Water and Paint don't mix activity

The kids really loved this activity.  I have no doubt we'll be doing it again soon; maybe even tomorrow!  I liked it because it is also a pretty interesting science lesson.  You will need: an old container, water for the container, water for clean up, spray paint, and paper.  Cheap spray paint works just fine, it doesn't have to be expensive.  You can use as many colors as you want.  We used up to three colors today.  Lillian, age 5, was able to press the nozzle down on the cans, but Cole, who is now 3, had problems and needed some help with this part.  Make sure you are outside and have on old clothes as the paint does not wash out (this is why you need an old container also). 
Fill the container with water, spray paint on top of the water (it doesn't sink but floats on top of the water!), lay a piece of paper on top of the water/paint (don't push down much, just let it sit there), and then lift your paper up.  Voila, art!  We will use our papers as covers for journals.  You may want to have your kids wear gloves since it doesn't wash off.  However, I chose not to mess with them as they are usually so big on kids and they have problems working with them on.  I just figure it will wear off in a couple days!  Below is a picture of some of our final pictures drying.  It is also helpful to have some news paper or something to set your work on to dry so it doesn't get grass or dirt on it.

UNO!

One word: Uno!  I just happened to think of this card game the other day.  I hadn't played it in years, but we did when we were young, so I headed off to the store and bought us a deck (I think it was $4 at The Christmas Shop).  The kids were excited to see a new game that night and wanted to play right away.  The directions say the game is for kids 7 years and up but that just isn't true.  Granted, Cole was to young at three years old and lost interest quickly, but Lillian was really into the game and caught on quickly.  Needless to say the first few times we play we're going to have to help her learn how to play and the rules, but it isn't going to be long until she is teaching her friends how to play.  Unfortunately it was to late, but she wanted to play again that night and again the next day, so I know we're on to something good here.  We did find out they've added some new cards to the deck (skipping cards, and reverse cards for instance) since we played years ago, so be sure and review the directions before hand.  This game is perfect though for teaching colors, numbers, turn taking, and, of course, good sportsmanship!  We shook daddy's hand at the end of the game and congratulated him on his victory.  We'll get him next time!

Dimes

Currenly Lillian and I are working on money, at this time its dimes.  You do not want to overwhelm a child by introducing different coins at the same time.  Instead, focus on one (generally you begin with pennies) and then advance up as they master one.  However, continue to review coins previously taught so they retain that information.   As I recently said, I purchased some hundreds charts.  After I have given her ample time to explore the dimes on her own I had her place one dime on each box in the tens place on the hundreds chart.  Then, as we say "ten, twenty, thirty" and so on she slides the dime off the corresponding box.  We also reversed the process and counted by tens as we placed the dimes back on the chart.  Next, we took turns placing one dime on a tens square while the other person covered her eyes.  Then that person got to guess what number was under the dime!  Simple activities like this are a game to children and they enjoy playing them over and over and do not even realizing they are doing a learning activity.

Counting and Hundreds Charts

I picked up a pack of Hundreds Charts at the local teacher store (you can order them online too).  In case you aren't familiar with hundreds charts they are a grid with the numbers from 1-100.  I also bought highlighting tape; tape that is colored, but you can see through.  It acts like a highlighter but is tape (highlighters will not work on the boughten charts because they have a type of lamination on them).  On one board I highlighted just the tens row, another chart counting by fives, and another one even numbers.  I also put one of the charts in Lillians seat back pocket in the van.  That way it is available to her if she wants to look at it or use it, but it isn't being pushed at her.  Sometimes these items just have to be available to children for them to become interested and to provide them with an opportunity to explore them on their own.  She has already taken it out many times and talked about the numbers she sees.   As a side note, you can also find a variety of different kinds of hundred charts online.  If you used this option you could use a regular highlighter to mark them and put them in a clear paper sleeve to make them more durable.  If your child seems overwhelmed by the vast number of numerals on the chart, just use a piece of paper to cover up the bottom portion.  Often just taking away the access helps.  The highlight tape is a tool to help her focus on just the digits I want her to concentrate on.  Then we can use the appropriate chart to aid us as we learn to count by two's, fives, or tens.  Later, I can use the same method to show odd numbers or counting by tens starting with a different number other than ten.  That will come MUCH later though!

Label Fun

Lillian had a ball today with my labeller.  She started off typing in words she knew and could spell on her own.  A little while later she progressed to asking me how to spell words.  After typing in each word she printed it out.  After awhile she started going back through her words sounding out the letters and decoding the word.  She made up some name tags for us.  Later in the evening she noticed I had mine on still and she came over and sounded out my name.  Using the labeller was something new so it made learning phonics, letter recognition, and decoding fun!  When done the words can be used to make a collage type of picture or put in a journal for them to refer to when they want.

Cupcake Game

I had problems getting a good picture of this game, so I hope I can explain it well enough that you can follow along.  Here goes.   Someone had given me a large plastic cupcake container from the store.  I put a dollop of paint in each hole (one color at a time as we had to rinse our paint brushes in between each color) and the kids painted the bottom of each cupcake circle (don't skimp on the paint or it will flake off).  Next, I used a hot glue gun and glued the plastic cup cake carrier to the base of the container (its black in the picture).  After it was dry I used a permanent marker and to write a number in between the cup cakes.  Then I put in two rubber bouncy balls.  I chose a larger one and a smaller one, but you could use two different colored ones instead, but they must be different.  Lastly, I hot glued the lid on. 

How the game is played:  The youngest child decided which ball he will use and then the older child goes first.  She shakes the game thus moving the balls around.  Each player must then decided which number they want to use (because some of the holes have 4 numbers around it; touching it) and then the second player decides which number he will use.  The person with the highest number wins that round and the game proceeds on.  

My kids really enjoyed this game because of the fun of shaking the container (movement) and the noise it made!  My kids needed help reading the numbers and knowing their options but older kids will figure it out and be able to do it on their own.

Time Game

I went on line to find pictures of clock faces and digital time clocks.  I decided to do an assortment of clock faces since not all clocks look the same in the real world.  One of them (8:00) was blank and I drew hands for the time I wanted.  Since Lillian is new to telling time I followed a few guild lines: All the clocks have numbers for every hour, there are no extra marks for the other minutes, and all the times I chose are on the hour.  Later, when she's mastered this skill, I will do some time to the half hour.  Cole enjoyed helping us play the matching game.  He would choose the clock face and Lillian would find the digital time that matched it.