Summer Activity Guide

Transcription

NOTICING
NATURE
Collection
Collage
Nature Walk
BEATING THE HEAT
Paper fan
Go Swimming; Go
to Beach
AWESOME ART
ADVENTURES
FANTASTIC
FOOD
PUPPETS, RHYMES
AND STORY TIME
INDOOR/OUTDOOR
GAMES GALORE
DAZZLING
DINOSAURS
SPECTACULAR
OUTER SPACE
BACK TO
SCHOOL
Precious Prints
Store Flyer
Collage
Finger Puppets
Math Puzzles
Dinosaur
Masks
Eye Dropper
Planets
Make a name
tag
Farmers Market
Go to the library
Attend a
neighbourhood
sports event
Museum
Go Star Gazing
Visit School
andTeacher
Magnet and Felt
Board Stories
Seriously Silly
Stories
How Do
Dinosaurs
Count to Ten?
My Outer Space
Booklet
Franklin Goes
toSchool
Sesame
Workshop
Kids Dinos
Tiny Planets
Art Gallery
Craft Store
Wild Baby
Animal
Mouse’s First
Summer
My Many Colored
Days
The Very Hungry
Caterpillar
Eco Kids
Wumpa’s
World
Crayola
Cooking Lesson
Picture Recipes
Linnea in Monet’s
Garden
Bread Comes to
Life: A Garden of
Wheat and Loaf to
Eat
Goodnight Moon
And Other
Sleepytime Tales
Baby Pro: Let’s
Play Ball
The Land
Before Time:
Journey to Big
Water
The Magic
School Bus Gets
Lost in Space
Barney: Let's
Play School
Icing and
decorating
cupcakes
Very Blueberry
Muffins
Book: Growing
Vegetable Soup
by Lois Ehlert
Tasting Game
Bread Dough
Buddies
Celery Space
Shuttles
Fruit Kabobs
Go to library and
sign out space
books
Buy an apple
forthe teacher
Barney: Let's Go
to the Zoo
Pingu
Storyline On-line
Starfall
Tossed Salad
Frozen Juice or
Yogurt Pops
Pop Bottle Bug
Catcher
Homemade
Bubbles
Eggshell Chalk
Bouncy Butter
Beehive
Enjoy reggae, steel
pan music – dance
with scarves
Instant Orchestra
Role play nursery
rhymes about
food
Brown Bear,
Brown Bear What
do you See?
Singing games
like Ring Around
the Rosie
Dino Freeze
Dance
Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star
Alphabet Song
One is an Ant
Water Play table
with boats, ice
Face Painting
Teddy Bear Picnic
Dress-Up Props
Charades
Plastic Dinos
and Blocks
Roller Painted
Rocket Ship
Teaching Teddy
Bears
Sorting Nature
Items
Super Summer
Streamers
Body Tracing
Sorting Food
Group Pictures
Rhyming Role
Play
Beach Ball
Balancing Game
Dino Dominoes
Outer Space
Lacing shapes
Growth Chart
Chirp Magazine
Play I Spy With
My Little Eye
Your Big
Backyard
Fantastic Fossil
Remember: YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Noticing Nature!
It is never too soon to encourage a child’s curiosity about their world - the weather, animals, plants, and stones.
Whether you bring your infant and toddler for nature walks and talk about the different things you see, or
encourage your preschooler to collect, touch and look closely at things she finds, you are building their comfort
level and raising their awareness of the natural world. Here are some Comfort, Play & Teach™ activities that adults
can explore with young children, to notice nature together!
Try the Collection Collage activity. Simply by pressing found
nature items such as pebbles, leaves, twigs, seed pods and bark
into dough made from flour, salt and water, your child can create a
beautiful nature collage for the family to admire.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Go on a nature walk. Is there a forested area near where you live, or
a park with trees? Older children can bring a paper bag to collect
nature items like twigs, leaves, acorn lids, bits of bark etc. that can
be used for sorting, or creating a nature collage later on.
Talking to your child about nature, as
you walk outdoors, work in the garden
or feed pigeons and squirrels in the
park is a lovely way to spend time
together and share moments of
wonder.
