Connected Mom: sunday school

Showing posts with label sunday school. Show all posts

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Sunday School: Pure Play

Toddler

Playing with Light

If you haven't checked out Play at Home Mom, I highly recommend it. These moms share all sorts of fun activities to expose your kids to new sensory experiences. One tool they often use is a light box or light panel. The simplest DIY version simply consists of a string of white Christmas lights inside a clear storage bin. You can see that light box, along instructions for a more complex version, at their website. Kids can use a light box with all sorts of small items; transparent or translucent items work really well. You might set out transparent building blocks, colored films, or jars of colored water. Now, you might ask "Isn't this activity parent-directed?" Not really. The moms lay out the activities in a way that attracts the childrens' attention--they call it an "invitation"--then they allow the kids room to experiment.

Preschooler

Busy Bags

Busy bags contain small, self-contained activities to occupy toddlers. Some activities may be more structured, such as tracing letters or matching colors. There's nothing wrong with that, but since this post focuses on child-directed play, I'll share a few of the more open-ended ideas:

About 20 twist ties in a small bottle: Kids can twist them, straighten them, build sculptures, or drop them one-by-one into the bottle.
Face feature magnets: Clip pictures of various facial expressions from magazines or from the Internet, stick them to magnetic sheets, and cut out. Store them in a small tin. Kids canuse them to make all sorts of silly faces.
Velcro shape sticks: Attach small pieces of velcro to the ends of several craft (popsicle) sticks. The original idea has you color code the sticks to form specific shapes. For a more freeform version, Iwould skip that part and let kids build whatever they can imagine.
Play dough and small cookie cutters.
Colored pasta or beads and string or pipe cleaners to string it on.

These are nice because you can throw them into your purse or diaper bag and pull them out at times when your toddler must sit and wait (at a restaurant, for example). The activities allow your toddler's mind to wander and play, even when his body cannot. If you really want to encourage free play, take two or three activities along and let your child choose one.

School-Age

Create Your Own Fantasy Land

With a few items from around the house, your child can create an imaginative setting for pretend play. Legos, boxes, or blocks become buildings. Use other household items to complete the landscape. A shallow bowl could make a lake or an oatmeal can a cave. Your child can act out any number of scenarios in his fantasy land using toy cars, animals, people. (This is one of many great ideas from Kathy Eugster. See the rest at her website.)

Older Child (10+)

Playing with Technology

Media seems to have an undeserved bad reputation when it comes to free play. But not all screen time is created equal. In fact, technology opens up all sorts of new creative avenues for kids to explore. Both Carnegie Mellon and MIT have developed simple programming languages (Alice and Scratch, respectively) especially for young people. Kids and teens can create their own interactive stories, simple computer games, and more. Programming not your child's thing? Maybe she'd like to produce a video. Set her loose with a cheap video camera, then allow her to edit the footage on the computer. Both Windows and Mac operating systems come standard with a video editor.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Sunday School: Tumbling Into Fall!

Welcome to the Connected Mom Sunday School. No matter what the course of your child's education, be it unschooling, homeschooling, or conventional schooling, The Connected Mom Sunday School aims to provide you with fun and easy activities for children of all ages and stages. (Have an idea for a Connected Mom Sunday School activity or theme? Either comment below or send your idea to connectedmom (dot) julian (at) gmail (dot) com.)

This week marks the beginning of Autumn! This time of year brings not only a refreshing break from the summer heat, but also fun opportunities for learning. Grab a jacket and try some of these activities that are taylor made for fall.

Toddler
Johnny Appleseed's Birthday

If you're eating seasonally, fall is the season for apples! September 26 also marks the birthday of legendary apple tree planter, John Chapman, or Johnny Appleseed. Read books about Johnny Appleseed, such as the picture book by Reeve Lindbergh. If there is one nearby, take a walk through an apple orchard and simply experience all it has to offer the senses. Listen to the leaves as they crunch beneath your feet. Smell the ripe apples. Taste the sweetness of a sip of fresh cider. Some orchards may even allow you to pick your own apples. If apples don't grow in your area, visit a farm or orchard that grows a popular local crop instead. What a great way to bring your child in touch with where our food comes from!

