July Activities

Feels good to finally be back into a routine where we are not only getting out and about and OUTSIDE a lot, but also DOING a lot at home. There are a lot of SIMPLE activity ideas here. My hope is that it's not overwhelming, but rather you can pick and choose to find something for your family! 


Scrabble: Neven picked out a video (or book, etc.) and then re-wrote the title using Scrabble letters. As he was doing this, we talked about what sounds the letters make. 

Fingerpainting: Always fun... 

Make Penants (idea from Preschool Express): Give your child a penant-shaped piece of paper to decorate. Add a pole (I used a wooden kabob stick) and encourage them to wave it around. 


Beading with Pipe Cleaners

Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano (idea from Science Kids): Place a spoonful of baking soda on top of an upside-down container or glass. Slowly add a few drops of vinegar and watch the reaction! 

Draw a Cartoon Truck (how-to from ToonDraw): After we finished the picture, we wrote the word TRUCK. We also labeled other things in the picture like BOY, GIRL, SUN...

Music on YouTube: Alice the Camel, I'm a Little Teapot, London Bridge (did you know... one theory on the origin of this song is that the bridge would fall down if children weren't buried in the bridge foundation as a human sacrifice?!)... One thing led to another and we also used YouTube to watch some birth videos - an elephant, a giraffe, and a chimpanzee. 


Spoon Sounds: Tie a spoon to in the middle of a piece of thick string, about 3 feet long. Wrap each end of the string around your index finger 2-3 times, then put your fingers in your ears. Gently swing the spoon into an object and listen - sounds like a churchbell! The lesson: observing how sound waves move through solid objects. Experiment with how the noise changes when the spoon hits different surfaces (table, fridge, dishwasher, counter-top...). An added bonus: works on fine motor skills. 

Puzzles: In our house, these are toys that are usually out of reach (constantly picking up the pieces drives me insane!). So yes, this IS a specific and targeted activity. 

Blow-up Balloon (idea from Preschool Express): You will need baking soda, vinegar, a balloon, and a glass soft drink bottle (we used plastic, which worked fine). Set out the bottle and pour approximately ¼ cup of vinegar into it. Next take a balloon and dump approximately 1 tsp baking soda into it. Now carefully, attach the balloon onto the top rim of the bottle. Gradually the baking soda will fall into the vinegar (we helped ours!), creating a gas, which in turn will inflate the balloon. Reminder: Do not let children play with balloons, especially pieces of popped balloons, because they are a choking hazard.

Pipe Cleaner Figures (idea from CraftJr.com): A few pompoms, google-y eyes, pipe cleaners, hot glue gun, a little imagination... and voila! 

Clothespin Poke (from The Toddler's Busy Book): You'll need a handful of clothespins and an empty egg carton. Turn the egg carton upside-down and punch small holes (just big enough to fir the clothespin) in the bottom of each section. Poke the clothespins in the holes and let your toddler have fun taking them out and putting them back in again. 
Another idea to add to the activity is a basket of clothespins that they can clip on and off the side (an idea from Montessori). 

Spelling with Magnets: I've already posted this idea (Learning Letters). Neven lost interest for a while, but was really into it again today! Hope this lasts... 

>>> What will YOU try?