Age: 8 months to 5 years
Visit the library and sign out Wild Animal Baby, or consider getting a
subscription. Filled with learning activities, stories, poems, recipes,
crafts and recommended books, this magazine will encourage
children’s interest in a variety of animals, their habits and habitats
while helping to build their reading skills.
Simple games like I Spy or finger
plays and movement activities can
help
young
children
to
make
observations about their world and to
express their understanding in
creative ways.
Visit http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/index.cfm to find colouring sheets
of animals, insects, and plants to print off, as well as games and
puzzles, interactive stories, and calendars of nature facts. Budding
young scientists will find lots of interesting information about nature
and the environment at this site!
Age: 3 to 5 year olds
YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S
Children
need
opportunities
to
explore nature using different
senses. Infants can enjoy smelling a
flower or fresh grass. Toddlers can
touch seeds and soil and help with
gardening. Preschoolers can collect
nature items and look closely at them
with magnifying glasses
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Noticing Nature!
You can rent the video Barney: Let's Go to the Zoo or sign it out at the library. The animal photography in this video
is excellent. Viewers get an up-close look at common and uncommon zoo animals, as well as the role of the
zookeeper. Watching this video might even inspire a special visit to a real zoo!
Age: 2 to 5 years
Make a tossed salad with your child. Use leafy lettuce, carrots from under the ground and tomatoes from plants
above the ground. Try adding herbs like chives or dill. Talk about each plant – their shapes, their colours, their
textures, their tastes and smells. This will introduce many new words related to plants and food. For tips on cooking
with children, visit Answers for Parents - How can I cook with my child?
Age: 2 to 5 years
If you cut a plastic pop bottle in half, keeping the top end with its lid, you can make a Pop Bottle Bug Catcher!
Insects can be scooped easily and prevented from escaping by holding a margarine lid over the open end. Be
gentle with the insects you catch, and when you have finished looking at them remember to release them again.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Try the Beehive finger play while enjoying some toast and honey! Children will love pretending that their fingers are
little bees as they explore number concepts and counting up to five. Buzz like bees together to add to the fun!
One is an Ant is a fun action rhyme that will encourage children to pretend to be different creatures like a tiny ant, a
tall giraffe, a swimming fish and a hopping bunny. Reciting the rhyme and doing the role play will help children to
develop their language skills and creativity.
Age: 2 ½ to 5 years
Another reason to collect nature items when you walk in the woods, go to the beach or play at the park, is that
children can make a game of sorting them different ways. Try the Sorting Nature Items activity to encourage your
child to decide how to group and think about the things he finds.
Age: 3 to 5 years
This Week’s Theme: Beating the Heat!
The summer heat will find adults and children alike looking for different ways to cool off. Whether you find a
shady spot and blow bubbles with your baby, samba with your toddler, or prepare tasty frozen treats with your
preschooler, you will enjoy spending Comfort, Play & Teach™ time exploring different interests, beating the heat
and keeping cool together!
Transforming a piece of construction paper into a fan is a simple
way to cope with hot weather. Beginning at the short edge, fold
the paper back and forth accordion style. Then secure one end
with tape or a staple. The fan can be decorated with crayons,
stickers or ribbons to make it fancy!
Age: 2 1/2 to 5 years
Cool off outdoors by going to a public swimming pool or a beach if
there is one near where you live. Splashing in the water is a great
way to cool off. For tips on outdoor safety visit Answers for
parents – Safety: How do I keep my children safe outside the
house?
Enjoy reading a picture book together such as Mouse's First
Summer
by Lauren Thompson. As children explore colours, they will also
get ideas for fun things to do like have a picnic, fly a kite or look at
the clouds in the sky.
Spread a blanket under a big shady tree
and enjoy looking at picture books,
watching clouds, or listening to sounds
like birds and insects. Summer can
provide time to relax and enjoy quiet
moments together.
Children can cool off as they play with
simple toys like boats and water, or
fold, decorate and wave a paper fan.
There are many ways to cool off that
let children use their imaginations!
Age: 2 to 4 years
Visiting a winter website is a wonderful way to escape the summer
heat for a while. Exploring the activities at
http://www.wumpasworld.com/ will teach children a great deal
about Inuit culture as they play different interactive games. For tips
on educational computer games visit Answers for Parents - Are
educational computer games good for young children?
