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Autumn-Edition_PlaygroupatHome_PlaygroupVictoria.pdf
Baby Play Final Play group Victoria 2020.pdf
Winter-Edition_V2.pdf
International yoga Day is coming, here are six poses toddlers can do
COLOR HUNT
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Promotes your child’s observation skills
Offers possibilities for your child to practice identifying colors
Offers possibilities for your child to practice naming colors
Offers possibilities for your child to practice identifying colors
Offers possibilities for your child to practice naming colors
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Tell your child that today you will look for different colored items in your house.
- Explain that first you need to prepare a treasure box from an egg carton according to the photo on this page.
- Help your child choose colors you think can be found at home.
- Give all the materials needed to your child and let them paint the egg cartons.
- Once your child is ready, you can read a book, have a snack etc. while you are waiting for the paints to dry.
- When the egg carton paints have dried, tell your child that they can start the color hunt!
- Explain that your child should look for the things that are the same colors as those painted in the carton.
- Instruct your child to put their findings into the box, at the top, next to the corresponding color. Note that the items should be small enough to fit in the box!
- Take a tour of your house together and assist your child in finding the items of a certain color.
- Once your child has found something for each color, explore and discuss their findings. Which colored items were easy and hard to find? From which rooms did your child found the most items?
- If your child got excited about this activity, have another round and see what kind of items you will find this time!
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Egg carton
Paints
Paint brush
Paints
Paint brush
SKITTLES EXPERIMENT
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Offers possibilities for your child to practice measuring
Offers possibilities for your child to practice making observations
Offers possibilities for your child to explore colors
Offers possibilities for your child to practice making observations
Offers possibilities for your child to explore colors
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Tell your child that today you are going to make an experiment.
- Introduce the equipment one by one, naming the items together.
- Ask your child to help you. Guide your child to form a circle with the skittles on both of the plates.
- Guide your child to measure an equal amount of cold and hot water, pouring both on the small plates at the same time.
- Observe what happens!
- Encourage your child to verbalize their observations by asking questions.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Skittles candy
Two small plates
Measuring cups
Hot water (not boiling!)
Cold water
Gather the required materials
Watch the Skittle Experiment video and get familiarised with the experiment, before you do this activity with your child.
Two small plates
Measuring cups
Hot water (not boiling!)
Cold water
Gather the required materials
Watch the Skittle Experiment video and get familiarised with the experiment, before you do this activity with your child.
COLOR GYM
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Improves your child’s gross motor skills
Improves your child’s listening skills
Improves your child’s concentration skills
Promotes your child’s observation skills
Offers possibilities for your child to practice identifying colors
Improves your child’s listening skills
Improves your child’s concentration skills
Promotes your child’s observation skills
Offers possibilities for your child to practice identifying colors
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Invite your child to the area where you have placed the HEI Color pictograms.
- Tell them that today you are playing a game called ´´Color Gym´´.
- Explain the idea of the game: You will call out loud one color at a time, and your child needs to move to that color pictogram. First you need to agree how your child needs to move (by running, jumping, walking etc.) and then you call out loud the name of the color.
- Before you start playing, name all the basic colors you have in the game: Red, blue, yellow and green.
- Once your child understands the idea of the game, you can change roles so that your child gives the instructions and you are moving from one pictogram to another.
- Play for as long as your child seems motivated and have fun together!
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
HEI Color pictograms (print or make your own color cards with your child)
Choose a place where to have this activity. You need to have lot of space to move freely, so have this activity outdoors if possible.
Put the Color pictograms/your own color cards ready at the game area.
Choose a place where to have this activity. You need to have lot of space to move freely, so have this activity outdoors if possible.
Put the Color pictograms/your own color cards ready at the game area.
NOTES
You can make this activity more challenging by calling out colors which you do not have at the game area.
BUILDING SHAPES
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Supports your child’s spatial awareness
Promotes your child’s problem solving skills
Supports your child’s fine motors skills
Promotes your child’s problem solving skills
Supports your child’s fine motors skills
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Tell your child that today they get to build with the blocks you have chosen.
- Hand the building blocks to your child and let them explore and play with them freely for a moment.
