Nature Tic-Tac-Toe
Materials
- 4 sticks, sand or dirt or sidewalk chalk
- 2 sets of 5 nature objects (pinecones, rocks, acorns, leaves- these will be your X’s and O’s)
Directions
- Make the game board using sticks for lines. You can also draw the board in dirt or sand or use chalk on a sidewalk.
- Use rocks, shells, pinecones, acorns, or some other item from nature to use as X’s and O’s
- Review how to play tic-tac-toe and alternate turns until one player gets three objects in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal)
- While tic-tac-toe is easily played inside on paper, the goal is to have children get outside to experience nature. While outside playing the game encourage a child to listen to sounds, observe their outdoor environment and find other ways to have fun outside.
Tips
- The #1 brain booster for preschoolers is one-on-one time with parents. The exchanges of language and ideas with an adult is much more effective in “brain boosting” than multitude of classes and activities
- 50% of U.S. preschool aged children don’t get outdoors at least once a day for parent-supervised playtime
- Kids spend 10 times as long on screen time as they do playing outside
Resources
- “I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature” by Jennifer Ward
- “Deep In The Swamp” by Donna Bateman
- “Cat In The Hat Learning Library” try titles: “Would You Rather Be a Pollywog” or “I Can Name 50 Trees”
Related Activity
Activity 22 Nature/Science Month 03
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