While SHORE UP!’s Head Start and Early Head Start centers are closed to prevent further spread of Coronavirus, staff encourages parents to continue engaging their children through Early Head Start and Head Start Home Learning Activities. Please see the documents below for details. (The information under each pdf may be translated. On the homepage of the website, choose your language).

FAMILY RESOURCES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Early Head Start/Head Start Home Activities

Week of April 27, 2020

EHS HS home activities April 27-May1

Language & Literacy Activities

Five Little Lady Bugs

Five little ladybugs sitting on a leaf,

Soaking in the sunshine and the soft, warm breeze.

Along came Mr. Bird, quiet as can be,

And snatched that ladybug off of the leaf!

Four little ladybugs sitting on a leaf…

Three little ladybugs sitting on a leaf…

Two little ladybugs sitting on a leaf…

One little ladybug sitting on a leaf…

No more ladybugs sitting on a leaf!

Create a Story

Most children know the story “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and many of the books that followed about that mouse. If you are able, locate the story online and read it with your child. Then try this activity to spark their imagination.

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”

Make a new title, “If You Give a Mouse a Dollar” and have your child make a story to go along with the new adventure. Write out their story as they recite it to you and have them illustrate it.

Ex: If you gave a mouse a dollar, he would want to go to the store. When he went outside, he would realize it was raining and he would need his umbrella. When he went for his umbrella, he would realize he left it at school. If he didn’t have his umbrella he would need you to make him a covering so he wouldn’t get wet. Once you made a raincoat out of a plastic sandwich bag, he would realize he was hungry and would ask for a sandwich before you could leave. Once he was finished he would be anxious to go to the store. When you arrived at the store, he wanted to go down every toy aisle. He would touch every toy that made sound. Continue using their imagination or write your own from the beginning.

Early Head Start

Children enjoy repetition in their reading. Elaborate on a favorite children’s book, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” Go on a hunt in the house for any other colored or types of animals (stuffed, plastic, photographs, real ones, other books) and encourage your child to create additional pages for the story. Look to introduce new animals to their vocabulary. For example:

White stuffed bunny-“White Bunny, White bunny, what do you see?”

“Pink Flamingo”/ “Green Turtle”/”Gray Shark”/ Blue Crab”/Purple Peacock”/”Gray Koala”, etc…

Journaling

Allow your child opportunities to journal daily if they would like. It can be free journaling or structured through a topic/interest while they are at home. A journal can be just plain paper where they have opportunities to write and draw what they are writing about. Younger children may just scribble; however, this is a valuable developmental stage for them. Older children will draw and dictate to you what they are drawing or attempting to write, and some children will be at the stage of writing sight words, words familiar to them, environmental print words and sounding out their words to print them. Encourage your child at whichever stage he/she is at. Below are a list of writing ideas and sentence starters:

For younger children:

“What do you like to do when you go outside?

“How do you feel today?

“What is the weather like today?”

“What do you like to eat?”

“What is your favorite toy?”

For older children:

“The funniest thing that ever happened to me was…”

“The thing I miss most about Head Start is…”

“If I could go on an airplane anywhere, I would go to ______________ and I would take ___________ with me. When we get there we would…”

“If I could have any pet, it would be a ________________ because…”

“My favorite thing to do in the summer is…”

—————————————————Early Head Start Pre-Writing ——————————————————–

Younger children will need supportive activities to develop strong fine motor skills before they can begin writing. Here are some activities you can do to assist in developing them.

Exercises for Fingers to increase fine motor abilities to grow early writing abilities:

Give your child a stress ball to squeeze and release.
Engage them in folding laundry.
Allow them to use clips like clothespins and chip clips to strengthen their fine motor muscles to begin to grasp a writing tool.
Give them opportunities to manipulate small toys, blocks and play dough.
Play catch with them to improve eye-hand coordination.

Sensory Play

A great hands-on way to practice important fine motor skills.

Choose a good container. Depending on the items you want to put in there gives you the idea of what size would work well. Plastic food containers, cardboard boxes, dishpans, baking dishes are examples.
Choose a sensory filler. Use non-food items such as bird seed, small pebbles (aquarium pebbles), sand, mud, water (add color with food coloring), Easter grass, shredded paper, Styrofoam peanuts, buttons, water beads, play dough are examples. PLEASE BE SURE TO USE AGE APPROPRIATE SIZE ITEMS. DO NOT USE TINY ITEMS FOR TODDLERS.
Add fun tools. The best part of sensory play is the chance to fill, dump, pour, mix, and transfer materials from one place to another. Measuring cups, funnels, waterwheels, sifters, digging items, sponges, spoons, rollers, tweezers, tongs, scoops, small animals, cars, blocks, etc…are good examples.

Gross Motor/Outside Play

Animal Antics

Go outside and become animals. Have children pick an animal they want to pretend to be and move around the yard or down the sidewalk like that animal. Add sounds with it.

