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Tagged with 'activities'

Making Financial Literacy Fun at Home!

Making Financial Literacy Fun at Home!

April is Financial Literacy Month, so it's the perfect time to help your kids build solid foundations on money matters! As you plan your at-home learning lessons for the month, try incorporating some of the following activities that use dollars and cents to introduce math skills, history facts, and more!

Money Recognition

The road to financial literacy begins with the basics: money recognition! For this lesson, gather as many different examples of your chosen currency as you can find around the house, and set it out on the table. With your kids, identify each coin and bill by name, as well as monetary value. If you're in the mood for history, you can even explain the stories behind the people and landmarks that appear on your money! 

Counting With Cash

Once you've introduced all of your coins and bills, it's time to start counting with cash! To start, have your kids count up to 100 using only one kind of coin, then repeat with the others. Keep each set of stacks, then compare them at the end to explain the value relationships between each coin. For an added greater-than/less-than challenge, make two random piles of coins, and have your kids figure out which one has the higher value. This activity works best with lots of coins; if you don't have real coins around the house, play money is a fine substitute. 

Set Up Shop

This one's a great imaginative activity for older kids. Have your kids select some toys or other household objects as stock for their pretend shop. Once they've selected their stock, have them set prices for each item. Then, playing the part of the customer, make a few different purchases totaling different amounts of money, and have your kids make change for your payments. If you have the Calculator Cash Register, this is a great opportunity to see it in action!
 

International Adventure

Financial literacy is important all over the world. For a fun introduction to other cultures, explore the money of another country with your kids. Whether you're looking at actual leftover currency from an international vacation or just an online article with plenty of pictures, use this time to talk about how money is similar and different in other parts of the world. If you've got older kids, you could even introduce the concepts of relative value and exchange rates! How much would their allowance be worth in British pounds? How about Japanese yen?
 
 
At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds. 
    
Making Financial Literacy Fun at Home!
Making Financial Literacy Fun at Home!
April is Financial Literacy Month, so it's the perfect time to help your kids build solid foundations on money matters! As you plan your at-home learning lessons for the month, try incorporating some of the following activities that use dollars and cents to introduce math skills, history facts, and more!

Money Recognition

The road to financial literacy begins with the basics: money recognition! For this lesson, gather as many different examples of your chosen currency as you can find around the house, and set it out on the table. With your kids, identify each coin and bill by name, as well as monetary value. If you're in the mood for history, you can even explain the stories behind the people and landmarks that appear on your money! 

Counting With Cash

Once you've introduced all of your coins and bills, it's time to start counting with cash! To start, have your kids count up to 100 using only one kind of coin, then repeat with the others. Keep each set of stacks, then compare them at the end to explain the value relationships between each coin. For an added greater-than/less-than challenge, make two random piles of coins, and have your kids figure out which one has the higher value. This activity works best with lots of coins; if you don't have real coins around the house, play money is a fine substitute. 

Set Up Shop

This one's a great imaginative activity for older kids. Have your kids select some toys or other household objects as stock for their pretend shop. Once they've selected their stock, have them set prices for each item. Then, playing the part of the customer, make a few different purchases totaling different amounts of money, and have your kids make change for your payments. If you have the Calculator Cash Register, this is a great opportunity to see it in action!
 

International Adventure

Financial literacy is important all over the world. For a fun introduction to other cultures, explore the money of another country with your kids. Whether you're looking at actual leftover currency from an international vacation or just an online article with plenty of pictures, use this time to talk about how money is similar and different in other parts of the world. If you've got older kids, you could even introduce the concepts of relative value and exchange rates! How much would their allowance be worth in British pounds? How about Japanese yen?
 
 
At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds. 
    
 READ MORE
family-learning-games-learning-sight-words-at-home

Family Learning Games: Learning Sight Words at Home

There's no quicker way to add extra fun to at-home learning than to turn your lessons into a game. If you're working on sight words in your house right now, check out these fun games that turn sight word identification into a friendly, fast-paced competition for family members young and old. We've even got some suggestions for games you can make yourself with common household items!

Sight Word Bingo

Want an easy, free sight word game you can make at home? Try Sight Word Bingo! This customizable game helps you tailor your fun to your kids' ability level. Simply make some 5x5 grids (enough for everyone in the family to play a few games) and fill the squares with a random assortment of sight words. Have one family member act as the caller, and the rest as players. When the caller says a sight word aloud, look for it on your card; if it's there, mark it with a marker. The first person to make a straight or diagonal line wins!

Sight Word Memory

Here's another easy sight word game you can make at home! Grab a stack of sticky notes, and fill 20 of them with 10 pairs of sight words. Then, arrange them in a random order with the words facing. Have your kids flip over a card, say the word, and look for the match. The player who finds the most pairs wins! Want an additional challenge? Add more word pairs to accommodate extra players or advanced learners!