- After your child has been playing with the blocks for a while, tell them it’s time to start building.
- Introduce the HEI building cards, and explain that your child needs to try to build the same kind of shape that is shown on the card.
- Give your child space to try and build the shape on the card as independently as possible, but be present all the time and assist when needed.
- Once your child has built the shape on the picture, move on to the next building card.
- Continue building for as long as your child seems motivated.
- Encourage your child to come up with their own building ideas too, and give time for free play before you end the activity.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Duplo, lego or other suitable building blocks
HEI building cards
Print the HEI building cards if possible or watch them from your computer or phone.
HEI building cards
Print the HEI building cards if possible or watch them from your computer or phone.
NOTES
You can adjust the challenge level of the activity according to your child’s developmental level. In the easier version your child can try to build only the shape of the building card. You can make the activity more challenging by asking your child to put blocks of a certain color in the same way as in the picture.
FIND A PAIR!
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Offers possibilities for your child to practice sorting
Promotes your child’s observation skills
Supports your child’s linguistic skills
Supports your child’s fine motor skills
Offers possibilities for your child to practice counting
Promotes your child’s problem solving skills
Promotes your child’s observation skills
Supports your child’s linguistic skills
Supports your child’s fine motor skills
Offers possibilities for your child to practice counting
Promotes your child’s problem solving skills
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Invite your child to the room where you have placed their socks on the floor, in a semicircle. Guide your child to sit in front of the semicircle.
- Explain that you need your child’s help to find the matching pair for each of their socks.
- Guide your child to observe the socks carefully. Once your child has found a pair, ask them to put the socks in a pile, and look for the next matching pair. You can also use clothespins to clip the pairs of socks together.
- While matching, have your child describe the socks (color, picture etc.). This is a good way to support their linguistic skills.
- Continue until you have paired up all of the missing socks.
- Count how many pairs you found.
- Assist your child to put the socks in their wardrobe and thank them for their help.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
4-10 pairs of different patterned socks
Clothespins (optional)
Place the socks on the floor in a semicircle
Clothespins (optional)
Place the socks on the floor in a semicircle
NOTES
You can make this activity more challenging by using only mismatching socks. Guide your child to make pairs based on certain features, such as color, size or fabric.
DICE GYM
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Offers possibilities for your child to practice fine motor skills
Your child gets to practice counting
Supports your child’s language development
Your child gets to participate in physical exercise
Your child practices moving in different ways
Your child practices connecting numbers to corresponding amounts
Your child uses self-prepared materials
Your child gets to practice counting
Supports your child’s language development
Your child gets to participate in physical exercise
Your child practices moving in different ways
Your child practices connecting numbers to corresponding amounts
Your child uses self-prepared materials
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Tell your child that next you will make dice for the gym activity.
- Watch the tutorial video together with your child and follow the instructions.
- Ask your child to throw the dice. Check out the number together. Take turns in deciding which movement you have to do. Repeat the movement as many times as the dice tell you.
- Count out loud with your child.
- Repeat as many times as your child seems motivated.
- Take turns in throwing the dice and have fun!
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Glue
Tape
Dice numbers
Milk/juice carton
Tape
Dice numbers
Milk/juice carton
EXPLODING COLORS
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Supports your child in practicing to distinguish between a hypothesis and a conclusion
Offers your child opportunities to practice making observations
Promotes your child’s scientific thinking
Offers your child opportunities to practice making observations
Promotes your child’s scientific thinking
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Watch the tutorial video beforehand, so you know how to do the science experiment with your child. Do not reveal the end result to your child before executing the experiment by yourselves.
- Tell your child that you will do a science experiment together.
- Introduce the equipment one by one, naming the items.
- Follow the instructions from the tutorial video and let your child take the lead in doing the experiment. Support your child when making the experiment.
- Before you stick the cotton swab into the mix, make a hypothesis with your child on what you expect will happen next.
- Discuss your observations with your child.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Gather the required materials:
Food coloring
Washing-up liquid
Milk
Deep plate
Cotton swab
Food coloring
Washing-up liquid
Milk
Deep plate
Cotton swab
NOTES
When making scientific experiments, focus on discussing and making hypotheses before executing the experiments. It makes the experiments much more interesting!
