Monday July 27th / Bug Collecting

You need:
Glass jar with holes in lid
leaves
sticks
bugs
magnifying glass

I suggest collecting pill bugs, ants, spiders, caterpillars, or beetles

Toddler:
You can let them look at the bug and tell them about them. Toddlers may be afraid of bugs and shouldn't be pushed to hold or touch bugs if they are afraid.

Preschool:
Put them in your jar and ask your child to notice what was around the bug when you found it.
What do you think the bug needs to feel at home? Offer silly suggestions like seaweed, TV's, or palm trees!
You can teach them the word Habitat and discuss different habitats such as; where do fish and whales live?, lions?, elephants?, penguins?, moles and ground hogs?, etc.

What do bugs do? You may have to look up the particular bug you found. Some bugs aerate the dirt, pollinate flowers, or eat other harmful bugs.

Have your preschooler look at the bug through a magnifying glass. How many legs does the bug have? What kind of eyes? What else do you notice about the bug?

Teach respect for Nature and have your child let the bugs go when you are finished playing with them.


Tuesday July 28th/ Toddlers and Music

Toddlers love banging things to make music!

Hang a bunch of spoons on different strings around inside one room or outside. We hung them from shelves around our play room. Then we took spoons and banged the hanging spoons. It makes a sort of bell like sound. At first we hung the spoons close together but they kept getting tangled up, so we moved them apart. They liked this because they could run around the room and make music all over the place.

Warning: Noisy, do not do this on a day you have a headache! :-)

Tuesday July 28th / Preschool Letter Recognition
Preschooler

You need:
magnetic or plastic alphabet letters
a bag

Show your preschooler 3-4 letters
Name them and feel them together
Now place the 3-4 letters in the bag and see if your preschooler can find the letter you ask for.

You want your preschooler to feel successful. Start with letters that are not very similar in feel such as; A T and C.
Do not use things like N and M together or lowercase d and p.

Wednesday July 29th / Finger Plays

Toddlers love to sing. No worries about you not being able to carry a tune, they could care less.

Little Robin Redbreast

Little Robin Redbreast
Make thumb and small pinky finger into a small bird
Sat upon a rail
Sit your "bird" on your other hand
Niddle Noodle went his head
Shake your thumb
Wiggle Waggle went his tail
wiggle your little pinky finger

Once I Caught A Fish Alive

One, Two, Three, Four, Five
Count on your fingers

Once I caught a fish alive
Wiggle hand like a fish

Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten
Count on your fingers

Then I let him go again
Pretend to throw fish back

Why did you let him go?
Because he bit my finger so.
Shake hand vigerously

Which one did he bite?
The little finger on the right.Hold up little pinky finger

Wednesday July 29th /Young (Mad?) Scientist / Invisible Ink
This is another preschool activity about science.

You need
2 tbsp lemon juice
cotton swabs

1. Put lemon juice in container
2. Soak cotton swabs
3. Draw picture or write words
4. Hold the paper up to a light
-the heat will "reveal" the picture or words by turning the lemon juice brown

Ext: make TOP SECRET notes or TREASURE MAPS


Thursday July 30th / Build Your Own Mini Golf Course
The number one way to get your kids interested in an activity is: get on the floor too, at least in the beginning, and then let them take over and play by themselves.

Toddler and Preschooler

You need:
golf clubs real or platsic
gold balls real or plastic

Keep in mind your child's age and ability when designing your course.
You can build ramps, tunnels, and buildings. You can use toys, chairs, books, or anything you can think of.
Outside courses can include digging holes, wood ramps, fairy twig houses, etc.

If you make a great game, take pictures and post them on Play is Essential's Facebook Fan Page!


Friday July 31st / Leaping Lizards, Krazy Kangaroos, or Fearless Frogs

Toddler and Preschooler:
Rearrange your furniture. Place all couch cushions on the floor. Make tunnels. Stack Pillows.

Pick the title of the game.
Leaping Lizards must leap and not touch the floor. Kangaroos jump, and frogs hop from lily pad to lily pad. Use imagination and get moving inside on a rainy day!



Saturday July August 2nd / Sensory Table


Toddler and Preschooler
Here are more ideas of what can go into a sensory table.

Fill it up with an edible squishy food like applesauce!

