stem camp

 Four Pillars of Learning curriculum

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 47 – Explore your Cultural Background Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Explore your Cultural Background Activity

Technology is a great way to bring us closer in the world. Technology helps us to learn and travel to new places without ever leaving our home. Many families have various cultural backgrounds. Today’s activity involves exploring your own cultural background using technology.

Choose a country or countries that represent your cultural background. Search that country online and show your children where that is on a map. You can use the Google Earth app www.google.com/earth/ to show them the country online and how far it is from our country. You can also look up other information about the country to find out what it is like to live there. Look up famous artists that are there, what are popular foods, what the country is famous for, what are temperatures there at this time of year. Look through pictures online, listen to the language they speak, if it is different from ours. This is a great opportunity to share your cultural heritage using technology.

Depending on the age of your child, you could expand this by having them create a story based on what they have found.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: STEAM (technology) and language and literacy.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 46 – Fish for Letters Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Fish for Letters Activity

Learning letters can be fun! This is a fun and interactive way to learn letter recognition. Here are the easy steps to create this game that can be used over and over again.

Step 1: Gather the following items; construction paper, markers, paper clips, scissors, yarn, a wood dowel stick and a magnet.

Step 2: Using the construction paper, cut out 10 fish shapes and draw on a mouth and eye with the markers. Label each fish with a letter of the alphabet. Start with 10 letters and increase the number of fish to add more letters when your child is able to recognize these ones. You don’t have to go in order of the alphabet. You can choose to use the letters in the child’s name or just random letters. If your child is able, they can also help you draw the letters on the fish. Make sure you put it on both sides of the paper.

Step 3: Attach a paper clip to the tail of the fish

Step 3: Attach the string around the magnet at one end and the stick at the other to create the fishing pole.

Step 4: Call out various letters and have your child fish them out. You can put the fish in a bowl or simply place them on a table.

You can expand this game to include words, numbers and colours by changing what is on the fish. For older children, they can complete all the step by themselves to create this fun game.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: language and literacy.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 45 – Balloon Breath Mindfulness Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Balloon Breath Mindfulness Activity

Mindfulness is growing in popularity just about everywhere. Parenting and early childhood settings are no exception. There is good reason for this enthusiasm. Mindfulness has been used with adults to reduce stress, bolster overall health and psychological functioning, and assist a return to wellness following adversity. We are learning that mindfulness may also support healthy adult-child relationships.

Mindfulness is noticing what’s going on outside—and inside—of us with acceptance and kindness. As mindful parents, we can be curious and open to understanding what our children are feeling and experiencing. This mindfulness exercise is designed to help both parent and child experience a sense of calm connection.

Balloon Breath: In this practice, use deep breathing and movement together to calm your mind and body. Show how to do it and have your child copy you.

• You can sit or stand up.
• Place both hands on top of your head.
• Begin to breathe in and out slowly. As you inhale, raise your arms above your head, like you are blowing up a balloon. When your lungs are full of air, your arms should look like a big, round balloon on top of your head.
• As you exhale, slowly bring your hands toward your head. Do your best to match the timing of your inhale with raising your arms up and the timing of your exhale with bringing your arms back down.
• Try to deepen your breath with each inhale as you’re able.
• Continue with this breath and arm movement 2-4 more times.
• On the last breath, press your lips together and blow the air out, making a silly sound.

For more information about mindfulness in the early years, visit the website: www.zerotothree.org/resources/series/mindfulness-in-early-childhood

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: physical activity and mindfulness.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 44 – Animal Kingdom Physical Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Animal Kingdom Physical Activity

Physical activity is so important, especially since we are spending so much time indoors. The weather has not been the best to get us outside and keep us active. We have a fun way to keep your child active and their imagination going. We call it Animal Kingdom. The game is simple and easy to play. Feel free to join in the movements with your child. It will make it more fun for them if you participate too!

Choose any animal and ask your child to make the sounds that animal would make and move like that animal. Ask your child to hop like a frog, walk like a penguin, slither like a snake, climb like a monkey, swim like a fish and so on. Imitating the movements of different animals will develop their physical strength and they will learn something about how the animals move.

You can choose to take a video of this activity so your child can watch it back after and have a good laugh.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: (STEAM – science), physical activity and language skills.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 43 – Popsicle Stick Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Popsicle Stick Activity

Popsicle sticks are so versatile and are a great material to have on hand for your child to explore with. They can be used to create art or engage in engineering activities such as building structures. This activity is simple and open-ended. Resist the temptation to have an end product, just let the creative juices flow.

Step 1: Gather the following items: popsicle sticks (craft sticks), rocks, glue, small pine cones, leaves, natural feathers, any other types of natural collage materials you have on hand.

Step 2: Put the materials on a tray for your child to explore with. Give the child instructions to make something with the materials on the tray. They don’t have to use all the materials but they can if they want to.