Bunny, kangaroo-hop

Snake-slither

Frog-jump

Bird-fly, swoop

Butterfly- flutter

Crab-walk on all fours sideways

Duck, Penguin- waddle

Bear, Lion-prowl

Elephant- swing trunk, stomp heavily

Health & Nutrition

Healthy eating and healthy snacking are very important during this time. Have your child draw a plate with the food items they would like to eat for a meal. You can use newspapers, magazines or grocery flyers to cut out pictures if they are available. Talk with your child about good nutrition and how food gives us our daily energy. Utilize My Plate as a resource to share with children.

If you have internet access, visit https://choosemyplate.gov/health-and-nutrition-information for more activities and info on good nutrition.

For younger children, have them identify the colors of the foods they are eating.

Social Emotional Support

Resilience in Children

Exercise strengthens and reorganizes the brain to make it more resilient to stress. One of the ways it does this is by increasing the neuro-chemicals that can calm the brain in times of stress. Anything that gets kids moving is stellar, but of course, if you can make it fun, that pretty much grants you hero status. Here are some ideas, but get them thinking and they’ll have plenty of their own:

throw a Frisbee;
kick a ball;
give a hula-hoop a spin;
walk the dog;
superhero tag (the tagged one stands in the middle of a circle on the ground; a superhero saves them by using their superhero powers to fly with running feet through the circle);
detective (in the park or backyard … first one to find five things that are green; or three things starting with ‘s’; or seven things that could be used for dress-ups; or ten things that smell good – ready, set, go!).

Math & Science Activities

Below are ways that you can help your child learn early math skills by building on their natural curiosity and having fun together. (Note: Most of these tips are designed for older children—ages 2–5. Younger children can be exposed to stories and songs using repetition rhymes and numbers.)

Count and sort

Gather together a basket of small toys, shells, pebbles or buttons. Count them with your child. Sort them based on size, color, or what they do (Ex. all the cars in one pile, all the animals in another).

Place the call

With your 3-year-old, begin teaching her the address and phone number of your home. Talk with your child about how each house has a number, and how their house or apartment is one of a series, each with its own number.

What size is it?

Notice the sizes of objects in the world around you: That pink pocketbook is the biggest. The blue pocketbook is the smallest. Ask your child to think about his own size relative to other objects (Ex. “Do you fit under the table? Do you fit under the chair?”).

Walk it off

Taking a walk gives children many opportunities to compare (which stone is bigger?), assess (how many acorns did we find?), note similarities and differences (does the duck has fur like the bunny does?) and categorize (see if you can find some red leaves). You can also talk about size (by taking big and little steps), estimate distance (is the park close to our house or far away?), and practice counting (let’s count how many steps until we get to the corner).

Shape up

Point out the different shapes and colors you see during the day. On a walk, you may see an octagon-shaped sign that’s red. You may see a brick house or a vehicle with a variety of shapes on them.

Read and sing your numbers

Sing songs that rhyme, repeat, or have numbers in them. Songs reinforce patterns (which is a math skill as well). They also are fun ways to practice language and foster social skills like cooperation.

5 Little Monkeys

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed; one fell off and
Bumped his head. Mama called the doctor and the doctor said,
No more monkeys jumping on the Bed…. uh huh (no
More Monkeys jumping on the Bed) Four Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed; one fell off and bumped his head…(continue counting down to zero)

Pass it around

Ask for your child’s help in distributing items like snacks. Help him give one cracker to each child, or in laying napkins out on the dinner table. Tell them that each napkin needs a fork, a spoon and a knife. This helps children understand one-to-one correspondence. When you are distributing items, emphasize the number concept: “One for you, one for me, one for Daddy.” Or, “We are putting on our shoes: One, two.”

Big on blocks

Give your child the chance to play with wooden blocks, plastic interlocking blocks, empty boxes, milk cartons, etc. Stacking and manipulating these toys help children learn about shapes and the relationships between shapes (e.g., two triangles make a square). Nesting boxes and cups for younger children help them understand the relationship between different sized objects.

Tunnel time

Open a large cardboard box at each end to turn it into a tunnel. This helps children understand where their body is in space and in relation to other objects.

Dress for math success

Ask your child to pick out a shirt for the day. Ask: What color is your shirt? Yes, yellow. Can you find something in your room that is also yellow? As your child nears three and beyond, notice patterns in his clothing—like stripes, colors, shapes, or pictures: I see a pattern on your shirt. There are stripes that go red, blue, red, blue. Or, your shirt is covered with ponies—a big pony next to a little pony, all over your shirt!

Graphing games

As your child nears 3-years-old and beyond, make a chart where your child can put a sticker or color in each time it rains or each time it is sunny (see example). At the end of a week, you can estimate together which column has more or less stickers, and count how many to be sure.

House of Good Deeds

Draw a house with your child. Talk about the simple shapes you use to build your house. A rectangle for the chimney, door, and windows, triangle for the roof, circle window, etc. Decorate your house, add landscaping such as a tree, bird, swing, mailbox, flowers, etc.

