Lakewood Avenue Children's School

Preschool Ages 1-5

  • About
  • Curriculum
  • Environment
  • Awards & Press
  • Admissions

Lakewood at Home

Lakewood for Toddlers: July 31

July 31, 2020 by betsy Leave a Comment

Good morning! This is the final set of posts in the Lakewood at Home blog series. This has been such a wonderful way for us to delve deep into our philosophy and make it more visible for families in the community. We are excited to be returning to in-person school on August 5th. We are full for August, but have some openings in September. Here are our three final invitations for toddlers.

Sensory Invitation: Pompoms, tubes and scoops

This invitation can be done in a large box or empty storage bin, or you can tape the tubes to a wall or door using painter’s tape and put something underneath to catch the pompoms as they fall. Invite your child to explore how the pompoms go through the tubes. If you do not have pompoms you can use cotton balls or something else appropriate for your child. 

This invitation is a different exploration of slope and gravity as well as an opportunity to explore scooping and dumping.

Fine Motor Invitation: Packing for a picnic

We have been thinking a lot about how children construct transportation schema, the way they carry things around and the satisfaction they find in these tasks. Today we are wondering what your toddler might pack for a picnic. Would they pack dishes? Food? Toys? Invite your child to help fill a basket or bag with the things they would need for an indoor or porch picnic.

Dramatic Play Invitation: Teddy bear picnic

Once the picnic bag has been packed and repacked, set up a picnic for your child and some teddy bear or doll friends. It looks like it may be wet/stormy today so it might be a good day for a cozy under the table picnic, or a porch picnic, or a pillow fort picnic. You can offer a snack, or pretend food.

Filed Under: Toddlers

Lakewood for PreK: July 31

July 31, 2020 by betsy Leave a Comment

Good morning! This is the final set of posts in the Lakewood at Home blog series. This has been such a wonderful way for us to delve deep into our philosophy and make it more visible for families in the community. We are excited to be returning to in-person school on August 5th. We are full for August, but have some openings in September. Here are our three final invitations for preschoolers.

Sensory/Art Invitation: Painting with toes

This invitation is perfect for a warm day. Have your child put on a bathing suit or older clothes and prepare to fully immerse themselves in their art. You can offer fingerpaint (see a recipe here), and a large piece of paper, cardboard, or shower curtain liner. Invite your child to use their toes to move the paint around their canvas. How does it feel different from using their fingers or a brush? Be prepared for this to be a full-body painting experience. 

Sensory Invitation: Washing toes/bubble bath

After painting with their toes, invite your child to help clean their toes with an outdoor bubble bath. Fill a small kiddie pool or storage bin with water and some baby wash and invite your child to clean up after their paint adventure. How can they clean between their toes? How will they know when their toes are clean? With a couple of clean plastic cups they can also explore scooping and pouring water along with the self-help/self-care skill of washing.

Cooking Invitation: Wacky cake

1 ¼ cups unbleached flour

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 handful chocolate chips (optional)

 

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon distilled white or apple cider vinegar

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Get out all your ingredients and an 8×8-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips if you are using them. 

In a different bowl, mix together the water, vanilla, vegetable oil and vinegar. 

Pour the wet things into the dry things and quickly stir together. Remember what the baking soda and vinegar did in the science experiment? Do you see it happening here?

Pour the cake batter into the 8×8-inch pan and have an adult put it in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Have an adult take the cake out of the oven and put it on a cooling rack or potholder to cool.

Cool the cake completely before having a taste.

Filed Under: PreK

Lakewood for Middlers: July 31

July 31, 2020 by betsy Leave a Comment

Good morning! This is the final set of posts in the Lakewood at Home blog series. This has been such a wonderful way for us to delve deep into our philosophy and make it more visible for families in the community. We are excited to be returning to in-person school on August 5th. We are full for August, but have some openings in September. Here are our three final invitations for middlers.

Science Invitation: Experiment with baking soda and vinegar! There are lots of fun ways to experiment and observe this chemical reaction. You can make a volcano, or just observe the reaction in a cup! My favorite idea from the link below is putting the baking soda in a muffin tin or cups with food coloring then allowing your child to add in the vinegar with a turkey baster. Below is also a recipe for a cake featured on our blog that highlights this reaction as well! This is a fun science activity that works the senses and fine motor skills!

https://preschoolinspirations.com/vinegar-baking-soda-science/

 

Cooking Invitation: Wacky Cake

1 ¼ cups unbleached flour

1 cup sugar

⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 handful chocolate chips (optional)

 

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon distilled white or apple cider vinegar

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Get out all your ingredients and an 8×8-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips if you are using them. 

In a different bowl, mix together the water, vanilla, vegetable oil and vinegar. 

Pour the wet things into the dry things and quickly stir together. Remember what the baking soda and vinegar did in the science experiment? Do you see it happening here?

Pour the cake batter into the 8×8-inch pan and have an adult put it in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Have an adult take the cake out of the oven and put it on a cooling rack or potholder to cool.

Cool the cake completely before having a taste.

Art/Fine Motor Invitation: Shape collage

Cut out simple shapes in a variety of sizes. Add some glue or a glue stick and a surface like paper or cardboard. Invite your child to create a work of art using the shapes. If you scroll down through this link, you will find examples of famous works of art that use shapes. These might be inspirational for your preschooler as they work with the shapes and glue.

Filed Under: Middlers

Lakewood for Toddlers: July 30

July 30, 2020 by betsy Leave a Comment

Good morning! It looks like it will be cooler, but stormy in Durham today. Here are three invitations for toddlers for today.

Sensory Invitation: Taste-safe cloud dough

While this is made with raw flour, which you should not eat, it is non-toxic and simple to make. In a large bowl mix together:

2 cups plain flour

¼ cup vegetable oil

Powdered food coloring (optional)

When the flour is incorporated, you should have a mixture that holds together when squeezed, but easily breaks apart. You can leave it in the bowl, or pour it into a sensory bin/tub with some scoops and small containers.

Sensory investigations are a way for toddlers to explore the physical properties of the world around them, to work with filling and dumping, and experience different textures.

Large Motor Invitation: Bean bag toss into empty frames or chalk targets

You can use bean bags for this invitation, or balled up socks. Create a target or two using empty photo frames (remove the glass as well), painter’s tape, or sidewalk chalk. Invite your child to toss the bean bags into the frames. They may have ideas about how far away they would like to be, or a different way to arrange the targets. You can also transform this invitation into a water play exploration with balls in place of bean bags and buckets full of water as the targets.

This invitation uses children’s arm muscles, refining aim and tossing skills.

 

Outdoor/Large Motor Invitation: Sound Adventure: What can you hear?

Invite your child to find a comfortable place to sit near an open window, or to go on a walk around your yard or neighborhood. Ask them to walk or sit quietly so they can listen. What will they notice? What will you, the adult, notice when things are quiet?

We hope this invitation helps you and your toddler to take a moment to listen to and connect with the world.

Filed Under: Toddlers

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 62
  • Next Page »

Blogs

  • All Levels
  • Toddlers
  • Middlers
  • PreK

Subscribe to Receive Notifications via Email

Lists*

Loading

Openings

We give tours and accept applications year-round. To schedule a tour prior to application please click here.

.

National Association for the Education of Young Children Our program is one of only 8% in the nation accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and maintains a 5-star NC license with 15 of 15 bonus points awarded for program standards, teacher education, and reduced ratios.

© 2023 Lakewood Avenue Children's School · Privacy Policy · Site by The Splinter Group