Touch of Home Rice Shakers

Great activity for all ages.  Made by an adult they are great for infants and toddlers.  In fact these are some of our daughter’s favorite toys. Preschool children each part of this project with supervision.

Here’s what you will need.

• Empty Water Bottles
• Rice
• Food Coloring
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Food Storage Bags
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Baking Tray
• Wax Paper
• Glue (optional)

Step One: Empty the water bottle.

Step Two: Color the Rice

• Put 2 teaspoons of Rubbing Alcohol in each bag (one bag per color)

• Add 5 to 10 drops of food coloring per bag.
• To each bag add 1/2 cup of rice.

• Shake until well coated.
• Remove from bag onto wax paper lined bakin g tray and let dry.

Step three: Assemble

• Pour rice into each bottle (one color per bottle or multi-colored)
• Replace the lid.

Tips:

• We squeezed the bottles some before gluing on the lids.  This makes the bottle crinkle better.
• You can make a funnel with a scrap piece of paper to aid in filling the bottle.

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Songs and Colors

One of the best way to teach your children about colors is by song. There are a variety of simple songs you can use to calm and engage your children.

Colors (Sung to ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’)

Red, yellow, green and blue green and blue
Red, yellow, green and blue green and blue
Purple, orange, brown and black
Red, yellow, green and blue green and blue

Click here to view more lyrics you can sing around your home!

Barney Teaches Colors

Barney is a beloved childhood hero. Every day on PBS and Sprout you will find a variety of Barney episodes ranging in topic from Treasure Hunts to Cleaning Up. Enjoy this video from Barney’s Colors All Around.

Colors- The Key to Learning

Colors are all around us. Even in the simple ways color affects our lives daily. From sorting laundry to wash to turning on your Xbox, color has an importance many people ignore.

Over the years studies have found that color is one of the most significant ways children gain knowledge. This is due to the fact that color maximizes memory. With color we are able to identify things such as green means go and red means stop.

Children who are colorblind have a harder time learning even as young children. When children are diagnosed with diseases such as dyslexia it is reported that the white paper or screen causes confusion.

These simple facts are concepts we often do not recognize until it is too late. Start teaching your children with color as infants so they can develop and gain as much knowledge as possible. This week I want to guide you through a variety of activities that will help you mold your child’s mind.

Contest Announcement

“Like” us on Facebook or “Follow Us” on Twitter and be entered to win a Free Event. This is open to people in our local service area (Greater Cincinnati, Dayton and Northern Kentucky). Your choices:

1. An in-school event at the daycare/school your child attends.
2. A home-school event for up to 10 children
3. You can give the event to a daycare of your choice.
4. An event at your church for the children.
5. A Birthday Party.

Winners will be chosen on October 15, 2010. (One from Facebook and one from Twitter)

Go to the website for more information.
http://www.sarahickmanstopsecretscience.com

Dinosaur Eggs

Spend an afternoon creating dinosaur eggs with this simple, but fun and educating art project!

Supplies:
Styrofoam Egg (available at craft stores)
Craft Knife (for adults only)
Paint brushes
Paint

1. Cut the bottom off of the Styrofoam egg so it sits flat.
2. Place paints in an egg carton or on a plate and have the child paint the egg however they wish.

When completed talk to your child about the type of dinosaur egg they made to encourage further thinking. Ask questions such as “What type of dinosaur comes from your egg?” Or “Why is your egg green?”

Dinosaurs for Preschoolers!

Sometimes it’s hard to explain the difference in dinosaurs to young children in ways they will understand. Enchanted Learning’s “Zoom Dinosaurs” is the perfect resource for parents and teachers. This website provides comprehensive fact sheets and activities for young children. Use this website to brush up on your dinosaur facts as well! “Zoom Dinosaurs” covers all era of dinosaur knowledge from eating habits to the different eras related to dinosaur life!

Visit “Zoom Dinosaurs” here.

Dinosaurs Teach Preschoolers the Importance of Science

Jim Henson’s Company has done it again, creating a new mean of education for children. PBS Kids debuted “Dinosaur Train,” a half-hour program that follows raptors, T-Rex and other dinosaurs through the world of science and natural history. Not only will your little ones love the dinosaur cast, but they will learn the importance of such subjects as seasons and ocean life.

Check your local listings for air times.

Paleontologists Discover new Breed!

September was an incredible month for paleontologists. Not only were two species found in Utah identified, but a new species was discovered in Spain.

The “Concavenator” is a new breed of theropod that was discovered early last month. This dinosaur was never seen before this discovery and has two distinct features. The first is a hump located at the last vertebra and the second being quill rods on the forearms. This means the species had feathers. Due to this feature, this dinosaur is the largest dinosaur known to have feathers.

The two named species and the new Concavenator are four-legged herbivores.

Earth- Our Home

Space can be a complex idea for children, but teaching them the basics at a young age will help them understand things around them.

Teach your child what an astronaut is with this printable space uniform.

Print the template.

Ask your child to color the space suit however he/she wishes.

Use a scissors to cut a hole in the face of the space suit.

Paste your child’s photo in its place.

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For addition fun, visit this website with your child to complete an easy E is for Earth puzzle. It is simple enough for a young child to complete and will not only will it teach your children what Earth is, but the relevance of the letter E to Earth.