1. Maximize love,

Manage stress

Creating with playdough lets children feel competent (“I’m good at rolling the dough”) and proud of their accomplishments (“Hey, I made a spiky dinosaur!”). It builds self-esteem.

How can playdough help us process our feelings? Listen to the song Here.

2. Talk, sing and point

Playdough can be a fantastic tool for facilitating learning, from teaching shapes and numbers to colour and smells. By talking as you use playdough, explaining what you are doing with the dough and why, you provide the opportunity to children to copy your actions. Often, seeing something in action and hearing the process explained helps to learn effectively.

A lot of children learn better by actually doing things with their hands, which is why playdough can be such a great learning tool. Whether you are teaching them about animals, food, or math, playdough can act as a fantastic resource and an amazing learning aid.

•          Talking with children about what they are doing while playing with playdough helps build communication skills.

•          Children practice listening to and talking with friends, siblings and adults.

•          Materials like playdough help children build their vocabulary as they explain what they are doing.

Children learn how to take turns, ask for tools that they need or certain play-dough colours, as well as how to share it.

Plan a Birthday Celebration:

make a birthday cake! You can plan a whole birthday party with them: Whose birthday is it? Who will be invited to the party? Where will the party take place, and what songs will be sung? Allow your child to choose the color and ‘flavor’ of the cake, and to decorate it accordingly with playdough stars, sparkles and other designs. When the cake is ready, you can have them cut straws into smaller candles and allow them to place the ‘candles’ on the cake.

Don’t forget to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ at the end of it and blow out the candles. Have your child pull the candles out and put the playdough away.

3.  Read and discuss       stories

•          Children use language to invent stories about their playdough creations. You may notice your child using facts or ideas from books you’ve read together, like these one below representing “Dear Zoo” and “Old MacDonald had a farm”

Listen to Dear Zoo story Here

Listen to Teacher Maria singing “Old MacDonald had a farm” Here.

Also you can check the read-along “Old MacDonald”  story Here.

Playdough for Literacy:

For older kids, you can let them roll the playdough into thin strips and then have them create letters with their fingers; they can spell their name, or the names of their best friends or pets; or they can form any of their favorite words or letters. This exercise provides a double bonus in allowing your child to increase their finger dexterity and bilateral coordination, as well as giving them some fun spelling and reading practice.

4.  Explore through movement and play

•          Playing with playdough, molding and rolling builds fine motor skills.

•          Helps to gain control over hand and arm movements which improves coordination, like eye-hand coordination and use of both hands for specific tasks.

What are Fine Motor Skills?

•          Fine motor skills are the ability to use the smaller muscles of the body, like those in the hands, fingers, thumbs and wrists.

•          Fine motor skill development is a very important part of a child’s physical development.

•          Children need to learn to use their hands competently in order to manipulate toys and to acquire self-help skills such as feeding and dressing.

•          Children use their fine motor skills when writing, turning pages, holding small items, buttoning clothing, cutting with scissors, and eating.

Go on a Treasure Hunt:

Bury objects in the playdough and then ask your child to dig them out using their fingers. You can make an exciting treasure quest out this game; and your kids’ fingers will get an excellent work out! Afterward, if you’ve hidden shells, beads or other small decorative objects in the playdough, your child can string them together to make a necklace. This will provide additional  coordination benefits, enhancing your child’s ability to use both hands simultaneously.

5. Count, group and compare

Homemade Playdough recipe

Materials Needed:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup table salt

2 tablespoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1.1/4 cups boiling water

food colouring (optional)

Directions:

1.                  Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl

2.                  Add food colouring TO the boiling water then into the dry ingredients

3.                  Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough

4.                  Take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness is gone.

5.                  Place in an airtight container when not in use.

If you don’t remember seeing me make playdough at Strongstart take a look Here.

Come count with me Here.

Have fun playing with it with your child!

Manage stress

Around mothers’ day I like to think of the memories we built with my Mom and Grandma. My mom shared her passion of gardening with me, and my grandma shared her passion of baking. We were doing things side by side just like this Grandma shared her talent with her grandchild and daughter.

What are some things you learned from your Mother or Grandmother?

What are some talents or passions you like to share with your children?