Take the time to recognize the good deeds your children are doing while at home. Praise them by writing a deed each day on the house. Display on the refrigerator for everyone to see.

Week of April 20, 2020

home learning activites week of april 20-24 2020

FAMILY RESOURCES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Bright by Text allows you to enroll for quality information and trusted research-based resources to parents of children prenatal to five years old. The text comes to your phone in English or Spanish and is comprised of tips, learning materials, and videos to support healthy child development and build strong resilient families. Enroll for free at: https://www.brightbytext.org/

We recommend you read the article on our website:

Let’s Redefine Parenting ‘Success’ Right Now

https://shoreup.org/covid-19-resources/

If you want to share a book about COVID-19 with your child, the below website -or- animated YouTube story is appropriate for ages 3 and up.

https://sandybabaece.wixsite.com/covid19referencelist – available in multiple languages

Animated read-aloud (English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im-EvJUGRp4&feature=youtu.be

Practice “Serve and Return”

Practice “serve and return,” or back-and-forth interaction with your little ones. Even before they learn to talk, infants and children reach out for attention—babbling, gesturing, or making faces. When young children “serve up” a chance to engage with them, it’s important to “return” with attention. It can be as simple as a game of peek-a-boo. Or, if a toddler points at a toy, name it out loud as you hand it to the child.

Why? Serve-and-return interactions help build developing brains and resilience, something we all need in these challenging times.

Helpful Resources:

Video: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return (Center on the Developing Child)

Maintain Social Connections

Stay-at-home measures are helping to slow the spread of the virus, protect our health, and protect our hospitals. But, while we are staying apart from each other physically, it’s even more important to connect socially, to protect our emotional well-being. Keep up relationships and social contacts—while maintaining physical distance outside your own home.

Why? Responsive relationships—like those with lots of serve and return interactions (see #1 above)—between children and adults, adults and other adults, and children and other children all help buffer us against the effects of ongoing stress.

Tips & Helpful Resources:

Talk with family and friends via video chat or phone. This is a great way to connect children with other adults (and give you a short break!).

If talking live isn’t an option, write emails or old-fashioned letters to friends and family. Encourage children to ask questions of their grandparents and other adults.

Make encouraging posters and signs and put them in your windows to support your neighbors. This can also be a fun craft project to do with children!

Go outside and say hello to neighbors, friends, people passing by. Just make sure to keep at least 6 feet away from anyone who doesn’t live with you.

**Give yourself a break **

Remember that you’re not alone—everyone is struggling with these unexpected changes to our lives, and many of us need some extra support from our communities. Be kind to yourself and understand that you can’t do it all.

EARTH DAY is Wednesday, April 22nd

(ages 2-5)

Watch the video:

https://watchandlearn.scholastic.com/videos/earth-and-space/conservation/what-happens-to-our-trash.html

Trash to Treasure activity:

https://letsfindout.scholastic.com/pages/sandbox/activity-trash-to-treasure.html (English)

https://letsfindout.scholastic.com/pages/sandbox/esp/semana-2-dia-9.html (Spanish)

What can you do to help our planet:

-Clean up your community by picking up litter

-Conserve water ex. Don’t leave the faucet running when brushing teeth

-Cut back on plastic consumption (reduce)

-Recycle

-Reuse (see above trash to treasure activity) or re-purpose household items

Outdoor activities:

-Go on a hike or nature walk. Have your child move in different ways along the walk such as “Move around like a butterfly”, “Do 5 jumping jacks”, “walk while touching your finger to your nose”, etc

-Take turns kicking a rock down a trail

-Be a detective: find something and investigate it. What color is it? What shape is it? Is it alive? Where did it come from?

-Go puddle jumping or make mud pies

-Have a picnic outside

-Make nature crowns using branches, leaves, flowers, etc.

– Cloud gazing: look up and see if you can use your imagination to see different objects or animals in the clouds like a frog, bear, butterfly, etc.

-Start a garden. You could reuse a milk jug, yogurt container, or egg carton. It could start indoors using soil from outside, a seed like that of a dandelion.

Early Head Start (ages 0-36 months)

Social and emotional & physical

*Be active for at least 60 minutes a day (it doesn’t have to be all at once)

Play tag or red light, green light
Balloon Breath (2 minutes)

A few notes about this practice:

Synching body movement, even small movement, with our breathing helps us slow down, focus, and return to the present moment. When we are in the presence of children, it can be helpful (and fun!) to model and engage them in the practice.

Try it out:

Sitting or standing, place both hands on top of your head. As you breathe in, slowly and deeply, raise your hands above your head, matching the movement to your breath, like you are blowing up a balloon. When you get to the top of your inhale breath, your arms should resemble a big, round balloon on top of your head. As you exhale, slowly bring your hands toward your head, again, matching the movement to your breath. Continue with this breath and arm movement 2-4 more times. Then, for a final breath, as you exhale, forcefully blow the air out through pressed lips, making a silly sound like a horse.

