Activity : Experiment with Water

Fill three jars with water and mark the level on each jar. Place one jar in the freezer and one in a window. Put a lid on the third jar and put it beside the jar in the window. Have the children check
the jars frequently. Talk about expansion of water, evaporation, and air.

Activity : Go Bird Watching

Make a bird feeder out of a paper milk or juice carton. Cut out two opposite side panels and fold down to make a ledge for the birds to rest on. Let the children decorate the carton. Put a string through the top to hang. The bird feeder can be hung from a tree or clothesline near a window.
Let the children add the seed when necessary.

Activity : Fun Play Dough

What you need:

• 2 Parts flour


• 1 Part flour


• Food Color


• 1 Part Salt


• 1 Part Water

What you do:
Mix and knead until it is doughy and the color is mixed in well. Store in a covered container.

Activity : Feel Box

Find an old shoe box. Cut a hole in the lid. You can ask the children to decorate the box. Put some things in the box. Let each child put one hand in the hole and try to guess what is in the box by feeling the objects.

Activity : Egg and Milk Cartons As Toys

Cut egg cartons into individual cups and make them look like flowers. Use a pipe cleaner as a
stem. The children can also make puppets out of egg cartons and pipe cleaners. Milk cartons can be transformed into great building blocks or a train. To make the blocks, simply cut the top off two cartons and push them together. The blocks can be covered with contact
paper.

To make a train, cut the top off of the carton and cover with contact paper. For wheels, glue four egg carton cups on the bottom of each “car” of the train. The cars can be connected
with string or yarn.

Activity : Ideas with Paper

Children can make a collage or book by cutting pictures out of old magazines and gluing them on a piece of paper or cut out colorful magazine strips and wrap around a tooth pick. Pull the toothpick out, glue strip, let dry, and thread between beads.

Activity : Household Items Can Be Fun !

Egg cartons, milk cartons, empty thread spools, flour, salt, water, and food coloring can be used to make fun, safe educational toys and materials for the children.

Activity : Counting the Dishes

Have the children help set the table for meals or snack and ask them to count how many napkins, forks, dishes, and spoons will be needed.

Activity : Obstacle Course

An obstacle course can be set up either in or out of doors. Chairs, old tires, stools, and logs are just a few things that can be used. Make and show the children the pattern of the course so that they know what they have to crawl over, under, or through.

Activity : Learning Important Information

Help a child learn his telephone number and address while playing. Tape the house number on
a play house or the bedroom door. The telephone number can be taped to a play telephone. Ask the child his telephone number and address frequently.

Activity : Let's Jump !

Have the children stand with their toes at a starting line. When you give a signal, have the children jump five times forward. The distance each child jumped can be measured with chalk or string. Let the children jump again to see if they can improve their distance.

Activity : Colored Sand Art

Take dry sand from the sand box and put a handful into several small containers. Add some food coloring into each container and mix together until the sand is colored. Give the children some
paper and glue. Have them make patterns with the glue to make a design. When they are finished, let them sprinkle the glue with the colored sand.

Activity : Make A Necklace

Empty thread spools that are painted different colors can make a safe necklace for younger children. They can even help you make the necklace.

Take the spools and string them together with a soft string or shoe lace. The younger children will enjoy helping you do this.

Activity : Make A Musical Instrument

A musical instrument can easily be made with two
small paper plates and beans. Place the beans on one plate. Cover with the other plate. Tape, glue, or staple the plates together. Encourage the child to playthe instrument to music.
(Due to choking hazards, this activity is not intended for children under three years of age.)

Activity : Have A Telephone Conversation

A homemade telephone can help younger children build their vocabulary skills and also be a lot of fun. The phone can be made of styrofoam, cardboard, or plastic cups. The phone line should
have two “receivers.” Punch a small hole in the bottom of each cup, and push the ends of a 15 to 20 foot string through the holes. Tie a large knot at each end of the string. The children can stretch out the string and begin their conversation.

Activity : Paste Jewelry

What you need :

• 3/4 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of corn starch
• 1/2 cup of salt
• Warm water

What you do :

Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Add warm water , gradually until the mixture forms a dough. Before working with the dough, dust with flour to reduce the stickiness. The children
can shape the dough into different shaped beads. A hole can be pierced in each bead with a toothpick. Dry the beads on a screen.