Month: April 2020

Can Towers

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Can Towers (6)

A big shipment of cat food arrived today, and before I put the cans away, I had a feeling they would make perfect toddler building blocks! Boy was I right. No sooner did I put the boxes of cans down on the ground than Veronika had her hands on them and started stacking.

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These were 3-ounce cans, which I would declare the perfect size for toddlers; I didn’t worry about them being too heavy if they fell. You can play this game with more standard 15-ounce cans, but if so I would recommend making sure your child has shoes on, in case of dropped items. Alternatively, play with larger cans that are empty, but then you’ll need to make sure you’ve duct-taped over any sharp edges.

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Meanwhile, these little cat food cans did away with any of that prep work! She loved building high, and seeing how many she could stack. And then of course she loved the kaboom of knocking her towers over.

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The game looked like so much fun that big brother Travis came over to join in. The kids had a competition to see who could stack higher of course!

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Bigger kids might get fancier with their blocks creations, too.

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After a while we even had “bulldozers” to help clean up the debris from our toppling can towers.

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In sum, little cans make great “blocks” for small hands.

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Bananas, Agave, and Wheat Germ

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Bananas Wheat Germ (5)

Here’s a snack that your toddler can actually prepare for him- or herself! This cute project lets even young toddlers practice “knife” skills, proudly prepare their own food, and enjoy a yummy treat at the end.

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I sat Veronika down with a plate filled with agave nectar in one compartment, wheat germ in the second, and half of a banana in the third. I asked her to help me peel the banana, which toddlers always love!

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She was even more interested in the next step though, when I presented her with Popsicle sticks to “slice” the banana.

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More so than the slicing, she loved dipping the sticks into the agave and wheat germ, and then sprinkling over the banana.

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She took this so seriously, intent on her work. Scoop and pour. Scoop and pour. When the banana pieces were nicely coated, I showed her how to insert a Popsicle stick to hold up a piece of the snack she had created.

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When I cleared the plate, she got a bit more into the slicing element of the project.

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Once she felt brave enough, she lifted one of the banana pieces and touched it to her lips.

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“Yummy!” she declared.

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It was so neat to put her in charge of her snack this way, from start to finish. I could easily see this becoming a favorite food around here.

Rock Play

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Rock Play (11)

When Travis was little, there was a fire pit in our apartment complex filled with rocks, and he could literally spend hours standing at the edge and playing with them. Sorting them, taking them out, tossing them back in again, finding favorites, you name it. I lament sometimes that Veronika doesn’t have access to the same great game! So today, we brought some rocks inside to play.

After a walk at a nearby garden, we returned home with a big bounty of rocks. Make sure that you choose ones that are too big to be a choking hazard, but not so heavy that they’ll hurt a little toe if dropped.

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First we gave our rocks a bath! Veronika loved swirling them in a little tray filled with soapy water, and helping pat them dry.

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I then gave her a few buckets that she could transfer them into. She loved taking them in and out.

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Next she started to fill her dress-up purse with the rocks…

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…and even headed off for a walk with her rocks tucked inside!

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For some artsy fun, we then pulled out paints and I showed her how to dab at the rocks with a paintbrush.

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This was good fun…

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…until she decided it was more fun to paint her hands, of course.

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I let the paint on the rocks dry and set them aside for later use, because I know we’re far from done with them. There will be lots more rock play in Veronika’s future!

Drip Pots

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Drip Pots (7)

We had two teeny tiny terracotta pots here in the house, and Earth Day prompted me to think of a use for them: they’re the perfect size to grow a few windowsill herbs! Although we don’t have a garden, I loved the idea of showing Travis how we can be responsible for our own food (seasoning at least). You could use this paint method on any size clay pot, though, and plant flowers or succulents instead.

The night before, we painted the pots with a few coats of white acrylic paint and left them to dry overnight.

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In the morning, Travis helped mix up red and blue acrylic paints with a little water. You want the mixture to look like glue.

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Turn the pots upside down and place on a work surface. I showed Travis how to dip a brush in the paint and then hold near the rim of the pot. Let the paint drip down in rivulets. It took him a moment to get the hang of it, but then he loved this new painting method!

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Let dry completely, then add a coat of clear sealer, if desired.

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Then just add your planting and enjoy the greenery!

 

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Kindergarten Home School Week 6: Tuesday

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Home School 27 c

Well, the big news here is that Travis won’t be returning to school this year, due to Covid-19. I’m processing all the emotions that go along with this, even as I’m grateful for my family’s health. We went light on school today, since technically it is “vacation” week. So as a surprise we started with…

9-11: Movie morning! A special treat on a rainy day.

11-11.30: ELA. Travis is nearing the end of his letter workbook (T and U) and did 20 minutes on Lexia with topics like story sequencing and vocab building.

11.30-12: “Field Trip”. We took two virtual trips thanks to online videos, one near (the Great Lakes) and one far (the Borneo rainforest). I thought Travis would be interested, but I think the morning off derailed his momentum. You’ll notice he’s lying on the floor in protest.

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12-1: Lunch/free play.

1-1.30: Math. Travis did 20 minutes in the online Dreambox program.

