Dear Sandy Hill Families,
We wanted to celebrate Moms this whole week!
Normally, we would be preparing gifts and getting ready for the Mother's Day Tea Party.
Here are some ideas to replicate at home (Eh Hum, Dads).
We know how much you all do to keep a happy home.
We hope your family can show you how special Moms are this week.
Sending love to all of you amazing Moms!
Ms Kacy's ideas
Flower crowns
Instead of making you a Mothers Day hat decorated with flowers this year,
you can make a real flower crown. There are many ways to create a crown
and it's ok if it is a beautiful mess. You can cut a small slit in the stem and
thread another flower through. Dandelions work well to wrap around each
other. Thin willow branches (or any flexible twigs) make for a good base to
stick flowers in. You can use wire or ribbon to wrap around stems to make
it more secure.
Sidewalk Adventures
Draw with chalk on the sidewalk. We drew water with logs you
had to hop across, tulips you had to tiptoe through, a snake to
swerve down, suns to jump in. You can add numbers to jump on
each one in order. ABC's they have to jump on the letters of their name.
Spirals they can spin on. The possibilities are endless.
Have them help you brainstorm ideas. Once this is set up, your
children will play for a bit so hopefully you can have 20 minutes to yourself!
Here is my friend Janet doing one they created.
Ms. Susi's ideas
Ms. Erin's ideas
The Letter X
X for Xylophone
-Practice your cutting and gluing skills and make a rainbow xylophone
Music Activity: Create a Water Xylophone \
Make your own homemade musical instrument with this easy water xylophone. This is the easiest instrument you can make with kids. Make it rainbow, too!
*fill up 7 glasses with water at descending levels
*dye each glass with different colors of the
rainbow, or colors of child’s choice
* take a spoon or other similar tool, and start to play the music
Mother’s Day Reading Suggestions:
Ms. Jessica's ideas
Mother’s Day recycled flower bouquet~ Materials needed: toilet paper or paper towel rolls, paper or cardboard, glue, markers or paint, and something for the stem of the flowers (tissue paper rolled up like a snake, popsicle stick, or pipe cleaners all work great...you can also just draw a stem!). You can also add a Pom Pom or button in the middle of the flower if you have these items. Cut a toilet paper or paper towel roll into several pieces, about 1inch wide each (Cut across the roll, so each piece is a circle). Paint or color the rolls~ these will be your flower petals. Glue the petals onto your paper, add a stem, and have your kiddo write their name (try to have them write all by themselves, and help them write the date...it is so special to see your child’s writing!) see this link for examples:
https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/paper-roll-flowers/
Make a special breakfast for Mom: this one will likely need a little bit of Dad’s help. Plan and make breakfast for mom on mother’s day morning. This can be a very simple meal, but have your child(ren) decide what to serve, help prepare it, and (carefully) serve to Mom on mother’s day morning. It can be very simple, like berries poured into a fancy bowl, served with yogurt or toast, and OJ in a fancy glass (The key here is simplicity, but try to incorporate mom’s favorites, and pull out the fancy dishes and silverware. This is a very special day, and deserves the silver and china :) If eggs are on the menu, let your kiddos help crack the eggs, stir, add seasonings; kids LOVE to help in the kitchen, and they are very proud of what they make! Have them set the table with your fanciest silverware, and let mom enjoy the feast :) Afterwards, dad and kiddos can clear the dishes and wash up while mom relaxes and enjoys her day
YouTube story read aloud: T Rex and the Mother’s Day Hug
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qvE-HPFTA9s
Ideas from Ms. Shani
Water Balloons
Kids love water balloons and this a perfect time for them. Water balloons can also be a great way to get rid of excess energy and relieve feelings of stress
We happen to always have water balloons on hand, but if you don't, regular party balloons work as well. They are even a little more fun because they don't pop as easily and can put a lot of water in them.
Water Balloon Toss
Have children start very close to each other and toss the balloon to each other.
Take a step back and do it again.
Keep taking steps back until water balloon pops.
Water Balloon Head Basket
We played this game at the MWF picnic a few years ago and had a great time.
Have one person sit on a chair or on the ground and hold a basket on their head.
Have other players take turns standing a couple of feet away or more (depending on the age of the participants) and try to get the water balloon in the basket (and hopefully pop).
If it doesn't pop, they can take the water balloon back and try again, until it pops.
Suggestions:
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Fill up a lot before starting. Kids go through them quickly. Once they start it is hard to keep up with them.
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Make sure each child is okay with getting wet. Sometimes they don't realize they will be getting wet and get upset when it happens. Let them know what to expect and make sure they are willing to participate.
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If children don't want to get wet, they still might enjoy playing with the water balloon. Some kids like to pretend it is their baby or friend they like to take care of. If a child just wants to play with the water balloon on their own, make sure to let other children know they are off-limits and to avoid getting them wet.
At Home Time Capsule
This will be a little different type of time capsule, but I am hoping that there are some highlights that you want to remember. We all don't want to think back and think "oh, that shelter in place was terrible", we want to remember all the positivity that came from it. So, here is my suggestion for a time capsule:
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Decide on a capsule that suits your family. Will you be burying it in the yard or in the home? You can use a stainless steel water bottle, wood box, glass jar, metal lunch box, or cardboard box.
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Decorate the capsule with stickers, glitter, paint, etc...
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Have your child tell you about themselves at this period in time: how old are they, what they like to play with, school activities they like, who are their friends, teachers and other important people in their lives, etc...
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Have your children draw pictures of their highlights of the current experience: fun or different things they have done You can write on the back to explain their thoughts as they explain their picture to you.
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Make lists of any new foods or recipes you have tried.
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Put these in the capsule.
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Add other items that represent this time: toys that represent them (but are willing to give up), news articles (they won't understand them at this point but will appreciate them later), pictures, etc...
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Add a piece of paper with the date on the inside.
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Cover capsule with tape or saran wrap (or whatever you have).
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Bury in the yard. If you don't have a yard, put in an attic, basement, or closet.
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Let your child know that you will be reopening it many years later and they will have the opportunity to remember what was happening and the fun and new things they did.
Ms. Alyson's ideas
X is for X-Ray! Make your own X-Ray: You can do individual body parts (hand, foot, arm) or a whole body X-Ray.
- Choose a piece of paper that is a suitable size for the item you are making an X-Ray of. A whole body one is super fun for little ones!
- Have child lay down on paper and trace outline of the body on the paper (or of an individual body part).
- Using a picture of a skeleton, have child draw bones of the body (or hand, etc.) inside body outline.
- The drawings themselves don’t need to be super accurate but it’s a great way to discuss the skeleton and the names of the bones as you are studying and drawing them!
- Next, color the bones with a white crayon or chalk and then color the space outside of the bones black with a marker, crayon, or sharpie.
Ms. Frances ideas
Mother's Day Coupon books
T. Rex and the Mother’s Day Hug | Dinosaurs for Kids READ ALOUD!
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