Preschooler
Pumpkin Investigation

Another popular fall crop, pumpkins offer more than just pie or jack-o-lanterns! Your little scientist will have fun observing them in many different ways. Teaching Tiny Tots shares several ideas for sizing up your pumpkin. Measure the weight and height of your pumpkin. Count the number of vertical lines around its outside. Drop it in a large bucket of water, and see if it sinks or floats. Then, using a pumpkin carving knife (kits are usually sold in the fall and are not sharp), cut open the pumpkin. Rinse and count the seeds, using tally marks to keep track. Use the tally marks to practice counting by 5s or 10s. If you like, you can even record your findings on their printable Pumpkin Investigation sheet. Now use your pumpkin however you like. If it's close to Halloween, make a jack-o-lantern. If not, cook your favorite pumpkin recipe or roast the seeds for a snack.

School-Aged Child
Changing Leaves

We all admire the colors of autumn leaves. This article from Science Made Simple, does a great job of explaining why the leaves change. Plants use chlorophyll, which gives them their green color, to make food. In the fall, the leaves stop making food, and the green chlorophyll disappears. Then we can see the bright yellows and oranges. Did you know that these colors are in the leaves all year long, but that the green covers them up? Reds and purples are made only in the fall and when the leaves are exposed to light. One way to see this in action is to find a tree that will turn red in the fall: perhaps a maple, flowering dogwood or a sweet gum tree. Before the leaves turn color, cover parts of several leaves with foil or heavy paper and tape (leave them on the tree). Once the leaves have turned, compare the areas that were covered to those left exposed. Where the leaves were covered, you should see only the yellows and oranges that were in the leaves all summer. Reds and purples will show only where the leaves were exposed to light. See the "Older Child (10+)" section for a more in-depth experiment about the colors in leaves.

Older Child (10+)
Hidden Colors in Leaves

From Science Made Simple comes another fun experiment with leaves. In the "School-Aged Child" section, we learned that some colors are in the leaves year-round, even when we can't see them. This experiment allows us to see the hidden colors. Collect 2-3 large leaves from a few different trees. Tear up the leaves and add each type of leaf to an empty glass jar. Pour enough rubbing alcohol into each jar to cover the torn-up leaves, and grind them into the alcohol a bit which a spoon or plastic knife. Cover the jars loosely with lids, foil, or plastic wrap. Set them in a shallow pan in which you have poured one inch of hot tap water. Keep the jars in the water bath until the alcohol has become colored (the darker the better). If the water cools off, replace it with more hot water. Flatten a coffee filter and cut it into long strips, one for each jar. Label each strip with the type of leaf in its jar. Remove the jars from the water bath. Place one end of each strip into its jar. Bend the other end over the rim of the jar and secure it with tape. Within 30-90 minutes, you should begin to see the different colors in the leaf travel to different lengths up the strip. You should be able to see different shades of green, and possibly yellow, orange, or red. Try the same experiment with a fall leaf and compare your results.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Sunday School: Gently Encouraging Good Manners

Toddlers may not have the impulse control to behave like perfect ladies and gentlemen, but it's never too early to teach the important lesson of gratitude. Helping your child make thank you cards is one fun way to teach it. Fisher Price Print & Color Cards offers several different free printable thank you card designs. Just choose a card you like and print it on your own paper. Then give your child some crayons and let her go to town. You might also like to write a message, telling the recipient how your child appreciates their kindness. Your child might not make the connection yet, but making a card draws her attention to the recipient's act of kindness and helps form the habit of sending thank you notes. The site also offers get well cards, perfect for encouraging empathy and compassion.

Preschooler

Reading Emotions

A big part of good manners is paying attention to others' feelings. ChildFun shares a fun idea for helping children read different facial expressions. From magazines, cut pictures that show children and adults displaying a variety of emotions. Glue each picture to a firm backing, such as card stock of poster board and cut it out. Show your child the pictures, one at a time, and ask him how he thinks the person feels. Ask him what he sees in the person's face that led him to that answer. If he is having trouble answering, point out certain facial traits, such as raised eyebrows or a frowning mouth. Older children may also like to make up background stories for why the person feels this way. For example, maybe the little girl is smiling because her brother shared a toy with her.

