Eden Prairie Montessori Learning Blogs
Eden Prairie Montessori's Guide to Outdoor Summer Fun!
Awesome outdoor activities and ideas to keep the kids entertained, learning, and blissfully messy this summer...
Hey Summer loving families! Ready to turn the backyard into a miniature Montessori wonderland? No fancy toys are needed: just nature, imagination, and a sprinkle of creativity. One of the best parts about taking children outside is all of the extra space they have to move around, and to provide the opportunity to connect to nature and the world around them. Nearly everything you find in nature can be used as part of a sensory activity.
Let’s dive into some awesome outdoor activities and ideas to keep the kids entertained, learning, and blissfully messy...
Sensory Heaven in Dirt & Mud
Let’s be real, nothing says summer like a good old mud splatter! Digging, scooping, pouring…it is totally
free play that sneaks in
fine motor skills, science smarts and a whole lot of delight.
Bonus: toss in some water, sticks, rocks or shells and you've got a sensory buffet. You can even upgrade with a sensory table outdoors for a more controlled (but just as fun) messy experience.
Mini Mud Kitchen
Grab a bucket, some old pots, bowls and spoons and go wild! Kids “cook” dirt cakes, leaf soup, or stick stew. It’s
open-ended play at its finest- creative, tactile, and great for practicing pretend roles. Plus, clean-up? Much easier outside, which means more time for messy magic.
Sand & Water Stations
Bring the beach to your backyard. Whether it’s a sandbox, basin or a dual sand-and-water table, your kids can
explore pouring, building, measuring, and hypothesizing. Top it off with scoops, funnels, and kitchen tools. Bonus if you freeze little toys in ice blocks for a surprise “dig-out” mission!
Build Your Own Obstacle Course
Use logs, planks, stones and sticks to create a mini ninja course. Kids can balance, hop, jump, crawl, and explore movement in a super fun, low-pressure way. Try rope ladders or stepping stones to
test those agility and coordination muscles. Just imagine it as their very own backyard adventure arena!
Nature Detective Kits
Stash a magnifying glass, journal and binoculars in a little bag and turn every walk into a treasure hunt. Identify leaves, rock types, bugs, clouds and
the world becomes their science lab. Adding a plant-pressing or leaf-collecting station makes it perfect for
slow paced discovery.
Art Under the Sky
Let creativity bloom! Think sidewalk chalk art, painting with water, leaf rubbings, and suncatchers.
Outdoor art is full of texture and big open canvas energy. A mud-paint masterpiece? Count us in!
Garden Helpers
Give them child-sized tools and let them plant, water, and watch things grow.
Gardening teaches patience and care. Children will learn about plants as they see their garden grow over time and can gain a better grasp of the
life cycle of the food that they prepare and eat.
Animal Movement Games
Jump like frogs, flap like birds, hop like bunnies! These silly, energetic games
boost coordination and gross-motor skills, plus they’re a hoot!
Water Play
From water relays to cups-and-spoons pouring games, water play is pure summer bliss. It’s cooling, calming, and a
natural intro to learning about buoyancy and volume.
Scavenger & Treasure Hunts
Permanent scavenger hunts or treasure maps =
outdoor exploration plus problem-solving. Kids search for pinecones, colorful rocks, certain leaves- and voila,
literacy and nature know-how sneak in too!
Stick Mazes & Forts
Collect branches for a make-your-own fort or maze. It's
creative construction,
spatial reasoning and fabulous
pretend play rolled into one. These are easy to build and perfect for
imaginative storytelling escapades.
Shadow Tracing
When the sun’s out, grab chalk or paper and trace shadows~ your child’s silhouette, leaves, toys (get creative!). It’s a great way to
explore shapes, shadows and light.
Why Outdoor Play Matters...
Every single one of these activities is:
* Rooted in Montessori principles: freedom, hands-on learning, independence.
* A playground for skills like motor control, problem-solving, sensory awareness, creativity and concentration.
* Totally open-ended—kids customize the play, making each experience uniquely theirs.
Pro Tips for Summer Fun
1. Outdoor mess = less stress. Let kids play, explore, and get dirt under those nails.
2. Child-sized tools = independence, safety, tons of learning.
3. Nature is the best toy = sticks, stones, leaves and flowers offer infinite possibilities.
4. Rotate and refresh = Swap elements in your sensory bins or stations to keep things new and exciting.
5. Be the co-adventurer = Don’t just supervise! Join in the hunt, bake those mud pies, chase shadows together.
With Eden Prairie Montessori's Guide to Outdoor Summer Fun, you are now ready to turn your backyard into a summer wonderland where kids dig, build, hunt, create, balance, trace, and explore while building independence, skills, and making memories. Montessori outdoor play is about cultivation of curiosity, confidence, and connection to nature.
So get out there, soak up the sun, and let the summer magic begin!
Our staff believe that summer preschool in Eden Prairie is not just about fun and learning, but about how children explore and develop new skills.
Contact us today to schedule a tour and learn more about our SUMMER child care program in Eden Prairie. For over 20 years, our attentive staff has been creating fun, student-centered summer daycare learning experiences for Eden Prairie children.
To learn more about our summer program, book a tour by contacting our staff at (952) 944-8466.
We are excited to show you our exceptional summer camp!
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