Purposeful Play: "Play is the work of childhood" -Maria Montessori
June 2-5
I came across this idea the other day and thought with the sunshine it might be fun for the kids to do. My oldest daughter (age 4) loved doing it. Enjoy!!
May 26-29
I would love to see what play based activities your kids come up with this week. So instead of giving you ideas, send me yours via remind. Missing all of you and LOVING all the animal pictures I have received from our Zoom call this morning. On these rainy days, remember that cutting, gluing, coloring and a little bit of the Khan Academy Kids app is always a good back-up plan. I also saw that Netflix now has Alpha-Blocks on it: I love that resource so feel free to check it out when your kiddos have some screen time. :)
May 18-22
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle is an amazing story. Here is the link to the story and a craft to go with it. Please send me a picture if you do this activity! You could even add their cute little face in the middle of it to make it a keepsake.
Here are the website instructions too:
Supplies: Green and white craft paper, Potato, Scissors, Glue, Knife (adult only)
Directions
1. Cut the potato in half and then cut off one side to make a petal (horseshoe) shape with a flat edge.
2. Have child cut out leaves and a stem and then glue it to the white paper.
3. Have child dip the potato in red and yellow paint and then stamp it on the white paper to make a flower.
Here are the website instructions too:
Supplies: Green and white craft paper, Potato, Scissors, Glue, Knife (adult only)
Directions
1. Cut the potato in half and then cut off one side to make a petal (horseshoe) shape with a flat edge.
2. Have child cut out leaves and a stem and then glue it to the white paper.
3. Have child dip the potato in red and yellow paint and then stamp it on the white paper to make a flower.
May 11-14
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Materials
Materials
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Beat eggs with electric mixer until light and foamy, about 1 minute. Slowly add the sugar and continuing mixing until blended.
- Add cream, vanilla, and milk, blending until combined.
- Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
- For firmer ice cream, transfer ice cream to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 4 to 6 hours.
how_to_make_homemade_vanilla_ice_cream_-_crafty_morning.html |
Khan Academy Kids has a great word building app on it with ice cream scoops.
May 4-8
Just like the mother's day scrapbook, this cute little scavenger hunt will make you laugh at what your sweet babes come up with!
We have prepped and will deliver the items for the art project on the right! I wish I could have the kiddos at school to make these special things for their mamas! I will take a video of us making one for you to follow along with too. All the supplies for it (other than paint), will be provided in the package we drop off this week. :)
Another idea is to work their fine motor skills by making beaded necklaces for mom, or matching ones for mom/child!
Just like the mother's day scrapbook, this cute little scavenger hunt will make you laugh at what your sweet babes come up with!
We have prepped and will deliver the items for the art project on the right! I wish I could have the kiddos at school to make these special things for their mamas! I will take a video of us making one for you to follow along with too. All the supplies for it (other than paint), will be provided in the package we drop off this week. :)
Another idea is to work their fine motor skills by making beaded necklaces for mom, or matching ones for mom/child!
The kids had some great outdoor activities to share last week on our Zoom call, I recorded their ideas:
bike (bicycle or dirt biking) picnic walks visiting farm animals jumping on the trampoline or hay bales playing in their playhouse and sandbox visiting the pond/water to see the ducks/wildlife wiener roast with family for dinner riding horses chipping fossils painting rocks falling trees/stacking wood kick the can chasing the birds coloring with chalk |
Here is a number video and counting cards to do this week too!
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April 27- May 1
Here are some fun farm activities I have found for this week:
The balloon one is a pig pen- make piggy balloons and have your child try to collect them into a pen (designated area).
Here are some fun farm activities I have found for this week:
The balloon one is a pig pen- make piggy balloons and have your child try to collect them into a pen (designated area).
Mrs. Weiler created the videos below for numeracy and literacy games:
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freebie_subitizing_roll_and_cover.pdf |
April 20-23
Here are some outdoor activities to enjoy. These are all things we would have done in class! Have fun.
The link for puffy sidewalk paint recipe and directions: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/puffy-sidewalk-paint/
This link is from facebook and has a video to show more: https://www.facebook.com/thebestideasforkids/videos/314998189427654/
Mrs. Weiler and I made a few videos at school today of Puffy Sidewalk Paint below as well :)
Here are some outdoor activities to enjoy. These are all things we would have done in class! Have fun.