STORYTELLING USING A PICTURE
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Promotes your child’s language development
Promotes your child’s literacy skills: experiencing how spoken language transforms into text
Promotes your child’s creativity
Promotes your child’s language development
Promotes your child’s literacy skills: experiencing how spoken language transforms into text
Promotes your child’s creativity
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Tell your child that you will make up your own stories with the support of a picture.
- Choose an inspirational picture and observe it together: what characters can your child spot? Where are the characters? What might they be doing?
- Let your child tell a story about the picture in the way they want to.
- Remind your child that you will be writing down what they say and reading the story out loud to them once it is finished.
- Once your child says that the story is finished, read the story out loud.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
A detailed inspirational picture or multiple pictures
Pen and paper or laptop
Watch the tutorial video of story crafting method before you execute this activity.
A detailed inspirational picture or multiple pictures
Pen and paper or laptop
Watch the tutorial video of story crafting method before you execute this activity.
NOTES
Choose inspiring pictures with a great deal of detail. You can use pictures from children’s books, magazines, or the
COLOR FOAM
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Promotes your child’s scientific thinking skills
Offers your child opportunities to practice forming hypotheses and drawing conclusions
Offers your child opportunities to practice making observations
Offers your child opportunities to practice forming hypotheses and drawing conclusions
Offers your child opportunities to practice making observations
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Watch the tutorial video beforehand, so you know how to do the science experiment with your child. Do not reveal the end result to your child before executing the experiment by yourselves.
- Tell your child that you will do a science experiment together.
- Introduce the equipment one by one, naming the items.
- Follow the instructions from the tutorial video and let your child take the lead in doing the experiment. Support your child when conductingt he experiment.
- Be careful when pouring the vinegar into the cups.
- Observe what happens…
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Gather the required materials:
Two tall cups
Food Coloring
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Spoon
Two tall cups
Food Coloring
Baking Soda
Vinegar
Spoon
MELTING EXPERIMENT
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Supports your child in practicing to conduct scientific experiments
Supports your child in practicing to make hypotheses
Offers your child possibilities to observe melting
Supports your child in practicing to make hypotheses
Offers your child possibilities to observe melting
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Explain to your child that you are conducting an experiment.
- Show them the ice cubes, placing them on different plates/trays/bowls. Tell your child that, in each cube, a toy is stuck in the ice. The mission is to help the toys by melting the ice.
- Place salt, sugar, and a glass of hot water on the table. Tell your child that one of the ice cubes will be the control ice cube, and nothing will be added to it. In one ice cube, we will add salt, another sugar, and the last hot water. Your child will observe and measure which ice cube melts the fastest.
- Before adding the ingredients, ask your child to make a hypothesis: Which ice cube do they believe will melt the fastest? What about the slowest? Record your child’s replies.
- Guide your child to sprinkle salt on one of the cubes, sugar on another, and finally pour some hot water on the last cube.
- Observe the melting process with your child.
- Once the first toy has been liberated from the ice, compare the result to your child´s earlier hypotheses. Were they correct? What made the ice cube melt faster than the others?
- Observe the melting of the rest of the ice cubes. Compare the result to the hypotheses your child made earlier.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Four small toys
Ice cube tray
Four plates, trays or bowls
Salt
Hot Water (Not boiling!)
Sugar
Gather the required materials. Place four tiny toys into the ice cube tray, add water, and leave to freeze overnight..Retrieve the ice cubes with the toys from the freezer just before the activity
Ice cube tray
Four plates, trays or bowls
Salt
Hot Water (Not boiling!)
Sugar
Gather the required materials. Place four tiny toys into the ice cube tray, add water, and leave to freeze overnight..Retrieve the ice cubes with the toys from the freezer just before the activity
NOTES
Observe your child’s reports after the activity. Did they understand why the ice cubes melted at different paces? If not, think of other ways in which to explore melting. You can be creative with materials to make the ice melt faster. Instead of hot water you can, for example, provide your child with a hair dryer!
