Activities for the Would Have Been Graduation Day: Bring the Outside In

This would have been graduation day for our 4's and 5's classes. It is always such a special service in the sanctuary with the children raising their voices in the call to worship, songs, and prayer. How bittersweet it is to think about being apart from our friends on what should be a huge day of celebration. We will definitely share hugs at a later date, but, in the meantime, will you please give your precious children a big hug from Miss Kathy?!

Bringing the Outside In, by Sandra Duncan and Jody Martin, is a great book and has lots of ideas for using what is found in nature to spark imagination and learning.

Here is a simple idea about pine cones (that in many places could be found on a walk around the block):
              


“Conduct a scavenger pine cone hunt to see who can collect the most in a short period of time. Once found, there are many experiences you can have with children, such as categorizing, classifying and matching…The authors explain that “it is also great fun to paint pine cones because of all their nooks, crannies, bumps and crevices.”

And here’s one more painting idea the authors share:

 “Nature provides so much variety that sometimes it is surprising what can be created from leftover kitchen scraps. The next time lunch is prepared for children, see what kitchen scraps can be salvaged for their next adventure in painting. Dip the kitchen leftovers into paint and watch the excitement begin.” The authors give these examples of scraps that would work well to dip in paint: banana peels, carrot tops, celery stalk bottoms, potato peelings, citrus fruit rings.
               

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles

Bubbles and soapy water are magnets for children. Running out of bubble solution can prove to be quite a disappointment, so I wanted to share a simple, 3 ingredient recipe for making a homemade bubble solution. Children can definitely help with the measuring and pouring and stirring. And, remember the kitchen can be your science lab so talk about what happens when you mix this up.

HOMEMADE BUBBLE RECIPE
Ingredients:
5 cups water
2 cups dish soap, like Dawn or Joy
¾ cup corn syrup
Container with a lid for mixing and storing (a pitcher with a lid works great)
Smaller containers for individual bubble solution
Bubble wands - these can easily be saved from store bought bubbles

How To:
1. Pour the corn syrup into the 5 cups of water.
2. Stir really well.
3. Measure the dish soap and add to the corn syrup/water mixture.
4. Stir well again. Don't shake it up or you will be overwhelmed with foaming bubbles.
5. Pour bubble solution into smaller containers for each child.

BLOW BUBBLES AND HAVE FUN! This solution makes big, strong bubbles.Your kids will have fun for hours!

WASH YOUR HANDS AND SING!
I know we are getting into good hand washing routines, but sometimes it does seem boring and we may be tired of singing Happy Birthday. This website will liven up your next hand washing for sure.

This is a funny link a teacher shared with me after her teenage daughters discovered it. Type in your child’s  favorite song, print it out and it will show you how to wash your hands properly phrase by phrase. Tape it (or certainly multiples so everyone doesn't have to agree on one song) over the sink for easy reference.  And when you are tired of a song, there are plenty more to choose.

https://washyourlyrics.com

The Wheels on the Bus is especially cute!! 

SINKS AND WADING POOLS! And, what could be more fun than playing in a sink full of bubbles? Or a wading pool filled up with suds now that it is getting warm? Get your child safely in front of the sink or next to a pool (or in it if it is warm enough - can double as a really fun bath!) and stay close! Fill up your sink or pool with soapy water and give them plastic measuring cups, bowls, sieves, hand beaters, and utensils and let them enjoy. 

They could also have a car wash or give a baby doll a bath. There is endless fun when you pair kids with water!

You Have Questions, Science Has Answers

There is so much to know out there, and science can give us a lot of the answers! Who doesn't love science? And, it you don't now, this will make you a convert.

Who invented pizza? Can animals laugh? Why do we get the hiccups? What's the biggest excavator?So many questions!  Check out  mystery science lessons for answers to these questions as well as others in shorter mini-lessons and longer full length lessons. The free site offers kindergarten lessons, but don't let that scare you off if you have a younger child; these lessons can definitely be suitable for lots and lots of our age children. The longer lessons have a follow-up activity, too. I get the hiccups all the time so I really enjoyed the explanation and the great visual.