Language and Literacy — READ EVERYDAY!! Read with fun voices using a different one for each character.

“Name Game”. Ask your child to point to the object as you ask questions such as, “Where is your highchair?” “Where is the basketball?”
When reading ask questions and explain your thinking; talk about the pictures. Examples of reading questions are

–Before reading question: Why did you choose this book?

–While reading question: (Point to the pictures) What do you think is happening here? (after he/she answers, continue reading)

-After reading question: What did you enjoy about this story?

Mathematics and Science

Puzzles

Go on a search for bugs or observe the birds. Talk about colors
Go outside with a bin or bucket of water. Have your child collect items for “nature soup”. Have he/she get a stick to stir up the “soup”.
Build a fort or tent indoors using blankets, pillows, cushions, chairs, etc.
While eating talk about food tastes (Ex. The lemon gives a sour taste. Sugar makes foods sweet.)

The Arts

Draw a picture
Paint with water outside such as on a fence
Use sidewalk chalk to draw
Make a musical instrument (Ex. Coffee can and have your child pick a toy to add inside – note that different toys make different sounds)

Head Start (ages 3-5 years old)

Physical

*Be active for at least 60 minutes a day (it doesn’t have to be all at once)

Indoor bowling: gather 10 plastic cups or empty bottles a ball. Make your own bowling alley. While playing, ask how many pins fell down. Also ask how many pins are left.
Play tag or red light, green light
Blow bubbles and have your child try to blow them and pop them

Language and Literacy — READ EVERYDAY!! Read with fun voices using a different one for each character.

Play “Hot/Cold” game. After hiding an object, have your child move around. As they get closer to the hidden object say “hot”. If they move away from the hidden object say “cold”.
Pretend you are at a restaurant. Ask your child what’s on the menu and then order food from your server. Encourage your child to “serve” you and their toys (animals, dolls, etc.)
When reading ask questions. Some examples include

–Before reading question: Why did you choose this book?

–While reading question: What has happened in the story so far?

How do you think this story will end?

-After reading question: Describe your favorite character from the story and share what you like most about them?

Pick part of the story and act it out!

Keep a journal
Your child can be the expert as they create his/her own “How-to” by drawing pictures to “write” steps to teach family members how to do something.

Mathematics

Puzzles
Incorporate math into meal time. Ex. “You have 4 chicken nuggets. Once you eat one, how many will you have left? –give the child time to answer- then put in sentence form, “4 subtract 1 equals 3.”
Sort materials by size – small, medium, large (Ex. kitchen utensils, books, shirts, etc.)
Involve your child in helping you cook or bake, like shucking corn, pouring and mixing ingredients – be safe
Make a pattern. Extension: who can make the longest patterns you can or create a pattern with three colors (Ex. Red, white, blue, red, white, blue – repeat)

Science

Have a scavenger hunt
Create a story using your hands as shadow puppets (see examples below)
While eating talk about food tastes (Ex. The lemon gives a sour taste. Sugar makes foods sweet.)
Build a fort or tent indoors using blankets, pillows, couch cushions, chairs, etc.
Go outside with a bin or bucket of water. Have your child collect items for “nature soup”. Have him/her get a stick to stir up the “soup”. Incorporate math by asking him/her how many of each item was added. Ask your child to tell you the recipe steps to make “nature soup”.
Collect rocks and then paint them. Describe the rock. Is it smooth, rough, jagged, thin, large, small, heavy, light, etc.

Extensions:

-Watch a video about rocks and minerals: https://watchandlearn.scholastic.com/videos/earth-and-space/earth-science-and-space/rocks-and-minerals.html

The Arts

Put on a talent show
Have a puppet show
Act out a favorite story (Ex. 3 little pigs, Pete the Cat, etc.)
Make a musical instrument (Ex. Coffee can and have your child pick a toy to add inside – note that different toys make different sounds)

Tips for Reading with Young Children

Newborn to 6 Months

You can start reading with your child the day you bring them home from the hospital. Though your child doesn’t understand the words, the sound of your voice is music to their ears.
Bold and simply illustrated books held about 10 inches away from your child work best. Some examples include Black on Whiteand White on Black by Tana Hoban, Spot books by Eric Hill and Chicka Chicka ABC by Bill Martin.

6 Months to 12 Months

Babies love to put everything in their mouth. Board books, cloth books and vinyl books work best for this age. Here is a list of my son’s first year favorites board books at this age.
Make reading part of your daily routine. You might share a favorite book before nap or bedtime.

1 Year to 2 Years

Start asking questions like, “Can you find the cat?” Questioning encourages your child to interact with the text.
You will also start to notice that your child has a strong preference for certain books. Even though you are tired of reading the same book 100 times, your child is delighting in the comfort and familiarity that books bring.
Children at this age really enjoy repetitive text and predictable books. You might check out: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle, The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle or Time for Bed by Mem Fox.

