Head out Monday morning while the weekend's temperature swing has left interesting conditions — look for frost on shadowed patches, soft mud along the creek edge, and early spring insects. Give Odie a small jar and let him collect one "specimen" (a pebble, a seed pod, a twig with a bud). When you get home, draw it together on paper and label it whatever he decides to call it. Keep it on the windowsill as an ongoing observation.

Set up a small tray with four or five small cups, a bag of potting mix, and a packet of fast-germinating seeds — radishes or sunflowers work best. Show Odie how to spoon soil into each cup, poke a hole with his finger to the second knuckle, drop in one seed, and cover gently. He waters with a spray bottle. Label cups with his drawings instead of words. Put in a sunny window; check daily. This is his job for the next two weeks.

Sunday's 77°F forecast is the best weather day of the week — use it. Globeville Landing is underused and has open grass, a paved path along the Platte, and natural terrain features. Bring chalk and draw a start/finish line. Time him running to a tree and back. Build a simple course: run to the fence, hop on one foot three times, spin, crawl under the picnic table, sprint home. Let him redesign the course on lap two.

Tear strips of painter's tape and let Odie press them onto watercolor paper in any pattern he wants — lines, X shapes, a mess, whatever. Then give him a watercolor palette and a wide brush and let him paint the whole page. When it's fully dry (30 minutes), peel the tape together and watch the white shapes appear. Name the shapes: "That one looks like a caterpillar leg. What do you think?" This activity works best at a low table while Mazzy is in her bouncer nearby.

Set up a "vet clinic" on the living room floor: a small bin with a popsicle stick (thermometer), a strip of fabric (bandage), a bowl of water (medicine), and a notepad. Odie is the doctor. Bring in his stuffed animals one at a time with a "problem" — the bear has a sore paw, the dog is tired, the elephant ate too much. Let him diagnose and treat. You play the worried pet owner. When he's stuck, ask "what do vets do next?" not "do this."

Hampden Branch holds weekly preschool storytimes — check the current schedule and attend one this week. After the storytime, sit together and ask: "Which character felt scared? Which one felt brave? Did you ever feel like that?" Don't rush past his answer. If he says "the bear was mean," try "I wonder what made the bear act that way" — Good Inside's "curiosity over correction" move.

Pull out any large cardboard box and give Odie tape, a marker, and some cardboard scraps. Tell him: "We're making a truck. You're the builder — I'm your helper. Tell me what you need." Resist the urge to design it for him. If he says "it needs wheels," ask "how could we make wheels from this stuff?" Let the result be completely his — uneven, taped a hundred times, beautiful. Add a driver made from a toilet paper roll.