School-Aged Child

Role Playing

Think of a variety of situations in which good manners are necessary. Some possibilities include: sharing art supplies, standing in line, waiting one's turn to speak, etc. Play out the situation with your child. If possible, involve a sibling or friend in the role play. One example, also taken from ChildFun is the following scenario:

Two children are sitting at a table coloring. One child needs a crayon that is out of his/her reach. It is within the reach of the other child. What should the first child say to the other child nearest the crayons?

See their site for more scenarios. Of course, the best scenarios are those taken from your child's own experience! It's also fun to be silly and use bad manners, then ask your child what you should have done differently.

Older Child (10+)

Formal Night

Perhaps the best way to learn table manners is to practice. Starting out in the comfort of your home helps eliminate uncomfortable situations in a public place. Laura Agadoni of Modern Mom suggests hosting a regular formal night. At dinner time, have everyone in the family dress up. Set the table formally and serve a special meal. As you enjoy your meal, model to your child basic table manners, such as how to hold a fork and where to place your napkin. Rather than criticizing your child's mistakes, point out when you are using manners and describe what you are doing. For example, say: When I sit down to eat, I put my napkin in my lap. Once he has a good grasp on manners, your child could even practice being a gracious host by planning and hosting a dinner party for his friends.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Sunday School: Beating the Heat

Preschoolers will enjoy creating a cool piece of artwork while learning about the different stages of water. Kate of minieco.co.uk shares this beautifully simple activity. Freeze a tray of ice cubes, each colored by a few drops of food coloring. (If you are concerned about artificial dyes, India Tree makes natural food colors. Or you can make your own.) Once the cubes have frozen, pop them out of the trays and get creative! This activity is a great way to expose kids to how colors mix to make other colors. What happens when they paint with a red ice cube over a yellow spot?

Kate recommends laying out lots of paper, since this activity can get messy. Also, you can prevent stains on little hands by rubbing on a little moisturizer beforehand. For very young kids, who may to eat the ice, try plain ice cubes on dark paper. They will still get the sensation of the ice and the dark paper will show wet spots easily.

School-Aged Child

Ice Cream in a Bag

The Living Healthy Mom shares a fun ice cream recipe that is sure to keep you cool. This activity will help your kids practice measuring. It's also a great way to avoid artificial colors and flavors you may find at the local ice cream shop. If you have ever seen Superman ice cream ... ahem … on its way out, you know what I mean.

Add 1 cup milk, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 tsp. vanilla to a small zipper storage bag and seal it.
Place ice and rock salt in a larger zipper bag.
Put the smaller bag inside the larger zipper bag with the ice and rock salt. Seal the bag.
Shake the two bags until the ice cream freezes to your desired consistency. This should take about 15 minutes. If your child finds the bag too cold to hold, insulate it with a hand towel.

You can adjust the ice cream recipe however you like to suit your child's preferences or food sensitivities. The original author recommends coconut sugar and, coconut milk or almond milk. This one from the Youth Nutrition Education Program also looks promising.

**Bonus: With older kids, discuss why the salt helps the ice cream to freeze. Hint: The salt lowers the freezing point of the ice.

Older Child (10+)

Build a Solar Oven

Too hot to cook inside? Hot, sunny days are a perfect opportunity to cook outside and learn about solar energy. Going-Green-Challenge.com provides detailed plans for building a solar oven. The project uses a pizza box, shoe box, or shipping box; aluminum foil; black construction paper; a skewer or dowel; and plastic wrap. You will also need some basic household tools. The original instructions are quite involved, and I wouldn't do them justice to summarize, but you can find everything you need to know here: http://www.going-green-challenge.com/solar-oven-for-kids.html. Going-Green-Challenge lists five solar cooker recipes to try, including mini pizzas and s'mores. What other delicious dishes could you cook by sunlight?

