Using Ice for Pre-Writing Skills

I am always amazed how the simplest things can keep children engaged for so long.  The kids in my care love, love, love to use the pipettes (or those little medicine droppers).  It is so great for strengthening those little muscles needed for writing, cutting and all those other fine motor skills they will use so much in Kindergarten.  All I did was put out some ice trays, colored water, and a tub of ice cubes.  They mixed colors, learned about volume, cause and effect, sharing, and loads of language!  So simple and so many skills being used!

 



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Yummy Play Dough

Have you seen these Duncan Hines frosting flavors?  You can add them to frosting to create your own flavor of icing.  Well, I had picked up a couple different flavors (they are .99 at our local grocery store).  While making play dough for class one morning, I remember them sitting unused in the pantry and I imagined the yummy scent they would add to it.   Simply mix into your favorite play dough recipe.  It was a huge hit.  Use any flavor you wish, I didn't even add coloring to this batch.  

 

 

Here is my absolute favorite recipe....

 

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

4 tsp cream of tartar

Duncan Hines Frosting Creations packet

2 tsp cooking oil

1 1/2 cups of boiling water

a few drops of glycerin

 

 

Mix all the dry ingredients, then add the boiling water and oil

Mix it all until it forms a ball, you may need to add flour or more water as needed.

When it is all mixed, add a few drops of glycerin (you can find it in the medicine aisle at the grocery store, makes a huge difference in your play dough!  I highly recommend using it)

 

This play dough will last a long time.  Keep it in an airtight container, I use a zip lock bag!



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Target Practice with Wet Sponges

We had so much fun with this activity.  First we soaked a couple sponges in a tub of water.  The kids drew their own targets on the fence with chalk.  Then, they took aim and threw the wet sponges at their target.  They problem solved the best angle to throw the sponge so it would stick to the fence.  This is great for hand/eye coordination, problem solving, fine motor skills, large motor skills, not to mention, a fun way to stay cool on a hot day (it didn't take long before the kids were using each other for targets).  All in good fun, of course! 



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Just Add Bubbles

It has been very hot in our neck of the woods lately.  We decided to add some bubbles to our little pool for some bubbly fun.  Just a squirt of bubble bath can make a pool full of water a brand new play experience.  What was really fun was the more they splashed and played, the more bubbles they made.  Just add bubbles!

Here are a few more ideas for some water fun on a hot day!

Painting with Popcicles

Ice Boats

Painting with Water

Slippery Balloon Fish

Ice Castles

Have Fun!

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Paint with Fizz

We are always experimenting with baking soda and vinegar.  We made FIZZ, we used it to blow up a balloon, made sidewalk paint with it, and of course, the good 'ol Volcano.  I thought it would be fun to make some paint with baking soda and see if we could make some fizzing paintings.  I mixed baking soda with watercolors (you can use food coloring too) until it became a paint consistency. I put vinegar in jars with droppers.  The kids painted their pictures and then drip dropped the vinegar onto their paintings to fizz them up!  Super fun and easy!  The pictures do not do this experience justice AT ALL!  Go ahead and try it, you and your kids will love it!



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Fluffy Stuff

After seeing Lisa Murphy do THIS I had to try it.  All you need is a bottle of shaving cream and a box of corn starch.  This was enough for two tubs of this wonderful, fluffy stuff!  We poured about half the box of corn starch in each tub and then just squirted the shaving cream into them.  We used the entire bottle between the two tubs.  The incredible thing about this is that after a bit, it's moldable!  The kids LOVED it.  Now to replenish my shaving cream supply.  Next time we will try adding some color too.  So fun and a great fine motor and sensory experience!



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Monster Truck Derby with Smashable Aluminum Cars

Recently, we went to a Monster Truck show, where the huge trucks were jumping over and smashing into junk cars.  Ever since then, my son has been creating his own monster truck shows.  The issue was his little cars would not smash!  So my husband came up with aluminum molds to jump and crash over.  Genius!!  He cut a small piece of aluminum foil and pressed it on top of the car, creating an imprint of it.  Then, my son lined them up and smashed away.  The super thing about this is that the cars can be "created" over and over again.  Serious fun!

Let the Smash Up Derby Begin!!!

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Robots using Recyclables

If you have been following me for awhile now, you know that my son LOVES to build and create.  Mostly he loves Lego's, but anything he can create and build with is right up his alley.  He asked if I would help him build a robot.  So we looked in our supply of recyclables for what he thought he might need.  This is what he chose;

- plastic lids

- tin cans of various sizes

- plastic bottles

- cardboard tubes

We got out the glue gun and began construction.  He began to get frustrated when his robot would not stand up (it was top heavy).  I suggested we add something heavier to the bottom of it.  He thought about it for a minute and then ran outside to get a couple rocks.  He stuck these in the bottom cans. He then named him Rock Robot and wrote that on the arms.  

I just smile looking at these cute robots. 

My kids worked so hard and did all their own construction and hot gluing. It took a lot of problem solving and truly enjoyed watching them come up with their solutions.

These were so fun to create.  I highly suggest you give it a try.

our supplies

Hot Gluing

learning about balance

language, writing, letters recognition, small motor

Rock Robot

 



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Balls + Hair Dryers = Physics

So, I had the hair dryers out for something completely different.  This is what happened.

Seriously, my kids kept at this for the better portion of an hour!  They tried various balls, two at a time, small, big, heavy, light.  It was so exciting to see the results of their different "air" experiments.  Oh and the language!!  Gravity, inertia, velocity!  Oh my language!  It was really great!  I am always amazed at what can be taught with the most simple items. 

You will need some balls (light weight, plastic ones work the best) and a hair dryer. 

Blow away!

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Metamucil Slime

I have tried making this before with disastrous results.  I had this entire bottle of generic Metamucil just staring at me, tauting me really, in the closet.  So, we gave it another go. 

First, we dissolved 1 tablespoon of Metaucil in 1 cup of water.  Make sure it is in a rather large bowl.  Then, place in the microwave for around 4 or 5 minutes.  Watch it closely, as it bubbles up.  If it overflows into your microwave it is not easy to clean out (trust me on this one....I know).  Next, let it cool for about 1 min.  Microwave again for 4 or 5 minutes.  Follow this cycle 4 times.  Let it cool (it will be HOT).  It turns into the coolest slime.  You can even cut it with scissors.  This batch made the amount that you see in my daughters hands.  Enough for one person to have a slimy time with!



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Shake, Shake, Shake It!

This was so much fun, my kids asked me to do this over and over.  Luckily, I have a stash of plastic bottle waiting to be put to use!  To do these, simply pour the paint into the bottle (any size will work), put the lid on and shake it, shake it!!  So great for discovering which colors make other colors, fine motor, sensory, and all that shaking gets rid of some of that incredible energy!  This is a great (mess free) painting experience for your babies and toddlers too. Yippee!



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Tumbling Towers

This was a fun little game that the kids came up with the other day.  Lately, we have been saving tin cans and various sizes of containers.  We have been using them in our construction center, building towers, comparing sizes, filling them up, using them as musical instruments and such.  The kids began building these towers and then knocking them over...ya know, cause and effect, balance, and some physics.  Soon enough, the containers became target practice.  Boy, did they have fun with this.  A great, active game for a rainy day.  I just love that I caught the "action" in the last shot!  What are you doing with your empty containers?

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