Hey, Rootle fans! It’s June—time for making summer plans. What does your family enjoy doing together? Some fond childhood memories I have are of going on family picnics. International Picnic Day is celebrated Saturday, June 18, a day before Father’s Day. What better way to kick off your summer festivities than with a family picnic? Picnics are a great time to connect, de-stress and relax, and are a budget-friendly option for sharing time together. Enjoy a picnic at the lake, at home or at a roadside picnic table traveling to your summer destination.
There are many opportunities to engage young learners in fun learning experiences as you plan and go on a picnic. Reading books about picnics, involving children in writing a picnic packing list and taking them to a farmer’s market or your family garden to gather fruits and vegetables for your picnic are all ways to create meaningful learning experiences. You can talk about the varieties of foods available in the garden or at the farmer’s market, and discuss the colors, textures and smells. Children may also enjoy sorting the items by color or food type after your trip.
Preparing and packing to go on a family picnic can be an exciting time, whether picking a cute basket together or decorating paper bags in which to pack the food. Don’t forget to pack a book, activity materials, binoculars, blanket, sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, bug spray and imagination too. Enjoy the time, make memories, tell stories, read a book, draw and color pictures of surroundings and just be!
I have included some simple activity ideas below, along with books all about picnics. When exploring the book options below, make sure to stop by a local library and hear about all the free summer fun activities they have planned.
A Picnic with Monet (Mini Masters, MINI) by Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober
The Most Perfect Spot by Diane Goode
We’re Going on a Picnic! by Pat Hutchins
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s Garden Picnic: A Scratch-and-Sniff Book by The World of Eric Carle
Teddy Bears’ Picnic by Jimmy Kennedy
The Bears’ Picnic by Stan & Jan Berenstain
Ready for Anything! by Keiko Kasza
In May of 2016, Brenda Millett earned a B.S. in Birth-Kindergarten professional education from Western Carolina University, completing a classroom internship and rigorous edTPA assessment, receiving the Hoyt & Lora Ponder Scholarship and graduating Summa Cum Laude. She worked as an Early Childhood Coordinator, served as a case manager for regional grant opportunities and is now happy to be the Parents as Teachers Parent Educator for Cherokee County. Brenda also taught GED & ESL classes at her local community college, in the College and Career Readiness department, for about three years.