1.30-2: Cooking! We rocked out to pop music as we made popcorn.

2-2.30: Social studies. A nature craft was perfect here on the day before Earth Day.

2.30-3: Storytime. We discovered the delightful resource Circle Round, featuring stories and activities to go with them. Travis could color in a picture as he listened to a read-aloud of The Money Tree.

Home School 27 b

Beanbag Games, Two Ways

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Beanbag Throw (4)

Beanbags are a classic toddler toy, with almost endless variations on how you can use them. Here are just two fun ways Veronika and I played with them today!

First, I simply placed a basket a little ways away and asked Veronika to put a beanbag into it.

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Then I asked her to bring one back to me.

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Of course at seventeen months old she didn’t always follow “directions,” but this can lead to endless variations on transferring beanbags in and out of the basket. Your child can throw them, or toss them, or place them gently – whatever they like best!

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Then we made things sillier with a beanbag crawl. Encourage your little one to get down on all fours and put a beanbag on his or her back.

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Seeing big brother Travis model this helped her get the idea!

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Then she was off and crawling!

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Obviously it was difficult for her to balance the beanbag, but she got a big laugh out of it every time it slipped off.

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She kept asking for my help to return it to her back: “More more crawl!”

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Maybe we’ll even turn it into a racing game when she gets older. How does your child play with beanbags? Please share in the comments!

 

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Nature Earth Craft Challenge

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Nature Earth Challenge (6)

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and although we can’t celebrate with others this year, Travis and I talked today about ways we can help the Earth as a family. This month’s craft challenge from Highlights magazine – to create an Earth with items from nature – was the perfect end to the lesson!

First we needed to head outside and gather materials. I challenged Travis to think of what colors the Earth needed: blue and green of course! We looked for tall green grasses and little blue wildflowers (which were hard to find), and came home with our treasures.

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Travis actually loved the fact that we had more green than blue. He decided our planet was more grass than water, and had so much fun with it.

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We made a big circle of glue on poster board, and then he was able to sprinkle down handfuls of the grass, or press the blue flowers in more carefully in other parts.

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As he worked, we read about ways to “step up for Earth” as a family.

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Our new family goals include: saving water by having the kids bathe together, not separately; and to save on paper towels by buying reusable cloths.

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Happy Earth Day to all! There are silver linings even in this Covid-19 era.

 

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Kindergarten Home School Week 6: Monday

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Home School 26 f

You’ll notice from the photo above that the kids are just playing and that’s because (shhh, don’t tell Travis!) it’s actually vacation week. But like many parents, I’m finding it easier to have structure to this week instead of a free-for-all. That said, I’m going lighter on the reading and math, and heavier on alternative activities, which means more time just to play. Travis, meanwhile, thinks I’m just a super cool home school mom!

9-9.30: ELA. I asked Travis to do 2 letter pages in his workbook (we’re up to R and S) before a few minutes on Lexia. He also watched an online read of The Rainbow Fish. He interspersed all this with lots of joining in on little sister’s play dough and squishy bag play. It was nice to watch them play together!

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9.30-10: Math. Travis did about 20 minutes in the online math program Dreambox.

10.30-11: Recess/snack.

11-11.30: Gym. We set up an electricity circuit powered by… his body! For double the exercise, we played Fitness Go Fish again.

11.30-1.30: Long lunch/free play. While little sister napped, I sat down with him to go through a packet about Covid-19 and children’s emotions. I could tell he really benefited from the process.

1.30-2: Science. He checked out the Smithsonian zoo’s live animals cams, and proudly colored in an ‘I spy’ activity. We learned quite a bit about naked mole rats!

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2-3: Outdoor time: A local arboretum was the perfect spot to run around.

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3-4: Movement: Little sister had an online baby gym class, so Travis did some yoga. I also encouraged him to spend this quiet time “reading” picture books. But (hazards of homeschooling two kids!) he was more interested in Veronika’s gym class and she was more interested in his books.

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Puzzles and popping bubble wrap rounded out the day.

Circuit Workout

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Circuit Exercise (3)

Travis needed to get his wiggles out today, so I knew he needed a game that would get him moving. This was a fun suggestion from Kiwi Co., where instead of building a battery circuit, your kid gets to be the the electricity zipping around the “wires”.

To set up a life-sized electrical circuit, choose a round object to be a light bulb and a rectangular object to be the battery. Make a rectangle on the floor from painter’s tape to connect them, being sure to leave a little gap along the top.

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For the switch, we used a book. When the book is open, the circuit is complete. But if it’s closed… Oh no, the electricity can’t zip through!

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Travis laughed at this little role-play. He started out at the “battery” and ran to the “switch” book.

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Finding it open meant hopping across, running a circle around the light bulb, and then dashing back to the battery.

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If the book was closed, he had to freeze. Keep playing until you’ve worn out your kid-sized battery of course!

Strawberry, Blueberry, & Banana Smoothie

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Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie (2)

This easy smoothie packs a healthy, fruity punch, and the purple color is fun for kids! The quantities below make four generous portions. Halve the recipe if you don’t want as big a batch.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 banana
  • 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 cup apple juice
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth.

Strawberry Blueberry Smoothie (1)