Little Lancers Journal March 2020
The Kids are Home... Now What?
Making the most of school closure
The days are long when school is canceled and I wanted to put together some resources for you to help the days pass with more options for activities. These include using household items for projects, internet/apps, online story options, recipes, fine and gross motor activities. Please do not feel that you have to complete any of these activities but just suggestions.
Be safe and best wishes to you and your family:)
Ann Marie
*The activities listed below are only suggestions and are not required/mandatory. There are a wide range of activities listed and all of the activities may not be developmentally appropriate for your child depending on his/her age.
How to Talk to your kids about Coronavirus
Facts about Coronavirus
SCHOLASTIC ALL ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
Student-friendly collection of information about Coronavirus (for different age groups):
Articles, posters, videos, experiments, etc.
HOW TO KEEP OURSELVES HEALTHY
- Wash your own hands frequently with soap and water and make sure your children wash hands whenever they come in from outside the home (see the link above for proper handwashing technique)
- Help your children practice not touching their faces (people touch their faces approximately 23 times an hour; keeping our hands away from our faces is crucial for staying healthy)
- Teach your children to cough and sneeze into the crooks of their elbows.
- Parents: avoid eating from from your children's plates and avoid sharing water bottles
- Avoid being near sick people
- Disinfect surfaces and devices in your home; dispose of all tissues.
Something Fun for Teachers, Parents, and Kids
Metropolitan Opera Live streaming https://www.vulture.com/2020/03/coronavirus-the-metropolitan-opera-to-stream-free-operas.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=s1&utm_campaign=vulture
Seattle Symphony Live Streaming - https://seattlesymphony.org/live
Virtual Museum Tours (for kids and adults) - https://www.wthr.com/article/world-famous-museums-open-virtual-tours-help-keep-kids-entertained
Free Activities for Kids
https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/135609/list-of-education-companies-offering-free-subscriptions/
PBS Daily Newsletter
Activities to Use with Household Items
Read with your child
Flashlight reading
Alphabet Safari (look around the house for letters)
Use household items to practice counting, patterns, sorting, etc. (e.g., Legos, colored cereal, M & M’s, beads, socks, other toys, etc.)
Nesting Bowls, cups, spoons
Go outside! (Chalk, bubbles, play tag, duck duck goose, hide and seek, etc.)
Letter or Shape Hunt (inside or outside: what letters / shapes can you find?)
Board Games, card games, or memory
Dice games (e.g., roll 2 & compare numbers, roll 2 & add/count total, etc.)
Bake! (Talk to your child about measuring, numbers, weight, sizes, etc.)
Internet Activities/Apps
Monkey Preschool Math
My Playhome (Virtual Dollhouse)
Alpha Tots (letters)
Doodle Cast (drawing)
Monkey Math School Sunshine
Wet, Dry, Try (letter writing practice)
Go Noodle Website for movement breaks
Online Games:
Online Story Options
Snuggle up with some hot chocolate and a good book! If you have limited access to books at home, click on the links below for some online story resources.:
http://www.storylineonline.net/
http://www.justbooksreadaloud.com/index.php
Click on the Tumblebooks icon on the right side of the screen
www.getepic.comPlaydough Recipe
PlayDough Recipe
2 cups flour
2 cups warm water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
food coloring (liquid, powder, or unsweetened drink mix)
scented oils
Mix all of the ingredients together, and stir over low heat. The dough will begin to thicken until it resembles mashed potatoes.
When the dough pulls away from the sides and clumps in the center, as shown below, remove the pan from heat and allow the dough to cool enough to handle.
Moon Sand Recipe
Moon Sand
8 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup baby oil
Mix together!
Fine Motor Activities
Spray bottles : clean chalkboard, water plants, squirt ping pong ball off golf tees, spray colored water into snow, melt ice cubes with spray bottles in sensory table (you can freeze small plastic items such as bugs in ice cubes to make it more fun!)
Rip Paper: tear construction or newspaper into strips for paper mache projects, or small piece for mosaic or art project
Pinching tissue paper: small square of tissue paper can be pinched and glued onto picture to make 3-D artwork.
