SELF-LOVE:
DATE NIGHT TAKE 5: DATE NIGHT PICNIC DINNER: Take your family to the park for a picnic dinner. Sometimes dinner at home (again) can start to feel a bit monotonous. Spread out a blanket and picnic in the park. The change of scene can surely do everyone some good. You might even set up a movie at the "outdoor theater" aka laptop and get a real conversation in!
PARENTING TIP:
INDEPENDENT PLAY TAKE 5: INDEPENDENT PLAY CONTINUED These are some of our favorite independent play activities that seem to entertain our children the most. Sensory Play- Play dough with Popsicle sticks is a classic hit. Dried beans or rice placed in the bottom of a lasagna size pan with scoops and small cups. Small open ended random parts, (think corks, checker pieces, or any other non-toy item) along with muffin tins or other containers for filling,dumping and transporting. Please let us know if one of these worked, and how long they were entertained!
INDOOR ACTIVITY TIP:
CURRICULUM AREA: MATH: Do you have Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders or even an adult game board and a dice can be modified and work! Did you know that playing board games is one of the number one activities to increase your child's math skills? Roll a dice-count the dots, then count the spaces on the board and do 1:1 correlation between numbers and "moves." Who knew teaching math could be so easy and so fun? Note for younger toddlers you can use the above independent play muffin tin activity and they learn on their own what we call “number sense” as they figure out how many objects can fit in each muffin.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITY:
MUD KITCHEN: It doesn't have to be fancy, just get some dirt. If you have a yard, some from the corners (clay mud) is best. If you don't have a yard, maybe you can get some dirt from a nearby friend's yard or use sand mixed with coffee grounds for homemade "mud". Grab some measuring cups, a muffin tin, small pots, bowls, and spoons from the kitchen and let them use their imaginations.