TRAVELING COLORS
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Offers your child opportunities to practice forming hypotheses
Offers your child opportunities to practice naming colors
Offers your child opportunities to practice naming equipment
Offers your child opportunities to practice making observations
Offers your child opportunities to practice naming colors
Offers your child opportunities to practice naming equipment
Offers your child opportunities to practice making observations
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Watch the tutorial video beforehand, so you know how to do the science experiment with your child. Do not reveal the end result to your child before executing the experiment by yourselves.
- Tell your child that you will do a science experiment together.
- Introduce the equipment one by one, naming the items.
- Follow the instructions from the tutorial video and support your child in conducting the experiment.
- Observe what happens, and ask your child what they predict will happen next. Tell them that this is called making a hypothesis.
- In the afternoon, return to the activity and observe and discuss together with your child what has happened.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Gather the required materials.
7 decanter glasses
Measuring cups
Water
Food coloring in red, yellow, and blue
Pipettes (optional)
Paper towels
7 decanter glasses
Measuring cups
Water
Food coloring in red, yellow, and blue
Pipettes (optional)
Paper towels
NOTES
It takes time for the colors to travel. Start this experiment in the morning so that you will have time to get back to it in the afternoon, and make the observations.
FLOATING AND SINKING EXPERIMENT
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Supports your child in practicing to distinguish between a hypothesis and a conclusion
Supports your child in practicing to record hypotheses and findings
Offers your child possibilities to explore floating and sinking
Promotes your child’s scientific thinking skills
Supports your child in practicing to record hypotheses and findings
Offers your child possibilities to explore floating and sinking
Promotes your child’s scientific thinking skills
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Explain to your child that you are making an experiment.
- Observe the two sheets of paper with your child. Ask them to explain what floating and sinking means. Guide them to the conclusion that some items stay on the surface of a liquid, that is they float, whereas others submerge in the water, and descend, that is, they sink.
- Retrieve and name one of the items that you chose for the experiment. Ask your child to think, whether the item will float, or sink.
- Place the item either on the ‘FLOAT’ piece of paper, or on the ‘SINK‘ piece of paper, according to your child’s guess. Repeat this process with the other nine items.
- Instruct your child to take a picture of the sheets of paper gathering the items that have been hypothesized to either float or sink.
- Ask your child to choose an item and bring it to the water tray or large bowl.
- Instruct your child to place their item in the water. Guide them to observe whether it floats or sinks. Once the outcome is clear, instruct your child to place it on the correct FLOAT or SINK sheet of paper. Repeat these steps with the remaining items.
- Once you have found out which items sink and which of them float and have placed them on the correct sheets of paper, gather around the sheets of paper. Compare the results of the experiment to the original hypotheses.
- Discuss the results. Why did some of the items float, even though your child expected them to sink?
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Two sheets of A4 paper of different colors
5 items that do float
5 items that do not float
Camera
Water tray or large bowl
Water
Select five items that float and five items that do not. Find two sheets of A 4 paper of different colors. Write ‘FLOAT‘ on one and ‘SINK‘ on the other. Set up these and other required materials in an area where the experiment can be executed.
5 items that do float
5 items that do not float
Camera
Water tray or large bowl
Water
Select five items that float and five items that do not. Find two sheets of A 4 paper of different colors. Write ‘FLOAT‘ on one and ‘SINK‘ on the other. Set up these and other required materials in an area where the experiment can be executed.
NOTES
DECOMPOSING EXPERIMENT
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Your child learns about decomposition
Offers your child possibilities to practice making hypotheses
Your child gets to practice making observations
Offers your child possibilities to practice recording observations
Offers your child possibilities to practice making hypotheses
Your child gets to practice making observations
Offers your child possibilities to practice recording observations
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Present the fruit or vegetable you have chosen for the activity. Let your child feel its texture, smell it, and look at it closely.
- Explain that, today, you will begin a science experiment that will last two weeks. You will get to observe and record what happens to the fruit or vegetable in different conditions.
- Cut the fruit or vegetable into quarters.
- Place one-quarter in a container, and label it “room temperature.” Explain that this container will be stored in the room and it can be observed on a daily basis.
