Good morning! Here are three invitations for middlers on a warm June day in Durham. It’s the end of Pride Month, but at LACS we value and honor all families and children’s unique selves all year.
We also want to share this parent resource from Resilience in Challenging Times. We are thinking about all the families who might be stressed and struggling right now.
Science/Sensory Invitation: Frozen Yogurt in a Bag
Small or quart-size ziplock bag
118 ml (½ cup) plain, yogurt
A selection of fruit (soft fruits such as berries work best)
Honey to taste (you can also use jam in place of the honey and fruit)
3.7-liter (1 gallon) ziplock bag (or a large mixing bowl)
473 ml (2 cups or 10-12 cubes) crushed ice
59 ml (¼ cup) salt (table, rock or Kosher)
Kitchen towel (optional)
Spoon (for tasting the yogurt)
In the small bag, combine the yogurt, fruit and honey (or jam). Seal the bag very well! In the large bag, combine the ice and salt, put the small bag into the large bag and seal the large bag well. You may want to wrap the large bag in a kitchen towel to protect small hands from the cold. Invite your child to shake the bag vigorously (you can turn on some dance music to make this even more fun). Shake for 10-15 minutes until the yogurt is firm. RINSE the smaller bag before opening. Your child can eat it straight out of the bag, or put it into a bowl.
Design/Fine Motor Invitation: Natural Materials and Frames
For this invitation you will need a collection of natural materials or other found objects, and an empty frame or two (take the glass out as well). If you have time and find joy in it, arrange the materials on a table by color, size, texture, or some other metric. Invite your child to make designs in the frames. You can offer a photo of a face, a vase of flowers, or some other object on the table as well as an inspiration. This invitation is a wonderful opportunity for fine motor work and creative expression.
Outdoor Invitation: Sprinkler rainbows
It is going to be warm again today, summer is really here! Today we invite you to set up a sprinkler, mister or hose set on mist in your yard. You can set this up near a part of your yard or garden that needs watering. Invite your child to explore the water misting out. If it’s sunny, will they be able to see rainbows? In exploring the water, will your child shriek and run and and jump? Will they twirl and turn? What motor skills do you see them exploring and building as they cool off?
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