Category: Blog

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So, where does water come from? Water is all over the earth. It is in rivers, lakes and oceans. When the sun heats the water in the rivers, lakes, and oceans, the water turns into clouds. The clouds you see in the sky are made up of millions of water droplets. When the water droplets become big and heavy, they fall from the clouds to the earth. If it is warm outside, the water falls as rain. If it is cold outside, the water falls as snow. When the rain or snow falls on the earth, it waters the trees and plants and fills the rivers, lakes and oceans.

Why is water necessarily important? All living things (plants and animals) need water to live. We drink water every day. Fish live in water. Plants need to be watered. What happens when you forget to drink water? What would happen to fish in an aquarium if you took out all of the water? What would happen if you forgot to water your plants?

For parents: Discuss the difference between a desert and a rain forest and how water affects what can live in each habitat with them. Compare the types of plants and animals that live in a desert and rain forest. Could they switch places (could a cactus live in a rain forest or an orchid live in the desert)?

For teachers: Show students pictures of a desert, tropical rain forest, and ocean. Explain how the plants and animals live in different conditions (dry, wet).

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Teaching kids to eat well can be tricky. You don’t want to give them more facts than they can grasp or turn every meal into a lecture. But wait too long and they could pick up unhealthy habits in the meantime. Parents can get that message across by talking with kids about the food they put in their bodies, why it matters, and how they can learn to make the healthiest choices.

Not just a rule, but a routine. Make sure healthy foods are the default setting for your family’s meals, and get everyone involved in choosing some nutritious, tasty options. Take kids with you to the grocery store or farmers market. Younger kids can pick out fresh fruits and veggies. Older kids can take on larger roles like choosing recipes and making a shopping list.

Show kids what “eating right” looks like. Be a role model for them! Explain that they should fill half their plate with fruits and veggies that have nutrients that will help their bodies grow. The other half should be whole grains and lean protein that gives them energy to run, dance, and play. When you’re cooking or grocery shopping, show them different examples of these key food groups.

Limit sweets. Explain to older kids that while candy and cookies taste good, sugar can do their body more harm than good. (You can tell younger kids that too many sweets will make them feel “yucky.”) Then, offer fresh fruit for desserts and limit treats to two or three times a week to keep cravings for sweets in check.

Sight

• Experiment with light around your home: play by candlelight, play flashlight tag, make shadow puppets and wear sunglasses.
• Explore with colors: Add food coloring to bath water, paint each other’s faces, or tie-dye clothes or other fabrics.
• Test the sense of sight by: playing catch with a balloon, completing mazes or dot-to-dot puzzles, tracing your body or hands, playing “I Spy,” peek-a-boo or a variation of hide-and-seek.

Hearing

• Engage your child’s musical side: play or listen to an instrument or sing songs.
• Play different listening games: sit very quietly and try to guess the sounds you hear, make a chart of things you hear outside, talk about different animal sounds you’ve heard, play musical chairs.
• Experiment with volume: play with the stereo dial to investigate loud and soft sounds.

Smell

• Utilize your kitchen: cook with strong-smelling scents, i.e., garlic, ginger, cocoa, lemon, vinegar, vanilla, mint, lavender; match scents while blindfolded (in opaque containers).
• Make use of the great outdoors: go on a “smelly walk” (wet grass, fertilizer, bakery), plant flowers.
• Read scratch-and-sniff books.

1. Use What You Have At Home
   • You should use items that are in your child’s environment when teaching them about colors and/or shapes because this feels natural and easy
   • A fruit could help in this type of scenario, for example: a yellow banana. Once you tell your child ”yellow banana,” you can then point out anything that is yellow throughout the day. Pointing out a specific color or shape will help a child grasp this type of concept.
2. Build Upon Basic Concepts
   • After the first point, you can then start grouping similar objects together to really solidify the concept in your child’s mind. This means helping a child find shapes in their everyday environment. (A square napkin, a coat hanger shaped like a triangle, etc).
3. Demonstrate Shapes
   • You should show your child, rather than telling them. Hold onto your child’s finger as you trace a shape using finger paints or through sand. Your child can then practice drawing shapes by themselves by using a paintbrush or large crayons.
4. Play With Shapes & Colors
   • You can then try setting up activities for small children that will allow them to visually identify similarities and differences between different shapes and colors. You can also set up an activity where you and your child line up all the green toys in the house, or organize blocks by shape while saying the name of each shape as you go.

Are you looking for resources for your child? GREAT NEWS! We will be updating those resources on our website in the coming months, with a plethora of information that will help guide families and educators on how to help children at a young age.

Please reach out to us with any feedback that you may have, on what specific resources may help you and your family!

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The use of educational toys can actually help children learn many different skills they will need in their life. Toys can help with problem solving skills, teaching about conflict resolution and how cause and effect also works. It teaches children to also learn how to share with others.

At an early age, sensory play can help stimulate your child’s senses.  As your child continues to grow and develops hand-eye coordination, families can begin introducing toys that encourage more interaction. These toys will help children work through conflicts and become familiar with cause and effect such as “If I do this then that will happen”. 

What toys do your children love that help promote learning and growth?