Lakewood at Home

Good morning! It’s going to be warm again today, really starting to feel like the beginning of summer. One of the invitations today is to create something that will help your child cool off tomorrow.

Science/Sensory Invitation: Prepping ice forms

For this invitation you will need two buckets (plastic or metal) that nest with around a 1” gap, some edible or non-toxic leaves and flowers, a few rocks, painter’s tape, and water. Food coloring is optional, but can be fun. 

Have your child set the smaller container inside the larger one and arrange the leaves and flowers in the gap between them. Have them set the rocks in the smaller container. Help them put tape across the top in several directions to help keep the smaller container centered. Pour water into the gap until it is ½” to 1” below the rim. Your child can add drops of food coloring to the water as well if they would like. Freeze overnight.

This invitation gives children creative control over something they will explore the next day. It also asks them to make predictions. What do they think will happen overnight? What will this be like tomorrow?

Fine Motor Invitation: DIY light table

Middler teachers Sarah and Caitlyn found this idea for creating a light table at home.. The children at Lakewood really enjoy exploring the different possibilities that come from doing design work on a light table. Commercial light tables are expensive, but you can make one from an empty clear storage bin, a strand of mini-lights, and some tissue paper. Firmly attach the tissue paper to the underside of the lid of the bin, arrange the lights inside so the cord sticks out at one corner, but the lights are far away from the lid. Turn on the light and get out some transparent and translucent things for your child to explore.

Note: you can also purchase a tracing pad for much less than a light table. It will not be as durable, but will still provide a space for light/shadow design.

Large Motor Invitation: Avoid the shark (the floor is lava)

You can present this invitation inside or outside. It’s perfect for siblings as well. This type of game is played in many places around the world, with different names in different places. The premise is the same, to navigate from one side of a space (living room, backyard, etc.) to the other without touching the floor. You can provide towels or pillows inside or discs outside to help create stepping stones. This is a cooperative game where everyone is working together to cross the space. It involves large motor skills, problem solving and cooperation.

 

Good morning! We hope you had some lovely moments in your weekend and are ready for another week. Here are three invitations for preschoolers on this Monday.

Art Invitation: Colored pencils and paper

In this invitation we are hoping to delve deeper into the concept of self-portraiture and thinking about children’s understanding of skin color. We recommend reading a book about skin color such as All the Colors We Are by Katie Kissinger and then talking with your child about their skin color. Bring out colored pencils, markers, or crayons and see if your child can find one that matches their skin tone. What about some of the other tones from the book? What about their friends or neighbors? They could do a new self-portrait or color the black and white one they may have done last week.

This could also be the beginning of a conversation about race. This list of books has some other excellent children’s book titles on this topic.

Science Invitation: Cornstarch and water with a podcast

Wow! In the World recently did an episode about non-newtonian fluids such as oobleck. While they do not recommend filling a swimming pool with cornstarch and water (and neither do we), you can fill a bowl or tub with cornstarch and invite your child to add water to create oobleck and explore this fascinating fluid for themselves while listening to Mindy, Guy Raz, Dennis and Reggie. 

Fine Motor/Outdoor Invitation: Paper airplanes

Do you remember how to make a paper airplane? What technique do you use? Today invite your child to create and test paper airplanes. Paper, crayons, and maybe a piece of tape are all you need for this simple invitation.

Making paper airplanes requires fine motor skill and control, scientific thought and problem solving.