Blog: PreK

Good morning! It’s the middle of another week and the middle of July already! Here are three invitations for preschoolers today including an idea for staying cool this afternoon.

Dramatic Play Invitation: Library

Dramatic play offers children an opportunity to try out adult roles, to become something or someone new, and to process events that are happening or have happened. Today we wonder how much children remember about going to the library. We hope you have access to books and magazines and can work with your child to set up an imaginary library somewhere in your home. Your child can be the library patron or the librarian helping to put the books away when they are turned in, helping their dolls or stuffed animals (or trucks) pick out books they will like, and scanning the books to check them out. If you and your child are feeling excited about this invitation, you could also offer materials to help recreate some of the wonderful library programming like a book character photo scavenger hunt or battle of the books voting bracket. There are also library storytimes hosted by real Durham County Library librarians available on the DCL Youtube channel.

Language/Literacy Invitation: Storyteller’s workshop

Today we are wondering again what stories your child has to tell. Are they telling stories from books? Are they processing and narrating events from their own life? You can record the stories as audio files, invite your child to create a book, or write down their words as they tell the story. You can also extend the library dramatic play idea and invite your child to have a library storytime for their stuffed animals. 

Sensory Invitation: Melting ice explorations

This invitation involves ice, if you don’t have any at the moment, put some small containers (or an ice cube tray) full of water in the freezer now so it will be ready when it is really hot this afternoon. 

When you have ice ready and your child is telling you how hot it is outside, put the ice on a rimmed baking sheet with a small container of salt and a spoon. Invite your child to see what happens to the ice when they sprinkle it with salt. 

Good morning! Here are three invitations for preschoolers on a hot Tuesday in July.

Cooking Invitation: Making basil sauce for pasta

You can make this simple pasta sauce using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Your child can work with you peeling the garlic, washing and measuring the basil, grinding things in the mortar and pestle.

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup packed basil leaves
• ⅓ cup olive oil or more as needed
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or parmesan)
• Kosher salt as needed

Mortar and pestle method: Combine garlic and basil leaves in the mortar and pestle and grind until smooth-ish. Slowly add the olive oil and continue to blend. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on pasta or rice.

Food processor method: Combine everything in a food processor, pulse until blended. Serve on pasta or rice.

For a more mild sauce, you can use spinach in place of half the basil.

Language Invitation: Recipe creation

This offering is related to the cooking invitation, but can be offered on its own as well. Invite your child to create their own recipe. They can do this with ingredients in the kitchen, dictate a recipe to you, or draw/write on their own. This is an opportunity for creative expression, exploring mark making, and also a way for adults to learn more about how children think about cooking and recipes. 

Science/Connecting Invitation: How is your tree today? What do you notice about its bark?

Today we hope your child has an opportunity to revisit the tree they befriended last week. On this visit, we are wondering what your child might notice about their tree friend’s bark. Is it smooth, is it rough? Is it peeling off like crepe myrtles do this time of year? Perhaps they will notice some ants taking a walk on the bark. Your child might also be interested in making a bark rubbing using a crayon and a piece of paper. 

Good morning! We hope you had a lovely weekend with time for rest and renewal. Here are three invitations for preschoolers for a hot Monday in July.

Large/Fine Motor Invitation: Durham County Library indoor obstacle course

We mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Durham County Library’s Summer Reading program is happening now. As part of that program, they are posting virtual storytimes and other informative and fun content on their Youtube channel. We really liked their idea for an indoor obstacle course that involves not only physical, but cognitive challenges as well! What obstacles will you and your child come up with? You could have block stacking, sorting, writing or drawing, or other “obstacles.”

Science Invitation: Return to light and shadow work

Throughout this time we have offered different invitations for investigating light and shadow. In these last weeks we are returning to some of our earlier offerings, as we often do at school, wondering how the children’s thinking has changed since they first encountered these materials and ideas. 

Shadow Tracing: Tape a piece of paper down to a table or the wall and turn down the lights! Using a flashlight (the one on your phone works great!) create some shadows with your hands, toys, and other objects. Invite your child to trace or draw the shapes they see. Do the shapes drawn from shadows look different than the real thing? What does an object’s shadow look like? How about the silhouette of many objects close together? Perhaps your child would like to color the negative space around the object instead?

The intent of this activity is for the child to be able to experience the perception of an object from a different point of view, strengthen hands, and to see positive and negative space with light and dark!

Art Invitation: Paint and string

This invitation is also a sensory exploration! Offer your child a selection of paints and a place to mix them (the lid from a yogurt container works well) along with paper and a few pieces of string around 6” long. Invite them to dip the string in the paint and use it to make designs on the paper. 

Happy Friday! We are wishing you a fun and healthy weekend. Here are three invitations for preschoolers today.

Outdoor/Science Invitation: Foil river with boats

For this invitation you will need some foil (heavy duty works best), water and a small boat or two. If you don’t have any boats, invite your child to create some from leaves or sticks. Work with your child to create a riverbed from the foil and then add a small flow of water and float the boats down the stream. Your child might have other ideas of things to float down the river as well, or it might evolve into a sink/float investigation. 

Language/Literacy Invitation: Firebird by Misty Copeland

As a literacy invitation today, we suggest sharing the book Firebird by Misty Copeland. You can find the ebook through Durham County Library, or listen to the book read aloud here. You can also find a short video of Misty dancing through this link.

Large Motor Invitation: Dance party

Fridays are a great day for a dance party!