Preparing frozen treats like popsicles
can introduce children to basic science
concepts. Little scientists will discover
how liquids turn into ice or compare the
difference between frozen juice and
dairy products.
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Beating the Heat!
Sign out the video Chillin' With Pingu from the library or rent it. This animated film invites children to travel to the
South Pole and to cool off as they enjoy the adventures of a young penguin, his family and friends in their chilly
winter world.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Prepare Frozen Juice or Yogurt Pops that you can enjoy together. Pour fruit juice into small paper cups, add
popsicle sticks and then freeze to make a refreshing treat. You can also blend together yogurt, fruit and honey and
follow the same instructions to make healthy frozen snacks. This will introduce many new words related to plants
and food.
By mixing simple household ingredients, you can create a bubble blowing solution that will provide hours of outdoor
fun! Try the Homemade Bubbles activity. Individuals and small groups of children will enjoy the fun of blowing
bubbles and popping them by poking, clapping, stamping and grasping.
Try listening to music from hot regions of the world! Adults and children can wave colourful scarves and dance
around to salsa, reggae, ska, calypso or samba. Music can take you on a fun summer journey you will enjoy
together!
Pour cool water into a basin and add toy boats, plastic people and animals that children can use to invent their own
stories. Add plain ice cubes or tint them with food colouring so children can explore science concepts like colour
mixing, and melting as they play.
Age: 2 to 5 years
Super Summer Streamers can be made quite easily by cutting the centre out of a plastic margarine lid and
attaching cloth ribbons or strips of crepe paper. Children grasp the lid and run, enjoying trailing a rainbow of colours
behind them.
This Week’s Theme: Awesome Art Adventures!
Art supports children’s growth in so many ways, providing opportunities for them to explore
materials (e.g., paint, paper, paste, clay, beautiful junk), to strengthen their motor skills, to express
their thoughts and feelings, to appreciate the art work of others and to feel pride in their own
creations. Adults can provide unlimited Comfort, Play & Teach™ time this summer by encouraging
children to look at and create art.
Try the Precious Prints activity. Using finger paint and paper,
children can create numerous designs on a tray and preserve these
by pressing a piece of paper on top and peeling it back. How else
can you make prints? Dip household gadgets into paint and press
these on paper. Make prints with leaves, pine cones and tree bark.
Spend an afternoon in an art supply store, picking out paints, pastels,
crayons, paper or brushes – whichever tools encourage children’s
creativity. You can also go to the art gallery and be inspired by the
drawings, collages, prints, paintings, sculptures or installations you
see there!
Comment on what your child is doing as
he creates a picture or painting, or
composes his own song on home made
musical instruments. He will love the
special attention and know you care
about what interests him.
Enjoy reading Dr. Seuss’ My Many Colored Days together. Children
will love learning about colours and the different feelings they can
represent. They can even try moving like the different animals and
role-play the story!
To find a wide variety of art and craft activities to explore with
children, visit http://www.crayola.com. Children can print colouring
pages, create cards, and find instructions for such craft ideas as
stringing home-made beads, decorating gift wrap, creating puppets,
sculpting or making a mobile.
Age: 12 months to 5 year olds
Looking at pictures books, smearing
paints and making her own musical
instruments all provide fun and
interesting ways for your child to
express her creativity and appreciate
art in different ways.
Exploring different drawing materials,
comparing markings made by crayons,
pencils and pastels or even making art
materials such as eggshell chalk can
develop important thinking skills like
observing and making comparisons.
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Awesome Art Adventures!
Go to the library and sign out the film Linnea in Monet's Garden, or rent it for a special treat. Children can enjoy
seeing how artists can be inspired by nature and colours around them. After you watch the movie together, consider
drawing or painting after admiring gardens in the neighbourhood!
Age: 4 to 5 years
Bake cup cakes, frost them and decorate them using tinted sugar, colourful sprinkles, cut up bits of licorice or
marshmallows and chocolate chips. Children can invent designs such as faces, flowers, stripes, zigzags,
monsters and more… they will discover how colourful and creative cooking can be.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Making your own chalk encourages children to experiment with ingredients and to explore how art materials
are made. Try the Eggshell Chalk activity and talk to children about environmentally friendly materials and
the concept of recycling and reusing.