Crumble paper into balls: using whole hand, make “snowball”, or crumple into ball to throw at a target or in trash can (start with 2 hands for crumpling , progress to using only 1 hand at a time to crumple)
Tweezers / Tongs: pick up and sort small items such as mini erasers or pom poms into ice trays
Clothespins: use to pick up and transfer small objects such as pompoms or cotton balls; hang up items such as artwork or mittens along a clothesline weight string
Coins/Buttons: practice flipping coins or buttons over (without moving to edge of table); feed coins, poker chips or buttons into banks or slots
Resistives: theraputty, clay, playdoh: Hide small items such as beads and retrieve; roll into small balls (using fingertips ideally) then squish the “grapes” using thumb and index finger; encourage pinching, rolling, squeezing and pulling apart
Gross Motor Activities
Wheelbarrow Walking
Hold child’s feet and have him/her walk on hands
Back should be straight not sagging and elbows should not be bent
More support can be provided by holding hips or knees
Bridging
Child lies on back with knees bent and feet flat on floor
Child lifts bottom from floor keeping tummy tight and flat
Slowly lower bottom to floor and repeat
Make a game of it by driving toy cars, rolling balls, or moving stuffed animals under the “bridge”
Magic Bicycle
Child lies on back, lifts both legs and moves legs in a bicycle motion as they “ride” their “magic” bicycle to whatever destination they choose
Have them ride slowly i.e. going down a hill, quickly to “pedal” up a hill, put on the brakes unexpectedly etc.
Wall Push-Ups
Have child stand approximately 5 inches from the wall
Place hands on wall so body is at an angle
Have child “push” the wall to make the room “bigger”
More Gross Motor Activities
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Have child hold a hoola hoop on one side while you hold the other side
Alternate rowing by leaning forward and back
Have the child work to pull him/herself back to a sitting position once reclined
For added challenge move the hoop unexpectedly side to side
This activity can be done in sitting, standing, high or half kneeling
Superman
Child lies on stomach and lifts arms, legs and head from floor with back arched
Sing a favorite song, count etc. to encourage child to hold this position
If child is unable to lift arms and legs together first practice just arms, just legs and progress to both as tolerated
Step-ups
Place a puzzle board on one side of a step stool and pieces on the other side
Child retrieves one piece, steps up and down to place in the board, repeat until puzzle is complete
Look for hip, knee and foot to be aligned as ascending and descending, provide support as needed.
Obstacle courses
Simon Says
Follow the Leader
Scholastic Learn at Home Program
Offers day-by-day projects for students via free open-access digital hub
Website: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
For more information about the program, visit: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/scholastic-creates-free-open-access-digital-hub-help-keep-students-learning-while-scho?fbclid=IwAR3vpKVQwGUhlkTlT_CvCNo03kXW_XrX5ypcxpH6o-358YSr_CZ9mY7tx1kWatch WBU Owl Cam - Live Streaming Now!
Watch a mama barred owl incubating three eggs. Should hatch in April.
Watch WBU Owl Cam - Live Streaming Now!
A mama Barred Owl has set up residence in our owl nest box again this year and you can see inside with our WBU Owl Cam. Jim Carpenter, President and CEO of Wild Birds Unlimited, has hosted a camera-equipped owl box in his backyard for many years and it's time to check in on this year's residents.
Mama moved into the box in early March. If all goes well, we can expect the owlets to start hatching in mid-April. They'll leave the nest four to five weeks after hatching.
Watch the live streaming video from two cameras at the nest box site 24 hours a day! One camera is placed inside the nest box and one is outside so you can see the owls coming and going. Be sure to stop by often to check in on the owl family.
Organizing a Day - Create a Daily Schedule
A Parent’s Guide
Resources were shared through groups online and by the following:
Something Fun For Parents, Teachers, and Kids: Shared by Rebecca Zieminski, Wellesley
A Parent’s Guide and How to Talk to Your Kids about Coronavirus: Shared by Rebecca Zieminski, Wellesley and Resource provided by Elizabeth Billings-Fouhy, Lexington Public Schools
Picture schedules: Resources contributed by preschool teacher Elisa Buchsbaum - she found these images posted on Facebook, but did not have an author.
Activities for Time Off: Resources Provided by Deborah Clark, Burlington Public Schools
Scholastic Learn at Home Program: Shared by Katya Ganson, M.A., CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist, Wellesley Public Schools
Information regarding OWL live streaming: Shared by: Dr. Terry Weksel, School Psychologist, Preschool At Wellesley Schools