Good morning! It looks like it is going to be a beautiful spring day in Durham. Here are a few invitations for your toddler this morning.
Science Invitation: Shadow explorations
Where is the light making shadows in your home today? Open the blinds or curtains and let the light shine in. Your toddler can explore the light and shadows using their hands and body, pieces of fabric, or other small things that make shadows. You can also create a shadow theater with a flashlight and a blank section of wall in a darker space.
In exploring light and shadow, children are investigating the properties of both. If the light changes, what happens to their shadow? Why do shadows move? In what ways are they different from reflections in mirrors?
Art Invitation: Mark making with crayons or pastels
This invitation can stand alone, or be an interesting extension of the shadow exploration above. For either you will need some paper and crayons or child-safe pastels and perhaps some tape to hold the paper down. If you have a space in your home with bright, shadow-forming light, you can tape the paper there, or put the paper on a clipboard and set it in that area. Invite your child to see what happens to their marks in the light versus the shadow. They might also want to draw lines around the shadow or the light on their paper.
This invitation moves mark making into the dynamic realm of light and shadow. It is an opportunity for scientific exploration, creative expression, and fine motor development.
Outdoor/Large Motor Invitation: Ball and bucket toss and carry
Round up a bunch of balls (or make some from crumpled paper) and a bucket or basket. Invite your child to explore the materials. They may throw or kick the balls far and wide, throw them into the bucket, place them carefully in the bucket and then dump them out, or something else entirely.
Moving balls in and out of a container is an opportunity to explore scattering, transporting, and collecting. It also uses large muscles.
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