Pop for Sight Words

Our Pop for Sight Words game bundle helps you and your family discover snackable, munchable learning fun every time you spot a sight word! In this fast-paced game, players pull and read popcorn-shaped sight word cards from the popcorn box to see who can collect the most. Watch out for the POP cards, though; if you draw one of those, all of your pieces go back in the box! With two full game sets, the fun keeps popping!

Sight Words Swat!

Grab a swatter, listen up, and start learning sight words! During games of Sight Word Swat, plays have to pay close attention to the words called out by the reader. When they hear a word, they have to search the bug-shaped cards for the right sight word, and be the first to slap it with their swatter! The player who collects the most flies wins!

@mrs.ashleyann

Slam Ships! Sight Words Game

These sight words are out of this world! Early language skills go intergalactic with Slam Ships!, the sight word game where each player controls a super slammable spaceship. When they spot the right sight word, the race is on: the first player to grab the card with the spaceship's suction cup is one point closer to victory!  

@kbteacherstore

At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds. 

family-learning-games-learning-sight-words-at-home
Family Learning Games: Learning Sight Words at Home

There's no quicker way to add extra fun to at-home learning than to turn your lessons into a game. If you're working on sight words in your house right now, check out these fun games that turn sight word identification into a friendly, fast-paced competition for family members young and old. We've even got some suggestions for games you can make yourself with common household items!

Sight Word Bingo

Want an easy, free sight word game you can make at home? Try Sight Word Bingo! This customizable game helps you tailor your fun to your kids' ability level. Simply make some 5x5 grids (enough for everyone in the family to play a few games) and fill the squares with a random assortment of sight words. Have one family member act as the caller, and the rest as players. When the caller says a sight word aloud, look for it on your card; if it's there, mark it with a marker. The first person to make a straight or diagonal line wins!

Sight Word Memory

Here's another easy sight word game you can make at home! Grab a stack of sticky notes, and fill 20 of them with 10 pairs of sight words. Then, arrange them in a random order with the words facing. Have your kids flip over a card, say the word, and look for the match. The player who finds the most pairs wins! Want an additional challenge? Add more word pairs to accommodate extra players or advanced learners!

Pop for Sight Words

Our Pop for Sight Words game bundle helps you and your family discover snackable, munchable learning fun every time you spot a sight word! In this fast-paced game, players pull and read popcorn-shaped sight word cards from the popcorn box to see who can collect the most. Watch out for the POP cards, though; if you draw one of those, all of your pieces go back in the box! With two full game sets, the fun keeps popping!

Sight Words Swat!

Grab a swatter, listen up, and start learning sight words! During games of Sight Word Swat, plays have to pay close attention to the words called out by the reader. When they hear a word, they have to search the bug-shaped cards for the right sight word, and be the first to slap it with their swatter! The player who collects the most flies wins!

@mrs.ashleyann

Slam Ships! Sight Words Game

These sight words are out of this world! Early language skills go intergalactic with Slam Ships!, the sight word game where each player controls a super slammable spaceship. When they spot the right sight word, the race is on: the first player to grab the card with the spaceship's suction cup is one point closer to victory!  

@kbteacherstore

At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds. 

 READ MORE
Shelter-In-Place STEM Education!
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Move & Learn: DIY STEM Forts!

Even when you're learning at home, you still need recess! That's why we're coming up with lots of activities that get kids moving and learning at the same time. Today's activity adds some extra STEM fun to the classic art of fort-building.

Gather Materials

Everyone's house is filled with different stuff, so everyone's STEM Forts will look a little different. As you gather your fort-building materials, ask your kids what they think each item might be used for in the building process. Your final item lists may vary, but we recommend some or all of the following: couch cushions and pillows, bed sheets, twine or laundry line, small furniture items (chairs, coffee tables, ottomans), poles (yardsticks, mops, brooms).
 

Get Creative

Once you have your materials, it's time to start daydreaming about what kinds of forts you're going to build. This is a great opportunity to encourage your kids to stretch their imaginations. Ask them about their vision for the fort; are they building a moon base, or a castle, or a superhero hideout? What kinds of pretend features or creatures might the fort contain?

Build STEM Skills

Building any kind of fort helps your kids strengthen their early engineering and design skills, but you can add even more learning to the fort-building with the following challenges: 
Shape Forts: Can you build a fort in the shape of a square, or a rectangle, or a triangle? What about a circle? How does the process change for each shape?Tallest/Longest Fort: How high can you make your fort before it topples over? How long can it get before the walls start to sag? What reinforcements can you make to keep your fort standing?
Multi-Room Forts: If you've mastered the single-room fort, can you design a fort with a second or third room? What will you use for the passages?
Simplest Fort: Who can build a fort with the smallest amount of materials? How does the process get harder or easier with fewer pieces?
Fort Race: Have builders take turns selecting from materials they want to build with. Once all the materials are selected, have a race to see who can build their fort the fastest. Our Digital Timer  is the perfect tool to help keep track of race times! 
 
