Feeling Squirrelly?

By Shelly Bokman

Take a leisurely walk outdoors with your little ones and see if you can spot the squirrels scurrying around your neighborhood to get ready for winter. Then have fun with the following “squirrelly” activities!

Rhyme Time
This rhyme is really fun, and you can substitute different body parts to teach your toddler new words:
A squirrel came to visit me!
He thought I was a tree!
First he sat upon my knee. (Point to knee.)
Then he climbed down to my toes. (Crawl fingers down your leg to your toes.)
Oh no, now he’s looking at my nose! (Point to nose.)

Go Nuts!
Gather a variety of nuts in a dish pan (make sure they are large enough to pass the choke test—pecans, walnuts and Brazil nuts are good). Set out some plastic cups, a muffin pan or empty egg carton, and let your child sort the nuts, count them, feel them and discuss their shape, size and texture. Add a small motor challenge for older children by giving them a set of tongs to sort the nuts with.

Paint Outside the Lines
Buy two or three small, inexpensive feather dusters. Show them to your child, talk about what they are used for and point out how they resemble a bushy squirrel’s tail. Mix some tempera paint (add a good squirt of liquid dish soap to help with clean up) and pour it into a flat container. Tape a large sheet of butcher paper to the wall or fence and let your child swish the “tail” back and forth, like a squirrel, to create an artful masterpiece.