Age: 2 to 5 years
Try the Instant Orchestra activity. Children learn so much by making music - from comparing sounds, to
remembering the words to songs, and even making up their own! It is easy to make your own musical
instruments using simple materials that can be found around the house. For tips on being creative with
recyclable materials, visit Answers for Parents - How can I entertain and play with my child using
recycled items?
Children love to pretend to be other people and creatures. Making Fabulous Face Paint is a great way for
children to easily transform into a dinosaur, a butterfly, a tiger or a princess. A small group of friends can even
enjoy a fun face painting party!
Try the Body Tracing activity. This is a wonderful opportunity to reinforce positive messages about body
image and to help children feel comfortable with their bodies and all the amazing things they can do.
This Week’s Theme: Fantastic Food!
Exploring foods we eat – where they come from, how they are prepared – lets children learn about
something they experience every day. Infants can enjoy the aromas of food cooking. Toddlers will love
to go grocery shopping, and preschoolers can join in cooking activities and taste what they made. Here
are some ideas for enjoying some Comfort, Play & Teach™ time to explore and learn about food together!
When you go food shopping, pick up some grocery store flyers.
Children can cut out pictures of food, and different words and
letters to create a culinary collage, a paper plate gourmet meal,
or their own cook book simply by gluing scraps onto paper.
Visit a farmer's market and explore the different foods available.
There may be fruits and vegetables, fresh herbs, baked good,
home pressed cider and even honey comb to sample. What a
great way for children to use their senses to learn about where
foods come from!
Enjoy reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
together. Children will enjoy learning the names for all of the
caterpillar’s favourite foods as they practice their counting skills
and discover how the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. For
tips on reading and language development, visit Answers for
Parents - How is reading to my child beneficial to his
language development?
Age: 3 to 5 years
Encourage children to cook and taste different foods! Adults can
visit
http://betterkidcare.psu.edu/AngelUnits/OneHour/Cooking/C
ookingLessonA.html to learn the benefits of cooking
experiences for young children. To find some easy to use recipe
cards that will encourage your child’s emerging reading skills,
visit http://www.bry-backmanor.org/picturerecipes.html.
Participating in activities like food
shopping and food preparation enable
children to contribute to daily
routines and feel like they are making
an important contribution to the
family.
Using simple props, like plastic bowls,
spoons and dishes, children can role
play activities they observe each day,
such as cooking, and demonstrate
their understanding of the things
that grown ups in their lives do.
Children can learn a lot about food
through cooking experiences. Talk to
babies and toddlers about foods and
what you are doing to prepare them,
to help build their language skills.
Preschoolers can practice skills like
pouring and stirring as they help!
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Fantastic Food!
Go to the library and sign out the video Bread Comes to Life: A Garden of Wheat and a Loaf to Eat. Children
will enjoy learning about how wheat grows, is ground into flour and then transformed by bakers into the different
kinds of bread we enjoy. Consider baking your own bread after – biscuits, scones, or muffins are easy to make!
Try baking Very Blueberry Muffins! together. Follow the recipe as it is or experiment with the ingredients and
compare the different results. Use milk instead of buttermilk, melted butter instead of oil, or raspberries instead of
blueberries. What changes do you notice? Which muffins taste best to you?
Age: 3 to 5 years
Try the Bouncy Butter activity and conduct an experiment using heavy cream and a baby food jar. By shaking the
jars and jumping, too, children can observe how the cream changes and to ask questions about how it happened.
They will enjoy being little scientists and tasting what they made!
Age: 3 to 5 years
Recite nursery rhymes together about food. Rhymes like Little Miss Muffet, Peas Porridge Hot, Patty Cake and
Betty Botter are fun for children to role play and to say as they clap their hands. The musical quality of the words
helps children to build their language skills. For tips on reciting nursery rhymes, visit Answers for Parents - How
do Nursery Rhymes Help Children Develop Language Skills?