At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.
Move & Learn: DIY STEM Forts!
Even when you're learning at home, you still need recess! That's why we're coming up with lots of activities that get kids moving and learning at the same time. Today's activity adds some extra STEM fun to the classic art of fort-building.

Gather Materials

Everyone's house is filled with different stuff, so everyone's STEM Forts will look a little different. As you gather your fort-building materials, ask your kids what they think each item might be used for in the building process. Your final item lists may vary, but we recommend some or all of the following: couch cushions and pillows, bed sheets, twine or laundry line, small furniture items (chairs, coffee tables, ottomans), poles (yardsticks, mops, brooms).
 

Get Creative

Once you have your materials, it's time to start daydreaming about what kinds of forts you're going to build. This is a great opportunity to encourage your kids to stretch their imaginations. Ask them about their vision for the fort; are they building a moon base, or a castle, or a superhero hideout? What kinds of pretend features or creatures might the fort contain?

Build STEM Skills

Building any kind of fort helps your kids strengthen their early engineering and design skills, but you can add even more learning to the fort-building with the following challenges: 
Shape Forts: Can you build a fort in the shape of a square, or a rectangle, or a triangle? What about a circle? How does the process change for each shape?Tallest/Longest Fort: How high can you make your fort before it topples over? How long can it get before the walls start to sag? What reinforcements can you make to keep your fort standing?
Multi-Room Forts: If you've mastered the single-room fort, can you design a fort with a second or third room? What will you use for the passages?
Simplest Fort: Who can build a fort with the smallest amount of materials? How does the process get harder or easier with fewer pieces?
Fort Race: Have builders take turns selecting from materials they want to build with. Once all the materials are selected, have a race to see who can build their fort the fastest. Our Digital Timer  is the perfect tool to help keep track of race times! 
 
At Learning Resources, we’re here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.
 READ MORE
move-learn-alphabet-hopscotch

Move & Learn: Alphabet Hopscotch!

Spring is here, which means plenty of chances to move and learn outside! As you stay safe and smart with your at-home learning plans, we've got a few ideas for incorporating outside exercise and play into your routines. Today's activity: Alphabet Hopscotch!

  • On your driveway or patio, draw a hopscotch course with 26 squares using sidewalk chalk. The exact layout is up to you - get creative!
  • Have your kids fill in each square of the hopscotch course with the different letters of the alphabet. For some extra fun, have them draw a picture of an object that starts with that letter, too!
  • Once the hopscotch course is complete, begin by calling out letters and having your kids hop to the corresponding squares. Have them hop in order as you sing the Alphabet Song, then call out letters at random!
  • For more advanced fun, have your kids spell out simple words by hopping from letter to letter on the hopscotch course. Start with three-letter words, then gradually work your way up. For a challenge, have your kids try to spell the longest words they know!

At Learning Resources, we're here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.

move-learn-alphabet-hopscotch
Move & Learn: Alphabet Hopscotch!

Spring is here, which means plenty of chances to move and learn outside! As you stay safe and smart with your at-home learning plans, we've got a few ideas for incorporating outside exercise and play into your routines. Today's activity: Alphabet Hopscotch!

  • On your driveway or patio, draw a hopscotch course with 26 squares using sidewalk chalk. The exact layout is up to you - get creative!
  • Have your kids fill in each square of the hopscotch course with the different letters of the alphabet. For some extra fun, have them draw a picture of an object that starts with that letter, too!
  • Once the hopscotch course is complete, begin by calling out letters and having your kids hop to the corresponding squares. Have them hop in order as you sing the Alphabet Song, then call out letters at random!
  • For more advanced fun, have your kids spell out simple words by hopping from letter to letter on the hopscotch course. Start with three-letter words, then gradually work your way up. For a challenge, have your kids try to spell the longest words they know!

At Learning Resources, we're here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.

 READ MORE
school-break-trips-from-home

School Break Trips from Home!

[Updated on 3/17/21] Even though we're staying inside these days, we've still got ways to explore the wide world from home! Add some extra fun to your spring break plans with these virtual field trip ideas, which let you and your kids travel to museums, zoos, and even outer space from the comfort of your living room.

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

It's not every day that you get the chance to take a drawing lesson from one of the world's most beloved children's book authors. Usually, that is. With kids out of school, author Mo Willems (creator of the Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggie, and more) is hosting a lunchtime drawing program on YouTube that connects kids with their artsy side every afternoon. 

