Babies and Toddlers: Making Snow Ice Cream
(If you do not live in an area that has many snowy days, you can easily modify this activity by baking cookies or any other fun treat with your child as well!)
Materials:
–Clean snow (4-6 cups)
–Bowl and spoon
–Vanilla extract (1/2 teaspoon)
–Sugar (1/3 to 1/2 cup)
–Milk (1 cup)
Go outside and scoop up 4 to 6 cups of snow. You can put it in a bowl inside your freezer while you stir all of the other ingredients together. In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, milk, and vanilla. Stir until all of the ingredients are blended well and the sugar has dissolved. Then, pour the milk mixture over the snow and eat it immediately.
This is a fun and tasty treat for kids of any age. When you are getting ready to make the ice cream, you can have your child touch the snow and talk to them about how cold it is. With your toddlers, you can incorporate listening skills as you ask them to give you different items you need or to help you scoop, pour, and stir each of the items into the bowl. For the smaller or younger toddlers, you can talk to them about everything that you’re doing as you scoop, pour, or stir each of the ingredients (i.e. I’m pouring the milk in the bowl. Now I’m stirring the sugar in the bowl. Do you hear that?)You can also incorporate a song as you do each of the steps:
(To the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)
I scoop up the snow.
I scoop up the snow.
Brrrr. Brrrr. Brrrr. It’s cold
I scoop up the snow.
I pour the milk in.
I pour the milk in.
Yum Yum Yum
I pour the milk in.
I’m stirring in the sugar.
I’m stirring in the sugar.
Stir Stir Stir
I’m stirring in the sugar.
Preschool Age: Building a Fort in Your House
Materials:
–Pillows of different sizes
–Blankets of different sizes
–Couch cushions
–Chairs
–Socks (optional)
–Dolls, stuffed animals or pretend people (optional)
—When you’re building your fort together: it provides the perfect opportunity to model or practice your child’s understanding or use of spatial concepts and size concepts. For example, you can tell your child, “I’m going to put this big pillow next to the couch” or “Let’s hang the big blanket over the pillows.” If you feel that your child is ready to practice using the concepts in his or her own language, you can ask, “Hmmm…Where do you think we should put this pillow?”
—Once you have built your fort, you can engage in different pretend play scenarios depending on your child’s interest. For example, you can help your child pretend that the fort is a house and all of the children or animals need to come inside the house to stay warm. You could also help your child pretend that the fort is a cave and that you are bears who need to hibernate in the cave. You can continue to incorporate those spatial concepts as you play and pretend together (i.e. I’m going to sleep in the cave.).
School-Age: “Freezing Bubbles”
Materials:
–Bubbles
–Bubble wand
– Optional: Water and Liquid soap or baby shampoo (if you do not have bubbles at home)
**If you do not have cold enough temperatures or prefer not to go outside, you can still do this activity by using the following materials:
–Plate
–Bucket or large bowl
–Straw
Go outside on any day when it is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit and blow a bubble. Catch the bubble on the bubble wand. Wait a few moments while it freezes. It will turn into a crystal ball before it shatters!
If it is not cold enough outside, you can mix up water and soap (or baby shampoo) in a large bucket or bowl. Dip the straw in the “bubble solution.” Then, move the straw near your plate. Blow a bubble of any size slightly above the surface of the plate. Once you have created a bubble, carefully place it on your plate. Put the dish very carefully into the freezer. Wait for about 30 minutes to an hour (or until the bubble freezes) and check it every 15 to 20 minutes. Then, you can very carefully take the bubble out of the freezer and make sure it does not crack. It will last for about 10 minutes.
You can incorporate language by asking your child to make a prediction about what will happen to the bubble. After you have frozen the bubble and you see it shatter, you can ask your child to compare their prediction to the actual result. Encourage your child to use descriptive language to talk about what the bubble looked like before it was frozen, while it was frozen, and after it shattered. This activity is also great for incorporating listening skills as your child will have to listen as you tell him or her the directions that are needed to follow this task (e.g., “Blow a bubble, but catch it on the bubble wand carefully. After you catch the bubble on your wand, hold the wand still and watch the bubble”).