Make a few batches of noodles or spaghetti and put it in our sensory table. It will feel fabulous for your kids to run there hands in, squish, and stir it around. Make sure to let them at it while it is still warm! and then again when it is cold. Ask them about the difference. If it becomes sticky and icky, add a little olive oil.

If you want an idea that is a little less messy, put in rocks. We have agates from a nature walk, and colored stones we bought at a store, plus regular rocks from outside. They are interesting to look at and to touch with many textures, colors, and shapes.

Sunday August 3rd / Your name in GLUE!

Write your child's name on a paper.

Outline or trace there name in glue and let it dry.

Now give them the paper and show them how they can trace and feel their name.

When they are done with feeling there name they can take markers and draw over the glue, it is a different texture than just drawing with markers.

Lastly, peel their name off the paper and look at it in just glue!

For added fun use glitter in your glue or colored glue.

Bonus Idea

Krispy Kale / Veggie Snack

You need:
Kale
Sea Salt
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Get a plate and put olive oil on it.
Dip and rub Kale in olive oil for a single coat.
Lay Kale out on cookie sheet
Place in oven for 5-15 minutes, depending on your oven
Kale should be Krispy but not dark brown.
Add Sea Salt (regular salt is ok but sea salt is much better)

-Note- My kids did not like the texture the first time. The third time they tried it they were hooked. They love it and ask for it because it is a rather fun feeling as it crunches and falls apart in your mouth.


      Remember to READ 15 minutes a day to your child!


"It's never to late to have a happy childhood"
-Anita Stackhouse, Celebrate the Child Within Inc.

Monday July 20th / Jewel and Gem Goop

Toddler and Preschooler
Warning: Not for toddlers who still put everything in their mouths.

2 cups rock salt
1/2 cup white glue
6 drops food coloring

1. Mix rock salt and food coloring
2. Add glue, mix 2-3 minutes
3. Mold and sculpt with your hands
4. Place on cardboard to dry

5. You can use these to make necklaces, bracelets, or secret pirate treasures!



Tuesday July 21st/ Ribbon Ball

Toddlers love to experiment with cause and effect.

In the winter we hung a beach ball on a string from the ceiling. They hit it over and over again to watch it spin and fly around.

During the summer we hung the ball from a tree. Same excitement level, just different location.

Tuesday July 21st / Preschool Chalk Outlines
Preschooler

You need:
chalk
body outline
blocks

This activities objective is to introduce your preschooler to measuring. Measuring as a concept should be introduced using objects, not a ruler.

1. Have your child lay on the ground and draw their outline with chalk.
2. Bring your blocks outside and only use blocks that are the same size.
3. Ask your child how many blocks long they think their arm is (hypothesis).
4. Lay out the blocks first and them count them.
Tip: Do not use only one block and move it, they will not have the same depth of understanding as they will if they can visually see the blocks lined up along the arm.

5. Tell them "Your arm is ________ blocks long!"
6. Now ask, "How many blocks do you think your leg is?"
7. Repeat all steps! Move on to their head, hands, etc.


Wednesday July 22nd / One Little Baby Went Out to Play

Toddlers love to sing. No worries about you not being able to carry a tune, they could care less.

Today try One Little Baby Went Out to Play.
I had to look up what the tune was...and now I am laughing because they say this song is to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb, well I kind of sing it that way, sort of...oops!)

One Little baby went out to play
On a bright and sunny day
They had such enormous fun
They called for another baby to come
I sing this in a lullaby sweet voice and then change to deep silly voice for:

"Hey Baby"

Two Little babies went out to play
on a bright and sunny day
They had such enormous fun
They called for another baby to come

"Hey baby"


This is actually my daughters comfort song. If she is very upset this is what we sing in many variations. We sometimes use people's names instead of baby. Or we sing one little kid, two little kids etc and name our friends in the line we called for "Jill" to come out and play "Hey Jill" etc. We learned this song at mommy and me class with One little elephant went out to play, so occasionally we sing it using animals. It is simple and catchy.


Wednesday July 22nd / Variety of Tag Games
This is another preschool activity.

You need:
three or more people

Easy version:
One person is "it" and chases everyone else. The person who is "it" tags another person and runs away. Now the person who was tagged is "it".

Stoop:
Players can crouch down for 5 sec. at a time and avoid being tagged. The person who is "it" must stay away until they are up and running again.

Tree Tag:
The tree is the "safe zone".

Flashlight Tag:
Must be played inside or outside when it is dark and you can see teh light of a flashlight. You shine light on others to tag them.

