preschoolers Archives - Mamma & Bear

Family Life, Fun mamma Rainbiw kids club, preschool, preschoolers, Toddlers

A spring scavanger hunt

Posted on October 7, 2020October 7, 2020 by Judy

September brings the first day of spring and although Cape Town was certainly not showing any signs of spring weather in early September, I compiled a spring scavanger hunt to keep Hamish busy.

The hunt is designed to use on a walk about your neighbourhood but you could also use this inside your garden.

Scavanger hunt.

Look at your garden/park or beach and draw or write a list of things for your child to find.

We started nature walks and hunts when Hamish was about a year old and would collect things onto his pram.

Give each child a copy of the hunt and a pencil to mark off what they find.

I’ve found that this activity works well for smaller children if you attach your print out to a clipboard. This makes it easier for them to carry around and ensures the wind does not blow it away.

You could also give younger children stickers to stick on to mark off what they find instead of a marker.

If you know that you will do the hunt on a regular basis, you can save paper by laminating the print out and use a white board marker to cross off as white board markers will just wipe off the laminating.

Things to find

I put together a list of 20 easy to find items in nature.

Bird
Thorn
Ant
Spiders web
Leaf
Pine cone
Flower
Log
Rock
Mushroom
Cloud
Dandelion
Grass
Bug
Stick
Mole hill
Earth worm
Tree
Sand
Caterpillar
Bark

Happy hunting ….

Crafts, Education, Fun mamma Rainbiw kids club, preschool, preschool curriculum, preschoolers, Toddlers

How to make a set of nature inspired number flash cards and counting poster for your homeschool classroom

Posted on September 11, 2020September 11, 2020 by Judy

Every springtime the Western Cape show cases the most gorgeous blanket of little wild flowers.

Every open field has huge spreads of whites or yellows or orange daisy and we are blessed to live very close to one of these areas.

Nature appreciation

Not only are these flowers beautiful they also hold an abundance of life in their little ecosystems.

Little ants that scurry about, earthworms underground, bees, dragonfly, bumblebee and beetles all gathering nectar….these can often be missed as we focus on the flowers.

But, I’ve always tried to teach my children the importance of nature, show her beauty and have them understand our role to protect and look after the world around us from ant to whale.

And so before we even started our activity, Hamish and I, first admired the flowers and sat along the side of the path watching the insect and bird life that danced amidst them.

Using nature to learn

Knowing how important it is for me that my children appreciate the natural world around them, I incorporate nature studies and the use of natural materials in our home classroom.

We count out sticks, print with leaves, have sensory play with mud and build with stones.

If we learnt flower parts we did so outside with real flowers. Shapes and patterns were identified in the garden and what better way to learn about the ocean than to be there?

A Pinterest idea comes to life

Somewhere along my late night Pinterest scrolling sessions, I saw a number freeze made by forming numbers with stones and leaves.

I knew I wanted to make this.

But, the stones and leaves looked dull against the grass background …what if we used flowers?

And so Hamish and I took a walk down the road and gathered several little white flowers to start our new project.

Counting flowers

As soon as we got home, I let Hamish cut the stems off the flowers and we started arranging flowers on the grass in the shape of numbers to photograph.

These number photographs have become the posters and flashcards we use in our classroom.

How to make a set of nature inspired flash cards and counting poster

To make your own you will need:

Wild flowers ( but you could do this with any natural item- shells, stones, sticks, leaves)
Scissors to cut the flowers
A container to gather the flowers in
A camera ( your cell phone camera will work just fine)
A grass background ( although you may want to use a wooden background, sandy beach, mud, ect)
Printer or printing facility
Laminator or laminating facility

To make:

First gather all your flowers. We used about 20 flowers and made two numbers at a time. Reusing the flowers for the other numbers so that we didnt have to cut that many flowers.
Next arrange the flowers into the number shapes.
Photograph each number.
Edit your photographs until you are happy.
Have each photo printed. I printed A4 to make the number freeze and printed 2 images on an A4 piece of card to cut into A5 sized flash cards.
Have your posters laminated and display.
Cut your flash cards in half and store neatly.

babies, Education, Fun Mamma SA Products we love, Fun Mamma SA Toy of the Week, Parenting, preschool, preschoolers, STEM, Toddlers

Fun maths games with Building Genius by Moluk

Posted on May 16, 2020May 18, 2020 by Judy

We are huge fans of the Moluk design brand and I can not recommend these open ended toys more.

