Balloons Make Physics Fun

Have Fund on Cold Winter Days - With Balloons!

For under two dollars the whole family can have some physics fun on cold winter days. Ten inch round red balloons are very dramatic as they fly around the house. A packet of a variety of balloons makes the time even crazier. Watch the very young children and pets so they don’t chew holes and inhale the balloons when they burst, but other than that the flying balloons should be safe.

  Ben Franklin would be proud. Balloons help teach an important physics principle: propulsion. The opposite action of air molecules rushing out of the balloon’s entrance is the fast movement of the balloon in the opposite direction. For every action there is an almost equal reaction.

Preparing Rocket Balloons

  One tip for prepping balloons without hurting your ears is to stretch the neck of the balloon to loosen it up. Tire pumps also work well. Teaching children to blow their own properly helps, too.

Discuss Rockets and Space

  Family STEM fun begins with a discussion of the science principle and thinking of examples of propulsion like jet engines and space rockets.  Then ask how we can use the balloons and the principle of propulsion to have some fun with science and solve a problem.  How can we prove or show that there is air coming out of the balloon neck?  What happens if the balloon is released under soapy water? Children may suggest that they can feel the rush of air or the rush will make some pieces of paper move.  You can try out a few of their ideas.

  Children can take out a few markers and gently draw silly faces or rockets before or after they expand their balloons. That adds an art component and makes the activity last a bit longer.

Creative Science

  

Read a Book!

Now it’s time for a little fun and noise. How far can a balloon go down a hallway? How high will it go?  Can it fall into a clothes basket target?  What happens if one puts a marble inside the balloon?  Can you strap on an action figure like Luke Skywalker with masking tape and let Darth Vader chase after him? Whose balloon goes the farthest? Does anything change if the balloons are fired off outside in the cold weather?

   What happens when one squeezes the balloon neck to demonstrate how musical instruments work?  Can children do a little song with it?

  Interesting books about rockets include “Roaring Rockets (Amazing Machines)” by Tony Mitton; “Elon Musk: This book is about rockets” By Evan Loomis; and “The Way Things Work Now” by David Macaulay.  More science fun can be found and archived at grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com; wnmufm.org/Learning Through the Seasons pod casts and live; Pinterest and Facebook.  Thanks for sharing these around the world, especially to family members in the military.

Helping Kids Learn to Read Their Name

Help Younger Children Learn To Spell Their Names

As big brothers and sisters return from school and talk about what they are learning, autumn is a perfect time for younger children to learn to spell their name and share what they are learning, too.  There are some fun activities to help remember the letters of their name and the sequence of those letters.

  You will need some heavy stock paper cut in 4”by 16” strips, white glue, marker, elbow macaroni or penne pasta, sandpaper, felt, child’s scissors, poster paint, colored glue, and confetti. Texture Helps Learning

  Print your children’s names with marker on one of the tag board strips. Precut heavy stock paper can be purchased at most craft or school supply stores and is great to have on hand for projects.  The letters need to be 

Texture Helps Learning to Print Names

large enough and spaced far enough apart so children can glue pieces of macaroni to the strip to form the letters over your printing.  Make sure the only capital letter is at the beginning of the name. It’s a good idea to start with only the first name.     

   Carefully, go over each letter, explaining to children that these letters in this order spell their name. Show them how to glue the macaroni onto each letter, saying the name of the letter as they are gluing. When the glue has dried, have them trace each letter with their finger and spell as they trace. They can paint the name with their favorite color when it is very dry.

  The letters of their name can also be cut from sandpaper or felt and glued to another tag board strip in the correct order. Cut the letters yourself, but your children can glue them onto the tag board.

   Using colored glue to outline the letters is fun, too. Glue can be tinted with food coloring. Children can add sand, glitter, or confetti outdoors to make a colorful art project from the name.

  Touching clues can be very helpful when children are learning letters and words.  Tracing over the noodles, sandpaper, or felt with a finger can help your children remember how to spell and print their names.

Great ABC Books

  Families may wish to check out some alphabet books at the library to practice remembering letters.  Some favorites are 

Many ABC Books Help 

“Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin, Jr., “Thomas’ABC Book” by Rev. W. Awdry and “Dr. Seuss’ ABC’s.”  Another book that will add some motor activities is “Movement ABC’s for Little Ones” by Rae Pica.  This book gives ideas on how to make letters with your body.  Make letter cards together and play games like “Memory” and “Go Fish” to review letters. Also check out the many puzzles and games that feature the ABC’s. For more ideas see grandparentsteachtoo.blogspot.com and wnmufm.org/ Learning through the Seasons.

