STEAM Activity:
Treasure Map
This is a STEAM activity that siblings can work on together. Encourage your children to think of a special object to hide. Then, challenge them to create a series of 5 treasure maps for you to follow to ultimately locate that item hidden within your home or yard. Each individual treasure map should guide you to the location of the next clue. Children can be as creative as they like, and even pair the map with a riddle to solve. For example, perhaps your child will guide you to a first clue hiding in a closet. The map should reflect this, combined with an additional clue saying something like, “You know what to do - the first clue is in a shoe”!
Science Activity:
Lava in a Cup
This is a quick and easy science experiment. Simply fill a glass ¾ full of water and add in about 5 drops of food colouring. Next, add in ¼ cup of vegetable oil. Notice how the vegetable oil floats to the top as it is less dense than water. Now sprinkle some salt into the mixture and watch what happens! The salt is denser than the oil, so slips below the oil layer, taking some oil with it. The salt then dissolves, and the oil floats back up creating a bubbling effect!
https://sciencebob.com/try-some-lava-in-a-cup/
Physical Activity
Heart Zap!
Encourage your children to cut out several hearts from construction paper, or any recyclable scraps you may have. Make sure to cut out a variety of sizes. Write down a point value on each of the hearts in a range from 5 to 40. On a set of 5 random hearts, print the word “Zap”. Now tape the hearts up on an outside wall of a backyard patio or garage. The goal of the game is to bounce a tennis ball once on the ground before hitting the heart. Whatever heart that is hit reflects the points received. However, if a “Zap” is hit, all points are lost! Play for 5 rounds, and the player with the most points wins!
https://pintsizedtreasures.com/heart-zap-game/
Creative Activity:
Cartoon Faces
Challenge your child to make masks out of egg cartons. Use the lid to frame the mask. You may cut patterns along the bottom of the lid to form hair or even ear shapes. Next, simply cut out shapes from the remaining egg holders of the carton. Think eyes, nose, mouth, and even moustache shapes. There are so many creative ways to use these scraps! Simply glue on these pieces. You may choose to add some paint to your masks. Perhaps hang a series of “Carton Cartoon Faces” in your child’s bedroom.
https://minimadthings.com/blogs/news/egg-carton-faces
Additional Resources:
Try this website for budget-friendly Montessori activities to do with your child. The site includes motor skills, practical life skills, play activities, fine motor skills, language and math activities and arts, craft and music ideas.
https://www.mylittlemoppet.com/fun-easy-and-budget-friendly-montessori-activities-for-kids/
Head to this Active for Life website to find 49 fun physical activities to do with your 2 to 4-year old. You can also find some resources for parents and articles to read. A couple of titles that might be of interest at this time, “42 Easy Activities to Keep Kids Busy While Parents Work at Home” and “School’s Cancelled—What Now? Here Are 200+ Activities You Can Do with Kids at Home”.
https://activeforlife.com/49-fun-physical-activities-to-do-with-kids-aged-2-to-4/
Learning at Home OSC KidZone Week 10
Learning at Home OSC KidZone Week 15