Read my reviews on the awesome bilibo and oibo

So you can imagine our excitement when Straight_zigzag sent Hamish the latest product – Building Genius.

This soft, safe, silicone construction toy comprises of 3 of each of the brands popular products – Mox, Hix and Oibo.

Truly toys that grow with your child and can be used from baby stage.

With so many uses.

Your baby 0 -1 year can grasp and sense.
Toddlers 1-3 can stack and build.
Children 3 – 12 can imagine and invent.

We spent some time exploring the products and using them in lessons to:

count objects
sort colours and shapes
identify shapes
do maths sums
build

We also used them in play….

Hamish used them in free play with water to experiment with volume
we turned the hix into boats and see who could blow them across the bilibo fastest
he rolled the mox balls to the bilibo
practised throwing and catching with them
and he played with them using his imagination creating robots

The hix fold into 3 sizes and are great for fine motor development as your child manipulates the silicone into it’s different sizes.

The mox balls have groves that could look like eyes and slits which Hamish calls a mouth. You can post items inside for your child to get out or let them squeeze the sides to open the mouth.

The oibo are also flexible and the mox fit inside. Hamish loves to pop the balls in and manipulate the sides of the oibo to get them out.

How to use the Building genius in lessons

Nothing excites me more than a toy we can use in lessons, mostly because I know that I will immediately have Hamish’s full attention and that he will grasp the concept a lot faster because he is enthusiastic to play.

I jumped straight in by introducing the building genius to our next maths lessons.

We’ve been working on sizes and Hamish categorized the hix into:

– small, medium and large

-big, bigger, biggest

-small, smaller, smallest

Next we reinforced categorizing and sorting by placing the items on a piece of paper to match the colours.

Lastly we reinforced shape names and properties by looking at the hix, mox and obio and discussing what shape they were and how many sides each had. Then Hamish grouped each onto a piece of paper with its corresponding shape.

Using familiar objects and favourite toys in learning activities makes learning a concept much more enjoyable.

So, although Hamish loves to build and create his own items with this lovely set, he also loves to add them to his learning time.

I love the possibilities of play and learning that this set of toys offer and can’t wait to share the new and innovative ways we find to introduce them into our every day learning and play

babies, Brands we love, Education, Family Life, Family Time, Parenting, preschool, preschoolers, Toddlers, Tweens & Teens

Bring Home The Fun With Hasbro – why we use this site

Posted on May 4, 2020May 4, 2020 by Judy

Hasbro has launched Bring Home The Fun, an inspiring, purpose-driven website designed to support families around the world as they spend extended time at home and indoors.

Visit BringHometheFun.com to explore family-focused resources, including tips for family playtime, activity challenges to keep kids occupied, and ideas for using games and toys to stimulate kids’ brains.

The site also features resources to help children and families cope with stress that might be heightened among kids at this time.

Featured content includes:

mindfulness videos
service projects
activity guides
other resources developed through our philanthropic partners to help develop empathy and kindness in children.

Fun to watch videos include:

Play doh
Peppa pig
Nerf
Pj masks
My little pony
Transformers
Power Rangers
Ricky zoom

Fun to do activities from your childs favourite toys like:

Play doh
Baby Alive
Power Rangers
My Little Pony
Beyblade
Transformers
Fur real
Pj Masks
Ricky zoom
Peppa pig

Tried and tested

Hamish has been kept busy during lockdown with many of the play doh activities.