Shadow Tag:
(My favorite) You must step on the person's shadow to tag them instead of touching them!

Thursday July 23rd / Riding the Rails
Another sidewalk chalk activity.

Make a road or rail road tracks for your kids to ride the bikes or puch the push cars on.

We park our cars on the drive way and make a figure eight road around them. The kids push their cars forever around and around. You can also make a raceway, highway, or circus ring.


How do you decide who is first??

As kids get older, suddenly who is FIRST matters.
Here is a short list of ideas for picking who is first.
Have any to add?

Coin toss
Which hand is holding the coin?
Rock, Paper, Scissors
Draw the High Card
Draw the Low Card
Count off
Pick a Number
Dice Toss High / Low
Draw Straws


Friday July 24th / Sensory Table

Toddler and Preschooler:
You need:
Sensory Table
(or two bins, look in previous sensory table post)

Idea #1
water and bubbles
I use Dawn soap and then water.  The bubbles get HUGE. Then I put in scoops, funnels, and cups, etc. Anything you can use in the tub.

Idea #2
Sand
We have a large sandbox too, but the sensory table put things at a level where the kids can stand and play with the materials. This is a different experience than sitting in the sand. I don't think they prefer one over the other.

Idea #3
Popcorn
What a fun material to put your hands in and play with! You can let them eat it too!

Idea #4
Shells
Our grandma and grandpa go to Florida every year and bring us back seashells. This activity needed a lot of "preteaching", to show them how to play with shells without breaking them. I layed a towel in the bottom of the sensory table and laid the shells on top. I told them they had to be careful because the shells are breakable. The kids discovered on their own the different textures, how a big shell can be filled with small shells and "poured" and which are the same and which are different. I thought the shells were great for language and discovery.


Saturday July 25th / Hospital Center

Toddler and Preschooler

With or without your childrens' help find an area in your house to make in to a doctors office or vet's office. One small table in the corner will work.

Gather:
All play doctor equipment from all corners of the house
Stuffed animals or dolls
Add in some bandaids and other things from your first aid kit that they can use
Add dress up clothes for a doctor / Dad's button up shirt?

Make this area into the doctors office and sit down with your kids for about 5 minutes. Start to play and think outloud about what happens in a doctors office. Can they check the doll or animals heart? Ask dolly to take deep breaths and tell her that her lungs sound good! Now sit back and listen to your kids play. What do they remember about the doctors office?

You could also make a waiting room for the extra dolls and animals complete with music and what ever is in your doctors waiting room. Ours has a fishtank.

Sunday July 26th / Cork Bath

We got a bag of wine corks from a friend this week. I asked for them!

The first thing we did with them was add them to our bath. There were A LOT of corks. They thought this was awesome! They caught the corks in the nets, read the side of each one, looked at the pictures on them, and built cork towers on the side of the tub. It was hilarious! I also gave them straws and we had a "cork race" in the tub. This was not fair because the preschooler can blow through the straw much easier than the toddler, but it was fun. We actually have done this three days last week because they always want the corks at bath time now! :-)



      Remember to READ 15 minutes a day to your child!


Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars.
-Henry Van Dyke

Monday July 13th / Parade

We have seen quite a few parades because of July 4th and local fairs.
This gave me the ideas of having our very own parade!

Toddler:
Our toddler loves to pull things behind her. We gathered all her pull along toys and tied them together. Then we dressed her up like a princess with a gown, tiara, and a little make-up. She was super excited.

Preschooler:
With him we gathered different instruments. He started with the drum that goes around his neck and drum sticks. We put maracas in our pockets, just in case. Then he put on clown make-up and mismatched clothes!  He had obviously been watching marching bands because he even tried to spin the drum sticks and made all these funny poses!

Lastly,
Get outside! March down the street. You can push a stroller or wagon with the extra instruments and any stuffed animals that would like to join in. Feel silly? Call some neighbors and make it a big deal! (Too much for you? This can be done in the basement or backyard as well)


Tuesday July 14th/ Toddlers and Maracas

Toddlers love shaking things and rhythm. Try making your own maracas and shaking them to a song or twelve!

You can use:
empty bottles
empty spice containers
any container will do...
beans
rice

Start with only three sizes. Small, medium and large of the object. Show your toddler how they fit inside each other and come apart again. See how long it takes them to try it on their own. Let your toddler play with this idea for awhile and master it before introducing more sizes. Once they have it add a few more of the measuring cups, spoons, or what ever object you are working with.

