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Here we are what week 5 of quarantine?! I don’t even know anymore because seriously life is blending together into basically the same day over and over and over again.
I am trying to do some fun / educational things with Evee most days of the week. We kind of got into this habit during the winter after unsuccessfully attempting to get her into a preschool (apparently waitlists are a thing even in Ottawa). It’s been a great way to break up the day, do something together, and, bonus, depending on what it is she will go back to it on her own time.
I know its hard to come up with educational or creative activities to do on the spot and so I like to have a few things printed and ready to go or materials on hand for when the learning bug hits. BUT, I know its also difficult to track these things down sometimes so I thought I would compile what I have found for you!
Remember, I am in no way a ‘teacher’ in the traditional sense of the word…just a mom who wants her kid to learn something and, more importantly, a mom who is tired of playing puppies for the bazillionth day in a row 🤯! (Seriously, Evee has been a ‘puppy’ since I think last November…I.am.over.it!)
Supplies to Have on Hand
The biggest game changer in our house for getting Evee to create on her own and learn skills like cutting or how to hold a pen properly (even more than the activities I have linked below) is to just have basic art supplies on hand in places where she can access them whenever she wants. We set up a desk in our living room and she has one in her room for quiet time and now my house is overflowing in cut up papers glued together with some stickers and marker stick people. I also have a few bins in the closet that hold our play dough and a rice sensory bin that I made her for Christmas last year and I try to switch out the stuff in it every season.
Here is what I like to keep accessible:
- Markers
- Glue — white and stick (obviously depends on your kid)
- Paper — construction or white printer paper (Evee usually prefers the white stuff)
- Scissors
- Stickers — we got gifted a big bin but Dollarama is your best friend for stickers
- Stamps and Ink Pad — this is a bit more risky because that ink is permanent but Evee has learned to be careful with it
- Paint — we just got a Tempera paint set like this one and I think we are really going to love them (and they will last longer than watercolour sets), also cheap acrylic paint
- Playdough — I use this recipe
I usually spend an hour or so every season combing Pinterest for free printable activities that Evee will find exciting. I have saved a bunch on my preschool board and below I have listed what I found for Spring.
Colouring Pages
Cutting Activities
Tracing Activities
Mazes
More Educational Papers
I am also not against screen time and using apps to encourage learning (and lets be honest, to give me some time to get work done if I need it). Below are a couple that Evee has been enjoying recently.
Apps, Videos, Etc
- Kahn Academy Kids — From them ‘Children can learn reading, language, writing, math, social-emotional development, problem-solving skills, and motor development.’ aka you can feel good that they are actually learning something.
- Sago Mini World — Slightly less overtly educational but still super fun and has a wide variety and selection of games that have entertained Evee for many hours.
- Duolingo — Evee is starting French Immersion kindergarten in the fall so she likes to ‘learn French’ with this app.
- Cosmic Kids Yoga — I’m sure you all know about this already but if you don’t you’re welcome. They create super fun yoga for kids using stories that your kids know (hello Frozen yoga).
One last thing that I check out recently is Other Goose. This is a homeschooling platform where the focus is on open-ended discovery instead of traditional learning styles. They have a 3 week free trial right now so I thought I would check it out. They have super quick lessons that put the focus on exploring and doing normal things in a different way that encourages learning. So far I have got some great ideas from here and will probably keep using the curriculum for a few more months until we can just be outside all the time.
Oh, and when all activities have been exhausted, your coffee is cold (or worse gone! 😱) and its still only 10:01 AM there is always this.
Happy learning!