A basket and blanket, paper cups and plates, dolls and teddy bears and some playdough to shape into foods are all
the ingredients children need to go on a pretend picnic. Use the Teddy Bear Picnic activity to inspire your child’s
creativity at the playground, on the balcony or in the yard, or at a neighbourhood park.
It’s easy to make picture cards by cutting up old magazines or grocery store flyers. Play the Food Groups Sorting
Game and learn about bread, meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables. You can talk to your child about the
different kinds of foods as he sorts these according to their group.
Age: 3 to 5 years
This Week’s Theme: Puppets, Rhymes and Story Time!
Perhaps the most precious gifts that adults can share with children are language and literacy. Children
learn to communicate and to eventually read as they talk about their experiences, role play with
puppets, and enjoy books, finger plays and nursery rhymes. Here are several Comfort, Play & Teach™
activities that will encourage adults to enjoy wonderful words with infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Try making Finger Puppets! This is a wonderful activity
because making the puppet is just the beginning of the fun. With
a little help, children can make their puppets, create their own
play for others to enjoy, and have a new toy to pull out another
day.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Reading a picture book together can
be a wonderful part of each day’s play
time or sleep routine. Your child will
love cuddling up with you and hearing
you read his favourite story.
Visit your local public library. Children can explore a world of
picture books, CDs, magazines, DVDs and stories on tape. They
can find information on any topic that interests them. Getting a
library card will help children to feel very grown up!
It is easy to make Magnetic and Felt Board Characters for
telling stories. Glue magazine pictures of people or animals to
cardboard, laminate these with mac tac and then affix felt or a
strip of magnetic tape to the back. By placing these characters on
a felt board or metal cookie sheet, children can spend hours
making up stories!
Website: Visit http://www.storylineonline.net/ to hear a number
of wonderful picture books being read aloud by different television
actors. Each story is accompanied by recommended activities
intended to extend and enrich children’s story reading experience.
For tips on reading with children, visit Answers for Parents Reading: Why is it important?
Making finger puppets or felt board
characters will encourage your child
to create her own toys using
materials from around the house and
to invent or role play her own stories.
Going to the library will help your
child to explore his own interests,
whether these include cooking,
learning about nature or making his
own toys! Having a library card will
teach him about being responsible for
borrowed things.
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Puppets, Rhymes and Story Time!
As a special treat before bed or rest time, enjoy watching Goodnight Moon And Other Sleepytime Tales. This
is a beautiful video to watch. The narration and music by the many famous personalities makes this video
enjoyable for both adults and children.
Read a book about food like Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert. Its bright illustrations make it wonderful to
read. It also includes a simple recipe for vegetable soup that adults and children can enjoy cooking together. Make
an event out of buying the ingredients and preparing a special treat!
Age: 3 to 5 years
When you go to the library, sign out Chirp or Your Big Backyard, two wonderful children’s magazines, or consider
subscribing to them. These magazines include facts, poems, games and creative craft ideas that help to develop
children’s curiosity about the world around them. The games and activities help to build such skills as counting,
matching, word recognition and memory.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Read books to children like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. The text is rhythmic
and children can easily chant the words with you. They can also move like each different animal in the book (e.g., a
galloping horse, a flying bird, a hopping frog or a swimming fish).
Try the Dress-up Day! activity to find ideas children can use for role playing stories or day to day experiences.
Dramatic play is an important way for children to make sense of the many things that happen in their world. For tips
on children’s creativity, visit Answers for Parents - Play: How can I inspire my child's creativity?
Age: 2 to 5 years
Have fun role playing familiar nursery rhymes like Hickory Dickory Dock, Jack be Nimble, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
or Wee Willie Winkie. Doing actions is a fun way to help children remember the words to the different rhymes.
Encourage children to invent their own actions that match the words!
This Week’s Theme: Indoor/Outdoor Games Galore!
Infants, toddlers and preschoolers develop new skills as they grow, move around and explore things, and
become more ready for greater intellectual and physical challenges. Comfort, Play & Teach™ time includes
different opportunities for playing games that let children test their agility, do more complicated
things with their hands and fingers, and develop their thinking skills as they count objects, tell stories
and solve problems.