Virtual Museum Tours

Have you ever wanted to take your kids to the world's great museums and architectural sites? Thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can do with without ever leaving the house! Their Museum Views collection lets you take virtual tours of more than 3,400 sites across the United States and around the world. You can even treat your little learners to a trip to the Boston Children's Museum!

Story Time with Michael Chabon

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon knows that what the world needs now is a good bedtime story. That's why he's spending his evenings at home reading the classics of children's literature, voices and all. Available on Youtube, the author's series updates every evening; past selections include Olivia, The Story of Ferdinand, and Harry the Dirty Dog.

Cincinnati Zoo Home Safaris

Although we can't go to the zoo right now, we can bring the zoo home online! At the Cincinnati Zoo, keepers are hosting daily Home Safaris to introduce viewers to the wild, wooly worlds of their animal residents. Tune in on Facebook Live each day, and you might meet hippos, cheetahs, rhinoceroses, and more!

Dutch Hollow Dairy Farm

A trip to the farm is always enlightening, even from the comfort of your home! Take your kids on this virtual tour of New York's Dutch Hollow Dairy Farm for an inside look at the secret lives of cows. Produced in cooperation with the American Dairy Association, the tour is geared for kids in grades K-4.

Ellis Island

As America faces its current challenges, we can take this opportunity to reflect on the nation's status as the world's melting pot. With Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today, the folks at Scholastic have put together a virtual tour of Ellis Island, the immigration station that welcomed more than 12 million future Americans between 1892 and 1954.   

International Space Station

When it comes to virtual field trips, you're not limited to places here on Earth! Led by the astronauts stationed there, these virtual tours of the International Space Station give you and your kids an inside look at the scientific goings-on happening far above the planet.

Yellowstone National Park

It's springtime, which means our national parks are waking up from their long winter slumbers. Thanks to the National Parks Service, you can take a virtual visit to the country's oldest park. The tour takes you to seven different sites around the park, including the Mud Volcano, the Mammoth Geyser, and the Flower Paint Pot.  

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Adventure under the sea with this virtual visit to one of America's premiere aquariums. Thanks to the live cams set up around the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you can catch glimpses of animals from jellyfish and penguins to sharks and sea otters. There's even a feed that shows you the open waters of the bay itself!

Discover Ancient Egypt

As you explore these virtual field trips, don't miss the opportunity to travel back in time! Discover Ancient Egypt brings one of humanity's most storied societies back to life with cool interactive online recreations. Explore 3D temples, learn about the pyramids, or even study hieroglyphics! 

At Learning Resources, we're here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.

school-break-trips-from-home
School Break Trips from Home!

[Updated on 3/17/21] Even though we're staying inside these days, we've still got ways to explore the wide world from home! Add some extra fun to your spring break plans with these virtual field trip ideas, which let you and your kids travel to museums, zoos, and even outer space from the comfort of your living room.

Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems

It's not every day that you get the chance to take a drawing lesson from one of the world's most beloved children's book authors. Usually, that is. With kids out of school, author Mo Willems (creator of the Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggie, and more) is hosting a lunchtime drawing program on YouTube that connects kids with their artsy side every afternoon. 

Virtual Museum Tours

Have you ever wanted to take your kids to the world's great museums and architectural sites? Thanks to Google Arts & Culture, you can do with without ever leaving the house! Their Museum Views collection lets you take virtual tours of more than 3,400 sites across the United States and around the world. You can even treat your little learners to a trip to the Boston Children's Museum!

Story Time with Michael Chabon

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon knows that what the world needs now is a good bedtime story. That's why he's spending his evenings at home reading the classics of children's literature, voices and all. Available on Youtube, the author's series updates every evening; past selections include Olivia, The Story of Ferdinand, and Harry the Dirty Dog.

Cincinnati Zoo Home Safaris

Although we can't go to the zoo right now, we can bring the zoo home online! At the Cincinnati Zoo, keepers are hosting daily Home Safaris to introduce viewers to the wild, wooly worlds of their animal residents. Tune in on Facebook Live each day, and you might meet hippos, cheetahs, rhinoceroses, and more!

Dutch Hollow Dairy Farm

A trip to the farm is always enlightening, even from the comfort of your home! Take your kids on this virtual tour of New York's Dutch Hollow Dairy Farm for an inside look at the secret lives of cows. Produced in cooperation with the American Dairy Association, the tour is geared for kids in grades K-4.

Ellis Island

As America faces its current challenges, we can take this opportunity to reflect on the nation's status as the world's melting pot. With Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today, the folks at Scholastic have put together a virtual tour of Ellis Island, the immigration station that welcomed more than 12 million future Americans between 1892 and 1954.   