Some of the ideas we tried were:

This fun rainbow caterpillar to match our rainbow of hope. Rolling doh balls is a good fine motor activity.

A fire man truck to support our essential services.

A lion.

An elephant

And a lady bird.

There are so many more activities to do, each one designed to keep the kids engaged and entertained.

This has become my go to site for inspiration to keep Hamish happy throughout the lockdown.

Not just for the play doh activities but also to :

Make PJ mask character masks for imaginary play
Colour in his favourite Transformer characters
Make musical shakers with Peppa pig
Make a set of Peppa pig puppets
Make power ranger posters from the colouring sheets
Go on a scavanger hunt with my little pony
Complete the fur real Cubby activity book
And do some dot to dot activities with Ricky Zoom

As a parent I especially like the parenting resources in the parent solutions.

These activities have been chosen to help parents and children become more mindful and take part in a variety of activities and projects that help to focus on placing emphasis on putting empathy into action.

Some of these activities and projects include:

Decorating lunch bags
Interviewing a senior
Family good scavanger hunt
Be a bee helper
Making homeless care kits
Being water smart
Creating a recycled bag
Upcycling plastic bottles
Bookworm bookmarks
ABC flash cards
Gratitude journal
Gratitude letter
Encouraging kindness in kids

With so many resources avaliable to parents, it’s nice to find a platform that encourages character building, emphasizes empathy and kindness, educates parents and offers entertainment and family bonding activities through our childrens favourite characters. Helping them to identify and connect the lessons through play.

Education, Family Life, Family Time, Health & Wellness, Parenting, preschool, preschoolers, Press releases, Toddlers, Tweens & Teens

Takalani Sesame – caring for each other : Resources to help parents during these uncertain times

Posted on April 20, 2020April 20, 2020 by Judy

For over 50 years, Sesame Workshop have addressed important and difficult situations and provided support to families and children as they encounter these challenges in their lives.

Many of these challenges are surrounded in uncertainty and whilst we as parents, may not know what to expect, we know that we can rely on our Takalani friends to provide the strategies and messages to help us guide our children through these times.

Resources

As a direct response to the Coronavirus pandemic facing the world, Sesame Workshop’s Caring for each other inciative has launched new resources to assist parents and children.

These resources form part of an ongoing commitment by Sesame Workshop to help caregivers and children to navigate their ” for now normal” during this crisis and beyond.

What you can expect

The resources will also allow families and children to stay connected with the lovable Takalani Sesame characters on a regular basis.

The new resources will include:

Videos featuring our furry friends.
Printable activity sheets that focus on healthy habits
And playful learning activities.

Fun new resources

Sesame workshop continues to deliver on this commitment with the release of new content including:

Washy Wash with Elmo: Families can sing along with Elmo as he washes his hands for 20 seconds—washing the germs away and helping everyone stay healthy.
Learning how to sneeze and cough safely with Grover: Grover helps children remember that when they feel a tickle in their noses or throats, they should remember to sneeze or cough into their upper sleeve or elbow—that helps keep the germs off their hands and away from other people. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
Time to Wash Your Hands! Our Muppets demonstrate different situations where children and families should wash hands—after coughs and sneezes, before eating, after playing, after using the bathroom, and more.
Caring for Myself, Caring for Others: Our Muppets help children understand that when you take good care of yourself, you’re taking good care of others, too.

Takalani Sesame has long been a source of comfort for children and families during difficult times, and now more than ever, it is important to have healthy habits,be active and support our family and friends. What better way, than to learn with our favourite Takalani Sesame friends.

Together, we can help families get through these uncertain times and build hope for the future.

For more information visit Takalani Sesame

Family Life, Family Time, Health & Wellness, Parenting, preschoolers, Toddlers, Tweens & Teens

How to keep the kids moving during lockdown

Posted on April 20, 2020April 20, 2020 by Judy

With the current COVID-19 crisis and the enforced lock down in South Africa, the pressure is really on us parents to keep our kids fit and active at home.