Using the Number Puzzles activity, you and your child can
create simple math puzzles that will encourage him to practice
important counting skills by assembling the puzzle pieces he
decorated with stickers. Your child will also build language skills
as he learns and uses names for different shapes.
Taking the time to play a game with
your child, whether it’s peek-a-boo or
hide-and-seek, lets her know that you
enjoy her company and that you think
she is fun to be with.
Attend a neighbourhood sports event. Is there a local team that
plays baseball or soccer at a nearby park? This is a wonderful
opportunity for children to develop their own interests in
participating on a team or to learn how a game is played.
Spend time together telling Seriously Silly Stories. This is a fun
way for children to learn about how stories are developed and to
use their expressive language skills and creativity. Write down
the stories as you make them up and encourage children to add
illustrations too!
Simple games can be incorporated
into daily routines such as walking to
the store, preparing a snack or going
for a drive. Playing games is a chance
to connect with your child and to
encourage
the
development
of
different skills.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Website: To find lots of fun and interactive games to play, visit
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/. Children can
explore and learn concepts such as shapes, colours, letters,
words, numbers and the seasons as they practice basic
computer skills.
Age: 0 to 5 years
Playing different kinds of games
helps children to develop important
skills like co-operating and turntaking, understanding the rules,
guessing, problem-solving and creative
thinking.
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Indoor/Outdoor Games Galore!
Enjoy watching the video BabyPro: Let's Play Ball. This will introduce children to such sports as baseball,
soccer and basketball. Afterwards go outside and play a game together! For tips on watching videos with
children, visit Answers for Parents - TV, Videos and Video Games: How do I ensure they don’t harm my
child?
When cooking together, try playing a tasting game. Ask children to close their eyes and then give them small
samples of some of the ingredients. Are they sweet or salty? Is it a dairy product or a fruit? Provide clues to help
them guess what is being tasted. This will challenge children to recognize something without looking!
Whenever you enjoy a walk in the neighbourhood start a game of I Spy with My Little Eye. Look for things that
are different colours and shapes, and sizes. Can you hear any special sounds? Which insects, animals and
plants can you see? I Spy games encourage children to notice things that are around them. For tips on playing
with children, visit Answers for Parents - Comfort, Play & Teach Tips: How do I play with my child?
As partners, or with a small group of children, play simple singing games like Ring Around the Rosie. Children
can practice important social skills like turn-taking and co-operating as they sing familiar songs
Try playing a simple game of charades. Take turns dramatizing familiar actions like brushing your teeth, cooking
scrambled eggs, making a phone call or drawing a picture. Children will use their reasoning skills as they play this
game and develop creative thinking.
Age: 3 to 5 years
If you have an inflatable beach ball, adults and children can play the Beach Ball Balancing Game together.
Partners can try to move the ball from one place to another, without using hands. Balance the ball between
heads, tummies, hips or backs for fun!
This Week’s Theme: Dazzling Dinosaurs!
Young children are fascinated by dinosaurs. They can learn a lot about these creatures and imagine
how they lived, through pretend play, movies, creative movement and art activities, but also by
exploring real information in books, on websites and at museums. These Comfort, Play & Teach™ activities
will help adults to encourage children’s interest in the amazing world of dinosaurs!
Paper plates, paint and popsicle sticks are all that you will need to create magnificent
dinosaur masks! Children can transform into a T-Rex or Triceratops and enjoy hours of
make-believe play in their own imaginary land of the dinosaurs!
Spend an afternoon at a museum looking at dinosaur bones and
learning about how dinosaurs lived long ago. What did they eat?
How did they get along? When did they become extinct? For tips
on preparing children for excursions, visit Answers for Parents Parenting: How do I prepare my child for an exciting special
event during March Break?
How do dinosaurs count to ten? by Jane Yolen. Children will
enjoy learning the names of different dinosaurs as well as their
numbers as they count different objects in the illustrations.
Take time to answer your child’s
questions about things like dinosaurs to
show you support his interests. Ask him
questions too so he has the chance to
demonstrate his knowledge about
dinosaurs for you!
Creative activities like making masks
and fossils, cooking, playing games and
dancing all help children to understand
new things they are learning in hands-on
ways that are interesting and fun.
