We love projects where household materials are put together to make something fun. When my oldest son was a baby, I remember taking beans and putting them in a plastic bottle. This made a maraca that he loved to shake. You will learn how to make a different instrument in this post. Today we will teach you how to make an AIR flute at home.
This is a great project for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and up. First, it is easy to make. Also, it takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Kids will learn how to make this flute using straws. When kids blow in the various straws, they will create different pitches. Have your child make up a song and perform it for the family. The possibilities are endless.
Homemade instruments make the best STEM projects for kids.
Below is a video showing you step-by-step how to make an AIR flute at home. This video comes from my son’s YouTube channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like and subscribe if you find the content helpful.
Winter time will be coming soon! Many children will not be going outside as much because of the cold weather. No worries! There are a lot of fun science experimentsandDIY STEM projects children can do indoors. However, we wanted show you, before it gets too cold, a fun activity your child can do outside. It is the FLYING CUPS, which is an easy STEM activity for elementary students.
Your child will be building a cup launcher that will spin in the air. Kids can observe how the flyer is moving away from them, but the cups are spinning towards them. We call this a bottom spin, which causes air behind the cups. This is why the flyer moves up and forward. Scientists call this the Magnus Effect. The technical term for this STEM toy is Magnum Flyer.
Below is a video that will you how to build this flyer step-by-step.
The video comes from my son’s YouTube channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please share, like, and subscribe if you find the activities on the channel helpful.
Have fun with this easy STEM activity for elementary students!
Today we have a super easy activity that will amaze your kids. We will show you how to make puffy soap. We call it Soap Soufflé!
Your children will watch soap go from a solid bar to a puffy substance. The fascinating part about this experiment is that it requires a certain brand of soap. There is a reason why this particular brand of soap works for this activity. We reveal the mystery in the video below.
While doing this science activity, your chid will be exposed to air and water molecules. They will also learn how heat can be an agent of change.
We encourage you to try this experiment. It takes 5 minutes to do from start to finish.
The video below gives you step by step instructions on how to make puffy soap. It comes from my son’s YouTube channel, Corban’s Fun Adventures and Learning. Please subscribe if you enjoy what you see.
I think playing games are the best way for children to review information. Games incorporate three of the five senses for learning which are sight, hearing, and touch. Sometimes, if you are creative, you can include smell and taste as well. Below I will tell you about a 3rd grade math game we created.
This week, I decided to review multiplication and division with my son. He is starting to multiply and divide multi-digit numbers. I wanted to ensure that he mastered his times tables from 0 – 12.
My son loves games and competition. Therefore, playing this game really increased his motivation to get every math problem correct.
In order to make our review games more interesting, I like incorporating his favorite toys. This week he wanted to use Turbo Bot as a way to earn extra points in this activity. Turbo Bot is a toy that can dance, spin, explore, and even record your voice.
Watch the video below to see how we used Turbo Bot to make this 3rd grade math game more challenging and exciting.
Also you can use this game to review any concept, whether its addition, history, or science facts. We encourage you to be creative and use the game in your own way.
The video below comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like and subscribe if you like what you see.
Apples are in season this time of the year. I recently had a neighbor give me about 60 apples. This means making a lot of apple sauce for the family. In order to celebrate this time of year, my son and I made apples with homemade materials. Afterwards we created a mini explosion with the apples. This made for a fun fall activity for kindergarten.
Please note that kids younger and older than kindergarten age can do and have loads of fun with this activity.
My son liked this activity because he could get his hands messy with mixing the various substances. I like it because we made a chemical reaction and incorporated math by using measuring cups and spoons.
We consider this a great sensory activity for kids because they will mold the apple together using their hands. This is a fun fall science activity that you can do at home.
Below is a video showing you how to make the apples and the mini explosion. This video comes from my son’s YouTube Channel, Corban’s Fun Learning Adventures. Please like and share if you like what you see.
About a year ago, my son and I went outside and played in the snow. We took our snow sled and joined the other kids in the neighborhood to slide down the hill. Afterwards, we had a fun snow ball fight, made snow angels, and created snow mountains. We had a blast!
A couple days later, the sun melted the snow. We were happy to see the sun but a little disappointed because we could not have fun in the snow. Spring was making itself known in our city.
We didn’t want to let go of the fun we had with snow, so we decided to make our own. My son and I did this activity a little over a year ago and I forgot about it.
It wasn’t until my best friend, Donna, asked me if we had ever made our own snow. I told her “yes” but forgot to share it with others through this blog.
I live in an area where we get snow every year. However, Donna’s children hardly see snow, so this was the perfect activity for them.
About two days later, Donna sent me pictures of her son and daughter making snow. She said this activity kept them busy for two hours!!!!
Making your own snow is a great hands-on activity for kids. I will show you how below. All you need is two ingredients that you most likely have in your home.
Let’s Get Started
Materials Needed:
Baking Soda
White Conditioner (some people use shaving cream as an alternative)
Container or Pan to make and play with snow
spoons (optional)
Action Figures (optional)
Cookie Cutter (optional)
Sticks (optional)
Directions:
Start mixing 1/2 cup of conditioner and 3 cups or baking soda.
