Lakewood Avenue Children's School

Preschool Ages 1-5

Lakewood at Home

Lakewood for Toddlers: May 8

by Leave a Comment

Happy Friday! It looks like it’s going to be a lovely morning, but it might get a little wet in the afternoon/evening. Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Fine Motor/Physics Invitation: Pinecones and slides

For this invitation you will need a collection of round-ish natural objects such as pinecones, and a longer piece of cardboard or other item that can be used to create a slide.

As with Monday’s car and ramp invitation, find or create a place where you can make a ramp with the piece of cardboard. Invite your child to roll the pinecones down the ramp. How do they roll? Is it the same as the cars? 

 

Outdoor Invitation: Picnic snack

It will be a little cool this morning, but taking snack outside offers a small change in routine that can be renewing and refreshing. Take a picnic blanket to a grassy place, or sit on the front stoop. Your toddler can help choose the location, carry things to set up, and carry them back when it is time to clean up.

This invitation offers a small change, an opportunity to practice carrying things, and a time to watch and listen to the world.

 

Nature/Science Invitation: What can you find if you look down?

Toddlers are naturally curious scientists, examining small things everywhere. After your picnic snack, invite your child to see what they can find that interests them. Maybe a snail or a roly poly bug? Maybe a small flower or an interesting leaf? How are things different from the last time your child explored the world in this way?

You can have your child collect the items they find, or offer to take photos of them to look at later.

 

Music/Movement Invitation: Pizza Feet

We found this article on NPR.org and had to share because of the very silly “Pizza Feet” song. It might be a fun addition to your Friday dance party. What would your child put on their pizza feet?

Lakewood for Middlers: May 7

by Leave a Comment

Good morning! It looks like it is going to be a lovely Thursday, and it’s almost Friday.

Sensory Invitation: Create your own moon sand!
How to make: Use ¼ cup baby oil* for every 2 cups of flour
Mix it together well to break up any balls of baby oil that form.

*In our test we used vegetable oil and it worked just fine.

Moon sand will have a similar consistency to kinetic sand. Your child can play with it, mold it, scoop it, etc.

Intent: The middlers loved using kinetic sand in the sensory bin at school. This gives them an at home alternative to explore. They can also be part of making it and mixing the ingredients together.

Art Invitation: Sponge paint! Grab some old sponges and have your child paint with them. You can put clothes pins on the sponges to create handles. This is a great activity for outside. If you have bricks or a wooden deck you can give your child the sponge brushes and a container of plain water for painting.

Intent: This activity gives the middlers an opportunity to explore painting using different materials. They can work on strengthening their fine motor skills while holding the sponge to paint.

Fine Motor Invitation: Animal line up. Use tape to create different shapes or lines and have your child line up their toys on the line or around/in the shape. 

Intent: This activity incorporates fine motor development by using hand muscles to move their toys where they want them to go.

Lakewood for PreK: May 7

by Leave a Comment

Good morning! It looks like this will be a lovely day for a Thursday adventure!

Large Motor/Adventure Invitation: Listening adventure

Your child can go on this adventure sitting in a box in the middle of the living room, walking around the backyard, or out with you in the neighborhood. Before you go, ask them what they think they will hear. Then ask them to sit or walk quietly and see what they can hear. When you get back, or their sitting time is up, reflect on the sounds together. Were there birds? Cars? A train whistle?

This adventure invites children to make predictions and carry out an experiment to see if they are correct. It also asks them to be quiet for a moment and use their ears to experience the world.

 

Science/Fine Motor Invitation: Drawing sounds

At Home with the Reggio Approach has a wonderful sound riddle activity. Prepare some blank paper and a drawing pencil or pen. Invite your child to draw what they hear, what does the sound look like? What do you think might be making the sound?

 

Music/Movement Invitation: Making music

After so much listening, what sounds would your child like to make? Can they find materials that help them replicate the sounds from the sound riddle or their adventure? They can also use pots and pans or musical instruments to make sounds and songs. Your child (and you) may want to explore percussion instruments outside.

Music is an amazing language for creative expression and this invitation encourages innovation and invention as well.

Lakewood for Toddlers: May 7

by Leave a Comment

Good morning! It looks like it is going to be a lovely spring Thursday. Here are three ideas for busy toddlers today.

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.

 

Music Invitation: Making music with found objects

Now that you have had a quiet moment, invite your toddler to find something with which they can make music. Would they like to use an empty oatmeal carton as a drum? That metal pie plate might make a noise like cymbals. Wooden spoons are excellent drumsticks. This is probably a good activity to do outside.

Making music in this way calls for innovation and invention. It is a mode of creative expression and uses small and large motor skills.

 

Art Invitation: Colored pencil or crayon dot drumming

The toddlers at LACS often notice that when they use crayons to make dots on their paper, it makes a drumming sound. This works best with thicker crayons or blunt colored pencils which are less likely to break. Offer the materials to your child and draw their attention to the sounds the crayons are making as they use them to draw lines or dots on the paper.

We are wondering what might change in the toddler’s mark making if they are thinking about the sounds as well as the marks they are making.