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Some of the challenges that families face in the summer are not having a huge budget to spend on things to do, meeting the needs of a variety of ages, and beating boredom.
We recommend you PLAN! :)
- Think ahead
- Post activities on a calendar
- Plan for structured and unstructured activities daily
- Include your children in the planning
- Schedule a break in the day for everyone to relax (e.g. read or nap)
Our parent educators have compiled a summer handout. Click on the link, save, print, share and enjoy!
There are various ways to make play dough with your children based on the age level and possible allergies of your child. Here are some fun recipes to try at home with your children. Some are tried and true while others are rather unique. Remember to have fun; and for the child it is the process more than the finished product. Feel free to drop us a line and let us know which recipes you would recommend!
Childreach Favourite: Kool-Aid Play Dough
½ cup salt
2 ½ cups flour
2 packages kool-aid
3 tablespoons oil
2 cups boiling water
Directions: Mix dry ingredients. Add oil to water. Add liquid to dry ingredients. Stir and let cool then knead. Store in plastic bags in the refrigerator to keep fresh longer.
Hint: if the playdough is too sticky, add a little flour; if the playdough is dry add a little oil in your hands and knead.
Home Made Playdough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups of water
1 tablespoons mineral oil
food coloring
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring until stiff.
Allow to cool, and then knead.
Peanut Butter Playdough
3 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
4 cups powdered sugar
4 cups powdered milk
3 1/2 cups corn syrup
Mix ingredients by hand.
Can decorate with sprinkles, M&Ms etc.
It is edible.
Salt Playdough
1 cup water
1 cup salt
1/2 cup flour
Food coloring
Mix ingredients in pan.
Add food coloring. Stir on low heat.
When it thickens remove from heat.
Put some on waxed paper or floured surface and roll out.
Cut out objects.
Air dry objects few days.
Store un-used portion in air-tight container.
It is non-edible.
Oatmeal Playdough
2 cups smooth peanut butter
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups powdered milk
2/3 cups honey
Optional -Rice Krispies, Coconut Sprinkles, chocolate chips, Red Hots, etc.
Mix ingredients until combined.
Wash hands.
Lay down wax paper.
Store in air-tight container.
Numnum Playdough
2 cups of honey
3 cups of peanut butter
3 packets powdered milk
Stir all ingredients together until smooth.
Add more powdered milk if desired.
Is sticky and edible.
Cloud Playdough
1 cup water,
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil,
6 cup flour
Add a few drops of food coloring to water.
Combine water, oil and flour in a large bowl. Knead well.
Add more water if necessary in small amounts until the dough is soft and stretchy.
Cloud playdough should be used on a washable surface as it is very greasy.
Coffee Playdough
4 cups unsifted all purpose flour,
1 cup salt,
1/4 cup instant coffee
1 1/2 c warm water
Dissolve the coffee in the warm water.
In another bowl, mix the flour and the salt.
Make a well and add 1 cup of the coffee water into it.
Mix with a fork or with your hands until smoother.
Add more coffee water as needed: dough should be smooth not sticky or crumbling.
Store in air tight container.
When you’re done making figures, bake in oven for 1 hour at 300 degrees or until hard.
A coat or two of shellac keeps it well preserved for longer lasting gifts.
Fruit Playdough
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tablespoons cream of tarter
2 cups boiling water
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
3 oz package sugar-free fruit flavored gelatin
Mix dry ingredients in pan.
Add the water and oil.
Stir over medium heat until mixture forms a ball.
Pour onto a sheet of wax paper
Koolaid Playdough
2 cups rice flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 cup salt
3 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 packages unsweetened Koolaid (pick the color you like)
2 cups boiling water
Mix all together. Once cool take out of pan and knead well. Then place in Ziploc bag in the refrigerator.
Cornmeal Playdough – Gluten Free
1 ½ cups corn flour
1 cup corn meal
1 cup salt
½ cup corn starch
1 cup hot water plus 2 Tablespoons
1 tablespoon oil
Mix all ingredients until smooth. Add water as necessary to make more soft and smooth. Store in Ziploc bag for up to a month. This is textured dough and will be yellow.
