Activities

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Summer Learning Activities

The school year is ending. Now, what do we do with these kids all summer? Listed here are some toys, games and  activities that I like to fall back on when my kids need something to do and I want their brains to be engaged. The ideas listed here are all indoor ideas and are geared for Pre-K to 2nd grade. Congratulations on coming to the end of your school year. I hope it was a successful one and that the summer holds great things to com!

Note: Most of the links here are Amazon Affiliate links, which means that I’ll get a few pennies if you click on one and purchase something. Full Disclosure here.

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Indoor Sandbox: This is what we pull out on days where we can’t go outside to play. Good for sweltering summery days where you want to stay in the air-conditioning.

Our indoor sandbox.

Our indoor sandbox.

Puzzles:

Chess:

Checkers:

Card Games:

Memory/Matching Games:

Board Games:


Coloring:


Note: I prefer that my kids color with colored pencils as they are somewhat eraseable, and harder for the little ones to eat than crayons and markers. Also since they have no erasers, the toddler can’t bite them off the end of the pencil and choke on it. Good all the way around. I like Crayola best and they have the boldest color.

Paint:

Floor Games:

We turned this fabric map into a quick geography game. Each kid gets to travel around the world by stepping on the location named. Or have race and see who can get there first.

 

Playdough:

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DIY Crayon Rocks


How many of you have seen these Crayon Rocks? They are great because they travel easily and they are easy for little ones to grasp. They don’t crumble when they get stuffed down in the bottom of your bag, and of course the little red bag that they come with is very cute and trendy. But, at $10 per bag it’s pricey for crayons.

2.13.14 013I admit, I did buy a bag that I found locally for half the regular retail price as a treat for the kids. But, then I got to thinking, why not make my own? It’s easy.

To begin, start saving all those tiny bits of crayons that you would normally throw in the trash. Once you have a handful collected, fill up each heart in this Silicone Heart Mold (affiliate link) with pieces of the crayon of the same color. This particular mold is the best I’ve found for mimicking the shape and feel of the crayon rocks. The resulting crayons are small, and the indentation in the mold makes them easy to grasp. Set the mold filled with the crayon bits on a cookie sheet for support and pop it in the oven on 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they are all melted. Let them cool completely, pop them out of the mold and the kids are ready to color. Find a cute cloth bag to store them in (or go the easy route and use a plastic baggie) and you’re all set.

Molten crayon wax. Just removed from the oven.

Molten crayon wax. Just removed from the oven.

 

A bucket full of crayons.

A bucket full of crayons.

 

Pretty.

Pretty.

 

 

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Window Silhouettes

2.13.14 006I’m so proud of myself I have to share this. It’s not terribly practical of me since I don’t have a template to share or any step by step directions to share, but it turned out so well maybe some of you can come up with something cute for your windows. You could outline anything and turn it into a decoration that is cute and whimsical. Let the kids try their hand at it too. All I did was draw the outline that I wanted in chalk on black construction paper and then cut it out and tape in on the window. Doesn’t it look like Mary Poppins and Bert are dancing on the rooftops? And in the snow no less! It makes the window with the ugly view much more fun. If you can’t freehand your drawing then you could trace over an image or print an image out on regular white paper. Cut that out and then trace around it with chalk on your black construction paper. Supercalafragilisticexpialidocious everyone!

From this angle it looks like they're dancing in the snow. :)

From this angle it looks like they’re dancing in the snow. 🙂

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Snow Day Activity: Indoor Sandbox

We pulled out the indoor sandbox today that we made this summer.
Works on snow days as well as blazing hot ones. So imagine the same kids pictured below playing today in long-sleeves and sweaters.

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What to do when you’re stuck inside due to snow,
single-digit temperatures and 30 mph winds?

Today we pulled out our indoor sandbox.

Spread a large sheet on the carpet (as pictured above).

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Raid the pantry for all the partial bags of old
beans, rice, lentils that hadn’t been used in ages.

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Dump them all in.

Instant “sandbox.”

We used the box that our building blocks are usually stored in, but you could also use a cardboard box, lego tubs, laundry baskets, dishpan, canvas storage boxes, an old suitcase or even a large plastic or stainless steel mixing bowl.

(Note: Obviously this activity would not be appropriate for babies or young
children who still put things in their mouths. Lots of choking hazards here.)

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Add some colored toys or manipuatives and you have an
instant sensory, color sorting game.

Grab some cups and spoons and start digging.

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Homemade Firecrackers

140101_0005Not really. They are more like a firecracker shaped hand-held pinata that you pull apart.

This Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa brought our kids a London tradition of Christmas Crackers like these which are basically paper rolls stuffed with prizes. So, I replicated the idea for our New Year’s Eve celebration this year. Our six year old made them all herself and the kids had a blast opening them and seeing all the stuff fly out on New Year’s Eve.

Here’s how to make your own.

The pieces of our homemade firecrackers.

The pieces of our homemade firecrackers.

1. Cut a paper towel roll into four even segments or cut a toilet paper roll in half.
2. Stuff with candies, chocolates, tiny pieces of cut up scrap paper or ribbon to serve as homemade confetti. The heavier the contents the better for the flying about the room effect.
3. Wrap the stuffed cardboard rolls with tissue paper (we used leftovers from Christmas).
4. Twist and tape the ends. Tie with ribbon (again save all those leftover Christmas ribbons).
5. Decorate with stickers, marker, glitter, etc. if desired. The grown-ups can help too. 🙂

On New Year’s Eve, put a kid on either end of your homemade firecracker and pull. Watch the stuff fly and be sure and yell “Happy New Year!” The scramble to grab the goodies ensues and then the cleanup at the end. But, it’s fun and a good family celebration. And if you don’t want to use edible treats even fun small toys that you have laying around the house will work – legos, puzzle pieces, toy coins, etc. Fill them up with whatever. It’s the surprise that is the most fun.

Pin it for next year. Copy this tiny URL: http://wp.me/pWQ7Q-ss.

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Crayon Rescue

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Rescue all your broken crayon pieces and turn them into a handy crayon block. It’s easy. Recycle them by putting all the broken pieces (with wrappers removed) into a silicone baking pan – preferably one that is a cute shape. 🙂 Bake on 200 degrees for 15 minutes or until melted. Let it cool completely and then pry out of the pan. It helps to make it fairly thick so that it doesn’t break when you take it out. By the end you will have a nice crayon block that is good for travel and tiny hands. Color away!

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Make an air-conditioned sandbox

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This is a bonus post this week in honor of the high temperature today in New York City reaching 100 degrees.

What to do when you’re stuck inside all week due to the heat?

Today we made an air-conditioned sandbox. Or an “sandbox” indoors. 🙂

Since we couldn’t go outside we improvised.

We spread a large sheet on the carpet (as pictured above).

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Then we raided the pantry for all the partial bags of old
beans, rice, lentils that hadn’t been used in ages.

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Dump them all in.

Instant “sandbox.”

We used the box that our building blocks are usually stored in, but you could also use a cardboard box, lego tubs, laundry baskets, dishpan, canvas storage boxes, an old suitcase or even a large plastic or stainless steel mixing bowl.

(Note: Obviously this activity would not be appropriate for babies or young
children who still put things in their mouths. Lots of choking hazards here.)

 

7.19.13 022

Add some colored toys or manipuatives and you have an
instant sensory, color sorting game.

Grab some cups and spoons and start digging.

Stay COOL! Enjoy your summer.