Skidamarinka

Mommy is her name-o

I love you mommy

Mommy Takes Good Care of Me

We Love our Moms by BabyFirst

Are you my Mother? by P. D. Eastman is another story that we like to read at Strongstart and created a playscape for it with a tree, bird, the animals and the transportation vehicles. Do you have some of these items at home to play out and retell the story?

Song Maker is pretty easy to figure out, even for kids. The sequencer has two parts: one for melody, and a bar at the bottom for rhythm. For each one, you can select different musical options, and then draw your notes using your mouse or finger. Have fun!

The City of Burnaby website has great art lessons, physical activities and more for people of all ages – check out their site https://www.burnaby.ca/City-Services/Public-Safety/Novel-Coronavirus–COVID-19-/Online-Activities—Learning.html

I have also attached one of the artful ideas for you to try out with your kiddo! Family portrait

If you are looking for a short and easy

art project, check out this dandelion fingerprint.

How many fingers do you have on one hand?

How many on both hands?

How about Mommy?

How many fingers do you and Mommy has in total?

How many dots do you wan to put on the butterfly wings?

Here is the link for makeing this beautiful butterfly craft

1. Maximize love,

Manage stress

I have been wondering what are some ways in which we can foster our and our children’s sense of connection and belonging during covid-19 pandemic? How to self-isolate without cutting ourselves off from community?

2. Talk, sing and point

I remember how much fun we had at Strongstart while singing nursery rhymes and bouncy lap songs…. Come join me for our all favorite Acka-backa and more.

While not the same as connecting in person, digital connection is better than no connection. So please come and join us for our 2nd Live Circle Time on Wednesday at 10am.(see invite in your e-mail on Monday, if you have not received it please e-mail me and I’ll send it to you)

It was wonderful to see the children’s smiling faces and the enthusiasm to show themselves and their creations last week. Can’t wait to see you again this week.

My hope is that everyone feels that they belong and is part of the  Edmonds Strongstart Family. Let’s celebrate it with these songs:

Everyone belongs 

We are a family

3.  Read and discuss       stories

Communities all around the world are using creativity to adapt community initiatives to a touch-free world. Belonging to communities for children.

Here are some projects, families shut indoors came up with to remind themselves that, just outside our doors, there is a whole community of people in the same situation.

I’ll invite you to join in one or all the projects below:

Painted Rocks: The Kindness-Spreading Treasure Hunt for Kids and Families

Listen to teacher Maria reading the story of the Rock monsteres by Marshall Amanda

4.  Explore through movement and play

Window Projects to spread kindness during the shut down through art

To participate in the High-Five project, all you have to do is trace your hand, decorate it however you like, then place it in your window. It will then become like a high-five or a wave and bring a smile to the faces of those who pass by your home.

Sidewalk Chalk project: Goal is to spread kindness with sidewalk art. It’s as simple and powerful as that.

Have you seen any of these projects in your community?

If you haven’t  seen any, be the one starting one in your hood. As community members/children go down the road will go beyond just them being on a walk, to them being part of a community.

To show support, solidarity and community during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic to the Edmonds Strongstart Community I ask you to e-mail me photos of your artwork so I can share it on our blog with all our friends. See the first communal picture children created during the Live Zoom Circle time.

5. Count, group and compare

What shapes were they?

What coloure?

How big or long is your sidewalk chalk art?

What shape is it?                                                         

How many parts does it have?

What patterns have you used?

Let’s count and dance with Community Count

1. Maximize love, Manage stress

Children can be particularly vulnerable to feelings of anxiety, stress and sadness during such a crisis, which makes it important that the adults in their lives provide a safe, reliable space to discuss these feelings in.

The tools you can use to talk to children about coronavirus are very similar to how you would talk to them about any other development in their lives.

Listen to them

First understand how much your child knows about the pandemic. Acknowledge their concerns fully and honestly and tell them there are countless adults working hard to try to end this.

Maintain structure in their lives

Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible, especially before they go to sleep, or help create new ones in a new environment.

2. Talk, sing and point

Make hygiene precautions fun

Most children are not fans of standing for 20 seconds while they wash their hands, but we know it has to be done, especially after going to the toilet, before and after eating, after coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose and after coming home from a walk.

Try to make it fun, sing a few verses of a nursery rhyme or do a little dance with them to help them count down.

See Circle time with Teacher Maria about flue and washing hands.

3.  Read and discuss stories

Be honest with them

It is important to provide children with information, but as their caregiver, you need to balance truthfulness with what is appropriate for their age and developmental level.