The link for puffy sidewalk paint recipe and directions: https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/puffy-sidewalk-paint/
This link is from facebook and has a video to show more: https://www.facebook.com/thebestideasforkids/videos/314998189427654/
Mrs. Weiler and I made a few videos at school today of Puffy Sidewalk Paint below as well :)
April 14-17
Some ideas for purposeful play this week are:
1. Create an obstacle course using numbers: example- do 16 jumps by the front door, then run to the kitchen and touch 4 different objects, crab walk to your bedroom and make a stack of 20 blocks/books, then bear crawl to the bathroom and blow yourself 11 kisses in the mirror. The object of this game is to get them moving and counting to those higher numbers while also doing an activity for each count.
Some ideas for purposeful play this week are:
1. Create an obstacle course using numbers: example- do 16 jumps by the front door, then run to the kitchen and touch 4 different objects, crab walk to your bedroom and make a stack of 20 blocks/books, then bear crawl to the bathroom and blow yourself 11 kisses in the mirror. The object of this game is to get them moving and counting to those higher numbers while also doing an activity for each count.
2. Tape Towers using blocks: see photo to the left.
3. Khan Academy Numbers 11-20: to practice numbers this week, I created a video (with my daughter Harper) to showcase one of the games on Khan Academy Kids app. It is a good one for a basic way to work on those higher numbers and recognizing them. I have posted the video below of which game we played!
3. Khan Academy Numbers 11-20: to practice numbers this week, I created a video (with my daughter Harper) to showcase one of the games on Khan Academy Kids app. It is a good one for a basic way to work on those higher numbers and recognizing them. I have posted the video below of which game we played!
April 6-10
This week I have three suggestions:
1. Khan Academy Kids
2. Easter Egg Letters
3. Numbers 11-20 Game
See below for explanations, pictures and videos to help you out.
Khan Academy Kids:
The first is a FREE app- I have an use it on 3 of our apple devices and it is fantastic. From what I can find it is also available on Google Play and Amazon Store app platforms but I haven't use it. If at all possible, use it! It is so great and covers nearly everything we are learning in kindergarten. Below is a video of me navigating it. As the parent for setup, you just need to enter your email address and a password and then it can be accessed. There is no classroom version of it so I will leave it up to you to set up and use. But seriously, do it. Because it is so so amazing. Check out the video below.
This week I have three suggestions:
1. Khan Academy Kids
2. Easter Egg Letters
3. Numbers 11-20 Game
See below for explanations, pictures and videos to help you out.
Khan Academy Kids:
The first is a FREE app- I have an use it on 3 of our apple devices and it is fantastic. From what I can find it is also available on Google Play and Amazon Store app platforms but I haven't use it. If at all possible, use it! It is so great and covers nearly everything we are learning in kindergarten. Below is a video of me navigating it. As the parent for setup, you just need to enter your email address and a password and then it can be accessed. There is no classroom version of it so I will leave it up to you to set up and use. But seriously, do it. Because it is so so amazing. Check out the video below.
Easter Egg Letters:
I have included a few ideas, use what works best for you and what you have available to you. The important thing is to focus on the game being fun and playful as well as reinforcing the letters and sounds to your child just by asking "yes you found that one! what letter is that? what sound does it make?"
For this picture to the left, you would just write the letters on the eggs and hide them throughout your house, your child then goes off to find them and puts them together, while identifying the letters and sounds aloud.
Below I have attached a paper matching game in case you don't have plastic Easter eggs at home.
The other way you can practice letters and sounds today is a modified hopscotch game. Find a space outside to draw with chalk (if you don't have chalk, you could use a big piece of paper or cardboard and markers instead), together, draw some egg shapes and print the capital letters inside of them. Next, have your child go to each egg and print the lowercase letter with that egg. Finally, they can hop from egg to egg like a bunny and tell you the sounds the letter makes.
I have included a few ideas, use what works best for you and what you have available to you. The important thing is to focus on the game being fun and playful as well as reinforcing the letters and sounds to your child just by asking "yes you found that one! what letter is that? what sound does it make?"
For this picture to the left, you would just write the letters on the eggs and hide them throughout your house, your child then goes off to find them and puts them together, while identifying the letters and sounds aloud.
Below I have attached a paper matching game in case you don't have plastic Easter eggs at home.
The other way you can practice letters and sounds today is a modified hopscotch game. Find a space outside to draw with chalk (if you don't have chalk, you could use a big piece of paper or cardboard and markers instead), together, draw some egg shapes and print the capital letters inside of them. Next, have your child go to each egg and print the lowercase letter with that egg. Finally, they can hop from egg to egg like a bunny and tell you the sounds the letter makes.
printable_easter-egg-alphabet-letter-matching.pdf |
Numbers 11-20 Game:
To practice numbers this week, grab a bin of blocks, lego, or any small stacking item you may have. Give your child a number between 11 and 20 and have them build a tower that many blocks tall. Then leave that tower constructed and give them a different number to build. After, ask them which one is greater or more blocks tall. Below I made two quick videos and a picture of other math games to do with LEGO. (remember- this should be fun and play based as your child is discovering numbers and relationships between them, if they aren't into it, try something else).
