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Materials

Box of macaroni and cheese
Pan with water

Directions

Follow the cooking directions on the box.  Allow your child to examine the macaroni before cooking it.  How does if look and feel?  Cook the macaroni.  Once the macaroni has been cooked and drained, place it in a bowl or cooled pan. Observe how the macaroni has changed. Does it look and feel differently? Invite your child to pour in the milk and cheese, and add the butter. Then encouarge him to mix it all together. Enjoy for lunch or as a tasty snack.

Materials

Avery Dot Stickers
Papers with large shapes, lines, letters, etc. drawn on them

Directions

Invite your child to choose a paper with a shape, line, or letter drawn on it. Give her a sheet of Avery dot stickers to peel off and place on the lines forming a shape, letter, or track lines and curves. Our youngest Acorn friends were invited to place dot stickers inside circle shapes.  This activity provides fine motor practice, eye/hand coordination, and supports identification of letters, shapes, and numerals.

Lesson Extensions

• Count the dots inside the shapes
• Encourage older children to create patterns using different colored dot stickers

Materials

Shower Puff(s) 
Tempera paint
Paper plate or plastic lid
Large paper

Directions

Pour a small amount of tempera paint onto paper plates or plastic lids. Invite your child to gently press the puff into the paint and then onto the paper. Your child will enjoy exploring with the shower puff and seeing what kind of prints they can make.  Allow your child to experiment and explore the sponge and the effects created with the paint on the paper. Let them choose the paint colors. 

Additional Suggestions

• Extend the activity by emphasizing the different colors that are created as two colors mix, point out patterns and textures. Try using a few different type sponges to see what different effects can be created
• Introduce new vocabulary and descriptive words like, “splotchy,” “swirly.” This will help language develop.
• Ask questions to help connect their understanding and use vocabulary to give them words to describe what they’re creating, eg. “In one swipe across you can see blue, red and purple. Why do you think that is?” “I wonder why there are little bubbles there?” “Can you make the bubbles appear again?” etc.
• Use the finished project as gift wrap

Materials

Foam gardening kneeling pads or thick pieces of Styrofoam (can be purchased in the floral department at craft stores)
Child’s play hammer
Package of golf tees
Gallon size Ziploc bag for storing the activity
Sharpie Marker

Directions

Place a thick block of Styrofoam or a garden kneeling pad, a container of plastic golf tees, and a child’s play hammer onto a hard surface. Invite your child to hammer the “plastic nails” into the Styrofoam.  Encourage her to hold the tee with her fingers of one hand and use the hammer with the other hand.  Your child will have fun pounding the tees into the foam.

Extension Activities

Write your child’s name or random letters on the foam pads. At the corners of the letters, draw little circles with a Sharpie for your child to aim for when hammering the tees.  You can also draw various shapes and draw circles at the corners or around the circumference of a circle shape.

Cut foam pads into ten smaller pieces. On five of the pads, write the numerals 1-5.  On the other pads draw small circles from 1 – 5.  The child can match the numeral with the number of dots and hammer in the correct number of tees.  Repeat on the flip sides of the pads with numerals 6-10.  

These activities work on the pincer grasp, which is needed for holding a pencil correctly, as well as support counting, one-to-one correspondence, and the recognition of shapes, letters, and numerals.

Materials

Large plastic tub of cornmeal
Variety of buttons
Scoops, spoons, cups

Directions

Fill large tub or container with cornmeal. Mix buttons into cornmeal.  Invite your child to hunt for the buttons using spoons, cups, or scoops.  Sort the buttons by color, size, number of button holes, etc.  Count the buttons.

Materials

1 can shaving cream
Hard surface – table top, bath tub, window, mirror OR large piece of paper or foil
Food coloring (optional)

Directions

Spray some shaving cream onto the hard surface or paper. Add a few drops of food coloring. Invite your child to explore the shaving cream using their hands and fingers – smear it, squish it, use fingers to make tracks and designs in the shaving cream. This is an easy, great sensory experience for your child. Have fun!

Materials

Mylar balloon on a ribbon

Directions

Gently tie a balloon to your child’s ankle or hold it so your child can see it. Allow it to gently blow in the breeze or move it side to side or up and down. Watch your babies eyes as they widen with wonder as the balloons bob and move.

Watching the moving balloons helps your baby develop both visual ficus and visual tracking skills. By talking to your baby and tugging the balloons, you make the game interactive and reinforces your relationship.