Warm Water Play for Calming Stress Relief

 The kiddos are stressed. They don’t always show it, or they show it in ways that don’t really express their feelings, but lots of them are stressed. We stumbled upon a relaxing, stress-reducing activity the other day - and wanted to share! 

The kiddos had found some tiny sea creatures to play with and, instead of just pretending to get them wet ...we pulled out some containers and some nice, soothing WARM water to splash around in. Just like in a warm bath, the kiddos relaxed and played ... for a loooong time :)

We’ve played a lot in cool/cold water, but hadn’t thought to try this. It was so nice to watch the children unwind and they did a great job of keeping the water (mostly) in the tubs! 

First, it was just creature play, then they poured and measured and made little waterfalls. After a while, they wanted to make “islands” for their sea creatures out of old plastic tops. One container got filled, then the water was poured into another, sizing the containers as part of the play. 

Later, a few ice cubes were added in, at the kiddos’ requests, to watch the melting. This was followed by more warm water to get back to cozy play :)  * their choice

They looked around for some fish to add to the mix but couldn’t find any. So ... we went to the recyclables stash and found that foam egg cartons can turn into great, floaty fish :) Rocks were added, like a “real aquarium” and we used a few grains of rice for pretend fish food. Pet play included naming the fish and creating tiny whirlpools for them to swim in :)

Fun was definitely had by all!! It was a great escape and a great stress reliever :) Here’s how long we played ...

Hope you can make some fun like this, too!

Q Camp: Getting Some Final Summer Fun In!

It's getting close to the end of the summer here and there are still many restrictions in place. Looking for at-home things to do? Here are some links to throwback posts that gather some fun activities together for you :)

#1: One favorite, which is low to no-cost, is "painting" with water out on the hard pavement - sidewalks, driveways, whatever you have :) Here's a link to fun water painting activities:

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2015/08/water-painting-fun.html

                                              

#2: Plan some food fun for a rainy day :) Playing with food is usually discouraged but, using what you have in the house, you can figure our some fun "lessons" that encompass math, art, science, etc.

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2015/08/an-apple-is-not-just-apple.html

                                                             

#3: Literacy for the win! Look for a great book to build a fun activity with! Remember, YouTube can help out with finding books, if you don't have it or don't want to mingle to get it! Googling images will put the cover pics right in front of your child :) It's great when interest in a story generates an extension activity - check this post out for some literacy and small-motor fun!

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2018/08/books-to-love-commotion-in-ocean.html

                                                             

#4: Character book bags can be so much fun! Team up with a few friends to try out this activity - friends who haven't seen each other or might be remote learning might enjoy this interaction by dropping off and circulating a character or two :)

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2011/08/character-book-bags.html     

                                              

#5: This post, entitled "Summer Fun!," gives you a bonus - 10 more ways to extend your summer fun!

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-fun.html

End your summer with a great week! And - have fun!!

Q-Camp: Plans for Tired Parents :)

This 2020 is an unusual year! You may be running out of ideas to keep your kiddos busy and engaged, which BTW is always ok - because children do their best work when it is born out of a quest for SOMETHING TO DO!!

But still, it's already been a long spr-ummer already, right?!? So, kids being kids ... they (and you!)  are still looking for stuff to do :)

I've tried to group some old posts together to make it easier to do a week's worth of fun and interesting activities with, hopefully, the kiddos doing most of the "work"! 

Day 1: Click here for some tips on fun Outdoor Play - using what you have to build and play on an obstacle course will get your child's creative juices working and have them think about everyday objects in new ways ... and it's great exercise! They can redo it again and again, practicing good social skills (if they have a partner) and design skills. Of course, some supervision is needed to ensure safety :) Don't pass up everyday opportunities for sidewalk curb balancing and hill rolling :)

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2016/07/summer-fun-moving-and-shaking-outdoors.html

Day 2: Let your kiddos experience Math concepts in a whole new way - Math with Water Play - great for a warm, dry day :) Let your kiddos collect an assortment of "tools" from around the house and see what happens. Maybe with a little starter exercise, they will take the play in new directions :)

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2016/07/math-with-water.html

Day 3: A little reading goes a long way, depending on your book choice. Reading to cool off is great for any day - rain or shine! You can cozy up for some great illustrations, and fun, silly words, but be ready to have your kiddos act out the shakey-shakey part :) Acting out and retelling stories are a great tool for comprehension, so play away!