2 Years to 3 Years

Your toddler is probably pretty active and will enjoy acting out stories. We’re Going On a Bear Huntby Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, Bark, George by Jules Feiffer and The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinksy fit the bill.
They also love to hear stories about themselves. So, don’t hesitate to substitute their name in place of character names in a story. You can even make up stories about your family.
Your child’s vocabulary is rapidly developing. Each book you read broadens that vocabulary.
Also, encourage your child to notice the fine details in illustrations. I’m always amazed at what my son finds in the pictures that I miss!

3 Years to 4 Years

Include books from a variety of cultures on your reading shelf.
Your child’s taste and attention span are expanding. If your child doesn’t have their own library card, now is a good time to get them one. They will love the ownership of having their own card to check books out from your local library.

4 Years to 5 Years

Picture books can help with major events in your child’s life such as starting school, a new siblingin the house or the death of a pet.
Kids at this age generally have a strong interest in nature. Look for books on topics that interest your child. You can check out recommendations on my book list page.
Your child may not be taking a nap anymore, but having a quiet book time in the afternoon may help to refresh everyone.
Children may take an interest in reading the words themselves. Don’t push your child though if they aren’t ready. You want to keep reading time fun.
Some preschoolers are ready to listen to chapter book read-alouds. Check out these tips for reading chapter books to preschoolers.

I hope you find this list useful in helping nurture our youngest readers.

https://growingbookbybook.com/tips-for-reading-with-newborns-to-age-5/

Books online you can read with your child

YouTube books for topics in which your child is interested, such as

Global Babies (for infants and toddlers) – English & Spanish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNoMRv6WTmw

-During video reading, talk about clothing that may be the same or different

than what your child wears.

Too Many Carrots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOGtUnrjM4A

-During video reading pause and ask (preschoolers): What do you think will happen next? How do you think he can solve this problem?

-After reading (preschoolers): What was the problem? How was the

problem solved?

1. The Mixed-Up Chameleon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmZeXf7ScU

-After reading (infants & toddlers): That story was funny but it is not real because animals cannot change their body parts, like adding wings and antlers. Chameleons can change color to blend in and camouflage with their surroundings.

-After reading (preschoolers): Ask your child if the book was fiction or non- fiction and how he/she knows. Also, explain the moral of the story to your child – admire traits of others, but don’t change who you are, embrace who you are.

1. The Little Red Hen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E72TZy0LNo (English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFoPPd7Qnbk (Spanish)

-Before reading (all ages): Ask your child and other family members to be one of the characters (the dog, the cat, or the mouse) and say “Not I” – use different voices ex. squeaky voice like a mouse

-After reading (infants & toddlers): Explain the moral of the story.

-After reading (preschool): Do you think it was fair that the little red hen ate it all and didn’t share? Why or why not? If you did all the work making something, would you share with others? Why or why not?

Websites You Can Explore

Early Head Start (24-36 months)

https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-2/science

https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-2/social-skills

Suitable ages 2-5 years old

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/en/ (English) -or-

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/es/ (Spanish)

https://www.youtube.com/user/alexgmay/videos – Dr. Jean

Head Start

http://peepandthebigwideworld.com/es/los-padres/activities/ (Spanish)

Screen Time Recommendations

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends, “no more than 2 hours each day for preschool children ages 2 to 5, and screen time should be avoided altogether for infants and toddlers under age 2 years other than video chatting. Co-viewing is best when possible, and for young children they learn best when they are re-taught in the real world what they just learned through a screen.”

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends reducing children’s screen time as one of the most important strategies for preventing childhood obesity.

Week of April 13, 2020

EHS & HS home activities_April 13-17

FAMILY RESOURCES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

——————————————————————–

Please read article on our website:

Let’s Redefine Parenting ‘Success’ Right Now, located at https://shoreup.org/covid-19-resources/

——————————————————————–

Healthy at Home:

A Toolkit for Supporting Families Impacted by COVID-19

With the growing impact of the COVID-19 virus, ReadyRosie is developing this free toolkit as a resource to support families with information and resources for supporting the children in their care.

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/en/emotional-well-being/

WATER PLAY

(toddlers and preschoolers)

Wash toys – Grab some toys (dirty or not), add some soap, and start washing.
In a bin, bucket, or outside invite your child to play with cotton balls and water, with lots of squeezing. Add dark colored paper like navy blue, brown or black and your child can “paint” with the wet cotton ball
Make a sponge boat (sponge & straw) or milk carton boat (milk carton, toothpicks, straw) – be creative!

PRESCHOOLERS: Water bottle raft

Early Head Start (ages 0-36 months)

Social and emotional & Physical

See above ideas
Create an obstacle course
Play Simon Says or Follow the Leader

Language and Literacy — READ EVERYDAY!! Read with fun voices using a different one for each character.

When reading ask questions and explain your thinking; talk about the pictures. Examples of reading questions are

–Before reading question: Why did you choose this book?

–While reading question: (Point to the pictures) What do you think is happening here? (after he/she answers, continue reading)

-After reading question: What did you enjoy about this story?