Enjoying Books Together

Daily Reading Is Extremely Important 

Experts agree that reading to your young children one or more times a day is extremely important.  It is an easy activity that begins soon after birth and continues through the school years.  Children who are read to on a daily basis will be ready to learn to read on their own, and they will develop a rich vocabulary, as well as, love books.  Listening to you read, discussing, and asking questions are the foundation for success in school.

  For the youngest children, read aloud any books with pictures that are cloth, plastic, or sturdy. As they develop they love a variety of colorful magazines and books that are fiction, nonfiction, and books with chapters.

Reading Tips

  During the day, at nap or bedtime, sit close with your children.  When possible, let them choose the books.  Often, children like to hear the same book over and over again.

   Talk about the cover. What is the title?  Who is the author?  Show how to hold the book and turn the pages as you go. Look at the pictures, guess what is going to happen, and talk 

Talk Together About What You Read

about the characters. Sometimes, point to the words as you read along. Encourage questions, and let your preschooler join in to say the fun parts or name things.

  When finished, talk together about the pictures you saw or about what happened in the story.  What is your favorite part?  Which pictures do you like best?  How do pictures and words get into a book?

Preschool Reading

  Teach preschoolers how to take care of books.  Have the books available in a special box for children to look at again on their own. Some children might like to draw or color their own picture from an idea from a book.  You could print a sentence for them at the bottom of their picture or label some of the parts.  Encourage your children to tell someone else about the story or book.

  Relatives who live far away will love 

Read Together via Face Time/Skype

reading a short book to young children on Face Time or Skype while showing them the pictures. Often older children clam up when Face Time is scheduled but enjoy practicing their reading to grandparents and other relatives. Reading out loud also makes a good short movie to show the progress children are making in school. It can be posted on a private family Facebook account.

   Children need to hear the sounds and patterns of our language and build a store of vocabulary words. They need to know that letters and words carry meaning, and that stories have a beginning, middle and end.  All this crucial learning can be obtained in a very natural pleasurable way when you enjoy picture books and stories together. 

Photos: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
For more go to wnmufm.org/LearningThroughtheSeasons podcast Tues & Thurs at 4:30 ET

Great Gifts for Fun and Learning

Regular LEGOs for older children

 When birthdays and holidays come around, grandparents want to give special gifts little ones. While there are many expensive, electronic and mechanical toys available, often the lasting favorite toys are simple and easy to use. Good toys for young children encourage discovery, learning and creativity. They are sturdy and easily handled by little fingers.Here are some gifts recommended by teachers and parents who have seen these toys in use at home and in preschool.

Teacher Recommended Gift Ideas:
All kinds of art/craft supplies like pencils, drawing paper, crayons, washable markers and paints (with supervision), child scissors, glue, colored paper.
Play-dough (store bought or made at home) and little rolling pins, cutters, etc.
  Large plastic connecting pieces like giant Legos, Duplo 

Large LEGOs or Duplos for smaller children

(Regular sized Lego blocks have too many little pieces for very young children.) About age four kids are ready for regular sized Lego pieces.
  Easy wooden puzzles, bath toys, magnetic alphabet letters and number (with supervision) and easy to catch balls for inside and outside. Inflatable beach balls work well inside during cold months.
   Large cardboard building blocks—perfect for stacking and making all sorts of roads, towers, etc. (Search  for Giant Building Block sets by Imagiday, Imagibricks or Melissa Basic Cardboard Blocks.)
  Sandbox and snow toys—plastic pails, shovels, diggers, trucks, etc.,