Please see a story written for children to understand what’s happening in all of our lives, theirs too.

Click on the link to see and listen to the story.

I found it a good conversation starter. It’s reassuring for children to know that parents care about what they think or wonder about.

4.  Explore through movement and play

Avoid stigma, share kindness

Explain to children that the illness has nothing to do with what someone looks like or where they come from. Viruses can make anyone sick, regardless of race or ethnicity.

• You can also encourage them to reach out to grandparents and far-away aunts and uncles or Strongstart friends more often, using video chat applications.

( See Zoom circle time invite in your e-mail. If you haven’t receid it please e-mail me and I’ll be happy to send it to you.)

• If your child is a fan of arts and crafts projects, you can encourage them to make cards for people in the extended family or friends, that way they too can take part in spreading some kindness and love.  

• Science experiment for kids. Why do we need soap to wash our hands by Odin’s Play time

• Another little science lesson how to make bubble solution at home from Mad Science.

• You can also spread some joy by organizing a Bubble Party with your neighbours. Everyone can join in the fun from their own balcony.

5. Count, group and compare

• What sizes are your bubbles?

• What colour are the bubbles?

• How many bubbles?

• What can you create with circles and semicircles?

1. Maximize love,

Manage stress

• Gratitude:  Gratitude is one of many positive emotions. It’s about focusing on what’s good in our lives and being thankful for the things we have. Gratitude is pausing to notice and appreciate the things that we often take for granted, like having a place to live, food, clean water, friends, family. For Earth Day we did a gratitude project. I am hopeful that this project will inspire ongoing gratitude in my kids for our Earth and its resources. Hope will inspire you and your kids too.

• Take action: Three great ways YOU can eliminate waste and protect your environment is: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2. Talk, sing and point

• Let’s remember how blessed we are to live on Earth by listening to What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

• Teacher Maria sings about being thankful and proactive by Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Listen to the songs here.

3.  Read and discuss stories

• The Earth book by Todd Parr is a great one for preschoolers. It also gives the opportunity to discuss the ideas and help children understand the connection of paper bags and trees. Paper is made of trees, but if we reuse or recycle paper, less trees need to be cut down.  Energy usage worms the climate that result in melting the ice lands. Todd Par has a sense of humor. Look for what his idea of cooling himself of in hot summer is.

• Here is another child friendly information on Reduce Reuse Recycle.

4.  Explore through movement and play

•         One of the activities we did with our family is: Took a walk and noticed the things each of us are truly thankful for: trees, flowers, water, animals, sunshine. When we returned home, made a poster about what inspired our gratitude. Perfect for Earth Day or any day. For the poster we decided to write down Earth Day and come up with a word, from what we noticed and appreciated, for each of the letters. Our poster is digital to use less paper.

•     Craft activity with recycled materials.

•     We also enjoyed drawing side by side as taught by Art for Kids Hub

5. Count, group and compare

•       Count your blessings flower. Make a circle and attach as many petals as many things you can think of being thankful for. Parents can write the words on the petals. Or if child is old enough you can write the words on a piece of paper and let children copy it on the petals. Glue the pieces together.

• How many different nature elements have you collected for a nature art? Get the biggest rock you can find, wet it with water. You are ready to arrange the nature element on it for a unique  piece of art. What colour are they? What pattern do you want to use? Leaf, flower, leaf, flower…

1. Maximize love, Manage stress

2. Talk, sing and point

3. Read and discuss stories

4. Explore through movement and play

• Nature walk: Fresh air every day can calm, balance our moods and refresh the mind.
When on your daily walk look for how many yellow, blue, red, black, green and pink coloured nature elements you can find.
Here is a picture of what we saw with my kids.

• Do you have paint at home? If not, try mixing flour with red food colouring. You can paint the beautiful cherry blossoms with fingerprint or a juice bottle.

5. Count, group and compare

• Do you remember how many feelings did Colour Monster had? If not, let’s listen to the story again.

• Find your colourful collection and sort them into separate jars/containers just like Colour Monster did. Do you remember which colour represented calm, happy, sad? How many red objects have you found? Can you count them? Put them in pairs? Group them by five?

• Can you think of a patter you can create with your colourful collection? Ex. Yellow, blue, red, yellow, blue…
What comes next?
My son chose to create a rainbow.