Mathematics

Nesting with different size bowls, mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, etc.
Hide a Cheerio under a cup and see if infant/toddler can find it. Extension: Use two different-colored cups, put a small object such as a Cheerio under one cup and move it around to see if he/she can remember which one was the hiding place. After she/he has found the Cheerio under the first cup, show your child you are now putting it under the second cup and see if she/he remembers that the Cheerio has moved.

Science

Scavenger hunt – hide objects in one room and have your child find them. Give clues as needed such as “it’s under a pillow”. See ideas above and use based on your child’s ability.

The Arts

Draw with crayons
Freeze dance

Head Start (ages 3-5 years old)

Frustrate with staying inside? Find your calm. Try the following:

Physical

*Be active for at least 60 minutes a day (it doesn’t have to be all at once)

See obstacle course below

Language and Literacy — READ EVERYDAY!! Read with fun voices using a different one for each character.

When reading ask questions. Some examples include

–Before reading question: Why did you choose this book?

–While reading question: What has happened in the story so far?

How do you think this story will end?

-After reading question: What do you think _(character)_ learned?

What did you learn from this book?

Keep a journal and draw/write about something you did, something that is your favorite (toy, games, friend). Write about what you did over the holiday weekend.
Give your child empty plastic eggs to practice taking apart and putting together (great for motor skills). Write the upper-case letter (Ex. A) on one half and lower-case letter (Ex. a)on the other and now he/she is letter matching. Do this with the entire alphabet or start with the letters in your child’s name.

Mathematics

Order materials from longest to shortest and then flip it and ask to line them up from shortest to longest (ex. shoe, sock, stuffed animal, etc.)
Use 2-3 different colored cups, put a small object such as a Cheerio under one cup and move it around to see if he/she can remember which one was the hiding place. After she/he has found the Cheerio under the first cup, show your child you are now putting it under the second cup and see if she/he remembers that the Cheerio has moved.

The Arts

Decorate a tissue box with art supplies
Play charades
Freeze dance

Websites you can explore with your child

Early Head Start (24-36 months)

https://www.sesamestreet.org/caring(English) or- https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/emergencias-de-salud/ (Spanish)

Suitable ages 2-5 years old

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/en/ (English) -or-

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/es/ (Spanish)

https://www.youtube.com/user/alexgmay/videos– Dr. Jean

Head Start

YouTube books for topics in which your child is interested, such as

Harold and the Purple Crayonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VD43OAVPJ8&feature=youtu.be

-During video reading pause and ask: What do you think will happen

next? How do you think he can solve this problem?

Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXeeIfA90z8 (English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNSBUv7RuQw (Spanish)

-After reading (infants & toddlers): That story was funny but it is not real because animals cannot type

-After reading (preschoolers): Ask your child if the book was fiction or non- fiction and how he/she knows.

Too Many Tamales

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoGid-U4qMw (English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh93wj_uP9s&list=PLwmYd6YIpBurEZB4_KXzWMkcJpSDhY_yR&index=25&t=0s (Spanish)

-After reading (preschoolers): What was the problem? How was the problem solved?

Screen Time Recommendations

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends, “no more than 2 hours each day for preschool children ages 2 to 5 and screen time should be avoided altogether for infants and toddlers under age 2 years other than video chatting. Co-viewing is best when possible and for young children they learn best when they are re-taught in the real world what they just learned through a screen.”

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends reducing children’s screen time as one of the most important strategies for preventing childhood obesity.

April Parent Engagement Activities

National Reading Month, select a book of your choice at home and/or online and re-create the characters in the story with your household members. Utilize clothing that you have at home to dress as the character in the story. Have fun and use items at home to make it fun and creative.

Clean Up, Clean Up- Go through household items and clothes that you have not used or worn in quite some time. Make piles of items/clothes by color, size and style. This will be a fantastic sorting assignment kids will have fun engaging with their parents. This assignment will be a great learning experience sorting my color, size (big or small) and style (shirts, pants, socks etc,)

Plus, a great way to get rid of things you are no longer using (Donate to your local Good Will)

Vision Boards- Find those old magazines that are laying around your house. Think about how you envision your future. Clip pictures from the magazine that aligns with your future plan. Include pictures of ideas you envision for the entire family. Paste your pictures on cardboard box (use an empty cereal box). Great project for the entire family to enjoy!

STEM – Create a maze! Allow everyone in the household to master your maze.

