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
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