Happy 4th of July weekend! Celebrating the beginning of the United States of America is feeling increasingly complicated, especially in the middle of COVID-19. We hope you have a safe celebration this weekend. Here are three invitations for this first Friday in July.
Science/Art Invitation: Creating paints/exploring pigments
Yesterday we offered an invitation that involved pounding leaves and flowers to make prints. Today, we are wondering how else your child could create paints (this might get quite messy). They might be interested in grinding old pastels or chalk, or using things like tea leaves, the liquid from cooking red cabbage, or turmeric. We wonder what children know about paint and how paint is made and how they might apply their theories to household items.
Sensory/Large Motor Invitation: Water play outside – toe diving
This invitation works with a large bin or a kiddie pool. Find some objects that sink and some that float and put them in the container with some water. Invite your child to fish the objects out using only their toes! This invitation uses balance, coordination, creativity and persistence.
Language/Fine Motor Invitation: Exploring letters (making letter stones or tree cookies)
For younger preschoolers, you might want to have an older sibling or adult write on the stones, older preschoolers or those who are very excited about writing may want to do this themselves. Gather some stones or tree cookies (thin slices of tree trunks or thicker branches) and decide with your child what they would like to be able to write. It could be a message like “Happy 4th of July,” your child’s name, a friend’s name, or the alphabet. Use liquid chalk markers, sidewalk chalk, or paint to write the appropriate letters on the stones. You might want to provide a printout of the alphabet if your child is doing the writing themselves. After the stones are lettered, your child can explore making silly words as well as the ones they intended.
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