Lakewood Avenue Children's School

Preschool Ages 1-5

Lakewood for PreK: July 23

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Good morning! We’re excited to bring you three more offerings this warm Thursday.

Cooking Invitation: Making frozen fruit pops

We often make frozen fruit pops in the summer. You can do something as simple as freezing orange or apple juice in molds (or paper cups covered with foil and a clean craft stick stuck through the foil). Jessica Gavin also has some interesting sounding recipes, or you and your child can make up your own using what you have in the fridge/pantry and your imaginations! Your child can help select a recipe, measure ingredients, mix things together, and pour them into the molds. Remember it will take several hours for the pops to freeze, so make them in the morning for a late afternoon snack, or plan to enjoy them the next day. This project engages multiple senses and creativity in the kitchen.

Art Invitation: Color mixing with paint

This invitation extends yesterday’s colored water mixing offering to paint. How will it be different to mix paint colors as opposed to water? What shades would your child like to create?

Outdoor Invitation: Take your obstacle course outside!

Last week we suggested looking at the Durham County Library indoor obstacle course video and working with your child to create an indoor obstacle course. Today we are wondering how you and your child can reimagine the obstacle course outside. Could you incorporate water play elements to cool off?

Lakewood for Middlers: July 22

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Good morning! Here are three invitations for middlers for another hot day in July.

Science Invitation: Color mixing with water

For this invitation you will need a collection of small clear containers, water, food coloring, and a small spoon or other way to move the water. Invite your child to help partially fill three of the containers with water and add one color of food coloring to each. We suggest setting all the containers on a tray or rimmed baking sheet. Invite your child to explore mixing colors in empty containers.

Fine Motor Invitation: Beads and string or fuzzy wire

As a fine motor invitation, we suggest setting out some beads with fuzzy wire (also known as chenille stems or pipe cleaners) or string. Fuzzy wire is a little easier to work with since it is stiff. If you only have string, remember to tie a bead on one end so they don’t all fall off. You can also wrap a piece of tape around the other end to make it easier to put the beads on.

Social/Emotional Invitation: Connecting: Share a story

Throughout this time, we have been encouraging children to tell their stories. We hope some of them have been recorded in some way. Today we suggest inviting your child to share one of their stories with a friend or relative. This could happen over the phone, through the mail, or by sending a paper airplane to a neighbor. We hope this helps your child connect with others and share their stories with the world.

Lakewood for PreK: July 22

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Good morning! Here are three invitations for preschoolers on another hot day in July.

Science Invitation: Color mixing with water

For this invitation you will need a collection of small clear containers, water, food coloring, and a small spoon or other way to move the water. Invite your child to help partially fill three of the containers with water and add one color of food coloring to each. We suggest setting all the containers on a tray or rimmed baking sheet. Invite your child to explore mixing colors in empty containers.

Social/Emotional Invitation: Connecting: Share a story

Throughout this time, we have been encouraging children to tell their stories. We hope some of them have been recorded in some way. Today we suggest inviting your child to share one of their stories with a friend or relative. This could happen over the phone, through the mail, or by sending a paper airplane to a neighbor. We hope this helps your child connect with others and share their stories with the world. 

Dramatic Play Invitation: Caring for baby dolls

Today we would like to suggest offering some new materials for work with baby dolls. This could be pieces of fabric, old baby clothes you found while cleaning a closet, an empty cardboard box, or some small spoons and clean recyclables. Invite your child to explore the materials with a beloved baby doll or stuffed animal. What can they do together?

Lakewood for Toddlers: July 22

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Good morning! It is Wednesday again and the heat and humidity continue. Below you will find three simple invitations for toddlers today.

Sensory Invitation: Sensory bin with vehicles

Pull out your trusty sensory bin/box and add some vehicles. This could be the form of a car wash, or making roads in kinetic sand, or anything else. This is an opportunity for children to use their imaginations, build sensory schema, and use fine motor skills.

Art Invitation: Paint and string

This art invitation is interesting and can be quite messy. It might be a good idea to plan to follow it with water play. You will need a shallow tray (like a pie tin), some string cut into around 6” pieces, 2-3 colors of paint and paper. Invite your child to explore making tracks and prints with the string and paint.

Fine Motor Invitation: Building with interlocking blocks

At Lakewood we offer several types of blocks in both our indoor and outdoor environments. Outside we have the very large Quattro-type blocks and each classroom inside has an appropriately sized option. This type of block offers opportunities for building in different ways from unit blocks or hollow blocks and builds fine motor skills as well.