**Note: This project requires the use of a box cutter, and will need the help of an adult.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sunday School: Kids in the Kitchen

Toddler

As with most subjects, toddlers do not need a structured activity. They do best when simply allowed to explore, and the kitchen is full of sensory experiences! Let them cut soft fruits or cooked vegetables with a butter knife or children's knife. They also love stirring bowls and sprinkling cheese. Claire Battersby of Clever Toddler Activities recommends playing a "your turn, my turn game" while cooking to teach the concept of social give and take.

Preschooler

Sensational Sorter

Use a muffin tin to teach sorting and counting. Set your child up with a 6-cup muffin tin. Have her sort a pile of small items (pennies, buttons, nuts, etc.) into the cups (original author Jean Warren recommends 4-6 of each item). You can also teach counting by lining the cups with paper liners. On each cup, write a number from 1 through 6. Have your child place the corresponding number of items into each cup.

**Bonus idea** To involve more senses, blindfold your child and have her sort different small food items by taste or smell.

School-Aged Child

Sequence Sandwich
This activity will help your child learn critical thinking and the steps in a process (sequencing). Give your child a pencil and paper and have her write down, in order, the instructions for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Have her write them for someone who has never made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before. Remind her not to leave out one step! Then try to make the sandwich following your child's directions to the letter (or have another child try it). Do not do anything that she has not specifically written down. Things can get silly at this point. Did she forget to have you open the peanut butter jar? Act confused. Did she tell you to use a knife to spread the peanut butter? If not, use your fingers. Then, have her change your directions so they are complete.

Older Child (10+)

Family Cookbook

If they have been helping in the kitchen for several years, children will likely have a collection of favorite recipes. Help your child look up his favorite recipes and record them in his own family cookbook. Give him a blank scrapbook, magazines for clipping pictures, glue, scissors, and any other supplies he might need to personalize his cookbook. If you like, you can also re-use an old book and design the family cookbook as an altered book. This is a great way to talk about family traditions. Discuss your family's culture and how the recipes were passed down. Or, take a global perspective and explore recipes and cultures from all around the world.

Kitchen clipart Copyright Lila* Star, The Spiritual Woman Ltd.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Sunday School: Grocery Shopping

Welcome to the Connected Mom Sunday School. No matter what the coarse of your child's education, be it unschooling, homeschooling, or conventional schooling, The Connected Mom Sunday School aims to provide you with fun and easy activities for children of all ages and stages. (Have an idea for a Connected Mom Sunday School activity or theme? Either comment below or send your idea to connectedmom (dot) julian (at) gmail (dot) com.)

This week's theme is food! All of our activities this week center around a trip to the grocery store or farmer's market. They are meant to not only keep your child engaged and occupied during your shopping trip, but to encourage healthy habits from trying new things to list making and meal plannning, to being aware of where our food comes from and making sustainable food choices.

Toddler:

For toddlers it's best to keep games short and simple to hold their attention and reduce frustration. A game of 'what's that?' Is perfect for this.

As you walk through your produce section or farmer's market hold out items for your toddler to see, touch, smell (hold off on tasting until you've decided to purchase it, or if you're not sure about pesticide use) and ask 'what's this?'

For a perverbal or beginner start with easy foods that they have eaten before and will recognise. Then answer you're own question 'it's a banana!'. They will love hearing new and old words matched so clearly with objects they recognise. Keep in mind that if you sign with your child, this would be a fun time to introduce a few new ones!

Older toddlers love to show off their knowledge and will happily play along by answering your question! But be sure to keep introducing less common or recognisible foods to keep the game interesting. Have your toddler stretch his exploration muscles and ask YOU 'what's this'. Perhaps he'll show interest in foods you never thought he'd like you to cook!

Giving your child knowledge of the great variety of healthy foods out there is a gift, it may seem like a silly game now, but this knowledge combined with your child's natural curiosity and sense of adventure will open up a whole world of good health and fun.

Preschool:

To ensure that your child is not only eating enough fruits and vegetables every day, but also getting a wide variety of nutrients, it helps to think of your daily diet as a rainbow. There are 6 colours in the food rainbow: Yellow, orange, red, green, blue and purple, all of which carry different antioxidants, vitamines and minerals.