International Space Station

When it comes to virtual field trips, you're not limited to places here on Earth! Led by the astronauts stationed there, these virtual tours of the International Space Station give you and your kids an inside look at the scientific goings-on happening far above the planet.

Yellowstone National Park

It's springtime, which means our national parks are waking up from their long winter slumbers. Thanks to the National Parks Service, you can take a virtual visit to the country's oldest park. The tour takes you to seven different sites around the park, including the Mud Volcano, the Mammoth Geyser, and the Flower Paint Pot.  

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Adventure under the sea with this virtual visit to one of America's premiere aquariums. Thanks to the live cams set up around the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you can catch glimpses of animals from jellyfish and penguins to sharks and sea otters. There's even a feed that shows you the open waters of the bay itself!

Discover Ancient Egypt

As you explore these virtual field trips, don't miss the opportunity to travel back in time! Discover Ancient Egypt brings one of humanity's most storied societies back to life with cool interactive online recreations. Explore 3D temples, learn about the pyramids, or even study hieroglyphics! 

At Learning Resources, we're here to help you make the best of this challenging time. Stay safe and healthy, and check back with our blog for more tips and learning ideas as the situation unfolds.

 READ MORE

Super STEM Snacks!

Building Someone Amazing takes a lot of work! Between e-learning, craft time, and those daily walks, your children always seem up for something on which to munch. 
Next time they stroll into the kitchen asking the famous “what can I eeeaaat?” question, try some of these STEM-inspired snacks. Nothing unique about these ingredients either – you’ll most likely have what’s listed here hanging around the house. Talk about real BRAIN food! 

Root Beer Floats: Solid, Liquid, Gas! 

 You won’t have any trouble convincing kids to try this classic. All you need is: 

 

  • Vanilla ice cream 
  • One can of root beer 
  • A big mug or cup (clear is best) 
  • Some little bowls to separate your matter 
Place one scoop of ice cream in the mug, then pour the root beer on top. 
The reaction is immediate! There are bubbles everywhere. Next, we see that scoop of ice cream float right to the top.
So what is happening? All states of matter are represented in this snack:
Root beer = Liquid
Ice Cream = Solid
Carbon Dioxide Bubbles = Gas
The root beer is carbonated, so when it comes in contact with the ice cream, carbonated dioxide bubbles are released. Also, the liquid root beer helps free the air bubbles that are trapped in the solid ice cream. That makes the ice cream float, float, FLOAT to the top!
 

Grape, Apple, or Cheese Structures 

A STEM snack mainstay, this activity gets your little ones thinking like little engineers that could. You will need: 

 

  • Lots of toothpicks 
  • Cut up snacks of “fortitude” like grapes, apples, or cheese 
When putting together structures like this, it gets children thinking in two ways: 

 

  1. What to make? 
  2. How to improve on something you’ve already made? 
Engineering shapes and structures like these helps with dexterity, grasp, and coordination, no matter the age. 
As they build, remind kids that failure is definitely an option. Their shapes may shift and their towers may topple, but that will teach them how to solve the structural problem. Attempts to rebuild are simply lessons from the first, second, or third try. 
Math Sorting Snack
This is how we play with our food! For the younger set, print out this number “place mat”. 
Have children fill in in the circles with their favorite cereal, fruit snack, or whatever small food they like. Fine motor and counting skills are practiced during snack time! 
 

Goldfish: More, Less, or Equal? 

Goldfish are a pantry staple and just ripe with counting, sorting, and graphing possibilities. For this specific activity, you will need: 

 

  • Goldfish crackers 
  • A printout or sheet 
  • Less than, greater than, and equal signs (we used felt) 
  • Two dice 
For this game, simply print out a sheet with boxes, or handwrite the title and boxes on construction paper. With your pile of fishy crackers at hand, roll each dice and place in the box.
  
Count out the crackers and place under the dice. Compare the number of fish, and identify which has more, less, or whether they are equal in number. (Tell children the greater than/less than symbol represents a shark mouth. The open side will always show toward the bigger amount – the shark wants to eat as many fish as he can!) 

Make Your Own Ice Cream 

The creation of ice cream is actually a scientific, step-by-step process. Maybe mix up a bag of this sweet treat one night after family dinner! 
 
Materials: 
  • 1 cup of half-and-half 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar 
  • ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract 
  • 3 cups ice 
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt 
  • Gallon-sized bags 
  • Sandwich-sized bags 
  • Ice cream toppings of your choice 
Step One:
Using the sandwich-sized baggie, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Be sure to combine it well by shaking it, and then squeeze out the extra air and seal it well.
 