We did not measure when we did this activity.
We kept adding more baking soda and conditioner until we got the consistency we liked
Make play time more fun by doing pretend play with action figures in the snow
Donna gave her kids cookie cutters to make various shapes in the snow.
Have your kids create artwork in the snow with sticks from outside.
Below are pictures of the fun our kids had making snow!
Donna’s daughter making a wonderful snow creation.Donna’s son having fun mashing the snow.My son starting to make snow by putting baking soda in the pan.My son made a snow pie.
Toys that encourage creativity are a big part of childhood. My son used them to play, problem solve, build, and even to learn to read and write. However, not all toys are equal. There are some that will encourage your child to use their creativity and others that are limited in this area.
Toys where children are required to push a button are called closed-ended toys. They are fun but limit the child’s creativity and problem solving skills. A toy that plays a song after a child pushes a button teaches them cause and effect. This type of play is simple and straightforward.
However, if a child plays with blocks, they can build a tower, ramp, road, house, etc. It can also be used as an instrument or put together to formulate letters and numbers. Blocks can also be incorporated in pretend play. For instance, my son and I built a hospital and did a role play where he was the doctor and his stuffed animals were the patients.
Creativity and imagination are important in children’s lives because it will help them grow socially, intellectually, physically, and emotionally. It also aids them in expressing their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. I have observed children planning and conversing with each other on how they will play with open-ended toys such as puppets and Play-Doh.
I have also noticed that open-ended toys are cost-effective. We tend to keep these toys for longer periods of times because they grow with the child. When my son was younger, he made simple towers with blocks. Now that he is older, his towers are taller and more complex.
So, if you want to encourage your child to be creative and keep them busy in a positive way, try these toys below.
I am always looking for activities that incorporate reading and writing in a fun way. When I saw this activity, I knew there was potential for a variety of learning. The Secret Message activity will expose your child to science, reading, writing, spelling, and even math. At the bottom of this post, I explain how to use this activity to expose your child to different subject matters.
This activity is quick, simple, and uses materials you probably have in your home. Get ready to share a surprise with your little one.
One night after taking a bath, my son suggested an activity/game for the next day called, Letter Hunt. I was intrigued by his suggestion and asked him how to play. Cory said “We will find all the letters in the alphabet in one room.”
The next day, we played the game he suggested and had a blast. We also played two other variations of the game. This activity is great for letter recognition and it allows children to get physical. Play this game even if your child knows their letters.
My son is very familiar with the alphabet but still had fun with this activity. It was raining outside when we played the game and that resulted in perfect timing.
Let’s Get Started
Letter Hunt- Variation 1
Materials:
Children and adults
Directions:
Tell your child you will do a letter hunt by going around a room or your home to search for letters.
You may find letters anywhere in your home such as magazines, signs, toys, shoes, books etc.
Keep playing the game until you find letters A-Z
My son found the letter A on his Paw Patrol Slipper.Found the letter C on a box.
Letter Hunt – Variation 2
Materials:
Foam Letter or Magnetic letters
You may also use letters you have written on paper
Directions:
Hide letters A-Z around a room
Have your child(ren) find the letters and put them in a pile.
My son hunting for the letters I hid.
Letter Hunt – Variation 3
Materials:
Markers
Craft Paper or Poster Board Paper
Foam letters or Magnetic letters
You may also use letters you have written on paper
Directions:
Draw a chart on craft paper with your name or initial on one column and your child’s name or initial in the another column.
You and your child will get two different letters.
For example, your child will get letter A and you will get letter B.
Cory picking the letter he will soon hide.
Have your child hide the letter A in a room without you looking.
You hide the letter B in a room and ensure your child is not looking at where you are hiding it.
Now both of you go find the letters each one of you hid.
For example, you will find the letter A and your child will find the letter B
Whoever finds the letter first wins a point that round.
Have your child record the points on craft paper for each round.
Keeping score for our Letter Hunt. Clearly I am losing the game.I am trying to find where Cory hid his letter. He had great hiding spots.
Many parents ask me how my son started writing at such a young age. He wrote his first letter A at 21 months. He could also write the alphabet and numbers 1-100 at the age of 2.5.
My son writing numbers 1-100 outside at 2.5 years old.Here’s a video of my son, age 2 at the time, writing the alphabet outside.
Teaching a child to write can be a difficult task, especially if the child does not have a desire to learn. Below I will answer the most frequently asked questions when it comes to handwriting skills and children. You will find creative and enjoyable teaching techniques in my new book, Fun and Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write.
It has over 135 activities, resources and tips for teaching writing with PLAY.
The Book is Available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle! Click on the Image Below to Find It.
GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST TO GET THE FIRST CHAPTER AND HALF OF THE SECOND CHAPTER FOR FREE.
Let’s Get Started!
How Can I Help with Writing?
