Bring Books Alive

You will need....

* Storybooks with your child's farvorite charactors in them.
* White computer paper that is clear enough to trace with.
* Clear transparent Con-Tact paper.
* Colored pencils, crayons, or markers.
* Pencil



Take your child's favorite storybook and trace or draw the characters in the story using white computer paper.

Color and cut the characters out.

Cover them with the clear transparent Con-Tact paper and trim around the edges.

Have fun recreating the story using your cut out characters.

The children can put on a show with their characters by making up new stories. No need for a theater just have the kids kneel down behind a couch.

Dinosaur Bone Hunt

This will be a two day project.

Day 1.) Making dinosaur bones with home maid play dough.

Ingredients.....

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1 cup water
1 T. oil
1 T. cream of tarter

Combine all ingredients in a cooking pan on medium heat. Cook until the dough pulls away from the pan while stirring continuously. When the play dough is cool, you may begin to create dinosaur bones. Once all the bones are made, let them dry overnight on wax paper or a paper plate. If it is a sunny day, let the bones dry outside. Remember to flip them over to dry the other side.

Day 2.) Pretend to be archaeologists. Have someone hide the dinosaur bones in the sandbox and have fun digging them up.

The older children can get creative and make dinosaur bones that look like a dinosaur when put together on the ground. Start with a skull and let your child's imagination do the rest of the work.

Sand Treasures

Today, we will find buried coins in the sand box.

1. Tell your child(ren) a story about hidden treasures or pirates. You could always get a book about this at the Library. I enjoy making the story up and have my child help me with the story. You could even write the story down and have your child illustrate it. It is a lot of fun once you get started.

2. Take real coins and hide them in the sandbox. You could do this the night before and then tell your child(ren) that there are buried treasures in the sandbox. Before you go find the coins, have them decorate a shoe box into a treasure chest.

3. Teaching Tip: This is a great way to work with money and counting for all ages. It is better to use real coins to help your child(ren) recognize what the money really looks like.

Once the money is found, take turns being the person that hides the coins. Let your child(ren) make up their own games with the money.

Outside Sand Activities

I will be giving you some fun activities to do with sand for the next few weeks.

Today, we will be making sand pictures. If it is a windy day, take a bucket of sand, some paper, and some drippy glue to the garage. If it is not a windy day, you can do it right by your sandbox. Have your child(ren) squeeze the glue to create designs, shapes, letters, words, animals, numbers, houses, etc... Take a pinch or a handful of sand and sprinkle it over the picture full of glue. Let the sand stay on the picture for a few minutes and dump the extra sand off into your bucket or sandbox. Teaching Tip: This is a great way to work on letter and number skills and spelling while they are outside having fun.

Straw Day

Today, we will have fun with straws.

1. Take a straw and a cotton ball and try blowing the cotton ball all around the floor or a table. Try other things around your house that will be easy to blow with a straw like feathers, packaging peanuts, or light balls.


2. Have races with your straw and cotton ball. Make a starting line and a finish line with a piece of tape about a yard apart or longer. Have two or more children or adults put their cotton ball on the starting line. Have someone say go and race to the finish line by blowing air through your straw to push the cotton ball all the way to the finish line. Whoever blows their cotton ball to the finish line first wins.

3. Take a kleenex and a straw. See if you can blow the kleenex up in the air with your straw.

4. Straw Art. Cut your straws up into the same or different lengths. Create a picture by gluing the straws on a piece of paper. Things you can try to create with your straw pieces are houses, animals, letters, words, numbers, and shapes. Make patterns with the different lengths of the straws.

Sidewalk Chalk Paint

I know you can buy this at the store but it is much more fun to make.

Thing you will need...

1. Sidewalk Chalk
2. Paper cups or old plastic containers
3. Dust pan and broom
4. Water
5. Paint brushes

Take the sidewalk chalk outside on your driveway and draw back and forth to create sidewalk chalk dust. Once you get enough dust, sweep it up and dump it in a cup or container. Do this with as many colors as you want. Add water a little at a time to the dust and mix until it looks like paint. You will have to experiment with the thickness of the paint. It usually is a little watery. Take paint brushes and have fun!

Noodle Day

Go search your pantry for noodles and have fun trying these activities:

1. Find noodles with a hole in them. You may first paint them different colors and let them dry. Once the noodles are dry, you can lace them on a string of yarn and make necklaces or just decorative string. Wrap a piece of masking tape on one end to make it easier to lace. Teaching Tips: 1. Make patterns out of the different color noodles or the different shape noodles. 2. Cut your string 3 different lengths. Decorate each string with noodles and use them to measure things. 3. Take your decorative noodle string(s) to make shapes or letters by laying them on the ground or the table.

Infant and Toddler Noodle day (Older children will still enjoy these activities.)

1. Put a few noodles in a plastic water bottle or liter bottle. Make sure the cover is on very tight so they cannot open it. You may want to tape around the cover for extra protection. Let your child shack the bottle to music or while you sing.

2. Roll your noodle bottle back and forth to each other.

3. Use the noodle bottle in the bathtub for a new bathtub toy.