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2015/07/books-to-love-wet-dog-by-elise-broach.html

Day 4: Mail Call! Use those rainy or too-hot days to craft some mail for relatives. Great way to reach out in these isolated times :) and children of all ages an abilities can participate! Younger friends can draw a picture and olders can write as best as they are able. These cards and letters are sure to be treasured and - maybe, just maybe, they'll write back!!

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2014/07/mail-call.html

Day 5: Ocean Animals are always fun! Check out these simple craft ideas and great reading options - you can usually find titles on YouTube if you don't have access otherwise :) Pairing crafts with stories extends the literature and helps to solidify the story for young readers :)

https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2011/05/ocean-animals.html

Have fun!! 

Intentional Exploration: Step Away!

As children move from parallel play to mingling with others, so many changes take place. Child-directed play is so cool to watch, as the children work out roles, compromises, and plans ... and the language development, social skills, and organizational skills begin to show.

Step back and allow the children to develop ideas, formulate questions, and look for answers. It is hard for adults to let go, but so necessary :) You might help launch a project by supplying materials or by "recording" a plan that will help to organize a small group - but it's important to help and then step back out of the action, to watch and support only when needed.

Let the play be child-driven or child-directed, instead of just child-centered :) The adult role should be less of a teacher and more of a facilitator. In everyday play, this may look like observing a play situation and stepping in to encourage compromise or to help players find the right words to ask for what they need or want. Water play took on a new direction here when students wanted to make the balls move by blowing through straws.

In a larger play scenario, as in a whole class study or investigation on a broad theme, a question may come up that spurs investigation on the part of the children, and they may need guidance and organizational help. As they generate questions, an adult may take on the role of recorder, writing down questions and terms that need explaining, in order to build a web or list of "what we want to know."

The best, most interesting way for children to learn, is to dig in and really find answers for themselves. Touching, creating, experimenting ... little scientists can direct their own learning, with support. By working in the background to make sure that materials are available and time is set aside, teachers or parents can aid in setting the stage for great learning!

In the block play area pictured here, some children are making letters from blocks, some are fitting them together like a puzzle, and some are trying to create a balanced wall. Lots of different ideas being tested and played out.

There is nothing like watching one of those "lightbulb moments" occur, when a child gets something and is so excited to share about it!

As always, have fun!

Math with water!

One of the BEST things about summer is that you can get wet and messy ... and, then just clean up outside!

Playing with water as an open-ended activity can present your child with many different learning opportunities - and lots of fun! The math lessons and practice with language concepts will take place organically :) while fulfilling so many of the core learning concepts that we want kiddos to explore.

I like to have an inflatable baby pool on hand, but any kind of tub or container that holds water will do!



First, make sure you have different sized containers available for pouring and measuring. Model how to pour from one to another, or just let your kiddos figure it out. They will soon see that some containers can handle more water and some less ... and what happens when you pour from larger to smaller and vice versa. There is no better teacher for this type of measurement than hands on experience!

Next, play with a variety of objects to establish a sink and float lab. Provide some interesting household objects - plastic dishes, spoons, corks, colanders and funnels, etc. - and show how some will sink and some will float. Let your little ones try different things and put them in categories ... another math skill!

Float a few rubber duckies (or whatever small floaty toys you have handy!) in the water and count them out as you go. Matching objects with the numbers that represent them is an early skill to hone, and you can sing as well ...
"One little, two little, three little duckies ..."

Then, start to play a game that uses positional words - over, under, next to, etc. - and let your child take the lead, coming up with new ways to display the ducks (or balls, or boats, or whatever). This practice with verbalizing the positional concepts will help your child become more familiar with the words for each.

Let them come up with new ways to play - filling up and draining the containers, splashing and pouring, floating different toys - all will teach new lessons, and make for hours of fun! Don't forget to provide some clean paintbrushes to paint on hot sidewalks or decking, making shapes, lines, and even beginning to practice letters and numbers :)

A tub of water + lots of fun = tons of authentic math learning!

