Summer Sensory Play

 If your child comes home  from preschool looking picture perfect everyday, it is time to delve into the kinds of activities the class is doing during the day!  Young children learn with all their senses and should have a variety of opportunities for exploration.  There will be times when children may get a little paint on their clothes or play dough under their fingernails, but in the process they are increasing their knowledge as well as developing their sense of creativity.  Children learn by mixing paints to create their individual artistic treasures, by splashing and playing in water to discover which objects sink or float, and by mixing the ingredients of their own special play dough to see how various substances integrate and how the combination changes the properties of the ingredients.   Kangaroo Kids Summer Camp does many  “Messy But Meaningful,”  projects.  

Remember “Silly Putty” and “Slime?”  If you enjoyed playing with either of these as a child here is a homemade version you can make with your child called “Goop” You may encouraging a future scientist!

Goop

1. Two cups glue
2. One cup liquid starch
3. Mix together
4. Store in refrigerator

Too busy for sensory play at home?  Here is one that will give you a sense of accomplishment while your child is having a sensory experience.  Get a big bucket and lots of soap and wash the dog together!  You can teach your child about the fascinating chemistry of how the bubbles form (if you need a little help visit http://chemistry.about.com/od/bubbles/a/bubblescience.htm ), or give your child a lesson in kindness to people and pets to reinforce social skills during the bathing! 

Play dough is a good old standby, even for the toddlers!  Mix the ingredients below and get out the cookie cutters and a rolling pin and let your child explore.   Make a pretend birthday cake or form shapes and letters with the dough! 

Play dough

1. 3 cups flour
2. 1 cup salt
3. 3 Tablespoons oil
4. 1 cup of water

Painting – Be creative instead of just using a paint brush let your child paint with different instruments such as rollers, matchbox cars, or q-tips!  You can even use those old apples to do stamp painting by cutting the apples in half and dipping them in paint.  You never know you might be encouraging the next Picasso! 

Shaving Cream Fun- Here is a fun summer way to work on literacy skills and shape recognition while you are enhancing creativity.  Just put a big squirt of shaving cream on that outside picnic table and let your young artist explore.  You can add to the fun by making the shapes or the letters of their name for them in the shaving cream. 

Give foot print painting a try, but this one is best to do outside! 

What makes a good school?

5 Things to Look for When Choosing a School for your child:

1. Staff is key!  Look for attentive and caring teachers.  You should see lots of smiles and warm, patient interactions.  Ask about the longevity of teachers as consistency provides a secure base for children.

2. Is the facility safe?   Are outlets covered, is there a procedure for security at drop off and pick up times, is the playground fenced, are the teachers backgrounds checked and are teachers’ first aid and CPR certified?

3. Is the school clean?  You may see toys around the room and that is a good sign so children have many opportunities for learning in different environments and with different materials.  What you want to look for are the floors clean, is there a procedure in play for toys that have been in children’s mouths, is the facility cleaned on a regular basis?

4. Ask about the curriculum.  Are lesson plans posted, do teachers assess children, are there a good supply of materials available to children.  Look for hands on activities as opposed to only paper and pencil activities.  Children learn best through real life experiences.

5. Trust your instinct!  You should hear happy sounds, respectful communications, and warm interactions regardless of the room you visit!  

You can email staff@kangarookidschildcare.com for a complete checklist of what to look for when visiting a school. 

Messy But Meaningful

Yes, Kangaroo Kids get Messy! The best learning experiences for children are hands on opportunities where they are truly engaged! Look at the light in their eyes during this hands on experience! They are learning about science and nature as well as expanding their vocabulary and learning social skills like taking turns and kindness to others!

Who would ever have thought so much could be learned from digging for worms!

What Children can Learn from Gardening?

Because children are naturally curious, they can learn many lessons through gardening and associated activities. What child doesn't like to play in the dirt, make mud pies, or check out the bugs and worms? Aside from this, other educational aspects of gardening might include:

• Science - Talk to your child about the life cycle of a plant. What does it need to grow? Ask questions about environmental aspects-what will happen if it gets too cold, rains too much or not enough? Which seeds grow faster?

• Math - Many math skills can be involved in planting a garden, such as measuring the space, counting seeds, spacing the seeds or plants, or comparing the sizes of seeds. You can also use a rain gauge to measure the amount of rainfall.

• Art - Children can draw pictures of plants or possibly make a series of pictures of the vegetable or fruit from a seed as it grows to a full plant. They can make their own row markers by drawing a picture of the plant on a piece of paper or cardstock, then covering it with clear contact paper and gluing to a popsicle stick.

• Language & Reading - Many libraries have books about gardening that parents can read with their children. Look at seed catalogs and let children help choose what to plant. As it gets closer to harvest time, help them look for recipes that might use items they have grown.

Gardening can teach children how to be responsible and care for something (feeding, weeding and watering) and give them a sense of accomplishment as they watch what they nurture grow.

Gardening also teaches patience, as they must wait and watch as plants thrive in their well tended garden.

Some great things to plant for children are Sunflowers, lettuces, radishes, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, squash and pumpkins.

Messy But Meaningful

Remember “Silly Putty” and “Slime?” If you enjoyed playing with either of these as a child here is a homemade version called "Goop" that you can make with your child. You may be encouraging a future scientist!

Goop
1. Two cups white glue
2. One cup liquid laundry starch

Mix together to an even consistency and have fun! Store Goop in the refrigerator.

Here is another recipe for a similar substance to Goop called "GAK". For those inquiring minds, see http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000039> for an explanation of the scientific principles involved in creating "GAK".

This week is “Messy But Meaningful at Kangaroo Kids,” so watch for lots of sensory activities you can do at home for some good educational fun!