But with so many other things to consider right now,fitting in physical activities can be quite overwhelming.

This being said, now more than ever, it is important to see our children happy and healthy. A large part of keeping your children both happy and healthy is to keep them enjoying physical activities.

Why is physical activity important?

Physical activity is vital to the healthy growth and development of children.

Physical activity ….

Strengthens bones, muscles and joints
Develops good posture
Assists with balance
Allows for optimal heart function
Assists with mental health
Acts as a stress reliever
And allows for better focus

How do you exercise whilst in lockdown?

Worldwide many countries are only social distancing which still allows you the freedom to :

Walk with your children
Hike a trail
Jog or run
Go for evening bike rides
Go swimming at the beach
Go to the park
Skateboard

Here in Cape Town, with a full lock down and people only allowed as far as their own yards,these exercises are not options but you can still :

Run races in the yard
Climb trees
Use a trampoline
Swim
Ride bikes
Play games like tag or stuck in the mud
Go on a scavanger hunt
Play sport games like cricket, soccer, rugby,netball or volleyball

For others even an outside game is impossible as their children are under lockdown in small flats.

How does a family continue to enjoy physical activity indoors?

Here are some ideas of indoor physical activities:

Build an obstacle course using your dining room tables and couch cushions
Play ball – bounce, roll or learn to catch a beach ball
Use a skipping rope and jump rope
Use tape to mark out a hopscotch on your kitchen tiles
Hula hoop
Host a dance party in the lounge
Balloon juggling – blow up some balloons and have your child continue to knock the balloon to keep it up in the air
Jog on the spot
Try online fitness classes
Do yoga for kids
Complete an indoor scavanger hunt
Play games like hide and go seek or farmer in the Dell
Give your child a small step ladder to climb up and down
Climb up and down stairs
Play musical chairs
Set up some indoor objects to go bowling
Play Simon says
Let them leopard crawl from room to room

Most importantly have fun and keep moving.

babies, Family Life, Family Time, preschoolers, Toddlers

6 fun water activities to keep the kids cool

Posted on April 9, 2020April 9, 2020 by Judy

One of the easiest ways to keep my children occupied was to just add water.

Here are 6 fun water activities you can do with the kids during the coronavirus lockdown.

Water fun

Fill a tub of water, have lots of plastic cups/bowls/spoons/funnels/ect
Colour the water different colours (helps to show colour combinations)
Add bubbles and Lego blocks to the water for some sensory construction time.
Make paper boats to sail in your tub. I have a wonderful paper boat tutorial
Have a foam fight. Make big buckets of bubbles and let them throw it at each other.
Draw with the water onto the concrete/driveway. You could also paint concrete fences and stones with water.

Water safety

Always be vigilant when children play with water.

It is proven that a child can drown in a small bucket of water.

Never leave a child alone during water play.

Alphabet activities, preschool, preschoolers

Alphabet jelly hunt

Posted on April 9, 2020April 9, 2020 by Judy

This is a fantastic activity to strengthen those fine hand muscles, practice pencil grip and revise the alphabet.

You will need:

Jelly
Small container
Alphabet beads
Tweezers

Method

Make up the jelly the night before you want to do the activity.

Just placing the jelly in the freezer, add alphabet beads and leave to set.

Place the items on a table with the invitation to play.

You can have your child randomly pick out the beads or search for a specific letter.

Once we had picked out all the beads, Hamish turned this into a sensory activity by squishing the jelly between his fingers,scooping it and cutting it with a plastic knife.

babies, preschool, preschoolers, Toddlers

Free the dinosaurs – a fine motor activity for toddlers

Posted on April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 by Judy

This activity is a great way for your toddler to develop both fine motor and hand / eye coordination.

You will need:

Whisk
Items to place inside

For this activity I used a metal whisk as Hamish can manipulate this but a silicone whisk is recommended for smaller children, as a younger child would be able to manipulate the silicone whisk more.