Written by Dawn Baetens, Early Years Program Leader
* Appropriate for ages 3 and up
Objectives
- to learn about the benefits of toads and frogs in our garden
- to encourage their occupancy in our garden
Materials
- clay pots (preferably broken in half)
- live toads to look at or pictures of them
- clay soil and grass clippings to make adobe houses
Part One:
Read a book about toads to the children (see list of books below for ideas), discuss their needs, likes and dislikes.
Part Two:
Go on a toad-seeking expedition in the garden, or show children some toads you found previously. Children can hold the toads if they want, making sure they are gentle. Talk about what toads are doing in the garden. Ask how they think we can make sure the toads stay in the garden. Introduce the idea of making the toads a home.
Part Three:
Have fun making the toad houses with the children. Have them help you place the houses in the garden, creating a nice shady shelter for the toads. Place a source of water near the house for the toads. A shallow container can be buried and filled up with water to make a shallow pond. Check it often throughout the summer, changing the water at least weekly so mosquitos don’t take up residence.
Questions to Ask:
- How are toads different from frogs? Toads generally have dry, bumpy skin and live on land, while frogs have moist, smooth skin and live in or near water. Toads have stubby bodies with short hind legs. They walk rather than hop. Frogs are skinny and have long legs. They have strong, webbed hind feet for leaping and swimming.
- Do toads croak? Yes, both toads and frogs have distinctive songs. That’s how they call the females.
Resources:
- Frogs and Toads by Bobbie Kalman and Tammy Everts, Crabtree Publishing Co. 1994
- From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer and Holly Keller, Harper Collins Pub. 1994
- For a children’s website on frogs (including pictures and sounds), visit http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/living-green/living-green-citizen/for-kids/frogs-for-kids.html ; for answers to frog questions, visit http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/science/faq1.html#life
- Frogland – http://allaboutfrogs.org/froglnd.shtml
Here’s a few bubble recipes to get your bubble play started!
NOTE: Glycerin is added because it helps to hold the water molecules in the soap film which stops the film from drying out too quickly and popping. Glycerin can be purchased at most drug stores.
Standard Bubble Recipe
2/3 cup of liquid dishwashing detergent
4 cups of warm water
1 tbsp of glycerin (optional, but will make stronger bubbles)
Sure-Thing Bubbles
2 cups of liquid dishwashing detergent
4 cups of water
1/2 cup of light corn syrup
Pour all ingredients in to a jar, bowl or any container with a lid.
Mix gently.
Let sit for a few hours before using.
Giant Bubbles
1 part liquid soap or dishwashing detergent
1 part glycerin
6 parts distilled water
Use this solution with a 12-inch wire circle, an embroidery hoop or a foil pie plate with the centre cut out (don’t use a coat hanger because the coating on the hanger will not allow the solution to stick to the hanger). Be sure that a film covers the circle, and sweep through the air. To disengage the bubble, twist the hoop.
Here’s another site with lots of recipes for bubbles – http://bubbleblowers.com/homemade.html
Make sure your child(ren) is able to blow. You can practise by blowing materials such as cotton, small pieces of paper, cellophane, and dry pasta such as macaroni. Practise both blowing orally and with the aid of a straw.
When you are ready to blow bubbles, warn your child(ren) that the floor and area around them may become slippery. Use low transparent plastic containers for your bubble solution. Using low tables, blocks or boxes will allow the bubble solution to be at your child(ren)’s height.
Questions to Ask to Assist Learning
Can you watch the bubble and see where it lands?
What do you think would happen to the bubble if it touches the grass?
How long do you think the bubble can fly before it pops?
How many bubbles can you blow at once?
Were your bubbles the same size?
Were some bubbles big and some bubbles small?
What shape is your bubble when it leaves the wand?
Does your bubble stay this shape forever?
How many colours does your bubble have in it?
How do bubbles travel?
How does moisture affect your bubbles?
Can you blow bubbles with a bent straw?
If you point the straw up, which way do your bubbles go?
Can you make bigger bubbles with many straws together?
What will happen if you stop blowing?
What do you think will happen if you put a sharp pointed object into your bubble?
