Category: Activities

Materials

Several cardboard tubes – toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, gift wrap tubes, etc.
Tempera paint – we used blue and yellow
Paper plates
Large white construction paper
Tape

Directions

Tape the paper to the table.  Pour a different color paint onto each paper plate.  Invite your child to dip the cardboard tube into the paint and then make a circle print on the paper.  Allow your child to continue exploring covering the paper with circles.  Observe what happens when yellow circles are printed on top of blue circles. What new color circles can be seen?  Display once the paint has dried.

Materials

1 package of golf tees 
1 toy hammer
Pieces of Styrofoam (at least 1-inch in thickness)

Directions

Place golf tees in a small container.  On a flat surface, provide a small toy hammer, small sheets of Styrofoam, and golf tees.  Invite your child to hammer the golf tees into the Styrofoam.  Count the golf tees.

This is a great activity that supports eye and hand coordination and fine motor control.

Materials

Rolling pin
Bubble wrap
Tempera paint – we used yellow and blue
Large white construction paper
Clear duct tape or packing tape
Tray or cookie sheet

Directions

Using duct tape or packing tape, tape bubble wrap onto a wooden rolling pin. Wrap around the rolling pin a few times and then secure with another piece of tape. Pour paint onto tray or cookie sheet. Secure large construction paper by taping it to the table or workspace.  Place the bubble wrapped rolling pin into the paint and then invite your child to hold the handles and roll the rolling pin across the paper. Observe your chlld as he explores with the paint and rolling pin. Allow for painting to dry and then display.

Materials

Various black items
Various white items
Black piece of paper
White piece of paper
Basket

Directions

Place black and white items into a basket.  Invite your child to sort the items by placing the black items on the black paper and the white items on the white paper.  Help reinforce the colors by saying, “That’s a black car.”  “That’s a white snowman.”

Materials
Various small shapes cut out of green felt
Crazy straws
Scissors

Directions
Cut small slits in the middle of the green felt shapes.  Invite your child to thread shapes one by one onto the crazy straw.  Excellent eye/hand coordination and fine motor practice.  Use various colors of yarn to make more interesting patterns.

Materials
Paper towel cardboard tube
Letter stickers or dot stickers
Black Sharpie marker

Directions
Using the Sharpie marker, write upper case letters and/or lower case letters all over the cardboard tube.  Using letter stickers, or dot stickers with upper case and/or lower case letters written on the dots, invite your child to match upper case letters to upper case letters, upper case letters to lower case letters, or lower case letters to lower case letters by sticking letter stickers or dots to the cardboard tube.

Lesson extension
Invite your child to spell words with the stickers, then write the words onto a separate sheet of paper.

Materials
Painter’s tape
White construction paper
Small container of green tempera paint
Sponge brushes

Directions
Tape construction paper to the table surface.  Use the painter’s tape to help your child make an interesting design on the paper.  Using the sponge brush, invite your child to paint over the whole paper with green paint.  Once the paint has dried, help your child remove the painter’s tape. 

Materials
Purple tempera paint
White tempera paint
Large white construction paper
Paint Brush

Directions
Tape construction paper to the table.  Pour purple tempera paint into a muffin tin.  Add various amounts of white tempera paint to make different shades of purple.  Invite your child to explore the various shades of purples by painting the surface of the paper using all the colors.  Dry flat.  Display painting.

Materials
Dyed purple rice
Large container
Cups, spoons, plastic bottles, funnels, scoops

Directions
Pour dyed purple rice in a large plastic open container.  Place a variety of cups, bottles, scoops, spoons, and funnels into the container.  Invite child to explore by scooping, measuring, pouring, etc. 

Sensory play is an important part of the scientific process, as children investigate, question, discover, and problem solve.  It builds language, social, and dramatic play skills as the children negotiate with one another to share tools, create stories, and build dialogues.  Both small and large motor skills get a boost as well, as the children manipulate the medium and tools.

Store rice in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Materials
1 box red Jell-O
1 box of blue Jell-O
Coffee filters or white construction paper
Spray bottle with water
Newspaper

Directions
Lay newspaper on the table.  Place a piece of construction paper or a coffee filter on top of the newspaper.  Invite your child to sprinkle Jell-O powder, both red and blue onto the large coffee filter or white piece of construction paper.  Moisten the Jello-O and paper using a spray bottle filled with water.  Once the paper has dried, brush any remaining Jell-O of the paper.  Observe how the red and blue Jell-O powder mixed  to make purple on the paper.