I was raised by an educator so the desire to learn is in my blood! For that reason, I deeply value education and the doors that it can open. Indeed, my family's success is a direct result of the educational opportunities that we have enjoyed. And I want to pass along that thirst for learning to my daughter.
That being said, I was not always motivated to do my homework. And my greatest educational lessons came from fun activities and the reading that I did for fun. So, I am always looking for fun ways to teach my daughter new things. I was fortunate to be contacted by Naomi Esterly who is the mom of three. In other words, she's an expert! Below are her tips for DIY Pre-School Projects.
Enjoy!
Fun DIY Pre-School Projects!
The importance of childhood education cannot be stressed enough and with each additional year a child’s ability and ways to learn differ. Pre-school age children can learn from a variety of hands-on activities that even us parents can teach them at home. Here are three to incorporate colors, numbers, and basic science into everyday play.
Mixing Colors
For this activity you will need four or five clear plastic containers or drinking cups and a standard box of food coloring. You might also want to include eye droppers a protective smock, and either newspaper or another protective layer for covering the table, as food coloring can stain. Fill three containers with water and add two to three drops of food coloring to each one; red, blue, and yellow. The child can then either pour water or use the eye droppers from two colors into a new container to make a new color.
Red + Blue = Purple
Yellow + Blue = Green
Red + Yellow = Orange
This could be a great activity for the water table in the summer time or also to mix colors on the snow in the winter. Experiment also with how the new color can be made darker or lighter depending on the ratios of the colors.
Number Matching
Gather your old calendars, magazines, and newspapers and start cutting out numbers that you see. They should be at least an inch tall to make them easier for small fingers to handle. Start with numbers 1 through 10 but also include 11 through 20. For each number that you find, glue it to cardstock or cardboard (an old cereal box or tissue box will work fine). Next, print a sheet of paper with the numbers 1 through 10 vertically down one side and 11 through 20 on the second sheet. You may also wish to laminate or attach these to cardboard to make them sturdier. The child then takes each of the found numbers from the calendar or other source and visually matches them to the ones on the paper. You could also add the number of objects besides the number for added counting experience. For example, the number 2 might have two birds on the same line. Another variant is to just have the objects on the paper and the child matches the number to the number of objects.
What Dissolves in Water?
This basic science lesson requires a clear plastic about half-filled with water, a long spoon and various objects. This could even be done in the bathtub! The child places various items in the water to see whether or not it will dissolve. Kitchen staples are probably the easiest to begin with, such as sugar cubes and salt. Ice cubes, which will actually melt, rather than dissolve, might be better left for another discussion. Herbs or small pieces of fruit are fun nonsolubles. This would also be a good time to talk about objects that float versus sink. Do the ones that dissolve always float? A fun way to finish might be to make lemonade, hot chocolate or other beverage from an instant drink mix.
Children don’t need a lot of fancy toys to learn. They just need time with you and a few fun activities to get them actively thinking about the world around them.
Naomi Esterly is a stay-at-home mom to two rambunctious, yet adorable, little boys and a newborn baby girl. In her spare time she balances writing freelance for 1800Wheelchair.Com and coaching her community’s little league.
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