Help your child come up with a few questions of their own. Let them hypothesize an answer. Have them tell you where you might find the answers, then try to find out following their lead. If that doesn't work, use your brain and help them find the answers. It is all part of the learning process. Drawing a picture of something new you are learning is a great extension. I can't wait to hear about all the new knowledge our little students gain while we are apart. I know Professor Paige will be impressed, too!

Make Your Own Paintbrushes

Yes, you really can make your own paintbrushes. You can make them out of things inside your house and from things brought in from the outside. You only need a few items along with your imagination to get going:

Handles - Clothespins or pencils work well and are easy for little hands to hold.
Items for the brush to attach as "bristle replacements" - feathers, cotton balls, sycamore gum balls, yarn, candles, aluminum foil ball, etc.
Connector to use to attach brush items to handles if not using clothespins, or connectors to hold pieces together before attaching.

Simple! Your kids will probably have some really good ideas. And, they will enjoy seeing the different textures and thickness of paint that these "brushes" leave on the paper when they paint. Any kind of paint will work just fine.
                                        
I hope your children will really stretch their imagination as they think outside the box and create, with your help, lots of interesting new paintbrushes.

Happy Mothers' Day

Happy Mothers' Day to all you wonderful, patient and creative moms who have taken over as full-time teachers, entertainers, and short order cooks for your children. Kudo's to you and know that everything you are doing is worthwhile and appreciated even if you don't hear that a lot. I hope today you can rest and relax at least a little.

Taking time to pause and enjoy  IPC 11:00 Sunday service, adult Sunday school, youth Sunday school and children's Sunday school would be one way to to refocus and fill up your own tanks.

Instead of lots of arts and crafts, experiments, Spanish lessons, or anything else that will add to your stress, take today to take a leisurely walk, play board or card games, do a puzzle or watch a family movie and let someone else in the kitchen.

Make Your Own Pop-Up Card

With a few simple materials, like paper, scissors, and glue, you can make your very own pop-up cards. It sounds more intimidating than it really is. The sky and your own creativity are the only limits here. This would be a great father-child project to do for Mother's Day and then mother-child project for Father's Day and birthdays forever. Reading all the way through the instructions once before beginning will help you understand the desired end product and give you a mental picture of where you are going.

POP-UP CARD INSTRUCTIONS
What you will need:
2 pieces of construction paper or thin poster board
Ruler
Pencil
Scissors
Glue
Markers or crayons and other other items to use to decorate

Steps:
1. Decide what size you want your card to be and have both pieces of paper that size.
    Fold both pieces of paper in half and then close and crease along that fold.
                                                            

2. Take 1 piece of the folded paper (and move the second piece aside - (you will need it again in step 6) - and divide and mark the folded paper into thirds at the fold line. Using a pencil, draw lines from  the marks at the fold to the center of the paper.
                                                            
3. Cut along the 2 lines only.
4. Fold the cut-out section down and crease on the fold.      
5. Open the folded paper and push the small cut section through to the inside.
                                                             
6. Glue the second folded piece of paper (from step 1) to the back of this piece you have been working on. Be sure to keep the pop-up section from getting glued down. The card will open and close like any card and the middle will pop-up when you open it.
                                                             
Now the fun part begins! Decorate with markers and crayons, ribbons, glue down jewels, buttons, pieces of wrapping paper and anything else you have at home. Once you have mastered the engineering part of this creation, it will get easier and you can make your own pop-up cards again and again!



Crayola has some more good ideas for Mothers' Day Art and anytime art.

                     

Rain for Roots Songs and Stories for Kids

Rain For Roots is a collective of songwriters, young mothers and friends who came together around a single vision to make new scripture songs for children. Inspired by traditional folk melodies, this band of four set out to make new, timeless songs about the old gospel Story. Many of these songs are posted on YouTube for your enjoyment over and over.

Rain for Roots

After listening to one or several of these beautiful songs, your child could respond with a picture, a story, a poem, or their own song.