Tailor Dolgin
At The Mountaineers, we believe strongly in the importance of getting kids outside. The benefits of spending time outdoors - for both kids and adults - are so numerous they can hardly be overstated. Unstructured time spent outside builds confidence and promotes creativity. It gets us moving and inspires wonder. For all these reasons, we are thrilled to offer you and your family another season of our Mini Mountaineers program!
MINI MOUNTAINEERS
From January through May, kids ages 2-5 and an accompanying adult are invited to join us outside to explore, play, and develop in a group setting.
Beginning January 27, Mini Mountaineers will meet in-person, once a month in a Seattle-area park to go on walks and participate in activities designed to teach kids about the natural world. Activities are available through spring of 2024. I hope that you'll join us in exploring!
To participate, you’ll need a Mountaineers Family or Guest Family Membership if you don’t have one already. For any questions, please reach out to Leslie Gobel.
Kid-Friendly Activities to Try at home
Eager to begin exploring with your Mini? Try out these engaging at-home activities!
A large part of the exploration that happens in Mini Mountaineers is learning with our senses. Observation is the root of science, and it's an activity that can provide so much joy in children's lives. We invite you to bring some learning into your family's life with these activities focused on sound:
- Do you have a curious child who's always asking questions about the world around them? Listen to NPR's "But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids" and let someone else answer all those tricky questions.
- Make a sound map! Bring a writing tool and paper to a comfortable spot. Sit down and doodle a small image that represents you. Then, sit quietly for 5-10 minutes and record all the sounds you hear. How do sounds differ in different locations? Do they change if you're inside or outside?
- Collect sticks outside and use them to make a rainstick! Rainsticks have been used by many cultures long before recorded history, so their origin is difficult to pinpoint. The Diaguita people in Chile made theirs from dead cactus stalks, while rattles pierced with iron nails where common with the Togo and Pangwe people of Africa.
- Go on a photo walk. Let your little one take control of a camera and take photos of things that make sounds around your neighborhood. I found this idea on Karen Cox's blog, where she has a plethora of other sound activities for young learners.
Mini Mountaineers is also offered in Tacoma! For more information, visit the Tacoma Mini Mountaineers webpage.
