Month: April 2020

DIY activities

Easter Activities

Nicole Hili

Here are some easter activities which you can do:

Making Easter Eggs

To make the coloured pasta, simply add pasta and paint to a ziplock bag, shake and let them dry. Then cut out a shape of an egg on a cardboard paper and let the children express their creativity.

Easter Egg Tracing

Help your child improve his pre-writing skills by printing these easter eggs. Encourage the child to hold the pencil or crayon properly and trace over the lines. Click here to download the free printables.

Easter Egg letter salt tray

Print lowercase letter flashcards on a shape of an egg (you can also make them youself) and then make a salt tray (using a flat surface container and salt). Encourage the child to say the letter and then write it in the sand tray.

Toilet Paper Rabbits

Make the template of the bunny using 3 rolls and gluing them on a plate like the picture above. Then use some white pate and paste it on a coloured paper.

DIY activities, Educational Games

Pre-writing activities

Nicole Hili

Here are some fun activities which help develop the pincer grasp, hand-eye co-ordination and fine-motor skills while also having some fun.

Play-dough and drinking straws

write different letters on play-dough and encourage the child to trace the letter with cut-up straws. (Make sure that the letter is large enough to still be recognisable when traved with the straws).

Blocks

Children can’t get enough of blocks. Improve their literacy skills by encouraging them to build letters using blocks. Click here to get free printable letter cards.

DIY Salt Tray

  • Get an empty tray.
  • Tape different coloured sheets on the bottom of the tray.
  • Add salt to the tray. (Optional: add food colouring to the salt).
  • Make flashcards containing numbers or letters.
  • Encourage the child to write the letter/number in the salt tray, either using their fingers/unsharpened pencil in order to practice writing.

General Information, Story-telling

Our Life In Quarantine

Nicole Hili

I have been missing the children very dearly and have been wondering what you have all been up to. Therefore, I thought that we could create a book where we all share some pictures that show some of the work we have done during our time in quarantine.

How to log in to website. Click here to go to the Book Creator Website.

Next steps:

  1. Click sign in.
  2. Click on Student sign in.
  3. Sign in with a Google/Office 365 account.
  4. Once you do so, a pop up will show up asking you for a code.
  5. Input this code: 6PXPYFR
  6. Click on: + New Book to create your own page.
Step 2-3 – Sudent sign in and sign in with a google/office 365 account

Step 4-5: input code: 6PXPYFR
Step 6: Click on + New Book

After doing so, you can input your pictures and even add a short sentence explaining what is happening. I am looking forward to seeing what you have come up with. After I have recieved all of your pages, I will combine them all into one book and post it on this blog.

General Information

Movement Games

Nicole Hili

During such times, it is important to stay active. Here are some fun activities to do while quarantined:

  1. Do kids yoga. Here is a great Kids Yoga Youtube Channel, Cosmic Kids Yoga.
  2. Play a game of hide and seek.
  3. Play a game of the floor is lava. Start at one side of the house and get to the other without touching the floor. Use any material; from rugs to pillows to chairs. Whatever you do, DO NOT touch the floor!
  4. You can have a dance party! Put on some fun music and dance away.
DIY activities

Dyed rice for sensory play!

Nicole Hili

Ingredients

  • water
  • vinegar
  • rice
  • food colouring

Instructions

  • Measure 1 cup or rice for every 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
  • Put the rice and vinegar in a plastic bag and add food colouring.
  • Shake well and lay on baking paper to dry.

Lots of learning opportunities emerge from sensory play like this. During rice play, the children develop their fine-motor skills, pincer grasp and hand-eye co-ordination, which are all valuable pre-writing skills.

This type of play also allows for the children to express their creativity and imagination. Along with the dyed rice, you can also let the child add different toys or resources in order to act out a scene of create a theme.

DIY activities

Playdough Recipe

Nicole Hili

Method

  • Mix food colouring with your water first.
  • Add the vegetable oil and water with food colouring to a large pot.
  • Add the dry ingredients to your pot and mix well.
  • Cook over low to medium heat until the dough starts to form and becomes dry.
  • Once it starts to form a ball, turn off the heat.
  • Once cool, knead for 5 minutes.
  • Have fun playing with the play dough!