Sunday May 3rd/ Fine Motor With Food
Warning! Totally unhealthy snack ahead, oh yeah and to top it off, we are encouraging them to play with their food! Yikes!
You need: Licorice string and fruit loop type cereal.
Show your child how to string the cereal onto the licorice. If you have long enough licorice string tie one end so the cereal does not fall off as they try to string it. The food can be a bracelet, necklace, or just eat it. You can work "hand over hand" with your toddler.
May 4th Monday Water Play
Toddler and Preschooler:
Today start to collect your empty ketchup, mustard, shampoo, dishsoap, and other items for the bath tub that can squirt water. Show your child how to put it under the water and get water into the bottle and then lift it out of the water and squeeze! They can also go into the kiddkie pool, or lake this summer too. If you want to make this even more exciting then keep clear plastic containers so your children can watch the water go in and out of the container! If you do not want your bathroom soaked, be sure to show your child (BEFORE YOU START) where they can squirt, and where they can not. If you are outside, be prepared to get wet!
May 5th / Number Sense / Your a BIG Kid Now!
Parent Info: Math includes being able to compare objects by size. Today let's talk about BIGGER and SMALLER.
Toddler:
Today go on a bigger and smaller hunt. Find tings in your house bigger than YOU (your toddler). You could find things inside such as; BIGGER refrigerator, furniture, bathroom sink, or bookcase. SMALLER a book, crayons, potty chair, or kleenex box. You could find things outside such as; BIGGER trees, street signs, swing sets, or fences. SMALLER ants, shovel, grass, leaves, or chalk. It is never ending really.
Preschooler:
Game:I Spy except today you can say "I spy with my little eye something bigger than_____________" or "I spy with my little eye something smaller than_________________"
Game: Pick up an object. "Let's find something BIGGER than this car." or "Let;s find something smaller than this drum." Then join your preschooler and go on a hunt looking for objects.
May 6th Wednesday Young (Mad?) Scientist / Magnetism
You will need several magnets, any type will do.
Toddler:
Be sure to watch carefully or only use very large magnets with your toddler. You do NOT want them to swallow these! Toddlers can try to stick them on different objects or just repeatedly take them on and off your refrigerator. Most likely they will lke to pull them off, have YOU put them back on and do this over and over...
Preschooler:
Give your preschooler a few magnets and kep a few for your self. Jump righ tin and start going around your kitchen and checking EVERYTHING to see if the magnet sticks to it. Announce loudly "It is magnetic" when it sticks or "OOPS, it is NOT magnetic" when it falls on the floor and does not stick. Soon your preschooler should be joining in and sticking them to different objects, if they just watch encourage them to try it too. Try your refrigerator, dishwasher, pots and pans, cookie sheets, silverware, table legs, try wood and plastic objects as well. This game had two highlights at our house. 1st when the magnets did not stick and fell on the floor (very funny stuff!) and 2nd when the magnets stuck to a butter knife it was super exciting!!
Advanced:
Get your science notebook or piece of paper out. Draw your "observations" or pictures of part of the experiment.
May 7th Thursday Music / Your Body as a Musical Instrument! / Baked Potato
You need: Your Body
Show your children all the ways you can think of to make music with differrent parts of your body.
Clap with open hands
Clap with cupped hands
Snap your fingers
Pat your cheeks, head
Open your mouth and pat your cheeks
Tap Slap Clap Rap your knees, thighs, tummy
"Pop" your mouth
Rub your hands back and forth
Give directions like: Soft, Loud, Fast and Slow
Everybody do their own sounds and you have a Human Band! :-)
Baked Potato Song
We haven't sang this one in a long time, but when we started this wee,k they wanted it over and over again. I made a video to show all of you and it is quite a risk for me because I can not sing a note, but the kids could care less...
We use scarves at music class and washclothes at home. Anything will work.
First have them squish it up in their hands.
Come and get your baked potato ,baked potato, baked potato
Come and get your baked potato
Careful it might be HOT
They shake or bounce the scarf while you sing and throw it at the word hot.
May 8th Friday / Old Fashion Fun / Pony Rides
Toddler and Preschooler:
Do you remember Pony Rides?
It is a simple and fun game. The grown up gets down on the floor on all fours. The child climbs up. If they have the balance skills to handle it, they can sit up like they are riding a horse, if they are younger they will lay down and hold on around the neck. The adult goes fast and slow around the room on all floors. It's a great workout too!
I think this naturally leads to piggy back rides. :-)
May 9th Saturday / ZipLock Bag /Ordinary Items, Extrodinary Fun
Toddler and Preschooler:
You need a ziplock and large tape.
What can you do with a Ziplock? The possibilities are endless...
We are going to fill the bag and give it to your child to squish. You will need to reinforce the seal with large packing tape to avoid a large mess.
* Fill with one, some, all
hair gel ketchup and mustard shaving cream toothpaste
hand lotion thick fingerpaint pudding yogurt
You can put the bag in the freezer and make it cold or heat it up for an added sensory experience. Or make two bags and make one warm and one cold.
BONUS Activity!!
Build It and They Will Come!
This is a cute idea.
After your kids go to bed for the night, or while they are taking a nap, build a structure with blocks.When they wake up tell them you built them a special structure (house, building, thing) and they have to find it. Repeat as often as you like, but vary where you build and what you build. They will be excited to find what you have built for them! After they find it let them play with it, or knock it down.
Remember to READ 15 minutes a day to your child!
“It is paradoxical that many educators and parents still differentiate between a time for learning and a time for play without seeing the vital connection between them.”
-Leo F. Buscaglia quotes (American guru, tireless advocate of the power of love, 1924-1998)
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