Simple Play ideas 3

Monday 21 November 2011

Hi there everyone!

The year is winding up, and there are appointments and committments everywhere. Our boys have started swimming lessons once a week, there are doctors appointments, dinner dates..... the list goes on. Christmas is coming, and soon it will be 2012!! Also, in the next week or so, Mr-almost-3 will be turning 3!! He has put in his order for his Luigi and Guido cake (from Cars) and wants Ham and Pineapple pizza for his birthday dinner. It's not his party year... we had a party for each sons first and second birthdays... then we paused and asked "Are we going to do this EVERY year?" We decided no.... parties on even number years. How do you work it at your house? Who do you invite to the parties? Family? Friends? Everyone?

Today's play idea is really simple. Once again it involves simple household objects: empty jars, water, food colouring and spoons.

Fill the jars up with different volumes of water, add food colouring and voila! Home made xylophone. Mr-almost 3 enjoyed clanking and clunking the spoons on the outside, and putting the spoon inside and 'stirring' the water so the spoon clinked on the side of the glass jar.

Add Mr 4 to the picture and the coloured water became a 'mixing experience' - what colour does green and yellow make? blue and red? red and yellow? etc.....

So why do this experience with your children? Here's why:

1. It's cheap and you probably have all the stuff in your house already

2. It can improve musical awareness (the pitch is affected by the volume of water, cause and effect - hit the jar, wait for the sound).

3. Mixing colour is basic science experimentation - what happens when? Encourage your child to guess and predict what may happen

4. It is water play without huge volumes of water.

5. Encourages colour knowledge - encourage your children to name the colours.

6. Basic mathematical language  - more, less, full, too much, not enough, empty. Encourage these words too!

And finally something I really want to share with you - with help and loving guidance I sewed a skirt for my neice's birthday.

An enormous thankyou to my friend Karen from k4j designs for her patience, moral support, guidance and all around sewing guru-ness and help! Here is a link to some of Karen's creations: http://www.facebook.com/#!/k4jDesigns.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!
Dansie x