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 Four Pillars of Learning curriculum 

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 16 – Picasso Kids Art Project

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 16 – Picasso Kids Art Project

Creating art expands a child’s ability to interact with the world around them, and provides a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Not only does art help to develop the right side of the brain, it also cultivates important skills that benefit a child’s development. Art is beautiful and fun but most importantly art is up to the artist. It allows you to express yourself and create in your own unique way. This is one of the art lessons we will be teaching during our summer camp program. It is easy to do and a great way to add education to a project. It focuses on the style of Pablo Picasso.

Step 1: Gather the following supplies

1. 4 colours of paint, crayons, markers, etc. Whatever materials you have access to.
2. Pencil
3. Paper
4. Paint brushes if needed

Step 2: Use the pencil to outline the shape of your dog.

Step 3: Use the paint or other materials to colour your background one of the colours

Step 4: Use the other colours you have to paint the dog in different sections.

Step 5: Outline your dog black and give him a name.

Once your child is done you can take them on a journey. Visit the country that Pablo Picasso was born in, talk about the food he ate, the things he would have seen in his home country. You can figure out how long it would take someone to get there by plane from where you live. You can even discuss his super long real name…. Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. Now that’s a mouthful!

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (art) and language and literacy. 

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 15 – Rainbow Wizards Brew Activity 

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 15 – Rainbow Wizards Brew Activity

Science helps children develop key life skills, including an ability to communicate, remain organized and focused, and even form their own opinions based on observation. Science also helps children develop their senses and overall awareness. Today we are going to have some fun making Rainbow Wizards Brew.

Step 1: Collect the items you will need

1. Baking soda
2. Food colouring
3. Glitter
4. Dish soap
5. Vinegar
6. Glass jar
7. Small plastic containers
8. Tray

Step 1. Fill the jar halfway with vinegar and place on a tray.

Step 2. Add a few drops of food colouring and some glitter.

Step 3. Squeeze in some dish soap, stir and place the jar on a tray

Step 4. Add in a heaping teaspoon of baking soda, stir again and watch the foam begin. Ask your child to predict what will happen before you add the baking soda.

Step 5. Continue to add baking soda and vinegar when the foam begins to slow until it overflows over the top of the jar. To make it change colour, add a tablespoon of vinegar mixed with a different colour of food colouring. Discuss what is happening with your child.

Step 7. Make sure to dump the coloured vinegar into the center of the brew.

The best part of all of this is watching the reaction on your child’s face, especially when they realize you can keep making it happen. You can also create multiple jars with the colours of the rainbow side by side on a tray and when it overflows around the jar, you can create a rainbow of colours on the tray.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (science) and language and literacy. 

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 14 – Exploring Technology Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 14 – Exploring Technology Activity

During the preschool years, young children are developing a sense of initiative and creativity. They are curious about the world around them and about learning. They are exploring their ability to create and communicate using a variety of media (crayons, markers, paints and other art materials, blocks, dramatic play materials, etc.) and through creative movement, singing and dancing. Digital technology provides one more outlet for them to demonstrate their creativity and learning.

The educational app store is a great website to introduce young children to. They have apps that you can download to your phone, iPad or computer. There is a great colouring app called Drawing for Kids: Doodle game. It allows children to explore various themes: animals, princesses, cars, school, musical instruments, food, Halloween and Christmas.

www.educationalappstore.com/best-apps/best-drawing-apps-for-kids

There are so many ways that we as parents and caregivers can provide a safe and fun learning experience for children with technology. Here are just a few.

1. Provide opportunities for children to begin to explore and feel comfortable using “traditional” mouse and keyboard computers to use Websites or look up answers with a search engine.
2. Capture photos of block structures or artwork that children have created; videotape dramatic play to replay for children.
3. Record children’s stories about their drawings or their play.
4. Explore digital storytelling with children.
5. Look online for photos of places, people, animals, or objects and converse with children about what they are finding.
6. Use video-conferencing software to communicate with family in other places.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (technology, art) and language and literacy. 

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 13 – Alphabet Nature Hunt

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 13 – Alphabet Nature Hunt

Language and Literacy go hand in hand, especially with young children.  A toddler’s brain is at peak ability for learning, meaning a solid groundwork for language and literacy can be established at this time.  For young children presenting language and literacy together is easy and natural, because they are not differentiating written language from spoken language the way adults do.  It is all just learning how to communicate. We have a fun language and literacy activity to do outside with your children. We call it the Alphabet Nature Hunt.

Step 1: Sit down with your child and talk to them about some of the things they see when they are outside.

Step 2: Help them to create a list from A to Z of items they think they could see on their walk. Let them use their imagination. It will help to keep them busy and excited while outside.

Step 3: As you go through each letter, have them tell you what they could see. Ex. A is for Ant, B is for bike, C is for cat, D is for dog, E is for elephant. Not likely to be seen in nature but how exciting to add an elephant to your hunt.

