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Materials

Blue tempera paint
Small plastic or paper cup
Straw
Liquid baby soap
Water
White construction paper
Newspaper

Directions

Cover surface with newspaper.  Place a small amount of blue tempera paint into the bottom of the cup.  Add liquid soap and an inch or so of water.  Gently mix together.  Place the straw into the soapy mixture and blow gently until the bubbles reach the top of the cup.  Adults will want to do this step for toddlers so they don’t suck the liquid up the straw, or you may cut a small hole near the top of the straw to prevent soap and paint mixture from being swallowed.  The children will enjoy blowing the bubbles and watching them come to the surface.  Invite your child to take a piece of white construction paper and touch it to the top of the bubbles.  They will delight in seeing the bubbles make prints onto the paper.

Ingredients

1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup light vanilla yogurt
Parchment paper-lined cookie sheet

Directions

Gently fold fresh blueberries into 1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt.  Using a small spoon, scoop out blueberries and place them onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Freeze for one hour.  Enjoy them as a refreshing frozen blueberry treat.  Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

Recipe by Live Eat Learn

Materials

1 Pool noodle cut into 1 inch pieces
1 piece of ribbon (approx. 24 inches long)

Directions

Place pool noodles in a basket or container.  Tie a pool noodle piece to the bottom of the ribbon.  Re-enforce the threading end of the ribbon with a piece of masking tape. Invite your child to thread the pool noodle pieces onto the riboon.  How many can he thread? Count the noodles.

Materials

Piece of bubble wrap
Dot stickers (optional)

Directions

We all love to pop bubble wrap and it is an excellent fine motor activity for children.  Popping bubble wrap strengthens the fingers.  To extend the activity and add a new element, stick dot stickers onto the bubbles.  Encourage toddlers to press on the blue dots, red dots, green dots, etc. For preschool age children, write letters or numbers on the dot stickers and encourage your preschooler to find and press the letters in his name, match upper case to lower case letters, or complete addition or sutraction problems by pressing on numbers (i.e. 2 and 3 is 5).

Have fun and enjoy!

Ingredients

Favorite fruit juice (Apple Juice, White grape juice)
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries
Popsicle holders or small paper cups and popsicle sticks

Directions

Cut the raspberries in half and the strawberries into chunks. Then fill the popsicle containers with the blueberries, raspberries and strawberry chunks. Fill the containers just short of the top with juice. Mott’s for Tots Apple White Grape Juice or Apple Juice are favorites. Freeze them overnight and have a fun, delicious treat on a hot summer day.  

Materials

Directions

Ingredients

Root Beer
Vanilla ice cream
Mug

Directions

Place a scoop of vanila ice cream in a mug. Slowly pour root beer over the ice cream. Your child will love watching foam appear in the mug. Serve with a spoon and straw.  A refreshing treat on a hot summer day!

Materials

Paper
Watercolor paints
Paint brush
Water in a cup

Directions

Invite your child to paint using the watercolor paints and a small paint brush. Demonstrate how to rinse off the brush in the cup of water when chaging colors and brush the paintbrush on the side of the cup before dipping it into another color. Allow your child to use their imagination and creativity.

Materials 

Model Magic in red, white, and blue or add red and blue food coloring to white Model Magic 
Straws 
Shoestring 

Directions 

Invite your child to explore the Model Magic. It is great for strengthening little fingers and is not messy or sticky. After having time to explore, show your child how to make small round balls in the three different colors. Take a straw and push it through the ball to make a hole. Allow the dough to dry overnight. Once the dough has hardened, invite your child to make patterns with the colored beads by stringing them onto the shoestring. Children can copy a pattern that you have made, extend the pattern, or generate their own. 

Ingredients

Strawberries
Blueberries
Bananas
Small bowls

Directions

Wash strawberries and blueberries.  Slice strawberries. Invite child to slice banana. Place blueberries, strawberry and banana slices in small bowls. Serve as a yummy fruit snack.