To practice numbers this week, grab a bin of blocks, lego, or any small stacking item you may have. Give your child a number between 11 and 20 and have them build a tower that many blocks tall. Then leave that tower constructed and give them a different number to build. After, ask them which one is greater or more blocks tall. Below I made two quick videos and a picture of other math games to do with LEGO. (remember- this should be fun and play based as your child is discovering numbers and relationships between them, if they aren't into it, try something else).
lego_tower.jpg |
lego_number_towers_.mov |
lego_number_matching.mov |
March 30- April 3
Here are four ideas for this week for engaging with your child in purposeful play.
Each week I will give 3-5 ideas, in hopes that one or more of the suggestions will work for what you have in your home. Please remember that I do not want or expect anyone to leave their home to get supplies.
Playdough: make your name with playdough, pretend to make ice cream cones, make a family challenge like make a easter cookie, discuss what it tastes like, who would get to eat it, and what frosting was used. They can use a play kitchen to "cook" their cookies. There is no winner in this game, it is about creating a dialogue around creation.
Go Fish: using cards (or use paper to make your own). Play the game go fish using numbers 2-10 (take jack, queen king out).
Number Hunt: with your child print numbers 1-10 or 1-20 on small pieces of paper. Use different colors or shapes for extra fun. As the parent, hide the numbers in a designated space in your home (their bedroom, the playroom etc). Send your child on a number hunt to find all the number cards. As they find them, they can put them in order from 1-10 or 1-20 on the table/carpet. When all the numbers are found, have them point to each number and review with them the names of the numbers. If you child wants a further challenge he/she can then draw that many dots, or add that many small stickers to the back of the specific number.
Frozen: for this activity you will need water, small toys safe for water, and balloons or a container.
The first way you can do this is demonstrated in the picture below, you will place a small toy (the picture uses dinosaurs, but you could use any animal, lego, shopkins, glitter, hair clip), in a balloon and then fill the balloon with water. Allow it freeze and cut the balloon off. Then give your child a spray bottle, syringe or spoon with warm water to melt the ice away and reveal the toy!
The other way to do this activity is to (over the course of a few days), freeze layers of objects into a container such as an ice cream bucket. Add water and the first object your child chooses (i.e. twigs), freeze overnight. The next day, add the next object (i.e. rocks) and water, freeze overnight. Continue adding objects each day until your bucket is full or your child has decided it is done! Then allow them to dump warm water to melt or use a safe object to break it apart and reveal all their frozen treasures!
Have fun everyone!
Here are four ideas for this week for engaging with your child in purposeful play.
Each week I will give 3-5 ideas, in hopes that one or more of the suggestions will work for what you have in your home. Please remember that I do not want or expect anyone to leave their home to get supplies.
Playdough: make your name with playdough, pretend to make ice cream cones, make a family challenge like make a easter cookie, discuss what it tastes like, who would get to eat it, and what frosting was used. They can use a play kitchen to "cook" their cookies. There is no winner in this game, it is about creating a dialogue around creation.
Go Fish: using cards (or use paper to make your own). Play the game go fish using numbers 2-10 (take jack, queen king out).
Number Hunt: with your child print numbers 1-10 or 1-20 on small pieces of paper. Use different colors or shapes for extra fun. As the parent, hide the numbers in a designated space in your home (their bedroom, the playroom etc). Send your child on a number hunt to find all the number cards. As they find them, they can put them in order from 1-10 or 1-20 on the table/carpet. When all the numbers are found, have them point to each number and review with them the names of the numbers. If you child wants a further challenge he/she can then draw that many dots, or add that many small stickers to the back of the specific number.
Frozen: for this activity you will need water, small toys safe for water, and balloons or a container.
The first way you can do this is demonstrated in the picture below, you will place a small toy (the picture uses dinosaurs, but you could use any animal, lego, shopkins, glitter, hair clip), in a balloon and then fill the balloon with water. Allow it freeze and cut the balloon off. Then give your child a spray bottle, syringe or spoon with warm water to melt the ice away and reveal the toy!
The other way to do this activity is to (over the course of a few days), freeze layers of objects into a container such as an ice cream bucket. Add water and the first object your child chooses (i.e. twigs), freeze overnight. The next day, add the next object (i.e. rocks) and water, freeze overnight. Continue adding objects each day until your bucket is full or your child has decided it is done! Then allow them to dump warm water to melt or use a safe object to break it apart and reveal all their frozen treasures!
Have fun everyone!