STORY TIME
Find a cozy space or an opportune time to read stories together. Perhaps simply open a book to pause on each page and notice what you see. Reading the pictures in this way can be a novel way to encounter a familiar tale.
Act out a storybook you know well.
audible.com is a resource for listening to stories, too. They have announced free selection of stories for kids of all ages while schools are out.
Share a true story aloud! You may be inspired to tell a story from when you were little or simply reflect on your day together and take turns sharing back one moment.
Sign up to be a member of Internet Archive. Always free to borrow books, always books for all ages!
Here is a video of a favorite book that demonstrates for children the need for handwashing. It is also a very fun story to try acting out with young children!
MUSIC
Allie Bishop Pasquier, early childhood educator and enthusiast, shares some great mix tapes for play and for napping on her website here.
You can also find them on Spotify.
MOVEMENT
Stretching
Yoga
• Yoga
• Yoga Pretzel Cards & more
Dance parties. Looking for inspiration?
Freeze dancing: Play music, dance, stop and freeze. Restart.
Obstacle course. Create one in your yard or in your house. Can you crawl the course? Or slither the course?
Whether outside or inside, find a time to move each day!
ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING
It can be the daily tasks we do to take care of each other and our home that offer us engagement, focus, and contentment. How can we create opportunities for children to partake in these activities of daily living?
Sorting the laundry
Caring for each other
Feeding family pets
Picking up sticks
Making your space beautiful
Setting the table
Helping to prepare food
Raking the yard
FAMILY GAME TIME
HIDE & SEEK
BINGO
SCAVENGER HUNT
TWISTER
CONNECT FOUR
MEMORY
Fun and easy games to order online include:
FIRST ORCHARD Cooperative Game by HABA
FEED THE KITTY, by Gamewright
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Send drawings to elder members of the community.
The Commons in Lincoln
2 Harvest Circle
Lincoln, MA 01773
Send notes and drawings to classmates.
Create a routine around calling or video chatting with loved ones.
DRAW
LUNCH DOODLES with Mo Willems
Experiment with different paper/surface textures.
What happens when you offer paper cut from…
paper bags?
plastic bags?
tinfoil?
paper towels?
What happens when you draw on rock or wood?
A special time for drawing can become a daily routine. Perhaps you leave it open ended, simply inviting messing about with materials and tools. Or perhaps each day you provide a focus. This focus may stay the same or change.
What becomes possible with a simple frame?
Draw a true story from your day.
Save a memory of something you created today.
Trace materials you find inside or out! What do you discover when you trace a leaf, a pair of scissors, a hand? What might it become?
Artist Christoph Niemann takes ordinary objects and turns them into something new. Look him up to see what he does!
CREATE
What can you create with loose parts?
If you have a small bag or box, gather an array of loose parts from around your home. Perhaps invite your child to partake in this collection. Once you have ten or so items, lay them out on a mat or simply use a piece of paper. Now it is time to play!
Kim at local Beehive Art ships out “Buzz Bags” filled with material goodies! Check out the Beehive Shop for other at-home creating items.
Begin a collection of recycled materials to build a creation station!
Leave it open for messing about or offer a focus.
Tinkergarten at Home has weekly DIY activity plans to investigate.
“Our DIY activities are easy, wildly fun, and designed for a week’s worth of learning at any age. All you need are basic household items and a spot outside—whether that’s a quiet corner of a park, on your stoop, or in your own backyard.”
Whether you are looking for a comprehensive flow to your day, or simply a beautifully presented array of provocations to choose from, you will find inspiration in these weekly guides from Art Bar Studio. Teachers Bar and Shannon offer various ways to present experiences for children ages 3-8.
Looking for a simple invitation for play? Author/artist Keri Smith offers beautifully envisioned, curated, and presented ideas. Each is paired with a simple connection from an artists, scientist, scholar, poet...
NATURE CONNECTION
Find a time to be outside each day! And when you're back in your house, invite nature indoors.
Letterboxing! www.atlasquest.com Follow a set of clues to collect stamps (take disinfecting wipes for the boxes and stamps). Lots of local trails. Alternatively, make a new trail, to share or just for you around your house or neighborhood.
Spring is a great time for mud!
Look for animal tracks.
Bake some mud pies.
Create a painting with paper, pine brushes and mud paint.
This is a great time of year to find “naked” sticks, those sticks (pines are great) that have lost their bark. Gather them and bring them inside. Give them new bark with paint, tape or markers. Add details with designs. Can you imagine a whole tree filled with color? Draw one and send it to us. Look up more images of the Rainbow Eucalyptus found in Hawaii for inspiration!
Follow the same walking path each day and notice the changes. Become familiar with a pathway.
Build a stick fort in the woods, life-sized or mouse-sized, depending on the sticks you find!
REST
Create a routine around taking time alone. Perhaps play the same soft music each day at this time. Create a little box with materials for alone play. Repackage what’s at home. Presenting materials and tools in a new way can feel magical and cozy!
SENSORY PLAY
Play Dough
MIX
4 cups water
2 cups salt
4 cups flour
½ cup oil (scant)
8 teaspoons cream of tartar
food coloring
COOK over medium heat and stir (about 5 minutes). It will look like mashed potatoes.
Take out of pot and KNEAD. Be careful it will be very hot.
FUN VARIATIONS
Add a few drops of essential oils such as Lavender or Peppermint to the dough before you knead it to add a wonderful smell.
Add glitter to a dark colored dough for a space effect.
Use natural spices to add color/scent to your dough using this recipe
GAK
WHAT YOU NEED
Bowl
1 cup white school glue
1 cup liquid starch
Wooden spoon
Plastic zip bag
Gak is similar in consistency to a thick slime. It’s messy to make and play with, but completely safe for children. Gak changes consistency as it is manipulated, becoming thicker when you handle it and more liquid when set down. The substance will stick to tables, floors or walls and peel right off.
MOON SAND
8 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 cup Baby Oil
Combine ingredients. Mix with your hands. Add more oil if it is not ‘sticking’ together.
CLEAN MUD
WHAT YOU NEED
3 cups of baking soda
Up to 1 cup of water
A bowl or container
METHOD
Begin by pouring the baking soda into the bowl.
Then, add water in small amounts and mix, slowly adding more water and mixing until the desired consistency is reached.
SHARING HIGHS & LOWS