Easy wooden puzzles

simple to move cars and trucks.
   Baby dolls, simple musical instruments like whistles, drums, horns;  play tools, things for playing dress-up, magnifying glass, piggy banks (Savvy Pig), inside play tent, a snugly blanket, and stuffed animals for imaginary play.
Books Best
  The number one recommendation is BOOKS!  Children need to be read to several times each day if they are to become readers,
  Look for books that introduce the alphabet, colors, shapes other beginning concepts in a creative way like  “Now I Eat My ABCs” by Abrams, “Pets ABC” by Dahl,  “Achoo! Bang! Crash! “By MacDonald, “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Martin, “Click, Clack” by Cronin and “Mouse Paint” by Walsh “10 Little Rubber Ducks” by Carle, “Counting Kisses” by Katz, “Shapes” by Crowther, “Too Big, Too Small, Just Right” by Minters,  “I Stink!” by McMullan, “Yes” and other books by Alborough , and “What Will Fat Cat Sit On?” by Thomas, “Llama, Llama” by Dewdney, “Can You Growl Like a Bear?” by Butler, “Sheep in a Jeep” by Shaw and Apple, “Chickens to the Rescue” by Hillelman, “Corduroy” by Freeman, Moon books by Asch, “Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other stories by Eric Carle,  word books by Richard Scarry, “Where’s Spot?” by Hill,  “Go Dog Go!”, “Put Me in the Zoo” and other titles by Seuss.
  Check book lists at your library, the All-Time Best Books for Preschoolers, Top Books for Toddlers at "http://www.parents.com" www.parents.com, or Trelease-on-reading.com.
Sketches: Mark Nowicki
Photo: Fran Darling, fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio, 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Selecting Books for the Very Young

Spur Curiosity with Books

The word is getting out on how important it is to read to young children from birth.  Parents and grandparents can be seen adding books to diaper and toy bags. 

Since the world of children’s books is unlimited, how can we develop an early childhood library that includes a wide range of children’s books?  
Selecting Books
When selecting books for very young children, it is important to keep the child’s developmental level and interests in mind. For infants, choose books with simple, large pictures or designs in bright colors.  Include some cloth, cardboard or washable books with pictures of people or familiar objects.  Add small hand held photo albums with pictures of family and friends in the plastic sleeves. Proceed to books that tell simple stories with few words and colorful illustrations for toddlers.
Rapid Word Growth
  During this period of rapid language development, there is a great interest in words, rhymes, and repetition.  Children will enjoy participating by naming, touching, repeating phrases, and retelling stories. It’s a good time to read nursery rhymes, fairy tales and classics such as “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, alphabet, and number books.  Be sure to choose books that can be read in one setting due to the short attention span. 

Open Young Minds with Reading

Young children are curious about the world around them.  They enjoy stories about everyday experiences, pets, toys, home, and people in their environment.  They like to be part of the story so you may substitute the child’s name for one of the main characters.
Playtime Books
  This is also an age for enjoyment of imaginative play.  Look for books in which animals or machines such as trains have a voice.
  Preschoolers build concepts through experience.  This is a delightful time to learn about colors and shapes, the senses of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting.

Books Help Introduce New Experiences

Look for books in the areas of science, math and art.
  As children grow, they are learning about the larger world.  Look for titles about people from other countries or cultures. Books can also help with fear of new experiences such as making friends or going to school. Berenstain Bears books are good inexpensive examples.
  Children seek warmth and security in their relationships with adults.  So snuggle up together or have children sit in your lap as you read.  Be sure to allow your children to select books based on their own individual interests.  It is OK to read books suggested for older children.  Your children’s listening level is well above their actual reading level.
  Your children’s librarian and independent bookstore are excellent resources for what is new in the world of children’s literature. Also check out Jim Trelease’s Read Aloud Handbook or go to his website http://www.trelease-on-reading.com
Photos, Fran Darling, fdarling fotos

More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Families Enlarge Children’s Vocabulary

Use descriptive words

Vocabulary building is another important area where extended families can help prepare young children to be readers and learners. All this starts when children are newborns.
Reading Based on Talking
  The first step is encouraging every member of the family to talk to babies with complete sentences while bathing, changing diapers, feeding, strolling, rocking, and holding. Singing counts, too. What do you talk about? Talk in a soothing voice about what you are doing and how much children are loved. Avoid baby language and high pitch.
   Scientists know that infants are listening and absorbing language. When these children are able to talk, large vocabularies and eventually complete correct sentences start pouring out of them. Many families just can’t believe what they are hearing.
  Parents and grandparents can talk to toddlers while they do every day activities and play.

