Organic Bug Sprayers…as an Olympic Event

When I saw this idea on super clever blog,  Toddler Approved, I knew immediately I had found our first Olympic event. Toddler + spray bottle + sidewalk chalk = Olympic fun!

And so I gathered my pint sized Olympian and his friends. We huddled in the dining room around the “Prize Box” (filled with $1 treasures).

“Complete your task young Olympians and you can choose a prize!”

I armed each of them with their very own spray bottle and outlined our plan:

1) Observe bugs on our driveway (mommy drawn bugs, each with a letter on it’s buggy body)

2) Man your circle of bugs

3) When I call out a letter, spray the buggy with that letter until the letter is gone.

Olympians Crowley and Jack team up for the win!

4) Repeat for each letter

5) Win a prize

We chose a leader to hold our torch and light the way.

Jack the Olympian leads the way

Then our Olympic chalk-bug anihilators began their work. They loved it!

Olympian Josh and his #1 fan

At the end, we had an awards ceremony and each child chose a prize from the “Prize Box.”

WHAT THEY GOT OUT OF IT:

1) Working with their letters without realizing it

2) Fun in working together to conquer a challenge (they helped each other which is a real accomplishment. The human toddler has epic struggles with sharing.)

3) Motor skills in working with the spray bottle, aiming it at a very specific target to complete their task

4) Sets the stage for the real Olympics, the idea of groups working together or individually towards a goal and the reward of completing that goal.

Are our Olympians aware of all of this? No. They just had fun!

Mission Accomplished!

Anna

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