List of fun things to do with your child before they enter kindergarten.

Note: This is a digital program only. Try a nature activity to earn your digital badge. Here is a list to get you started.

1) Go on a nature scavenger hunt or make a nature basket of iteresting things you find.

2) Play "I Spy" outside or make it a point to learn new nature words like "bud" or "meadow."

3) Nature Math - count nature items, use math words like bigger/smaller with nature items, look for shapes in nature or make nature patterns

4) Read a book with a nature item/setting and then find it in the real world.

5) Active Learning Games - Try an outdoor learning game like nature-based Simon Says or another game.

6) Try a sensory activity by playing with mud, sand, or other textured materials or, even better, compare textures.

7) Nature craft - Make a nature crown or a rain drum or other craft using natural materials.

8) Read a nature poem either outdoors or relevant to something in your environment (like a rain poem when it's raining outside.)

Do something nice and show kindness to others! These activities are great ways to show your generosity.

Do you love animals? Guess what animal each tail belongs to! 

*Need a hint? Try one of these! Alligator, beaver, chameleon, elephant, giraffe, lemur, pig, tiger, whale, zebra.

Note: This is a digital program only. Little ones have active imaginations! Have your child tell you a story and fill in the questions below based on the story they told you for a digital badge.

Small gestures make the most difference on a daily basis. It's easy to get so preoccupied with our own lives that we forget about others, but with just one simple act of kindness, we can change the way someone else's day goes, and we can better ourselves and the world in the process. This challenge is designed for you to take the time to do something for someone else — and hopefully they will pay it forward to the next person!

Note: This is a digital program only. To earn your digital badge, do any one or more of the activities below and tell us something about it.

Play restauraunt, pretend to cook with real cookbook with pictures, play house with adult-sized clothes, play postal worker with junk mail, create a dramatic play corner with props always available, create a home library, play grocery store, play "space center," play car garage, pretend that you are in a vehicle of some kind and go on an imaginary trip, create a DIY cash register, pretend to run a bakery/pizza place/taco truck/etc., pretend to run a farm/farm stand. Read a book and do an activity based on what the characters do. Role play school conflicts that might come up and how to solve them.

Note: This is a digital program only. It is important for children entering Kindergarten to know their full names, the names of one or more caregivers, their address, and at least one emergency phone contact number. Practice with songs and games, and repetition until little ones are confident. Optional bonus: practice birthday.

Note: This is a digital program only. Welcome to Rising K! Your mission is to use your imagination! Adults, please help your child imagine his/her first day of kindergarten and write down something from their responses. Some questions you might ask if prompts are needed: What will kindergarten look like? Who will be there? What will you do there? The world has changed so much that new kindergarteners may need extra support to feel confident they know what to expect. Bonus: Think of a tradition you might like to start for the first day of school each year going forward. Alternately, think of a fun activity to dispel any kindergarten jitters (ex. silly green pancakes or a special "I love you" bracelet.)

Note: This is a digital program only. Earn a digital badge by trying any one of the reading/writing activities below (or more than one!)

Note: This is a digital program only. Earn your digital badge by trying one of the activities below and telling us about it.

1) Making a pattern with nature items such as rocks or leaves

2) Shape Hunt - go for a walk and name shapes you see all around

3) Measure something with a funny unit. (Ex. How many "spoons" long is a car? How tall are you in snap-together bricks? How many cereal pieces cover an index card? Etc.) Estimate first and see how close you can get. 

4) Sorted! - Gather 20 random items and see how many ways you can sort and group them.

5) Sink or Float? - test items around the house after making predictions.

6) Make "ookbleck" - Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid...also known as "funny goop!" Make it by mixing roughly equal parts water and cornstarch. It will resist your hand if you strike the surface forcefully and quickly, but allow your hand to sink in easily if you lower your fingers into it slowly.

7) Mini-Museum - What interesting items can you collect around your house or neighborhood? A feather, an unusual seed pod, etc.? When you have a few items, the child and then the adult take turns saying what they observe about each thing. (Is it heavy, rough, etc.?)