Items Needed:

Old shoe box

Straws (cut them 1 inch or smaller)

Glue stick

Marble (do not leave child unattended with this item)

Food Creation- Create a colorful meal and/or snack plate utilizing food items that you have at home. Try making the plate colorful: Green (beans), Yellow (squash, banana), Red (apples), Purple (prunes, grapes, egg plant). Let the kids design their own colorful plate and write a story about their food creation

Week of April 6, 2020

EHS & HS home activities_April 6-10

FAMILY RESOURCES & LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Early Head Start (ages 0-36 months)

Ideas and developmental milestones for young infants and toddlers can be found at:

www.candokiddo.com

https://pathways.org/baby-milestones-calendar (0-6 & 6-12 months)
https://pathways.org/growth-development/13-18-months/games/ (13-18 months)
https://pathways.org/growth-development/19-24-months/games/ (19-24 months)

Social and Emotional Development & Physical:

*Be active for at least 60 minutes a day (it doesn’t have to be all at once)

Tummy time
Move feet as if pedaling a bike
Play interactive songs like “Patty Cake” or “Row, row your boat”
Give your child empty plastic eggs to practice taking apart and putting together (great for motor skills)
Roll a ball, kick a ball, try playing catch

Language and Literacy — READ EVERYDAY!!

When reading ask questions and explain your thinking; talk about the pictures. Examples of reading questions are

–Before reading question: What characters might be in this story?

–While reading question: What do you think will happen next?

–After reading question: What did you learn from this book?

Hide toys under blanket for infant to find. Describe the object your child found. Ex. “You found the yellow duck.” “You found the red fire truck.”

Mathematics

Have your child find 5 things that are bigger than him/her (wider, longer, taller). Have your child find 5 things that are smaller or shorter than him/her.
During meal or prep time in the kitchen, talk about the shapes of foods or food containers (circle, triangle, square, rectangle).

Science

See scavenger hunts above

The Arts

Draw on paper or outdoors using sidewalk chalk
Make a musical instrument out of items around the house (be sure the items are not chokables and/or the lid is sealed so your child cannot consume)

Head Start (ages 3-5 years old)

Social and Emotional Development

Play board games
Play Simon Says or Follow the Leader

Physical

*Be active for at least 60 minutes a day (it doesn’t have to be all at once)

Play hide-and-seek
Trying to keep a balloon in the air as long as possible – count how many times you hit the balloon and trying to beat the record.
Create an obstacle course – indoors or outdoors

Language and Literacy — READ EVERYDAY!! Read with fun voices using a different one for each character.

When reading ask questions Ex.

–Before reading question: Look through the book to see if there are any words your child might not know. If so, tell your child there’s a new word they will learn and define that word.

–While reading question: What do you think will happen next? How do you think this story will end?

–After reading question: What was the problem in the story? How was it solved? Can you think of another title for this book?

Gather safe objects. Put out 2-3 items at a time and ask your child to hand you one based on how you describe it such as color, size, shape, use, or other features. (Ex. ball, spoon, sock – Hand me the object that’s red. Hand me the object that’s used to eat food. Hand me the object that’s round.
Start a journal. Writing ideas:

My favorite thing about today was …
The five best things about me are …
I feel proud when …
How to make ___ (ex. play dough, a cake, a rainbow, etc.)
The bravest thing I’ve ever done was …

Go on a walk and write down words you find along the way (ex. stop, store, library, mart, etc). Then make up a story using those words.

Mathematics

Have your child make sets. Write down a number (3 year olds 1-10; 4-5 year olds 1-20) and ask your child to make a group with that many items in it.

Play card games such as Go Fish or War remember to remove the face cards
Give your child 2 objects. Ask, “Which is heavier?” “Which is lighter?”

Science & Problem-solving

Creativity is good. For this you need your imagination – pose questions for a possible problem you might run into with your child such as “What if you got to Grandma’s house and you forgot your pajamas? What could you do?” “How could you get a toy you can’t reach?”
Build something outdoors using sticks, leaves, flowers – be safe
See scavenger hunts above

The Arts

Draw
Water “painting” – use hand, sponge, paintbrush, etc and dip in water to “paint” a fence, house, sidewalk, …
Play charades

Websites you can explore with your child

Early Head Start (24-36 months)

Suitable ages 2-5 years old

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/en/ (English) -or-

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/es/ (Spanish)

https://kids.sandiegozoo.org – check out the zoo animals, their stories, and watch live cameras
https://www.youtube.com/user/alexgmay/videos – Dr. Jean

Head Start (ages 3-5 years old)

YouTube books such as

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ig0dCJSlTU – Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What do You See?

-After reading: What animals were in the book? What was your favorite animal?

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkQ4d_fff3E – Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMCKXaFsmCA – Not a Box

-After reading: Give your child a box and ask what they want to pretend it is or make it into

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzdfZYH5SSg – Help the Environment: Reusing and Recycling

-After reading: Ask your child if the book was fiction or non-fiction and how they know.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7WmFwGE9qo – I Stink

-Before reading: Tell your children the title of the book. Ask, “What do you think this book is about?”

-After reading: Explain how the trash on the barge goes to a big floating dump or an incinerator. Tell the children that an incinerator is “a piece of equipment that burns trash.” Explain that an incinerator is like a big fireplace with a door.

Screen Time Recommendations

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends reducing children’s screen time as one of the most important strategies for preventing childhood obesity.

April Parent Engagement Activities

Plus a great way to get rid of things you are no longer using (Donate to your local Good Will)

STEM – Create a maze! Allow everyone in the household to master your maze.

