Toddler's and craft activities (4)

School is now over, and everyone is excited about summer vacation; however, we still have our classes. We will be able to finish our curriculum by the second week of April. We began our classes in the second week of August, so we are still having our classes.

When I was a child, my mom would constantly nag me whenever she saw us watching TV shows (especially cartoons) or playing video games.  You know, for students, summer means freedom!  I understand that moms want their children to enjoy that freedom during school vacations while still being productive. My mom chose to send us to our grandparents' house in the province; now, I realize her reason was to encourage a more productive summer vacation instead of wasting time in front of the TV and computer. 

To all moms out there thinking of activities for your toddlers here are some of my ideas that you can do.

Home made finger paint

1.  Finger Painting

Toddlers love to draw and color. Although I'm not particularly skilled at drawing and coloring, I still enjoy this activity with my children.  We have plenty of coloring pages at home, and instead of using crayons, I made paints for finger painting.  This is very easy to do. However, I am unsure if you would appreciate creating a lot of mess in the house, as this activity can be pretty messy.

Dissolve cornstarch in water, then place it on the stove. Continue stirring until it comes to a boil. If you find your mixture too sticky, simply add more water. A 1/4 cup of cornstarch can make a substantial amount of paste, and it works better than all-purpose flour. Aim for a flowing consistency. Divide the mixture and transfer it into different containers; the number of containers will depend on the colors you want to create. Simply use food coloring to tint the paste solution.

Ensure you cover your workspace with newspaper or a large sheet of paper to keep it tidy. As I mentioned earlier, this can be a messy activity. Have the children wear their working clothes since the colored starch paste might stain them. In our experience, food color stains can typically be removed with soap and water.

With this activity, children can also learn to mix colors. My children loved making new colors by mixing them. Actually, my youngest son also wanted to join in messing things up. I was glad that her sister's educational laptop caught his attention. I'll let him join the finger painting activity when he's a bit bigger and no longer puts his hands in his mouth.

2.  Animal Fishing

Have fun playing the animal fishing game! You'll need animal pictures and a big tub to place them in. Use a magnet attached to a string and stick to serve as the fishing pole.  Attach paper clips to the back of your animal pictures so they will stick to the magnet.  You can also use the animal pictures your child has colored in previous activities.

My children and I played this game to teach them about air, land, and water animals.  They will catch the animals and try to sort them.  Designate where to place each animal.  In our activity, I used colored papers so they could categorize the animals.  White paper is for water animals, green is for land animals, and blue is for air animals.  You can use small buckets or containers to hold the animals; it depends on you.

3.  Balloon Fun

My children love playing with balloons. Since we are homeschooling, we always have balloons in our supplies. Once, I needed to work on something and couldn't dedicate time to play with my children.  I had to provide them with activities to keep them busy, especially my daughter. Thinking quickly, I gave her a balloon and a marker, instructing her to draw on the balloon, and she loved the idea.  When she was younger, she would draw on our walls and any surface. I had to teach and remind her that crayons, markers, and pencils are not for walls, chairs, tables, etc. That's why I knew this trick would work; she didn't disturb me while I worked, allowing me to finish my task.  I was glad when I returned to look at her and found no marks on the tables and walls; she listened to my instructions.    

The balloons can also be used to teach them addition and subtraction. Pop balloons when teaching subtracting. My children also love to sit on balloons and pop them, so they loved the idea of popping out balloons and learning the concept of subtraction at the same time.

So, what activities have you lined up for your child this summer? I'd love to hear them.