Age: 2 to 5 years
Young paleontologists who want to learn more about dinosaurs
can visit http://www.kidsdinos.com/dinosaurgames/index.php. This site has many games that provide
information about dinosaurs while encouraging the development
of thinking skills like matching, classifying, letter recognition,
memory and creativity.
Activities like looking at books and
exploring websites with you introduce
young children to ways that they can
learn about information that is exciting
and meaningful for them.
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Dazzling Dinosaurs!
The Land Before Time: Journey to Big Water, an animated film about the adventures of young dinosaurs who
face different challenges together and learn about friendship and loyalty along the way.
Bread Dough Buddies recipe, adults and children can enjoy making and baking unique dinosaurs that will be a
sensational afternoon snack. Having a dinosaur pretzel party is a great way for friends to spend time together!
Try making your own Fantastic Fossil. Place some clay into an empty plastic container and make impressions in it
using interesting things like acorn lids, buttons, or even plastic dinosaurs! Pour in some plaster of Paris and
remove this when it has hardened. Children will learn hands-on how a fossil is created!
Age: 3 to 5 years
A small group of children can play their favourite music and do a silly dinosaur dance together! When the music is
playing, children can move like the biggest dinosaur possible. When the music stops they can freeze. Try stomping
like a T-Rex, flying like a Pteranodon or creeping like a Stegasaurus!
The next time you are playing outside, collect some rocks, branches and leaves. Simple props like these, when
added to children’s play with plastic dinosaurs encourages them to invent their own dinosaur world and to make up
unique stories about how dinosaurs once lived.
Using rectangles of cardboard and stickers from a craft store, you can make your own Dino Dominoes and play a
game that encourages children to use matching and counting skills and to learn the names of different kinds of
dinosaurs.
Age: 3 to 5 years
This Week’s Theme: Spectacular Outer Space!
Children can be very curious about the earth, moon, sun and stars. They are interested in space travel
and how people are able to visit and explore the moon. There are many creative ways that children can
learn about outer space and imagine what it must be like to be an astronaut. These Comfort, Play &
Teach™ activities will encourage children to ask questions, learn new words and learn by looking and
pretending!
Children can create their own Eye Dropper Planets simply by
squirting food colouring onto coffee filters. When their art work is
dry, affix a string to each planet and suspend the different planets
from the ceiling to create a super solar system.
Age: 3 to 5 years
If possible, drive some place where you can enjoy a very clear view
of the night sky. As you are looking at the stars, talk about
constellations like the Big Dipper! Children will love gazing in wonder
at the moon and stars and have the chance to ask adults questions
about all they are seeing.
Print simple words like earth, moon, star, planet, rocket and
astronaut. Children can practice their printing skills and create a
special booklet about outer space, by adding their own drawings or
gluing in pictures cut from magazines.
Making simple songs like Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star part of your
child’s play time and sleep time
routine is a way to show your
affection and to enjoy some quiet
time together.
Creative art activities like painting
provide ways for your child to explore
new concepts like space travel and
planets and to express his own ideas
about what he understands.
Age: 4 to 5 years
Visit http://www.tinyplanets.com/ to find all kinds of games, puzzles
and stories. There are printing and colouring pages that will
encourage children to learn about letters and numbers. Children can
also enjoy watching videos on-line.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Going to the library and signing out
books and videos about outer space
helps your child to investigate new
information, to develop her interests
and to ask questions.
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Spectacular Outer Space!
Rent or sign out The Magic School Bus Gets Lost in Space. Children will learn fascinating facts about each planet
through an unusual adventure with a teacher on a magic school bus that has turned into space ship. Viewers will find
out how gravity works, and why Earth is the only planet that can sustain life.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Children will love snacking on Celery Space Shuttles! Simply cut celery sticks into two or three pieces. Children
can spread cream cheese onto these using a plastic spoon and then sprinkle on raisin astronauts. This is a tasty
and nutritious treat!
Go to the library and sign out books about outer space that will build children’s interest in stars, planets and
space travel. Looking at pictures together will encourage children to ask questions and make their own
observations about what outer space must be like. For tips on reading to children, visit Answers for Parents What are the benefits of reading to my young child?