Using an old cereal or tissue box (It's good to reuse and recycle!) cut a circle of cardboard. With a ruler and pencil, draw a line across the center of your circle dividing it into two sections. Turn it 90 degrees and draw another line to make four sections, then once more to make 6! kind of like how you would cut a pie.

Have your crafty preschooler colour in each section, one for every colour of the food rainbow!

Next you will have to choose a spinner. Feel free to 'upcycle' one from an old board game like Twister, but any craft store will carry them, or you could fashion one from a small crayon or pencil tied to a string. Fasten your spinner of choice to the center of your circle so that when you spin the point falls on one of the 6 colours.

Now take it for a spin! In the produce section of your super market, or at your local farmer's market, have your child spin the pointer, if it lands on green have him choose a food that is green, if it lands of red have him choose a food that is red... take turns spinning! Not only will your cart fill up with all the colours of the rainbow, but this excersise may help a fussy eater open up to trying new foods.

(If you'd like more information on making sure your child is eating a rainbow every day, check out Connected Mom Kayce's review of the Today I Ate A Rainbow Kit!)

School-aged Child:

The children I know around the ages of 5-10 love to help, but they love even more to be 'the boss'. Start at home by having your child write down (or draw, depending on writing level) the items from your shopping list in her own list book or paper. Don`t dictate your list to her, but rather have her create it by asking questions. `What would you like to eat this week?``what do we need to make that?`. She may not know everything that goes into her favourite meal, but you`d be surprised what her palet picks up. Leading her through this will make meal planning and mindful shopping second nature to her, skills that are vital to a healthy diet!

When you get to the store have your child read off the items on her list one by one, and check them off. For older children you can add to the fun by having them read price stickers, or weigh your produce. This will not only stretch their reading and math muscles, but continue to build good shopping habits.

(Remember to keep your own master list just in case, but if your child is sensitive you may want to keep your back up list on the sly)

Older Child 10+:

Print out a list of foods available in your imediate area (within about 100 miles) and a simple map of the world and have your child mark off the countries your food comes from as you shop. Many grocery stores have this information printed right on the price sign under the name of the product.

If you're shopping at the farmer's market where everything is local that's awesome! Have your child write down everything that's available locally and then take them on a comparison shop to the supermarket. You know best how your child learns, if you think they would benefit from creating a graph or chart to compare their findings then chart away! Some children may prefer just looking at the map they made, or organising their findings in their own creative way.

Notice how many foods available locally are still imported from far away places? Or maybe you notice a lack of diversity in your local agriculture? Why do you think that is? This is a great way to start a conversation with your child about making sustainable food choices. Just remember that these conversations are not meant to be lectures, make sure to listen to what conclusions your child draws on his or her own. You may be surprised what kind of revolutionary ideas are born from a kid`s point of view!

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Sunday School: A Walk in the Woods

Before you go on your hike, learn about the different types of tracks that animals make. Check out books from your local library, or look at websites like Beartracker's Animal Tracks Guide. When you go, take along a printout of different animal tracks for comparison. Have your child keep her eyes on the ground as you walk, looking for tracks. If you are having trouble finding tracks, you try looking for droppings--tracks will not be far behind! Compare the tracks to your reference sheet. You may also want to take a notepad and pencil to draw pictures of any tracks you cannot identify so you can research them at home. We found that this activity works especially well right after a rain, when the ground is slightly muddy.

**Bonus activity: While your child is looking for tracks, she may also find trash. Take a small bag and encourage her to pick up any litter she finds along the trail.**

School-aged child:

Greetings on The Trail

Practice handwriting and show concern for the environment at the same time! Some people leave messages by carving into rocks or trees, but that permanently damages the natural setting. Instead, have your child scratch a greeting into the soil with a stick. He could warn other hikers of perils ahead (e.g. "slippery rock"), or just leave a friendly hello. If the soil is too hard, moisten it with some fresh, clean water. This activity could also lead into a history lesson about how early people wrote by pressing objects into clay (cuneiform) or carving into stone.