Part of learning to write involves remembering how letters, shapes, and numbers are formed. Most children are taught this through tracing letters, numbers, lines, and shapes repeatedly. Although this is very effective, there are other scientific-proven tricks that can accelerate the learning process and make it fun.
One Fun Scientific Trick to Use When Teaching Your Child to Write
One scientific trick I have used is called Picturing Information. I read about this method in the book, Learning How to Learn: How to Succeed in School Without Spending All Your Time Studying; A Guide for Teens and Kids. Picturing Information makes it much easier to remember. This involves using both the right and left brain strengths into learning. One way to do this is to convert a fact into a picture, so you can remember it more easily. If the picture is strange or unusual, it is easier to remember. Additionally, if the picture involves movement, then it makes the connection stronger.
Let’s use a letter as an example. If your child is learning to write the letter A, you may want to connect it with a picture of a triangle. While tracing or showing them how to write it, tell your child the A is part triangle with a line in the middle. It is important to use what is familiar to your child for the picture. In other words, ensure the child knows what a triangle and line look like. If they don’t know, then use another picture such as stick man legs with a line in the middle.
You may also describe an A as stick man legs with a line in the middle.
When should a child be able to write?
Most experts say that children learn to write between the ages of 3-6. I believe children learn to write before they actually start writing if exposed in the right way. This begins once a parent exposes their child to how letters, numbers, and shapes are formed through reading books, building, doing art, and participating in physical play. When children see letters, shapes, and numbers in books or in the real world often, their brain is taking note of how they are formed. When children start writing they will know letter and number formation which makes it easier to write.
How play can help In teaching your child to write
Building and doing art can help strengthen a child’s hand muscles to prepare them for writing. Building various structures with Legos, magnetic tiles, or Play-Doh helps develop a child’s pincer grasp, which is the coordination of the index finger and thumb to hold an item. This is also a great way to develop fine motor skills. A child is using the pincer grasp when they hold a paint brush, put money in a piggy bank, and learn to button their shirt.
Physical play is a great way to develop a child’s handwriting skills. Children can make letters with their bodies through creative dance. Also, crawling and yoga is a way to strengthen hand muscles which is beneficial for writing.
How can I help my child write faster?
Often I am asked how I got my son to write the alphabet and numbers as a 2-year-old. It wasn’t that he learned to write quickly, I just started earlier. When he was a baby, I read aloud to him various colorful children’s books about shapes, letters, and numbers. Not only was I reading to him, but I would take my finger and outline the shapes, letters, and numbers in the book.
We also built structures often with blocks and Play-doh. We created letters, shapes, and numbers with these toys and more. While creating we discussed our process in structuring each object and how they were formed.
So, if you want your child to write faster, simply start early through PLAY and fun exposure.
Fun and Easy Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write Book
I wrote this book to show parents ways to expose their children to the formation of letters, numbers, and shapes in a fun way. This book will take you through a step by step process of how I taught my son handwriting skills. It gives you games/activities to do with your child along the way to make writing a process that is fun, natural, and stress free for the parent and child.
This is a great tool for parents with children ages 0-7!
This book provides the following and so much more…
Fun scientific techniques in teaching kids handwriting skills.
How to execute fun in-depth learning
How to teach children to write before they actually start writing
How to incorporate digital media in your child’s learning
The stages of writing
How to use PLAY when exposing your child to handwriting
The importance of learning in different settings
How to teach your child to hold writing utensils correctly
What to do when your child does not want to write
Hand strengthening activities that will prepare your child to write
Once your child begins to write, how to continue to build their handwriting skills
Here is What Others are Saying about the Book
This is a fantastic, thoughtful resource for anyone who wants to give their child a head start for school as well as cultivate a love for learning. It gives parents or caregivers who want to spend quality time with their child clear instructions and a wide variety of activities so they can strengthen their bond and create lasting memories with their child while teaching them valuable skills and having fun. An indispensable resource for those with young children! —Stacey K., editor and mother of 4
“This book is a fantastic resource for parents and educators in the midst of teaching their children literacy skills. It provides excellent activities, book references, and resources to teach toddlers how to write, along with educational insights regarding children’s brain development and cognition. I love how Andrea uses fun and creative literacy techniques to instill an early love of learning in young children. As a mom of two toddlers, I am excited to use these engaging techniques with my girls!” —Amber., counselor and mother of 4
This book is a great companion to Teach Your Toddler to Read Through Play. The book contains many activities for different learning styles. It is definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach to learning how to write. Parents and children can bond with each other and have fun while figuring out what works best for them. If your child enjoys nature, STEM, crafts, role-playing, or music, you’ll find something to pique their interests inside the pages. Not only does this book help your child learn to write, Andrea includes scientific insight about brain development to support the value of these child-centered and age-appropriate activities. Once again, Andrea has made learning fun! —Danielle J., Attorney and mother of 2
The Book is Available on Amazon in Paperback and Kindle! Click on the Image Above to Find It.
Not sure yet? Get a free excerpt of Fun Ways to Teach Your Toddler to Write by completing the form below.
