Welcome back! We hope you found some moments of joy over the weekend. Here are three activity invitations from middler teachers Caitlyn and Sarah.
Sensory Invitation: Bubble Bin
You will want a medium to large sized sensory bin. Add two parts bubble bath/body wash soap to one part water. Whip them together using a whisk or hand mixer until the bubbles have a nice stiff peak (you can add a drop or two of food coloring for more colorful fun). Have your child use toy cars/dump trucks, animals, etc. to play in and push around the foam! They may also love just playing in the foam with their hands!
Intent: This sensory activity allows for middlers to explore and play with a foamy soap. They can explore the feel of it and use fine motor skills to maneuver their toys around the bin.
Fine Motor Invitation: Weaving with pipe cleaner
You can use a baking/cooling, basket, or anything with holes in it. Then you will want to use pipe cleaners or ribbon or string for your child to weave through the holes.
If your child has never practiced these skills, demonstrate to your child how to weave using words like “over” and “under” or “up” and “down” to help them visually and verbally see/hear the pattern. Now let them practice!
Intent: This activity incorporates fine motor development by focusing on the process of using hand and finger muscles to hold and weave through the open holes.
Outdoor/Nature/Gross Motor Invitation: Outdoor Spray Bottle Painting
Using a spray bottle, fill it with a little bit of paint, and the rest of the way with water. Give the bottle a good shake so the paint and water are mixed together. Take a large piece of paper or cardboard and either tape it to a wall or lay it on the ground. Have your child use the spray bottle to spray the paint water at the paper to create their design! This activity was done most days at Lakewood and we know the middlers loved using the spray bottle to paint!
Intent: We want to encourage the middlers to get outside and use all of their big body muscles to enhance gross motor development. We wanted to incorporate a familiar activity that the middlers loved when they were coming to Lakewood.
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