Step 3: You can also participate with your child and make something while you sit beside them. Engage in conversation about what they are making (let them tell you what they are making instead of making any assumptions about it). For younger children, you can label the objects you are using as you go to build language skills. You can add in some math skills by counting the objects too.

Step 4: Take a picture of the creations made by you and your child. You can print and hang the photo or post it here too to make the child feel proud of their accomplishment.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: (STEAM – art, engineering, math) and language skills.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 42 – Watercolour Art Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Watercolour Art Activity

We have a fun watercolour art project for you to do with items you will most likely have at home.

Step 1: Gather the following items: baking sheet or plastic tray (to protect your table, and contain any liquid), ice cube tray, liquid watercolours or food colouring, droppers, paper towels, black construction paper, scissors and glue.

Step 2: Pour small amounts of liquid watercolour into an ice cube tray. You can also make the liquid watercolour by adding food colouring to water.

Step 3: Now that you have your watercolours ready to go, give everyone a few sheets of paper towel and put it on the tray. We used the paper towel that’s perforated into half-sheets, and we used one half-sheet per skyline silhouette. Give everyone a few extras though because they’re going to love the process and you can make extra watercolour paper towels just for fun.

Step 4: Using a dropper, add drops of colour all over the paper towel to create the colourful backdrop for their silhouettes.

Step 5: When the paper towel is completely coloured, set it aside to let it dry. You can place it on a drying rack or drape it over a bowl. For toddlers, you may want to stop the activity here and just dry the paper towel art. For preschoolers and older children, continue the activity.

Step 6: Next have the children cut their cities out of piece of black construction paper. You can help your child by drawing it out and having the child cut it along the lines. This is a great activity to teach children to cut along a straight line.

Step 7: Glue the construction paper skylines to the colourful paper towel to see your skyline silhouette come to life.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: (STEAM – art, science, engineering) fine motor skills.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 41 – Mixing Liquids Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Mixing Liquids Activity

Science is a fun and interactive way for children to learn. We have a great activity that can be done to teach children about liquids and their ability to be mixed or not mixed together. Have your child guess what is going to happen before you begin the experiment. Write down the guess and see if they were correct.

Step 1: Gather the following items: tall jars or glasses, corn syrup, water, food colouring and oil.

Step 2: Place the jar or glass on a hard level surface like a table.

Step 3: Pour ¼ cup of corn syrup into the glass or jar.

Step 4: Add ½ cup of water into the jar, along with some drops of food colouring.

Step 5: Add about ¼ to ½ of oil into the jar.

Step 6: Watch to see what liquids mix together and which ones don’t. Record the results and talk about it with your child.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: (STEAM – science) and language and literacy skills.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 40 – Animal Exploration Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Animal Exploration Activity

Technology can be a great educational teacher when used correctly. Ask your child to pick a country, any country they name. Or a younger child can point to a country on a map. Once they have that country picked out, have them look for an animal that is commonly known to that area. For example, In France there is a cute little animal called a Garden Dormouse. If you have a younger child that is unable to pick a country or animal, you can choose one yourself and still continue with the activity. With your assistance, ask your child to use google to find out the following things about the animal they have chosen.

1. How tall can their animal grow to be?
2. What does their animal eat?
3. Where does their animal live?
4. How much does their animal weigh.

To expand on this activity you can even have your child create a story based on the animal they found. This is a good way to learn how to do research on google and to learn about a new animal.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: (STEAM – science, technology) and language and literacy skills.

Daily Activity for Kids – Day 39 – Mailbox Letter Activity

During this COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are home with their children and looking for things to do. This is a daily post to give you ideas of fun things to do. It comes from activities that we implement at our daycare centre using our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum. Since we are closed during this time, we are sharing the activity for you to implement in your own home. Enjoy!

Daily Activity for Kids – Mailbox Letter Activity

Introducing new language skills and word recognition can be fun for children of all ages. Nothing is more exciting to a child than to receive mail that is addressed to them. This activity uses the mail to teach word recognition.

Step 1: Create a mail box using a cardboard box, shoe box or any other item you have at home that will work. Your child can decorate the mail box using paint or crayons to make it their own.

Step 2: Once the mail box is complete you can begin to send your child letters, addressed to them. Inside each envelope, on a piece of paper you can write down words to teach your child. You can start with words they may recognize like their name or yours. You can add other words they would see in their day. For younger children, you could also draw a picture of the word to help them to “read” it.

Each day you could write a different word. If you want to make this even more fun, your child can take the word and put into google translate and it will pronounce the word for them. For older children you could use google translate to hear how that word would sound in a variety of different languages. You could also extend this activity by having your child write letters to you as well and mail them to you. You could use the real mail with the cost of one stamp or you could setup other mailboxes for each member of the family within the home. It’s a great way to communicate messages to each other.

This daily kids activity incorporates many learning areas based on our Four Pillars of Learning curriculum including: (STEAM – art, technology) and language and literacy skills.