Tuesday July 14th / Preschool Pinata
Preschooler

You need:
Flour
water
balloon
bucket
old newspaper

Balance the balloon in the bucket.
Cut strips of newspaper, make some long for yourself and some very short for your children.
Add flour to a bread pan or small bin
Dip strips of newspaper, remove excess water
lay strips on balloon
repeat on all sides of balloon but leave an opening to add things inside.
Let each layer dry over night and repeat the next day
Pop the balloon after the first layer or before you close the opening.

We did this for three days and had three layers.

NEXT, I did this part while the kids were sleeping. I looked through their toys and found small lizards, frogs, and dinosaurs. I put them in the pinata and added a few layers over the opening. Then I let it dry over night.

Then, we painted the pinata to look like an egg. We read a few stories about eggs and watched the reading rainbow movie about eggs.

Lastly, but certainly not least. I gave them the egg to break open. My preschooler had a great time trying to figure out how to open it! He hit it with a stick threw it on the ground, both the grass and sidewalk. The sidewalk finally worked for a hole and then he used his hands. he played with the animals for quite awhile and wanted to put them back in the egg to "sleep" for the night.

Wednesday July 15th /
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

Toddlers love to sing. No worries about you not being able to carry a tune, they could care less. Today try Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush

Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush
Here we go ‘round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning

This is the way we wash our face
Wash our face, wash our face
This is the way we wash our face
So early in the morning

This is the way we comb our hair
Comb our hair, comb our hair
This is the way we comb our hair
So early in the morning

This is the way we brush our teeth
Brush our teeth, brush our teeth
This is the way we brush our teeth
So early in the morning

This is the way we put on our clothes
Put on our clothes, put on our clothes
This is the way we put on our clothes
So early in the morning…

This song is meant to be acted out.
Add any lyrics you like:
iron our clothes
wash our hair
mop the floor
mend our clothes
sweep the floor

Wednesday July 15th /Young (Mad?) Scientist / Volcano
This is another preschool activity about science.

You need
2 small paper cups
1/4 c baking soda
1/4 c vinegar
4 drops red food coloring

1. Fill bottom cup with baking soda
2. Add food coloring
3. Poke dime size hole in second cup
4. Set second cup on top of first cup
5. Pour vinegar in hole
6. Watch the eruption

Try different colors and glitter
Decorate the cups
Name your volcano


Book Review

Ei Einstein Never Used Flashcards:
How are children REALLY learn and why they need to PLAY more and memorize less!
http://www.playisessential.net/book-forum.html
htt

 I LOVE IT! I had previously found a book with explanations for market research but it was very dry.
This book talks about the same researched based ideas that modern parents "buy" into and how it all began.
Although I have many favorite parts, one is when the author discusses the term "enriched environment" and the study done with rats to prove why a child benefits from an enriched environment....conclusion: You're still basing your parenting philosophy on rats! That is light hearted but there is a lot of great factual information on how your child's brain develops in subject areas such as math (number sense).


Thursday July 16th / Beyond Basic Blocks
The number one way to get your kids interested in an activity is: get on the floor too, at least in the beginning, and then let them take over and play by themselves.

Toddler and Preschooler

You need:
Blocks all shapes, sizes, and colors
Imagination is a must!


Toddlers:
Stacking blocks is a major accomplishment.
How many blocks can your toddler stack before they knock it down??
Build them a big tower to smash! (build quick!) lol

Preschooler:
Challenge your preschooler to expand their imagination and dramatic play.

How high of a tower can they build?

Can they build cages for our their animals and call it a zoo? Grab some people and have them visit the zoo.

Can they build a house for their small dolls, include beds, kitchen, house walls, chairs, etc.

Can they build a garage for their match box cars?

Can they build a fire station?

How long can they sit and be engaged with this activity? Preschool years are also about building attention spans.
What else can they think of to build with blocks?



Friday July 17th / Move Like the Animals

Toddler and Preschooler:
Play this game like follow the leader and call response

One person yells the animal "Kangaroo" every one else yells "Hop" and then they hop!
While the kids make the noises be sure to remind them to move like the animal too!

