You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2009.
Bury plastic creatures in a sandbox, and conduct a mini-archaeological dig.
To make pretty monarchs, flatten a coffee filter into a circle, then paint with markers and spray them with water. Once dry, clip the centre with a hinged clothespin.
Try making lunch for breakfast, dress in crazy clothes, than go for a Wacky Walk (on tiptoe, skipping, giant steps, etc.).
A lot of children don’t realize that lemonade can be made without a can!
- 1 cup fresh squeezed or bottled lemon juice
- 1 cup of sugar
- 5 cups of cold water
Dissolve the sugar as much as possible in one cup of cold water. This will take some serious stirring. Add the rest of the water and the lemon juice and mix well. Add ice cubes and enjoy!
Mix two or three colours of body paint.
Dressed in bathing suits, let kids paint up.
The rain dance takes place in the rain or the sprinkler.
Messy, noisy, fun!
To make body paint, mix 1 tbsp. soft shortening with 2 tbsp. of corn starch. Divide mixture into portions, and add a different colour of food colouring to each. Mix well.
Have fun.
- Watch tv with your child. Discuss the program, plot, values, and commercials. Help them distinguish between what is real and what is fantasy.
- Limit the number of hours. Log how many hours your child is watching tv, and then gradually decrease viewing time. Model the behaviour you want – in other words, don’t be a couch potato yourself! Don’t choose vacation time or a stressful time to decrease tv watching.
- Provide fun alternatives to tv watching. Don’t turn off the tv, and then request that the child clean his/her room. This is the time to buy some craft supplies or a new board game. Invite friends over or visit the library.
- Do not use tv as a reward.
- Turn off the tv when you are done watching a show. Don’t just watch anything. Choose only top-quality shows.
- Try not to use the tv as a babysitter.
- Put the tv in a remote area or cover it up. Never put a tv in a child’s bedroom or near the dining area.
- Keep puzzles, games, and building toys near the tv. They have a greater chance at being chosen over watching tv.
- Cancel cable to limit viewing options.
- Do not serve snacks or meals in front of the tv – this only reinforces the tv habit.
- Listen to the radio or story cassettes instead. Listening to a story requires active participation from the child as they create their own mental images.
- Realize that even though your child says he is bored, you do not have to entertain him/her or turn on the tv. Boredom can teach your child how to be resourceful or just give him time to think and work things out.
- Plan activities that reinforce a program’s content. For example, visit a shoe store like the one you saw on Mr. Rogers. Encourage them to make their own railroad station, store, etc.
- Extend the learning through art activities and books. Draw pictures of things they saw on tv. Find books that teach you more about sharks, etc.
- Promote active viewing. Encourage your child to sing and dance along with the tv and express their reactions to what is happening.