Items Needed:

Old shoe box

Straws (cut them 1 inch or smaller)

Glue stick

Marble (do not leave child unattended with this item)

EHS HS home activities_March 30-April 3

On Wednesday, April 1st at 1 p.m., Maryland Families Engage presents: “Different Perspectives” on Facebook @MDEngageEarly. Parents and families are extremely busy with raising their children, work and the other demands of daily life. Watch how this provider’s flexibility helped reassure a stressed parent, while offering support. https://marylandfamiliesengage.org/wednesday-watch-parties/

Early Head Start (ages 0-36 months)

Ideas and developmental milestones for young infants and toddlers can be found at:

https://pathways.org/baby-milestones-calendar (0-6 & 6-12 months)
https://pathways.org/growth-development/13-18-months/games/ (13-18 months)
https://pathways.org/growth-development/19-24-months/games/ (19-24 months)

Social and Emotional Development & Physical:

*Be active for at least 60 minutes a day (it doesn’t have to be all at once)

Play hide-and-seek or peek-a-boo
Blow bubbles and have your child try to blow them and pop them

Language and Literacy — READ EVERYDAY!!

When reading ask questions Ex.

–Before reading question: Show the cover and read the title. Ask, “What do you think this book is about?”

–While reading question: How do you think _(character)_ feels?

Your child might talk about the face of the character.

–After reading question: What was your favorite part of the story?

Gather safe objects. Put out 2-3 items at a time and ask your child to hand one. (Ex. Cup, spoon, sock – Hand me the spoon.)
Play I Spy – give hints as needed such as it’s a rectangle, it’s something you eat, etc. Extension if your child is ready: Play I Spy looking for a specific letter or number.

Mathematics

Build a tower of shoes! Challenge kids to see how high they can build a “shoe tower” before it falls. Measure or count the shoes in the tower with your child
Sort materials by color (laundry, crayons/markers, sidewalk chalk, plastic cups, shoes, etc.). Let’s put all the red clothes here, put the blue clothes here, put the black clothes here, etc.

Science

Find a cardboard box and turn it into anything (Ex. Fire truck, boat, house, ice cream truck, fortress, etc.)
Find things with different textures and talk about it with your child (Ex. The tissue feels soft. The rock feels smooth and is hard.

The Arts

Draw
Fingerpaint on paper. Alterative: paint in Ziploc bag, seal up, tape for extra security, and have child use their fingers to paint on the outside of the bag.
Have a dance party.

Head Start (ages 3-5 years old)

Social and Emotional Development

Play board games

Head Start (ages 3-5 years old)

Social and Emotional Development

Play board games
Have a dance party.

Websites you can explore with your child

Early Head Start (24-36 months)

https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-2/science

Suitable ages 2-5 years old

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/en/ (English) -or-

https://healthyathome.readyrosie.com/es/ (Spanish)

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/8-indoor-activities-to-release-kids-energy#.XnyzjqlJWtE.email
https://kids.sandiegozoo.org – check out the zoo animals, their stories, and watch live cameras
https://www.youtube.com/user/alexgmay/videos – Dr. Jean
YouTube books such as
1. https://youtu.be/fj_z6zGQVyM – Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
2. https://youtu.be/DPTb10tLEqk – Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
3. https://youtu.be/YdiGEjz5b0Q – The Very Quiet Cricket
4. https://youtu.be/vkYmvxP0AJI – The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Head Start (ages 3-5 years old)

Screen Time Recommendations

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends reducing children’s screen time as one of the most important strategies for preventing childhood obesity.

March/April Parent Engagement Activities

Plus a great way to get rid of things you are no longer using (Donate to your local Good Will)

STEM – Create a maze! Allow everyone in the household to master your maze.

Items Needed:

Old shoe box

Straws (cut them 1 inch or smaller)

Glue stick

Marble (do not leave child unattended with this item)

Early Head Start Home Learning Activities

Head Start Home Learning Activities pt. 1

Head Start Home Learning Activities pt 2

Head Start Home Learning Activities pt 3

Categories: News Releases & PSAs

Parents encouraged to engage students in home learning activities during COVID-19 closure

We recommend you read the article on our website:

Let’s Redefine Parenting ‘Success’ Right Now

https://shoreup.org/covid-19-resources/

Practice “Serve and Return”

Maintain Social Connections

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6 Months to 12 Months

1 Year to 2 Years

2 Years to 3 Years

3 Years to 4 Years

4 Years to 5 Years

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Parents encouraged to engage students in home learning activities during COVID-19 closure

We recommend you read the article on our website:

Let’s Redefine Parenting ‘Success’ Right Now

https://shoreup.org/covid-19-resources/

Practice “Serve and Return”

Maintain Social Connections

Newborn to 6 Months

6 Months to 12 Months

1 Year to 2 Years

2 Years to 3 Years

3 Years to 4 Years

4 Years to 5 Years

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