Continue through all animals you can think of!
Snake -Slither
Turtle- Crawl
Monkey -Swing, Jump, Act Crazy
Lizard- Slither
Fish -Swim
Spider- Crawl
Cat -Pounce, Jump, Walk
Bird -Fly
Elephant -Stomp
Frog -Hop
Meerkat -Stand on Hind legs arms tucked in "Peek"
Lion -Run, Sleep, Walk
Rabbit -Hop
Chicken -Chicken Strut
Dog - Run, Walk, Run in circles


Saturday July 18th / Read! Read! Read!

Toddler and Preschooler
You need:
books
a place to cuddle up

Tips for reading to kids
Read Slow
Change your voice
Cuddle
Look at the pictures
Have your child turn the pages
Point to the words as you read

If you have read the story many times, pause, and let your child fill in the word thank them for "helping you read"

Let toddlers and preschoolers talk through out the book by naming objects, telling personal connections (I have a dog too), and asking questions

THINK OUT LOUD ... "I wonder what will happen next, I guess I will turn the page and see." or "Wow, she is really a nice girl to share with her brother" or "Oh no, he is in trouble, I think he should ..." You are modeling reading is thinking!

After the story is over, talk about it. Ask your child what happened or to retell you the story. Your child will be asked to do this in Kindergarten frequently. Then ask them what their favorite part was.

Sunday July 19th / Raid the Kitchen / Lazy Susan

You need a lazy susan.

Clear your Lazy Susan of all spices, cans etc.

I do not suggest just handing this object to your child.
Sit down with them and have a few toys with you such as; little people, cars, small toys.

Show them it can be used like a merry go round.

Show them if you spin it slow everything stays on, but if you spin it fast everything flies off! :-)

After you demonstrate what is can do and how you you want them to play with it, let them explore this new toy.

I did not think this one would be as GREAT as it was for the kids. I couldn't get over how long they were entertained by it and they did not want me to put it away!



      Remember to READ 15 minutes a day to your child!


There is work that is work and there is play that is play; there is play that is work and work that is play. And in only one of these lies happiness. -Gelett Burgess

Monday July 6th / Hallway Letter Hop

Do you have a foam letter mat? This is a letter recognition activity that requires a Full Body Response. This is much better than sitting at a desk and trying to memorize letters. Get 'em moving!

Toddler:
Lay out the foam letters on the floor. Don't have foam letters? Make a set of the alphabet using stencils. (laminate them) Start with your child's name. What is the first letter of their name? This is a great letter to start with. Ask them where it is. Now show them several times. Ask them again and see if they can do it on their own. Another trick I used to teach my toddler the ABC's is that we always change her diaper on the foam letters. (Before you say that is gross.. I do not let anything touch the letters because I put the new diaper under her before taking the other one off AND it is cleaned after each change.) Anyways, I ask her what letter she wants to change her diaper on. This appeals to the toddlers need for control as well. If she says "A" and lays down on a different letter I just tell her the correct letter. Then while she is laying there I tell her the letters all around her head.


Preschool:
Be prepared to demonstrate! Preschoolers need you to model what you want them to do. Then do the activity WITH them. Lastly, let them do it on their own. This is a great formula for every thing you want them to do! Don't have foam letters? Make a Hopscotch type board outside with chalk, but put the alphabet in the squares.

Lay out the foam letter down the hallway.
You jump on the letters like hopscotch and say what letter you jumped on.
You and your preschooler jump down the Hallway Letter Hop together several times.
Now let them do it on their own.


Tuesday July 7th/ Toddlers and Nesting Activities

Toddlers love nesting activities. This means putting things inside each other. Try things that require a particular order.

You can use:
measuring cups
measuring spoons
cardboard boxes of different sizes
pots and pans of different sizes
nesting cups you buy for toddlers
anything will work!

Start with only three sizes. Small, medium and large of the object. Show your toddler how they fit inside each other and come apart again. See how long it takes them to try it on their own. Let your toddler play with this idea for awhile and master it before introducing more sizes. Once they have it add a few more of the measuring cups, spoons, or what ever object you are working with.

Tuesday July 7th / Slap Jack Card Game
Preschooler

You need:
One deck of Cards
Show your child which cards are jacks.

Deal the cards evenly.

Pick up your piles and flip them over one at a time.

While you turn over each card look for the jack.
If you see it, SLAP IT!

If you slap a non-jack, you owe the other person a card.

If you have more than two players and one person runs out of cards they can still play and slap a jack to get back in the game.

