At this time of year children love going on picnics. Where to go for your picnic completely depends on your means of transport, your sense of adventure and usually the weather! But don't let heavy showers deter you when you've made up your mind to go for it! My children will vouch for the fact that some of our best picnics were spent in the front room around the picnic tablecloth, sitting on rugs, and watching the rain hammer against the windows! 'O to be in England now that Summer's here!'

The fun of the picnic is in the preparation!

• Involve your children in the decision as to what food to take on the picnic. If they want rainbow sprinkled sandwiches why not? It’s a one off and at least they should eat them!
• Choose someone to write down what they want to eat. It may look like scribble to you but a list of food written by a 3 year old is mark making at its best.
• Involve the children in counting how many slices of bread will be needed. This is a good mathematical exercise for young children … "a slice for you, a slice for me and a slice for your sister. How many is that? Lets count …1 2 3. So we need three slices altogether."
• Then comes the making of the sandwiches. Children spreading butter, jam, or whatever concoction they come up with are practising their fine motor skills. Don't rush them! Leave enough time for them to experiment with knife control but help them judge the amount of butter needed. "I think that’s probably too much for that sandwich. Why don't you put some back ready for another sandwich?"
• How about making some buns for the picnic? There are some great cook books around for children to follow. Why not go to the library with your children and choose an easy cook book? Then choose what buns you'll make for the picnic and go for it! If you run out of time melt some chocolate in a microwave and add rice krispies. Then put spoonfuls into a bun case and leave to set. Don't forget to talk to the children about what is happening to the chocolate in the microwave. "Why has it gone soft? What word do we use to describe what is happening? Melted is a good word. Can we think of anything else that melts?"
• So you've got food but what shall we take to drink? If you've got a juicer then why not make something fresh? Talk to the children about what is happening to the fruit "Where is the juice kept? So what is this machine doing?" Failing a juicer why not let them make their own drink … water from a tap carefully poured into a plastic bottle or squash made and poured from a jug into their container? Pouring things and judging when to stop are skills that will prepare your children for school dinners … better to get it wrong and make a slight mess on your floor than be laughed at by some other children at school!
• And don't forget some fruit. "How many do we need? Shall we take the same fruit for everyone or do you want to ask what everyone wants? Why not draw a picture of the fruit everybody wants then we can count them out properly?" Drawing what they see is a good tool for them to use if they find writing and spelling difficult. Children can use drawings instead of writing … to some its an easier way of expressing themselves than remembering how to write bananas!
• Finally we need plates, cups spoons, serviettes and anything else you can think of! But how many? Well ask your children. Its great counting practise and you can always extend them with questions like "so how many more will we need if we've only got two and there are four of us?"

Lets go!
Do remember plastic bags to bring back rubbish. Lets encourage our children to keep our environment clean and healthy from an early age. Make sure everybody is carrying something however small, even if you are just venturing to the front room! Don't forget mats to sit on and balls to play with and a camera to record it all. After all you may want to come back and make a scrap book of your picnic, writing what happened, drawing what you ate, sticking any flowers and grasses you collected - but that’s another day to be enjoyed together!

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