Step 4: As you are out, put a check mark beside everything that you saw from your list and an “x” beside everything you didn’t.

Step 5: When you get home you can discuss everything you saw. For the items you did not come across, it is a great time to discuss with the children where they could find those items. You could then read a book about one of them to see where they really can be found. Or even better, you could google the item and allow the children to explore it.

This is a great way to use language and literacy to tie in to technology and build and expand on the ideas. It’s also a great opportunity for physical activity and exploring nature. If you are not comfortable going for a walk in the neighbourhood at this time, you can simply explore nature in your own backyard.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (science/nature), physical activity and language and literacy. 

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 12 – Impulse Control Games

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Today’s Activity: Impulse Control Games

Self-regulation—or the ability to control your own emotions and behaviour—is an essential life skill for children: It helps with everything from social relationships to self-care to learning how to read and write. If a child can handle their feelings and choose to act in ways that help them achieve specific goals (such as ignoring distractions to focus on reading, or not melting down after losing at a game so other children will want to keep playing with them), they are off to a great start in life.

Any game that requires controlling impulses and movements can help children increase their control over their own thoughts, emotional responses and actions. Those games that involve winning or losing also help children practice being a good sport and tolerating discomfort, so they’re better equipped to deal when things don’t go the way they’d hoped.

Here are a couple of easy games to help your child to self-regulate by learning to control impulses.

1. Freeze dance. Have a dance party with family members and tell everyone that when you stop the music, they must hold very still. The first person to move is eliminated for the next round. The winner is the last one dancing. Children tend to feel more comfortable in an environment that is familiar to them, like home. This is a great time to help children with their emotions by letting them see that eventually everyone gets out, that they will have another chance and that with practice they will get better.

2. Simon says is another great option. One person is the leader and tells everyone else to do an action. If they say Simon Says and then the action, everyone follows. If not, they don’t. Children must follow rules and instructions. This means they have to listen, without distraction to make sure that they get it right.  Again, play with family and when you don’t follow what Simon says, you are out until the next round.

Although it can be tough to teach our children that it is okay to lose in a world where everyone gets a trophy, it is a valuable life lesson for when they are older and more difficult defeats will come. Self-regulation is the key to a successful future.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: Mindfulness through Self-regulation. 

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 11 – Fizzy Ice Cubes Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Today’s Activity: Fizzy Ice Cubes Activity

Science is a great way to keep kids entertained. It is usually filled with cool things happening, bright colours and sometimes unpredictable outcomes. Science education activities provide children with opportunities to develop and practice many different skills and attributes. These include communication skills, collaborative skills, team working and perseverance, as well as analytical, reasoning and problem-solving skills. This is an interesting experiment involving baking soda and vinegar with an icy twist!

Step 1: Gather the following ingredients

1. 1 cup of baking soda
2. 1 tsp of clear gelatin
3. ¼ cup of water
4. Food colouring
5. Ice cube tray
6. Vinegar

Step 2: Mix together the baking soda and gelatin

Step 3: Add of few drops of food colouring to the water and pour into the baking soda mixture. Mix well. You can separate the mixture into four equal parts and have four different colours or make extra batches with new colours.

Step 4: Separate the mixture evenly in the ice cube trays. Freeze overnight

Step 5: Remove the cubes from the tray and put them in a shallow dish. Let your child pour some vinegar over the ice cubes. Watch it begin to fizz. You can use a small measuring cup, a turkey baster or eyedropper to pour the vinegar to develop fine motor skills.

Here’s some questions to ask. What do you think will happen when we pour the vinegar over this? What do you think will happen when the colours begin to mix together? Do you think one colour will melt faster than the others?

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (Science) and language skills. 

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 10 – Going on a Bear Hunt Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Today’s Activity: Going on a Bear Hunt Activity 

Many communities have banded together during this pandemic with “social distancing” group activities for kids. Some of these activities included posting shamrocks in the windows on St. Patrick’s Day and walking around the neighbourhood to find them. Today, I came across another one of these activities on a few social media parent groups and I want to share it as a simple activity that you can do today. At our daycare centre, one of the children’s favourite songs is “Going on a Bear Hunt”. When we put the music on, the children gather around and pretend to go on a hunt. They LOVE it! For today’s activity, you will go on a bear hunt with your child and possibly your whole neighbourhood!

Step 1: Find a teddy bear and put it in the window or front porch of your home so that is visible to people walking by.

Step 2: Get a copy of the “going on a bear hunt” song and download it to your phone. You can find it on Youtube.

Step 3: Play the song while you go on a walk in your neighbourhood. See if you can find any bears in the windows of your neighbourhood homes. Many community parent groups have posted this so you may see some families participating. Also, you can try to organize it on your own street if you have a way to contact them. Perhaps you can post this activity on your neighbourhood social media group to encourage more awareness and participation.

Step 4: Take pictures of your bear and any other bears you find along the walk.

Enjoy all the physical activity and sense of community belonging that comes with this activity!

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: Physical activity, social and language skills.