More On Monday: Muddy Puddles

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Traditionally, I've used the 'More on Monday' blog-title to explain my Silent Sunday. However, today I'm using it because I had difficulty choosing a picture for my Silent Sunday and therefore I want to share the other photographs.

On Saturday we went to a local country park with lakes and woodland. We went equipped with The Boy's special George muddy puddles wellies and my camera. The Boy, and the mud, did not disappoint. I have decided that I love this time of year with an infant: it's a whole new world to explore of treasures from the trees, sounds echoing around the woodland with a little red nose from the bite in the air.

Autumn is way more exciting than Summer!

This is the photograph that Mr. TheBoyandMe wanted me to use as my Silent Sunday.

After we'd finished jumping in muddy puddles (he was saturated, I need to look out the waterproof all-in-one suit), we went and explored the wooded areas, including a rather fabulous looking tree-trunk.

And then daddy and The Boy pretended to be aeroplanes.

I seriously love this photo because of the way that The Boy is looking at his daddy, sheer adoration.

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I am linking this up to CoombeMill's Country Kids linky

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Farm Holidays Cornwall

Nature's Treasures

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A few week's ago, I made a treasure, sensory box for The Boy and he has thoroughly enjoyed exploring all the different colours and textures in it. Following last week's successful trip to the park where we found some amazing gems. We collected the larger, more round items up into his little shopping bag, and stuck the collection of leaves onto a recycled nature board.

It took The Boy a little time to understand that we were looking for different types of leaves; not as complicated as the species of tree, just colours and shapes. When we compared them after, he was able to distinguish the different shapes, but with the subtle shades in the Autumnal colours he found it quite tricky to distinguish the differences. He liked feeling them though and using the words 'scrunchy' and 'smooth'.

He has been a boy obsessed this week. The treasure box has had to come down at every opportunity. Throughout the week, I've had to remove certain mouldy parts but it has continued to serve him as a great source of enjoyment and fun. Of course, I've taken the opportunity to guide him. Of course I have: I'm a teacher!

He's sorted, counted, ordered, described.

But more importantly, he's had fun!

Seeking Out Autumn

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Several months ago I read an activity post from Multiple Mummy that involved a nature trail in her back garden (her son had chickenpox so they were quarantined). Ever since, I've wanted to do this with The Boy but it's taken time to get prepared. First of all, I had to find some self-adhesive pads which having scoured local shops for, I ended up finding them in a cheap shop on holiday in Dorset! Now things are more comfortable with potty-training, I felt happy to have a go.

With the increasing bite in the air and the occasional, but gentle, rainbursts, it was time to pop on our wellies and waterproofs and go nature-treasure hunting in a local park. Ideally to do this activity you need horse chestnut and sycamore trees, pine trees and possibly an oak. There is a park on the way down to the beach that is perfect for this with the abundance of trees lining the periphery of the park.

The Boy already knew what a conker was because I'd shown him a few days beforehand, trying to get him to find other treasures proved interestins; he's only two, he's never seen these things before. We wondered around the more woodland area of the beautiful Victoria park, straying off paths, climbing up banks and sliding down muddy paths and found a whole heap of nature's wonders. The Boy kept stopping and listening during the still moments between the roars from the cars on the road alongside the park. In those snapshots of serenity he heard the raindrops falling through the layers of the canopies, blackbirds calling, squirrels scampering up the treetrunks, and his absolute favourite was the chorus of the crickets in the long grass. He stood and listened for over ten minutes.

In this emeral and khaki wonderland, under our rubber-encased feet and amongst the fallen detritus, we found pine cones, acorns, beech tree seeds, red leaves, orange leaves, multi-coloured leaves and conkers in their cases and out. Is their any greater joy than opening up a conker case and being the first person in the entire world to see that feat of nature?

Children can only learn what they experience!

(Come back tomorrow to find out what we found in our nature trail)