Age: 3 to 5 years
Enjoy singing a familiar song together like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Whether it is sung at play time or as a
lullaby just before sleep, children will love doing the accompanying actions with their fingers. Simple instruments
like jingle bells can also be provided so children can explore and create new sounds.
Age: 0 to 5 years
A big cardboard box can easily be transformed into a space craft with simple materials like paints, crayons and
recyclables from around the house. Using the Roller Painted Rocket Ship activity, parents can help children take
an imaginary trip to the moon where they can pretend to be astronauts!
Cut space shapes from Bristol board such as stars, crescent moons and rockets. Using a hole punch, add holes
just inside the edge of the shapes and then affix a length of yarn to one of the holes. Children can practice using
the small muscles in their hands and fingers as they lace the yarn through each of the holes.
Age: 3 to 5 years
This Week’s Theme: Back to School!
As summer winds down and it is time to return to school, or even attend for the first time, children
may feel both excited and anxious. Tell them about the wonderful things they will be doing at school –
making friends, enjoying different kinds of art and play activities, and of course, learning. Below are
some Comfort, Play & Teach™ activities that may help to prepare your child for school.
Being able to print and recognize their own name is a very
important skill for children to practice. Try making a name card!
Names can be printed on paper or card in big bubble letters and
then decorated with markers, pastels and crayons, or collage
materials like buttons, feathers and bits of colourful tissue.
Parents or caregivers can try to arrange a day prior to the start of
school for children to visit their teacher and classroom. This will
help to increase children's comfort level as they get ready to
attend school. For tips on preparing children for school, visit
Answers for Parents - How do I prepare my child for
kindergarten?
Age: 3 to 5 years
Read books together like Franklin Goes to School. The first day
at school can be a strange and challenging experience. This
reassuring book might help to prepare children for the big day by
addressing their fears and insecurities.
Talk to your child about your own
experiences of being in school. She will
enjoy hearing you share stories and feel
that you understand when she tells you
about what she is doing and learning.
Include paper and writing tools among
your child’s toys and dramatic play
props so he can explore the different
ways he sees writing used through his
imaginative play. This will prepare him
for similar learning experiences at
school.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Website: To encourage children to practice letter and word
recognition, visit http://www.starfall.com/ Pictures, songs, simple
stories, written words, riddles, poems and tongue twisters all
prepare children for reading in fun and enjoyable ways.
Build your child’s understanding of math
concepts
like
counting,
sorting,
recognizing shapes and measuring
through her every day play. Reciting
counting rhymes, stringing beads and
building with blocks all build important
math skills.
FAVORITE TOY!
This Week’s Theme: Back to School!
Rent or sign out Barney: Let's Play School. This video introduces the value of reading, counting and learning in
general by providing a colourful and fun background for the subject of going to school.
Celebrate the end of summer and the start of school by making festive Fruit Kabobs. In addition to being a sweet
treat, this activity will give children the chance to explore colours, shapes and even number concepts as they place
different pieces of fruit on a skewer.
Age: 3 to 5 years
Go to the grocery store to select a first day of school apple for the teacher. How many different kinds are there?
Which colours can you see? Should you choose a tart apple or one that is sweet? If possible, visit an apple orchard
to see where apples grow and enjoy picking your own!
Age: 3 to 5 years
Enjoy singing the alphabet song together during daily routines. Older children can think of different words that start
with each letter of the alphabet or try to find familiar things that start with different letter sounds. Give clues like,
“This starts with a ‘buh’ sound and it is something that you read!”
Age: 0 to 5 years
Use ideas from the Teaching Teddy Bears activity, and provide children with school props for their pretend play,
such as a books, paper and pencil, and magnetic letters. They can explore their feelings and ideas about school as
they pretend to teach dolls and teddy bears concepts they know. For tips on fostering children’s school readiness,
visit Answers for Parents - How Can Play Contribute to My Child’s School Readiness?
Create a Growth Chart so children can monitor their growth from the time they start school (or even sooner!) to
when summer comes around again. Check once a month and then add a marking to the chart to show any change
in height. This will build children’s interest in skills like measuring, observing and documenting.
Age: 2 to 5 years

Summer Activity Guide

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