –
• Have the children point out more or all of the letters of their names when they see them out on the walk or when you’re doing errands around town.
• See if you can figure out the names of the natural items you collected. Just like you, they have names too!
“The Why” behind the Challenge
This challenge will help children with letter recognition which will help later when they learn to read. Using their names in the challenge also conveys to them that they are special and helps them build a positive sense of who they are.
Want some more ideas? Check out these titles.
Flower Crafts by Rebecca Sabelko
Rock Crafts by Betsy Rathburn
Cool Outdoor Arts & Crafts: Great Things to Do in the Great Outdoors by Alex Kuskowski