Daily Activity for Kids – Day 7 – Cardboard Box Activity
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 7 – Cardboard Box 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: Cardboard Box Activity
Have you ever noticed that kids love to play with boxes – and sometimes more so than what was inside the box? A cardboard box is a versatile toy that you can transform into anything you want. All you need for this activity is your imagination and an empty box from a recent delivery. In these days, you may have lots of empty boxes around from the deliveries you are getting. Here’s some ideas to transform your cardboard box into hours of fun!
Step 1: Find an empty cardboard box. This can be any size but bigger is better! Bigger boxes allow your child to get inside it which is always more fun. (make sure there is nothing in the box such as plastic wrap/foam and there are no staples or other hazards)
Step 2: Gather the materials you need to decorate your box. You can use crayons, markers, paint, glue, collage materials. Let it dry completely.
Step 3: Ask your child what they want the box to be. There are endless possibilities here. The box can be a boat, truck, train, rocket, garbage truck, garage, house etc. Try to go with your child’s ideas instead of your own. Remember, the box can be a boat one minute and a train in the next one. Follow your child’s lead.
Step 4: Add specific features to the box for more interest. Make holes for windows, add a chimney, wheels etc.
Step 5: Research more ideas of what you can with a cardboard box. This website has some great ideas!
www.herecomethegirlsblog.com/2013/12/26/100-ways-use-cardboard-box.html
We use cardboard boxes often in our daycare centre. We know that as soon as we bring out a box, the children are ready to climb inside it. Be sure to stay safe and supervise their play while using the boxes.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (engineering, art).
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 4 – Ice Painting
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 4 – Ice Painting
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: Ice Painting
Today we wanted to provide you with a simple activity that not only involves colour and art but also involves a bit of science. We are going to show you how to make ice paints.
Step 1: Gather the following items
- Ice cube tray
- Water
- Food colouring
- Popsicle sticks
- White paper
Step 2: Fill the ice cube tray with water but be sure not to over fill them.
Step 3: Add a small drop of food colouring to each cube. If you want to mix colours, have your child add a drop of a different colour to see what happens. You can have them guess the result before doing it.
Step 4: Cut a popsicle stick in half and use the flat end to mix the water and food colouring together. Leave the popsicle stick in and freeze overnight.
Step 5: Once frozen, have your child paint on white paper to see the results. You can have them mix the ice paints and see what colours they can create.
There are so many learning opportunities with this activity. Children learn how to freeze water and what temperature water needs to get to freeze. You can discuss colour mixing with your children and have them test various colours. Before doing this have them make predictions of what could happen. As they are painting, you can discuss with them why the ice cube is leaving colour on their paper. You can also discuss why the ice cube is melting. Once they are done painting, you could put all of the ice cubes in a large bowl and watch what happens as the colours mix together. Opportunities are endless for learning and fun.
This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (science and art).
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 1 – Kindness Rocks
Daily Activity for Kids – Day 1 – Kindness Rocks
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. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!
Today’s Activity: Kindness Rocks
Step 1: Go for a walk in the neighborhood and collect rocks of all sizes. Try to find some as big as the size of a child’s hand.
Step 2: Put out some paint in various colours and paint the rocks. We encourage both adults and children to participate and paint their own rocks. You can use a paint brush or a toothbrush to make it easier to paint smaller rocks. Let them dry completely.
Step 3: Get a permanent marker and write a kind message on the rock. Ask your child what they would like to say to help someone have a great day. This helps children develop empathy.
Step 4: Go for another walk in the neighborhood and leave the rocks out for other people to find them.
Step 5: This can extend beyond Day 1. Go back to the places you left the rocks and see if they are gone. Make it like a scavenger hunt. If they are still there, you can move them to another spot.
This activity can be repeated and if enough people in the community are participating, you could also go out and find other people’s rocks. This could have a huge multiplier effect. Share this activity with a friend and you can also go out and find each other’s rocks. Most of all, have fun and know that you may brighten someone’s day!
Check out our boredom busters page for more ideas.
Boredom Busters for Kids of all Ages
Boredom Busters for Kids of all Ages
In light of the social distancing protocol and closure of schools and events due to the COVID pandemic, we thought we would provide you with some safe alternatives to prevent boredom and still allow families to have some outdoor fun as well. These are some safe activities to do with families during this time.
1. Go for a walk. On a walk you can admire everything that is still blooming and alive outside. Take a breath of fresh air, count the number of dogs you see, count any flowers you can see blooming, or just enjoy the sunshine. If it’s raining, take an umbrella and rubber boots and still get out there.
2. Go on a hike. Being out in the woods is a safe place to be and still follows the protocol of social distancing. Collect sticks, pinecones, other items that can be used for activities inside the house. Again you can look for squirrels, climb trees and just enjoy the outdoors. Be sure to stay away from flooded rivers and lakes that may be high in the early Spring.
3. Make spring cleaning a fun game. Have your child(ren) clean out old clothes, toys and other items they can donate to a local charity that collects these items. Research the charity online with your child so they can see where the donations will go. A visual helps them understand what they are doing and why.
4. This a great time for family board games and puzzles. Grab a board game you haven’t played for a while. Sit down, no tv on and enjoy the time together. Work on a puzzle together as a project or make a LEGO structure.
5. If you want to help your child with educational activities while they are off school, visit the page www.kidsactivitiesblog.com – they provide enough activities to keep the kids busy for the entire time they are off.
6. Have a lip sync battle at home. Turn on your favourite music and create fun memories by singing and dancing together.
7. Make a movie. Use a phone or tablet to record your movie. Put on costumes and make it up as you go. Have fun with it and involve the whole family in the movie. Let everyone take turns recording and performing in the movie. You will have a great keepsake to look back upon.
8. Make food together. Whether baking banana bread or preparing a special tea party snack, cooking can involve the whole family with everyone participating.
9. Make a family art project and get creative. Everyone can use their own special talents to contribute to it. Some may like making designs on a computer while another may love painting. Try to incorporate everyone’s contribution into one project and make it a family keepsake. Art is great for reducing stress when there are no expectations and everyone does what they like.
10. Make a bird feeder and watch the birds come to enjoy your creation. There are many bird feeder recipes online to choose from.
While these are only a few activities to keep you and your family busy, try remembering back to your childhood and the things that you loved doing. This is the time to shut off electronics and get back to the good things in life. Enjoy it!
There are still things that are not cancelled in this trying time so enjoy the good things: getting outdoors, music, family, reading, singing, laughing and of course, hope.