Objective: Using familiar household objects in creative ways to engage children’s interests in learning.
Find an assortment of colanders at your local dollar store, made of plastic and/or metal, in different sizes and colors. Continue reading
Category Archives: Programming Ideas
Time Saver, Cost Saver, Super-Sized Fun Activities
Are you looking for activities that will save you time and money but that are big on fun and learning? All materials for the activities can be found at home or purchased in dollar stores.
Nesting Boxes
Find nesting sets of rectangular, square or circular gift boxes in various patterns and colours. Encourage children to explore; opening and closing, nesting and stacking possibilities and discuss colours and patterns.
Creative Activities to Support Visually Impaired Children in Child Care Programs
Practicing Using a Braille Square
- The child counts 1-3 down the left side of the muffin pan and 4-6 down the right side. I glued in rubber circles inside the pan to indicate the number in order for the child to learn the feeling represented as braille dots.
- The child places the balls in order 1-6. Once he’s mastered that skill, challenge him by asking him to hand back the balls in a random order (eg. ask for number 4, then 6, then 2, until done).
Gluten-Free Play Dough Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rice flour.
- 1/2 cup cornstarch.
- 1/2 cup salt.
- 2 teaspoons cream of tartar.
- 1 cup water 1 teaspoon cooking oil.
- Food coloring, if desired.
Natural Loose Parts
Loose parts provide the foundation for a play-based emergent curriculum that focuses on inquiry driven learning. According to Simon Nicholson, the definition for loose parts states: “In any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.”
Nicholson, goes on to state that static, sterile environments such as schools and concrete playgrounds are often devoid of opportunities for curiosity, inventions, creativity and construction. These spaces are frequently rigid and unresponsive to the children who are expected to interact and flourish within their parameters. Continue reading
Sensory Play
As an educator I found myself frequently volunteering to wash the dishes at the end of the day, it was the perfect stress reducer for me and gave me the opportunity to reflect on my day. Sensory play is not only important for children but for adults too!
Three personal sensory bins with moon sand to allow children easy access and choice. These bins have lids to allow them to stack for easy storage in an accessible area to promote independence. – Fairview Child Care.
Ready for School? Language and literacy can help
As a parent, you are your child’s most important teacher. In fact, you have been preparing your child for school from the day that they were born. Everything you have done so far provided the foundation for your child to grow and learn throughout their lives! As a speech language pathologist, I understand the value of language in a child’s academic journey. But as a parent of three wonderful girls, I whole-heartily share the same concern every single parent has: Will my child be ready for school? Will he make friends? Will she know who to go to when she is hurt? Whether you are this easy-going parent or “that mom” who follows the school bus to school (not that I would know anything about this personally!), when the first day of school suddenly arrives, we all wonder how our little one will fair off. We all want our children to succeed, especially at school. Today, we will talk and share about what we can do at home to get our child ready for kindergarten. Continue reading
