educational activities
Practice, practice, practice! Quick, short sessions of flashcard drills are great but it can get boring. Try some of these low-cost, low-prep, and fun ways to practice sight words instead. 1. Memory Game: Create doubles of some sight words and play Memory. Use thick or patterned paper so that you can’t see through the cards. With a partner, take turns […]
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Ideally, children should read books that are just right for them. Too easy and the child is not being challenged or learning new reading skills. Too hard and the child becomes frustrated and wants to give up reading altogether. But…it can be hard to find perfect level books and if you do they may not always interest your child. Many […]
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Charcoal is a great art medium to introduce with children. You can draw anything with charcoal – people, landscapes, animals, plants, buildings – but remember that the finished product will only have dark shades for colouring, with highlights of lighter areas. It’s great for showing the contrast between light and dark areas and the finished product can be quite striking. […]
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Mixed Media Collaborative Painting: I have been wanting to do a collaborative mixed media art project with my kids for a long time but we just never got around to it. But when self-isolation due to COVID-19 was in effect we had the perfect opportunity. We already had a large canvas and I gathered up art supplies that we already […]
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DragonflyNotes on Etsy Lunch box notes are a great way to show your kids that you’re thinking of them and love them – even when you’re not together. But who has the time!? I used to try to write my kids notes each morning but with the regular craziness of getting three kids out the door on a school morning, […]
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Aggh! LEGO! I have a love-hate relationship with LEGO. On one hand, it’s an amazing toy for kids of all ages. It’s open-ended, encourages imagination and free-play, fosters fine-motor skills, provides practice in following directions, can lead to various math and science investigations, etc. etc. LEGO is wonderful! But…on the other hand…It takes over the house! It hurts to step […]
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One of my favourite art activities involves combining watercolour paint (or in this case, blue food colouring and water), and salt. It creates a beautiful frosty effect that is perfect for Winter themed art. I chose birds for the theme for this project, but it could work equally as well with drawings of Arctic animals, animals that hibernate, or a […]
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Some Benefits of Using Story Stones: Oral story telling: Telling stories helps foster imagination and creativity and increases vocabulary. Listening Skills: Have children listen to others telling stories with the stones. When done, they can make a positive comment about the story told. Comprehension: Ask various questions about what happened in the story. Ask both facts and questions that will […]
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Leaf Art Autumn is a great season for crafts! Treasures found outside in Autumn, such as leaves, pincecones, and twigs, can easily be used for a wide variety of crafts. I love exploring outdoors with children and watching them discover the wonders of nature. This Leaf Art activity is an annual favourite of both teachers and children and can be done with […]
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Piet Mondrian Paintings Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), was a Dutch painter with varying styles, but he is probably most well-known for his abstract geometric style. The bold black lines, square and rectangular shapes, and bright primary colours make the style visually appealing to children of all ages, and easy for them to reproduce. I have done this lesson with children in […]
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