 
Step Two:
Place the ice in the gallon-sized baggie and add the salt. The salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes. This bag of salt ice will melt even when the temperature is below the normal freezing point of water. This is the same principle in the wintertime when trucks put salt on slick, icy roads.
 
Step Three:
Place the small bag into the ice-filled bag. Shake it vigorously for 7-10 minutes. You might need a towel or oven mitts when you shake the bag because it becomes so cold. All this shaking is a great way to get out some energy! 
Step Four: 
Check ice cream to see if its consistency has hardened. 
 
Ready to eat! If you tried this experiment without the salt, the liquid would have remained in that liquid state simply because the ice wasn’t cold enough.  
 
This looks good enough to eat! Happy STEM Snacking! 
 
Super STEM Snacks!
Building Someone Amazing takes a lot of work! Between e-learning, craft time, and those daily walks, your children always seem up for something on which to munch. 
Next time they stroll into the kitchen asking the famous “what can I eeeaaat?” question, try some of these STEM-inspired snacks. Nothing unique about these ingredients either – you’ll most likely have what’s listed here hanging around the house. Talk about real BRAIN food! 

Root Beer Floats: Solid, Liquid, Gas! 

 You won’t have any trouble convincing kids to try this classic. All you need is: 

 

  • Vanilla ice cream 
  • One can of root beer 
  • A big mug or cup (clear is best) 
  • Some little bowls to separate your matter 
Place one scoop of ice cream in the mug, then pour the root beer on top. 
The reaction is immediate! There are bubbles everywhere. Next, we see that scoop of ice cream float right to the top.
So what is happening? All states of matter are represented in this snack:
Root beer = Liquid
Ice Cream = Solid
Carbon Dioxide Bubbles = Gas
The root beer is carbonated, so when it comes in contact with the ice cream, carbonated dioxide bubbles are released. Also, the liquid root beer helps free the air bubbles that are trapped in the solid ice cream. That makes the ice cream float, float, FLOAT to the top!
 

Grape, Apple, or Cheese Structures 

A STEM snack mainstay, this activity gets your little ones thinking like little engineers that could. You will need: 

 

  • Lots of toothpicks 
  • Cut up snacks of “fortitude” like grapes, apples, or cheese 
When putting together structures like this, it gets children thinking in two ways: 

 

  1. What to make? 
  2. How to improve on something you’ve already made? 
Engineering shapes and structures like these helps with dexterity, grasp, and coordination, no matter the age. 
As they build, remind kids that failure is definitely an option. Their shapes may shift and their towers may topple, but that will teach them how to solve the structural problem. Attempts to rebuild are simply lessons from the first, second, or third try. 
Math Sorting Snack
This is how we play with our food! For the younger set, print out this number “place mat”. 
Have children fill in in the circles with their favorite cereal, fruit snack, or whatever small food they like. Fine motor and counting skills are practiced during snack time! 
 

Goldfish: More, Less, or Equal? 

Goldfish are a pantry staple and just ripe with counting, sorting, and graphing possibilities. For this specific activity, you will need: 

 

  • Goldfish crackers 
  • A printout or sheet 
  • Less than, greater than, and equal signs (we used felt) 
  • Two dice 
For this game, simply print out a sheet with boxes, or handwrite the title and boxes on construction paper. With your pile of fishy crackers at hand, roll each dice and place in the box.
  
Count out the crackers and place under the dice. Compare the number of fish, and identify which has more, less, or whether they are equal in number. (Tell children the greater than/less than symbol represents a shark mouth. The open side will always show toward the bigger amount – the shark wants to eat as many fish as he can!) 

Make Your Own Ice Cream 

The creation of ice cream is actually a scientific, step-by-step process. Maybe mix up a bag of this sweet treat one night after family dinner! 
 
Materials: 
  • 1 cup of half-and-half 
  • 2 tablespoons sugar 
  • ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract 
  • 3 cups ice 
  • 1/3 cup kosher salt 
  • Gallon-sized bags 
  • Sandwich-sized bags 
  • Ice cream toppings of your choice 
Step One:
Using the sandwich-sized baggie, combine the half-and-half, sugar, and vanilla. Be sure to combine it well by shaking it, and then squeeze out the extra air and seal it well.
 
 
Step Two:
Place the ice in the gallon-sized baggie and add the salt. The salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes. This bag of salt ice will melt even when the temperature is below the normal freezing point of water. This is the same principle in the wintertime when trucks put salt on slick, icy roads.
 
Step Three:
Place the small bag into the ice-filled bag. Shake it vigorously for 7-10 minutes. You might need a towel or oven mitts when you shake the bag because it becomes so cold. All this shaking is a great way to get out some energy! 
Step Four: 
Check ice cream to see if its consistency has hardened. 
 