Older child (10+):

Environmental Art

According to greenmuseum.org, environmental art is "art that helps improve our relationship with the natural world." Many environmental artists use natural elements such as sticks, stones, leaves and soil to create art like the Andy Goldworthy work pictured at the right. Once completed, these "ephemeral" works are left in nature to transform along with the environment.

Your child can learn more about this art movement by making her own work of environmental art. For inspiration, study the works of environmental artists. If you can obtain a copy, watch Andy Goldsworthy's Rivers and Tides, a film that follows the artist at work. Nils Udo and the Red Earth group create similar art. Take a sketchbook, pencil, and camera along on your hike. Allow your child to take in the setting and find elements that she would like to use. Give her time to sketch a design and lay it out. Once the design is complete, take a photo (or several) to preserve it. Leave the work to disappear back into the environment.

To find trails in your area, see these websites for trails in the US or worldwide. Have fun learning on the trail!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Sunday School: Resources for toddlers and preschoolers HALLOWEEN edition

Halloween is my favorite holiday. I love to dress up. I love pumpkins. I love the weather! So here's some fun things to do and read with your little one this week!

Sunday School: Resources for toddlers and preschoolers LEAVES edition

If you have a little one under five at home, Sunday School is your ultimate resource for activities, projects, and resources from our pre-homeschooling home to yours! Whether you plan to homeschool/unschool or not, here's some ideas for the week. Check back next Sunday for more fun ideas and information!

Time to hit the library and grab some books, because is there a better way to spend an autumn day with the kids?

This week is all about trees! The leaves are changing and there are dozens of fun activities right outside your door.

Recommended Reading

The Giving Tree [GIVING TREE] [Hardcover]

Sunday School: Resources for toddlers and preschoolers

Projects

Make an Art Gallery - This easy-to-make art gallery costs less than $5 to make and only takes 10-15of time, but your little one will be proud to display their masterpieces.

Supplies:
1 piece of stiff felt
1 piece of regular, contrasting felt
5+ clothesline pins
Glue gun

Cut your piece of stiff felt into two or three length-wise pieces and glue them together. Lay out your clothespins equal distances apart and glue on. Cut out "My Art" or "Works of Art" or "Art Gallery" and glue to the stiffened felt. That's it! Hang it low enough that your child can easily hang their new drawings each day.

Activities

Making Faces - Using a mirror talk with your child about emotions like anger, sadness, excitement, etc. Make an angry face, a scared face, and so on and examine what you look like in the mirror. This activity will help to build your child's sense of empathy.

Face puppets - Cut out facial features from magazines and help your child choose the pieces to make a face. Discuss proper facial symmetry and the what each feature does (we need two eyes to see the world, we need a nose to smell). Glue the pieces on a paper sack and create puppets for afternoon play.

Make a body buddy - Lay out a long piece of paper and have your child lay down on it. You can get rolls of paper at your local teacher supply store. Trace the outline of their body and cut it out. Let them color or paint their body buddy.

Website of the Week:

This fun website is full of great educational activities created by a former first grade teacher.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Sunday School: Resources for toddlers and preschoolers

Projects

Apple Sensory Match-up from I Can Teach My Child is a perfect fall activity.

Lots of great cardboard toilet paper roll craft ideas over at No Time for Flashcards.

Activities

Grocery Store Safari - clip pictures from your local grocery ad, paste them on posterboard or recycled cardboard and go on a grocery safari. Great activity to keep little ones busy during shopping trips, or theme the activity for a specific lesson on a color or letter.

Opposite Day - Practice opposites with preschoolers by playing a game of opposites. Take turns giving directions to each other, but do the opposite! If your child tells you to stand up, sit down. If you say to cry, pretend to laugh instead!

Hot and cold - Help teach kids temperature by playing hot and cold. Pay extra attention to using terms like cool and warm while displaying correct pantomimes (shivering, wiping off sweat, etc).

Resources

If you haven't read my post in response to the bullying suicides this month, please do.

Website of the Week

Schultz Party of Four - A small, personal blog that rounds up awesome tutorials, features beautiful photography, and where you can always pick up an idea of something to do with your littles. I linked to their school posts above, but if you want to take advantage of the amazing tutorials Katie rounds up, click here.