Good morning! It looks like it is going to be a lovely Tuesday in Durham, at least in terms of weather. Here are a few invitations you might want to offer your preschool-aged child.
Math/Art Invitation: Making patterns
For this invitation you will need something with which your child can create patterns. This could be pattern blocks, a deck of cards, or blocks. You can create an ABAB pattern with your child if they are new to this concept, or just invite them to create patterns and designs with the materials.
Understanding and creating patterns is a math skill building block for young children.
Sensory Invitation: making designs and patterns with natural objects
If your child does not have a collection of natural objects (sticks, pine needles, rocks, acorns, blades of grass, etc.), you can invite them to create one and come up with a special place to keep it. If they do have a collection, invite them to get it out and see what kind of designs and patterns they can make. This might be an interesting time to introduce images of mandalas.
Inviting children to design work builds capacity for creative expression while also working with symmetry, balance, pattern and other design concepts.
Science/Art Invitation: Baking soda and vinegar “painting”
For this invitation you will need a washable tray with sides, baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, some small jars or containers and spoons or pipettes. Spread a thin layer of baking soda across the bottom of the tray to create the canvas, pour some vinegar into the jars and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Invite your child to slowly pour drops of colored vinegar onto the baking soda. Take a photo of their fizzing designs when they are done. This invitation is especially interesting for young children if you have pipettes or other small droppers for moving the vinegar. Your home may smell of pickles after this if you do it inside.
Watching baking soda and vinegar react is always exciting and the brilliant colors on the white soda are a striking medium for creative expression. Depending on what colors you use in the vinegar, this invitation can also be a way for children to explore color theory.
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