--You could call out what cards you flip to practice numbers.--




Wednesday July 8th / Twinkle Twinkle Song and Star Project

Toddlers love to sing. No worries about you not being able to carry a tune, they could care less. Today try Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveler in the dark,
Thanks you for your tiny spark,
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye,
Till the sun is in the sky.

As your bright and tiny spark,
Lights the traveler in the dark,
— Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

You can cut out stars of construction paper and hang them from the ceiling in your toddlers room. Add a little glitter to each one. When it is bedtime and dark, lay down and shine a flashlight on the stars. The glitter will "twinkle" as you sing together!


Wednesday July 8th / Young (Mad?) Scientist / Pulley's
This is another preschool activity about simple machines. It goes with the lever and ramp, if your child loved those.

You need to purchase a pulley and rope.
We actually have one inside and one outside.
The one inside is small and hard to work with.
The one outside is much bigger and better made.

We hung it from a tree and attached a bucket. Let the fun begin!
Show your child the pulley before you hang it. Show them how it works.
Tell them it helps lift heavy things.
Attach it to a tree or swing set.
Attach a bucket to one end.
Let them put numerous things inside the bucket and try to lift it.
We used balls, sticks, and water. My son was surprised how heavy the water was!

The rope sometimes ends up at the top of the pulley and I have to get it down...

Other questions:
What happens when you pull the string hand over hand? (One side goes up , while one side goes down.)
Can you hold the string and back up?
How do you make the bucket come down fast? slow?
What else can you lift?
Why would you need a pulley?

If you have a tree house this would be GREAT!!


Thursday July 9th / Feed the Birds

Toddler or Preschooler

You need:
Pine Cone
Peanut Butter
String or Cord
Scissors
Spoon
Birdseed

1. Tie your string around the pine cone first, before it is too sticky. Leave enough string to tie it a tree or outside your window.

2. Spread Peanut Butter all over pine cone and into the grooves.

3. Lay bird seed out on a plate and roll pine cone in it. Gently press extra birdseed onto pine cone.

4. Hang your new feeder in a spot your child can see it and watch the birds.
Consider that your child will have an easier time seeing the birds from inside if it is hung near a window.


Friday July 10th / Nature Walk  / Shape Hunt

Toddler and Preschooler:
You need, just to go outside and take a walk!

Look for different shapes today.

What can you find that is a circle?

What can you find that is a square?

What can you find that is a rectangle?

What can you find that is a triangle?
We have a neighbor with a triangular window!!

Hey, did you know a stop sign is a octagon? (8 sides) Stop at the stop sign and count all the sides!

Be sure to look at: windows, street signs, plants, flowers, doors, house shapes, etc.

EXT: Read a few books about shapes before and after your walk. We read Bob the Builder: Shapes. Bob finds shapes in what he builds and that helped us in our shape searching.





Saturday July 11th / At the Car Wash!
We know the kids love to play in water, let's put them to work! lol

Toddler and Preschooler
You need:
Buckets
Soap or Bubbles
Wash clothes
Water
Cars

You can let your kids wash your car. Keep in mind you will obviously need to finish this and they won't really be that helpful. :-)

You can use your outside play cars or get a bunch of their play plastic cars from inside. Line them up and have a pretend car wash!

Ext: Take your kids to a drive through car wash or go to a  car wash fundraiser and see a real live car wash!
I think playing "Carwash" by Rose Royce is a must too!


Sunday July 12th / Sign the ABC's

Have you ever considered learning the ASL alphabet? Watch the video and teach yourself first. Then teach your kids.

Toddlers:
When you first learn the ASL alphabet you probably can't sign the alphabet and sing it because the ABC song goes too fast. This is actually good for toddlers. You need to slow down and say each letter and think about the sign. It gives your toddler something to watch and they hear each letter and associate it with the sign.

The ABC song also confuses many toddlers and preschoolers into thinking LMNO is one letter or word!

Preschoolers:
They have the ability to learn the ABC's in sign. It will not happen over night but is a great way to learn letters. Once my son could sign the alphabet he wanted me to finger spell words for him. I am much better at finger spelling thanks to him! He can tell me what word I spelled if I do a short word like mom or cat. We have had a lot of fun with this but it took time to develop.



      Remember to READ 15 minutes a day to your child!



If you aren't playing well, the game isn't as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play as I did when I was a kid. -Thomas J. Watson, Sr.