- Tell your child that in a scientific experiment, the same phenomenon can be observed in different conditions. Name the other conditions you have chosen for the activity, for example in water, in soil etc.
- Guide your child to observe the fruit or vegetable: how does it smell on the inside? How does it feel on the inside? Does it look the same on the inside as it does on the outside? If not, what are the differences?
- Place a quarter of the fruit into the container, and add other materials (e.g., water or soil) if this was one of the conditions.
- Ask your child what they think will happen to the fruit or vegetable. Write down the answer, returning to it, as the fruit or vegetable decomposes. Ask your child to reflect on whether their expectations were correct.
- Observe how the fruit or vegetable is doing twice each week. Take a one-second video clip of the fruit or vegetable each time, and save it. These video clips can be used to create a time-lapse film of the decomposing process or to compare the decomposition of fruit or vegetables in different conditions.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
Fruit or vegetable
Lidded containers
Soil
Tablet (later on)
Choose a fruit or vegetable for the experiment. Choose the conditions in which decomposition will be observed, For example, at room temperature, in the fridge, in water, and in soil. Prepare observation folders on your tablet in order to store all the pictures relating to the project.
Lidded containers
Soil
Tablet (later on)
Choose a fruit or vegetable for the experiment. Choose the conditions in which decomposition will be observed, For example, at room temperature, in the fridge, in water, and in soil. Prepare observation folders on your tablet in order to store all the pictures relating to the project.
HOW MANY CAN YOU FIND?
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Offers possibilities for your child to practice counting
Offers possibilities for your child to practice recognizing numbers
Offers possibilities for your child to practice writing numbers
Offers possibilities for your child to practice comparing amounts
Promotes your child’s observation skills
Offers possibilities for your child to practice recognizing numbers
Offers possibilities for your child to practice writing numbers
Offers possibilities for your child to practice comparing amounts
Promotes your child’s observation skills
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Tell your child that today you will play a counting game where you need to count the amount of different items at your house.
- Introduce the worksheet to your child and name all its items.
- Explain that they need to take the counting worksheet around the house, find the pictured items, and count how many they can find.
- Teach your child how to make tally marks to record their results, and guide them to keep track of the items they are finding.
- Be present all the time, and assist when needed.
- Once your child has counted all the items, you can walk around the house together and check if you get the same amount.
- Count the tally marks and guide your child to write the corresponding number to the circle on the worksheet. If it is still too challenging for your child to write the numbers, they can just mark whether they found the items or not.
- Compare which of the items you found the most of and the least.
- You can play this game later again and make your own worksheets. Encourage your child to come up with their own ideas what to count.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
- HEI, How many you can find ?- worksheet
- A pen to fill in the number of items
ANIMAL POSES
HOW THIS ACTIVITY SUPPORTS YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING
Improves your child’s gross motor skills
Develops your child’s spatial awareness
Increases your child’s self-confidence
Your child practices moving with increased control
Fosters your child’s emotional growth
Develops your child’s spatial awareness
Increases your child’s self-confidence
Your child practices moving with increased control
Fosters your child’s emotional growth
ACTIVITY FLOW
- Let’s do animal poses! Have the Animal Poses -cards ready for this practice. Lay them on the floor/table reverse side up.
- If you have yoga/exercise mats, have one for yourself and one for your child. Find a comfortable space.
- Start with a warm up exercise and spend a few minutes breathing and relaxing.
- After the warm up, let your child choose the first animal pose to begin with. Do not show the picture to your child yet – let’s leave some space for imagination.
- Tell your child out loud that let’s pretend to be a …….(the animal on the card).
- Tell your child the instructions step by step so that they can try to perform the pose as well as they can and use their imagination.
- Remember to have fun and give room for imagination and creativity.
- When you have gone through at least five different animal poses you can then ask your child to think of an animal that they would like to show you.
- Then you can take turns in trying and guessing which animals you are.
- End the session with some relaxation. You can also play some calming music in the background.
MATERIALS YOU NEED & PREPARATIONS
HEI Animal poses cards
(Yoga/exercise mats)
(Yoga/exercise mats)