January Newsletter!
It's January and we are sending out our seventh Activities
Newsletter! Here you will find activities in each of the 6 important
types of play: reading play, construction play, STEM play,
creative arts play, active play and music & dance play that will
allow you to continue the learning fun at home! To find out more
about the benefits of play, visit the Day of Play website!
Reading Play
See some highlights
on the Day of Play
website!
Reading Play
1. Put your spelling skills to the test with this Word for Word Game! Tape a
few pieces of paper together, and give everyone a different colored pencil or
marker. One child prints a starter word (the longer the better) in a central
spot on the paper. The second player then writes a new word that uses one
of the letters in the starter word. (For example, make the word "kite" from the
K in the starter word "sidewalk.") Each new player does the same using their
own color and building on any of the other words, until everyone has had
five turns. Players earn 1 point for each of the letters in their correctly
spelled words, and the player with the highest total wins!
2. Go on an Alphabet Hunt! Write all the letters of the alphabet in a column
running down the left side of a large piece of paper, cardboard, or poster
board. Now it's time to search! Give your detective a magazine and have
them hunt for a picture of something that begins with each of the letters. As
they find them, write it next to its letter on the chart. If they'd like, they can
cut out the picture and glue it next to the name. The game continues until
there's something for each letter of the alphabet.
3. Take turns Building Words! Someone starts with any letter, maybe an R.
The next person thinks of a word, such as rake, and says A. The next
person thinks of a word, such as rabbit, and says B. Each player must have
a real word in her head before speaking. Players can pass a turn three
times. If you challenge someone and they don't have a word in mind, they're
out. Last one left spelling wins!
Construction Play
1. Build a Castle Recycled Objects Castle! Sort all of the household
recycling into categories. Make a pile for cylinders, cones, cubes, and so
on. Use a box lid as a building platform, and start gluing and taping down
the main shapes for the foundation of the castle. As you go, invite your
child to make connections: what shapes make up castles? How do they
stay up without toppling? Notes: milk cartons come with "peaked roofs"
already in place, and you can easily use straws to mount aluminum foil
"flags". Paper towel rolls can be topped by cones or paper cups. String
and spare pieces of cardboard can be used for drawbridges. When all the
pieces are glued in place, paint the castle in any color they like. And add
any details when the paint dries.
2. Make a Milk Carton Train! Cover the milk carton (including the
triangular top part) with construction paper. Have your child cut out
construction paper for the train's wheels. And use a toilet paper tube for
the smokestack and glue them in the appropriate place. For reference, the
pointed part of the milk carton will be the front of the train. Have them use
markers or any other materials to add details on their train. When they're
finished decorating, tape a piece of string to the front of the train so they
can pull it along behind them and your child can turn the living room into
their very own train station. All aboard!
3. Go boating with Plastic Bottle Boats! Start with two empty water or soda
bottles with caps. If your child wants to add design to the boat, use
colored permanent markers. With a marker, outline a 2" x 5" area that you
will cut out of the bottle. Make sure the doll or toy fits in the opening. To
cut, remove the caps and hold the bottle on a flat surface; using a knife,
poke a hole through the center of the area you will cut, insert the scissors
and make your larger cut. Don't forget to replace the cap, or the boat will
sink! Tape the two bottles together with duct tape, running one strip
around the bases of the bottles and another closer to the top. Fill a basin
or bathtub several inches deep with water and let the fun begin!
STEM Play (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
1. Try lifting an Ice Cube with a Piece of String! Submerge an ice cube in a
glass of water for a second or two. Let it float to the top. Place one end of a
length of string on top of the ice cube and try to pick it up (they will not be able
to but that's part of the experiment!) Next, sprinkle a little salt over it and count
to 5. Pick up the loose end of the string and the ice will lift right out of the glass!
How does this work? Salt lowers the freezing temperature of water so it easily
melts ice. That's why people spread it on the road when it snows, and why the
ocean rarely freezes. When you sprinkle the salt on the ice, some of the ice
melts back into water, which is absorbed by the string. Seconds later, the water
in the string refreezes and the string is frozen to the cube, so you can pick it up!
2. Conduct a Polar Plunge experiment! Talk about how animals stay warm in
the winter because of their extra layer of blubber. Then test how well your child
is prepared to cope with the cold. Get a bowl or cup of ice water and have your
child stick their finger in it and talk about what it feels like. Then, cover your
child's finger in a layer of vegetable shortening and have them put their hand
back in the ice water and talk about how it feels. Explain to them that the
reason why their finger isn't cold is because, like blubber, the shortening helps
hold in their body heat.