Can you make a pile of bubbles?
Can you touch a bubble without breaking it?
Who can make the most bubbles in one dip?
Create a bubble and see how long two people can keep it in the air by gently blowing it.
Determine the difference in the size and number of the bubbles by movement of the wand. (moving it slowly, quickly, up, down, sideways)
Materials
9 x 13 inch baking pan
powdered milk
an assortment of liquid food colouring
dishwashing liquid
This experiment can also be done on an individual basis using small bowls for each child.
Directions:
- Cover the bottom of the baking pan with powdered milk.
- Pour water into the pan until it is half full. Do not mix the water and the powdered milk.
- Place drops of liquid food colouring on the water.
- Add a drop of dishwashing liquid.
- Watch the colours spread and mix!
Materials
glass bowl
water
mirror
white paper
Directions
1. Fill a small glass bowl with water.
2. Place a small mirror in the bowl of water where the sun will hit it.
3. Hold up a piece of white paper, so the reflection from the mirror hits it.
4. A rainbow should appear on the paper.
If it’s warm enough outside, get the water hose out and turn it on. Have the children stand with their backs to the sun to see the rainbow.
- 1 bottle liquid detergent
- 1 small bottle of glycerine
- Water (amount will vary depending on number of children)
- Wire loops
Mix 1 cup of detergent with 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of glycerine. Mixture should be smooth. Test by dipping in the bubble wand and blowing.
Science
- Lie down on the lawn and watch clouds. Make up stories about what you see. Try it again at night on a blanket, and gaze at the stars or watch in style in a hammock.
- Find big garden pots or a little piece of land to show children how to plant a garden. Remember to water it.
- Borrow (available in our ECE Resource Library) or buy a bug kit and go on a bug safari.
- Ask children to collect leaves, flowers or clover, and help them iron the items between two pieces of wax paper.
- Feed the ducks or birds at the park.
- With yard sale buckets in hand, spend time together gathering rocks, leaves, and outdoor goodies. Return home to sort them in different shapes and sizes.
- Create a time capsule at the beginning of the summer by filling an empty chip can or shoe box with drawings or written wishes of summer activities your children want to do. Open it late August and have fun remembering the highlights of those summer activities.
- Plan a visit to the library once a week to stock up on summer reading material.
Get a jump on your garden this year, involve your children, and try the following planting activities. Children seem to possess an innate desire to watch things grow. Remember to include them in all stages of gardening. Seedlings can be started indoors in early to mid-May and later transplanted outside. You may even want to give your children their own area of the garden to tend. If space is limited, try a large pot or window box. Experiment, make predictions and follow up. Try charting plant growth. Have children guess when sprouts appear and watch to see how accurate their judgement is. Older children can make and record on their own charts. Now get busy, dig out your garden tools and start planting!
Greenhouse Tumblers
Place a wet paper towel around the inside of a clear plastic cup. Slip seeds between the cup and the paper towel. Invert a second cup on top on top of the first cup and tape together. Place in a warm, sunny location. Watch for growth. Various types of seeds can be used. Try beans, sunflowers, and pumpkins. Try one of each seed, and compare the rates of growth, shapes and sizes. Note that the roots appear first, followed by stems and leaves. Also note the direction of growth.
Sponge Gardens
Fill a small pan or Styrofoam meat tray with water. Place a sponge in the pan and sprinkle with seeds. Grass seeds or alfalfa sprouts give quick ‘no-fail’ results. Place in a warm, sunny location and keep moist. Sponges can be cut in various shapes; for example, cut shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day or try hairy caterpillars.
Egg Shell Plants
Save your broken egg shells, wash out, and use as a planter to start your flower or vegetable plants. Place an egg shell in each compartment of an egg carton. Fill with soil and plant a few seeds in each egg shell. Water and keep in a warm, sunny location. For a greenhouse effect, use half an egg carton and place in a large Ziploc bag. As plants grow, thin to one plant per shell. When plants are ready to transplant outdoors, simply crush the shell and place in the ground. (The egg shell acts as a natural fertilizer for the soil.) Marigolds and zinnias are recommended for children because they grow easily and will not be disappointing for the young gardener.