Have fun! 

Water Painting Fun!

The last days of summer are coming fast ... running out of things to do with your little ones?

If you have some water in a bucket and an old (or new!) paintbrush - find a surface like a sidewalk, driveway, or concrete steps, and see what happens. Fun for the pool, too!

They may want to paint the whole surface. They may begin to make shapes or squiggles ... all great for motor planning and control!

You can model a little, if you want ... in a parallel playing sort of way :) Draw a letter - maybe the first letter of their names. Something about wet letters gets their attention. Use different sizes of paintbrushes for different effects.

You can also make chalk shapes, letters, numbers .. and, then paint over them. Any "mistakes" quickly evaporate and then, they can do it again! This would be great practice for back-to-school - getting familiar with names, shapes, numbers, etc. - in a very no-fuss, enjoyable way :)

Have fun!

Water Play!

Water is so much fun to play with - and a great learning tool, too!! It can be a fun mess, though, so summertime is a great time to do it, if you're worried about getting your floors, tables, clothes wet! Just take it all outside!


You do not need a fancy water table (although there are some great ones out there!) or a great amount of water. I've done these activities with a small basin of water, in sinks, or in little blow-up baby pools in the yard. You can do it with one child or a few, just watch, as always, for safety around water!

Here are my Top 5 Water Play activities:

1. Sink or Float: Gather up, with your child, a variety of objects that can get wet. They can be kitchen utensils, blocks, toys, fabric, sponges, .... anyything you have on hand! Your child can experiment with how these things interact with water ... Do they sink? Do they float? Do they expand and take on water? There are so many things your child can learn from this type of play, as well as having fun while doing it! Children will be observing, interacting, making connections - scientists at work!

2. Measure Up: Make available some containers - save yogurt, milk, margarine containers - and some measuring cups or small pitchers. Anything that will hold and pour water will do. Let your children discover how to fill containers using other containers and encourage them to see differences in size - "Look, it took you two scoops with the yogurt container to fill the margarine tub!" Watch as they count and size containers, determining smallest and largest, less and more, and be sure to name those concepts for them as you go! Join in to model new activities, as needed, but let them be the ones making the discoveries :)

3. Water Cycling: Children are never too little to learn about the importance of conservation. Talk to them about how the water we have on our planet is so important to our lives. Show them how the water cycle works by setting up a tiny model, using clear plastic containers. Next time it rains, catch some rain in a pitcher or shallow plastic container. Pour some into a clear cup and mark the water level on the outside with a piece of tape or marker. Next, invert another clear cup over the top to make a seal. Place it in a window where you can observe it over time. Check back later to see, as the water heats from the sun, tiny water droplets forming on the top and eventually dropping like rain back to the bottom. Keep checking to see if  the water level changes. After having some success with this, uncover the top and keep track of the water level, as it dries up. Lots of opportunity for discussion ... your child may want to record their findings via artwork, journal-style ... their first "lab reports"!!

4. Freeze and Melt: Fill up some ice trays or small containers with water and place in the freezer. When frozen, they can be turned out into a basin alone to observe the melting process, or put into water - where they will melt faster! Your child may want to use some big spoons to capture and release ice pieces, or just fingers to feel the temperature and texture. (Have a bit of room temperature water available to dip chilly fingers in.) Introduce some small toys and see what your child will do with them. Try freezing small figures in ice and seeing how long it takes to get them free! Your child may find ways to speed up the melting process! Fun!

5. Wash Day!: Kids love water and kids love bubbles - and you love clean toys! Make everyone happy with wash day activities. Set up a basin with some warm, slightly soapy water - a little squirt of dish detergent goes a long way! Have a rinsing station - either a clear water basin to dunk in or some pitchers and a larger shallow container (like a baby pool) and a drying center. If you have access to a fence and clips, that would work, or spread out some beach towels or an old shower curtain to catch the sun. Then, let your kids have fun washing, soaping, rinsing and drying - cars, dolls, play equipment, etc. They will have a great time - of course, bubbles may be blown around, too, and they will most definitely get wet - and happy! 

Have fun!