News for Black Hills Early Learners

We are here to bring you fun activities for any child ages 0-5 years. We hope you find this useful and helpful during this very unusual time. Happy learning!

This week's theme: Gardening / Plants Gardening with children is great fun and you can begin in any month of the year. From planning and craft-making to planting and harvesting, you can treat your kids to fun activities any time!

Infant Corner Activities for children under 1 All of the a Infant Corner Activities this week come from vroom.org Go to website and sign up FOR FREE . You will receive specific activities for your child based on their age.

Development When you use many different words with your child, your're helping them develop their language and communications skills. Your child learns communication skills from your tone of voice and facial expressions. Babies learn language and concepts through singing because music stretches out the sounds, making it easier for them to detect words and their meaning. Play While cleaning up dirty dishes, show your child a dirty dish and say, "yuck" with a funny face. With each new dish, use a new word, "sticky" "goopy." Your expression should make them giggle and make the chore more enjoyable for you! Sing to your baby the ABC song, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or what every is your favorite song.

Busy Toddlers Activities for children 1-3

Physical/Outdoor Learn what plants need to live and grow by sharing this fun movement song. Try singing the song over and over, going faster each time! Link to activity here Let your child use the fine muscles in their fingers to squeeze sponges to make it rain on the plants in the yard. Link to activity here. Science/Sensory Spring Flower Sensory soup is a great way to encourage kids to play, swirling the flowers, making soup for you to ‘taste’, was it too hot? Was the seasoning right? Did it need more flowers?! Follow the link below for another simple spring sensory bin. Link to activity here

Literacy Read outside: Grab a few books and head outside. Bring along a blanket to sit on, find a tree to lean up against or cuddle up in an outdoor fort.   Focus on the process of forming letters rather than the end product. Check out fun ways to form letters in nature. Link to Activity ideas Creative Arts Toddlers can explore vegetable stamping while creating their own  garden art! Here is an easy Recycle Flower Art idea. You can use old newspaper, magazines or wrapping paper

Hands-On Preschoolers Activities for children 4-5

Physical/Outdoor Hunt for Colors on a Nature Walk. Choose a color and see how many things you can find on your walk that match your color. Link to activity here Combine gross motor skills and learning numbers by creating this easy flower game. Cut or have your child help cut out 10 flower shapes and label 1-10. Lay them out in random order. Call out a number and have child jump from number to number.

Science/Sensory Remember how you were amazed  growing a bean  in a plastic baggie when you were younger. To help with observation use  a jar  instead of a baggie, your kids will be just as amazed by this simple bit of  science. Link to activity here Grow your knowledge about plant parts and plant needs with this 3 minute video .

Literacy Help your child make their own garden journal. Link to activity here Letter and number handwriting practice doesn’t just have to take place at a table–there are so many ways to make it fun! When the weather is nice take it outside to water paint chalk letters.

Creative Arts Day and Night Flip Stones are fun to paint and can be used to play a heads and tails type game. Link to activity here A terrarium is a fun and simple garden project for kids. Add toys to your terrarium and you have a toyrarium – a terrarium that inspires play.

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