3. Do Celery Stick Science! Fill a tall, clear glass or jar half-full with
water. Add a few drops of red food coloring and mix well. Trim the
bottom of a large stalk of celery, leaving the leaves on the stalk.
Place the celery stalk in the glass or jar and leave it overnight in
order for the stalk to "drink" the water. Divide a sheet of paper
horizontally into two sections labeled "before" and "after." Have
your child draw a picture of the celery stalk "before" it drinks the red
water and write or dictate a sentence or two about what they see.
The next morning, observe what has happened. Let your child tell
you where they think the water has gone and what has happened
to the celery. (The water has been absorbed into the celery stalk,
tinting the stem and leaves red.) Have your child complete the
"after" portion of the observation sheet.
Creative Arts Play
1. Make Egg Carton Goggles! Remove the lid from the egg
carton, and cut a 2 cup strip from the bottom. The two wells
will form the goggles or mask. Set aside the rest of the egg
carton for another project (or more masks!). Trim any extra
cardboard from the sides of the cups so they are perfectly
round. Now cut out the bottom of the cups for the eye holes.
Decorate the goggles with anything you like! When it's ready
poke a hole on either side of the cups and tie a length of
ribbon or string to each side. Have your child hold the goggles
to their face and tie the ribbons together!
2. Create a Cereal Box Puzzle! Cut off front panel of the box
and use a ruler and permanent marker to draw puzzle pieces
on the backside, (remember to make two connecting tabs on
each individual piece), and cut them out. Once all the pieces
are cut out, lay them on the table and challenge your child to
put it back together. Later you can make a puzzle for all of
their favorite cereal or crackers!
3. Make your own Snow Paint! Measure equal parts white glue
and shaving cream into a bowl or on a plate, mix them
together and the snow paint is ready! It should be very thick
and fluffy. Hand your child paper and a paintbrush and they
are ready to create a snow scene. Use generous amounts of
paint to create a three-dimensional effect. As they paint, talk
about snow. When does it snow? What does it feel like? As
the paint dries, it will harden and the shapes will remain. Your
child will love touching their 3D snow painting.
Active Play
1. Play the Jump Counting Game! First you'll need to create a
set of Challenge Cards. You can draw your own pictures or cut
out pictures of household objects and items from magazines.
You can include any objects you want, such as: a door,
window, table, book, desk, bed, couch, closet, circle, square,
rectangle, triangle, chair, computer, and oven. Then start!
When it's your turn; you pick a card and look at the picture.
Then you say the name of the object out loud and estimates
how many jumps it will take to get to it. For example, "A door. I
can jump to it in 10 jumps" or "It's a circle. I can jump to that
circle shaped table in 15 jumps". If they do it in the amount of
jumps predicted, they keep the card. If not, it goes into the
discard pile. Then it's the next player's turn.
2. Play Fox and Geese! This game requires four or more
players and a large, open area of unspoiled snow. Stomp a big
circle in the snow with two intersecting paths through the
middle of it. Where the paths meet, stomp out a small safe
zone. Choose one person to be the fox; all other players are
geese. The fox chases the geese and tries to tag them. All
players must run only on the paths, and geese can't be tagged
when they're standing in the safe zone. As soon as the fox
catches a goose, that goose becomes the new fox.
3. Start the Penguin Games! Lay out 4 to 6 pillows on a
carpeted floor in a single file line. Have everyone line up and
take turns hopping from pillow to pillow. They must land with
both feet on a piece of ice; if they don't, they are considered to
have fallen in the water and are out. Space the pillows a little
farther apart for each round until all but one penguin, the
winner, has been eliminated.
Music & Dance Play
1. Make a Kazoo! Punch a hole in the side of the empty toilet paper
roll as far from the end as the punch will reach. Cut a square of
paper large enough to cover one end of the roll and glue it to one
edge of the roll. Leave the roll standing on the paper until the glue
is completely dry. If you like, your child can decorate their kazoo
with crayons, markers, or stickers. To play the kazoo, show your
child how to put their mouth against the open end of the kazoo and
hum.
2. Break out the Crazy Walks! Walk slowly around the room using
music to set the pace. Call out a movement such as forward,
backward, sideways, little steps, giant steps, like a cat, like an
elephant, etc., and have the kids respond as quickly as possible.
Add to the activity by trying music with different tempos, moving
from room to room and letting your child call out the directions.
3. Roll us a Song! Help your child draw six pictures representing
their favorite songs. Glue or tape each picture to one side of a
tissue box. Let your child roll the song block to choose what song
to sing next! (ABC, Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,
etc)