Ready to eat! If you tried this experiment without the salt, the liquid would have remained in that liquid state simply because the ice wasn’t cold enough.  
 
This looks good enough to eat! Happy STEM Snacking! 
 
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Gears! Gears! Gears! Mini Lessons

Discover the possibilities Gears! Gears! Gears! brings to your early STEM curriculum.  Aligned to CSTA standards, these printable classroom activities from STEM.org will help your little learners discover  the world of engineering games as they discover endless building possibilities.

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson One

@autismadventures83

 

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson Two

 

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson Three

Learning Resources 

 

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson Four

Cycle Gears    

Gears! Gears! Gears! Mini Lessons

Discover the possibilities Gears! Gears! Gears! brings to your early STEM curriculum.  Aligned to CSTA standards, these printable classroom activities from STEM.org will help your little learners discover  the world of engineering games as they discover endless building possibilities.

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson One

@autismadventures83

 

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson Two

 

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson Three

Learning Resources 

 

Click here to download your STEM.org Gears!Gears!Gears! Mini-Lesson Four

Cycle Gears    

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Toys for Talking- Peekaboo Learning Farm

The Learning Resources Peekaboo Learning Farm is my daughter's new favorite toy, and I can't say that I'm surprised!  It makes learning so much fun, and there are a multitude of ways to play with it.  Her favorites include making me sing Old McDonald while she opens up each barn and matching the animal finger puppets to the pictures in one of her farm themed books (Click here for our favorite!).  Like I said...so many opportunities. 

What does the Peekaboo Learning Farm include?

  • 5 colorful barns
  • 5 adorable finger puppet farm animals (cow, horse, pig, chicken & mouse)

How do you use the Peekaboo Learning Farm?

The Peekaboo Learning Farm includes numbered, colorful barns that can be used to work on color identification, counting, matching, sorting, and more.  Children are able to develop their fine motor skills by opening the colorful barns to find a farm animal finger puppet inside. The Peekaboo Learning Farm even encourages children to engage in imaginative play.

Where can I find it?

You can find it at Learning Resources HERE or at Amazon HERE. 

How can you use the Peekaboo Learning Farm to encourage speech and language development?

For receptive language development?

  1. Following directions:  Make following directions fun with the Peekaboo Learning Farm.  Have your child follow directions, such as, "give me the chicken," "open the blue barn," or even  "take out the mouse and make him eat."
  2. Answering Yes/No questions:  Before having the ability to answer Wh- questions, your child must be able to answer yes/no questions regarding things they want, objects, and actions.  If your child is working on the concepts of yes and no, ask your child, "do you want the blue barn?" You could also make it a little silly to see if your child can answer yes/no questions regarding the function of the Peekaboo Learning Farm (Examples: should I eat the barn?  should I kiss the cow? should I open the barn?). Want another fun idea? Pair this toy with a farm themed book. Look at the animals on the pages of the book, and ask your child if they match the animals in the barns (i.e., "Is this a pig?").
  3. Answering Wh- questions: Work on who, what, where & why questions while playing.  Build comprehension by asking your child questions like "what is the mouse doing?," "who is in the red barn?," "where is the pig?," "why is the pig sleeping?" etc.
  4. Understanding spatial concepts (in/on/off/out):  Work on these early developing spatial concepts by having your child take the roof off the barn, putting the roof on the barn, taking the animals out of the barn, or putting the animal back in the barn.
  5. Building memory skills: Play a memory game!  Hide the animals in the different color barns, and see if your child can remember which animal is in which barn.  Then have your child hide them for you to guess!  

For expressive language development?

  1. Practice animal sounds:  Learning animal sounds is fun, plus animal sounds are often comprised of early developing sounds, making them easier for children to say!  Encourage your child to imitate you saying each animal sound. You can even try singing Old McDonald while opening up each barn. Be sure to pause at the end of the song, and wait for your child to fill in the blank (Example: here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a....)!
  2. Farm animal vocabulary:  Talk about the different farm animals in each barn, and see if your child can label them.  
  3. Requesting: Have your child request for the barns, animals or to open each barn.  Depending on how much expressive language they have, they could use a simple word such as, "open" or "more," or a phrase or sentence like, "I want open" or "Can I have the purple barn?"
  4. Commenting:  Encourage your child to comment throughout play.  Model appropriate comments while playing with your child.  Use language like, "I see a blue barn, what do you see?"
  5. Use of prepositional phrases: Place the animals in different locations and have your child use phrases to describe their locations.  Put them in the barn, out of the barn, on the roof, or behind the barn.
  6. Vocabulary of action words: Pretend that the animals are doing different things and ask your child what each animal is doing.  Depending on your child's vocabulary, you can focus on simple verbs like eat, sleep, and drink, or be more creative and use of verbs like swing, hop and slide.