Describe in a complete sentence

What should we have for dinner tonight in the food groups? Let’s sort the socks.
  Can you imagine an entire kindergarten of these young children who have been talked to constantly since birth and have had many varied experiences? What readers they will be!
Building a Large Vocabulary
   Reading is talking written down. Children must make a connection between what they sound out or recognize as a memorized word (sight word or red word) and all of the words they have stored in their brains. Children who have about 20,000 words stored will be ready.
  When families run out energy to carry on discussions, they can pick up a book and read together.  Books have a rich vocabulary unlike TV, DVD’s and most other technology entertainment. They use very few words repeatedly according to word counts in research. Children who use these technologies have a very limited vocabulary and often do not like to read. Child psychologists recommend controlled limited use of technology and no use under age two.
  Books help families use synonyms

Read books to build vocabulary

for nouns, adjectives, and adverbs to increase vocabulary. Synonyms are many words for the same idea. Adjectives are words that describe nouns. Adverbs can describe action words.  For example, in the phrase “good job”, “good” (the adjective) can be changed to exquisite, extraordinary, magnificent, remarkable, or outstanding. When young children start learning to read and create their own stories these words will be familiar and used.
   Books are rich in language that creates strong foundations for readers who will love to read on their own. There is no substitute for reading and talking to children known at this time. In general, the more a family talks and reads, the more likely children will be good readers and curious students. Grandparents can help exhausted parents create a reading and learning family climate. 

photos: Fran Darling fdarling fotos
More Ideas and Activities....See the authors’ book “Learning Through the Seasons” at area bookstores and grandparentsteachtoo.org. For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site: www.grandparentsteachtoo.org. Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest

Plan a Picnic -- Indoors?

Picnics are definitely a summertime favorite for kids of all ages, but how about planning a wintertime picnic? What better way to enjoy a fun, indoor activity by staying warm and not worrying about the ants! What to bring is always a big decision. Involve your children in menu planning and skill building while you are planning your fun time together. 

Materials you will need: Food magazines or old cookbooks with pictures, scissors, glue, paper plates, markers, crayons, paper punch, yarn, and drawing paper

What to do:

  Plan the Meal: Before you invite your children to go on a picnic, label several paper plates with the incomplete sentence:  _____will eat_____on our picnic. Explain that a menu needs to be planned. Ask your children what are their favorite picnic foods. Be sure to share your favorites. Make a list of these foods. Talk with your child about healthy choices and a well-balanced meal. 

  The nutrition site www.choosemyplate.gov has a many easy food suggestions for young children.  Decide what to bring and put a check mark by each food you will pack. Find pictures of favorite picnic foods in magazines or old cookbooks. Your child might want to draw and color the foods instead.

  Help your child, if necessary, cut out the pictures. Glue one picture in the middle of each paper plate pre-labeled with the sentence. Remind your children that one dot does a lot when using glue. Help your children correctly print their name on the first blank and the name of the food on the second blank. 

  Writing tips:  Use pencil dots as a guide for children to trace. Use only a capital letter at the beginning of your children’s or your name. Help children listen for sounds in the words that will be written down. Children could substitute your name on some of the plates. 

   Make a Meal Book: Decide upon a title and write it on a clean paper plate. Stack the finished plates under the front cover and bind the book along the left edge using the punch and yarn. Take time to read the book together. Have your child read each food item as you pack it. Once you are all packed, off you go on a warm sunny adventure indoors or outdoors!

How does this help my children?

Your children are learning about making healthy choices when deciding on what to eat. They are learning name recognition and writing the names correctly. When writing, your children are learning letter recognition, letter sounds, practicing correct letter formation, and that peoples’ names begin with capital letters. Proper print letter formation is found on line and in children’s practice books.

What else can I do? Go to the library to find  "Teddy Bears' Picnic" by Jimmy Kennedy and "The Bears' Picnic by Stan Berenstain. Then cuddle and enjoy some great picnic tales.

Photos: Picnic Basket: Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Author: Jeremy Noble; Campsite Mural (Teddy Bears' Picnic), Campsie, Omagh - geograph.org.uk - 619801.jpg. From Wikimedia Commons; Salads: By U.S. Department of Agriculture (20111025-FNS-RBN-2046) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Find More Activities: 

For more help to prepare young children for success in school see the authors’ web site www.grandparentsteachtoo.org.

Also check our audio Podcasts WNMU Radio 90; Youtube video activities; and join us on Pinterest.