For play development?

  1. Pretend play:  These barns provide so many pretend play opportunities.  Children can use their imaginations to pretend that the animals are eating, sleeping, playing, or even having a birthday party!  The possibilities are endless!

For social language development?

  1. Turn taking: Develop turn taking abilities by asking your child if you can have a turn opening the barns.   
  2. Asking questions:  Model appropriate questioning during play by asking your child questions like, "What barn do you think the cow is in?" or "What is your favorite color barn?"  Encourage them to ask you questions back!
Toys for Talking- Peekaboo Learning Farm The Learning Resources Peekaboo Learning Farm is my daughter's new favorite toy, and I can't say that I'm surprised!  It makes learning so much fun, and there are a multitude of ways to play with it.  Her favorites include making me sing Old McDonald while she opens up each barn and matching the animal finger puppets to the pictures in one of her farm themed books (Click here for our favorite!).  Like I said...so many opportunities. 

What does the Peekaboo Learning Farm include?

  • 5 colorful barns
  • 5 adorable finger puppet farm animals (cow, horse, pig, chicken & mouse)

How do you use the Peekaboo Learning Farm?

The Peekaboo Learning Farm includes numbered, colorful barns that can be used to work on color identification, counting, matching, sorting, and more.  Children are able to develop their fine motor skills by opening the colorful barns to find a farm animal finger puppet inside. The Peekaboo Learning Farm even encourages children to engage in imaginative play.

Where can I find it?

You can find it at Learning Resources HERE or at Amazon HERE. 

How can you use the Peekaboo Learning Farm to encourage speech and language development?

For receptive language development?

  1. Following directions:  Make following directions fun with the Peekaboo Learning Farm.  Have your child follow directions, such as, "give me the chicken," "open the blue barn," or even  "take out the mouse and make him eat."
  2. Answering Yes/No questions:  Before having the ability to answer Wh- questions, your child must be able to answer yes/no questions regarding things they want, objects, and actions.  If your child is working on the concepts of yes and no, ask your child, "do you want the blue barn?" You could also make it a little silly to see if your child can answer yes/no questions regarding the function of the Peekaboo Learning Farm (Examples: should I eat the barn?  should I kiss the cow? should I open the barn?). Want another fun idea? Pair this toy with a farm themed book. Look at the animals on the pages of the book, and ask your child if they match the animals in the barns (i.e., "Is this a pig?").
  3. Answering Wh- questions: Work on who, what, where & why questions while playing.  Build comprehension by asking your child questions like "what is the mouse doing?," "who is in the red barn?," "where is the pig?," "why is the pig sleeping?" etc.
  4. Understanding spatial concepts (in/on/off/out):  Work on these early developing spatial concepts by having your child take the roof off the barn, putting the roof on the barn, taking the animals out of the barn, or putting the animal back in the barn.
  5. Building memory skills: Play a memory game!  Hide the animals in the different color barns, and see if your child can remember which animal is in which barn.  Then have your child hide them for you to guess!  

For expressive language development?

  1. Practice animal sounds:  Learning animal sounds is fun, plus animal sounds are often comprised of early developing sounds, making them easier for children to say!  Encourage your child to imitate you saying each animal sound. You can even try singing Old McDonald while opening up each barn. Be sure to pause at the end of the song, and wait for your child to fill in the blank (Example: here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a....)!
  2. Farm animal vocabulary:  Talk about the different farm animals in each barn, and see if your child can label them.  
  3. Requesting: Have your child request for the barns, animals or to open each barn.  Depending on how much expressive language they have, they could use a simple word such as, "open" or "more," or a phrase or sentence like, "I want open" or "Can I have the purple barn?"
  4. Commenting:  Encourage your child to comment throughout play.  Model appropriate comments while playing with your child.  Use language like, "I see a blue barn, what do you see?"
  5. Use of prepositional phrases: Place the animals in different locations and have your child use phrases to describe their locations.  Put them in the barn, out of the barn, on the roof, or behind the barn.
  6. Vocabulary of action words: Pretend that the animals are doing different things and ask your child what each animal is doing.  Depending on your child's vocabulary, you can focus on simple verbs like eat, sleep, and drink, or be more creative and use of verbs like swing, hop and slide.

For play development?

  1. Pretend play:  These barns provide so many pretend play opportunities.  Children can use their imaginations to pretend that the animals are eating, sleeping, playing, or even having a birthday party!  The possibilities are endless!

For social language development?

  1. Turn taking: Develop turn taking abilities by asking your child if you can have a turn opening the barns.   
  2. Asking questions:  Model appropriate questioning during play by asking your child questions like, "What barn do you think the cow is in?" or "What is your favorite color barn?"  Encourage them to ask you questions back!
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