Stepping Stone School
Supporting Families & Learning at Home
June 19th
At Stepping Stone School, our mission is to offer exceptional nurturing and education for our students, and extraordinary support and care for all parents and families! Many families are finding new and creative ways to engage and educate their children while at home. We compiled a list of fun and educational activities and resources for you to use with your family.
WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU!
Community & Cultural Awareness
Helping Children Connect in the Community
Here, we have identified five common child passions and matched them with give-back activities your family can do in just a few hours at home or out in your community.
1. Helping Other Kids
Kitchen Table Project:  Every child seems to have a closet full of outgrown sports gear. Your little athletes can gather up those bats, balls, sticks, and cleats and donate the pile to  Sports Gift . This nonprofit has provided more than 250,000 pieces of sports equipment to underprivileged children around the world.
2. Taking Care of the Planet
Kitchen Table Project:  Eco-awareness is a great jumping-off point for introducing children to the power of social action. One place to start: Recycling. Create drop-off boxes for expired batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and other harder-to-recycle-but-still-recyclable items to place in local shops and community centers.
3. Cooking Up Fun
Kitchen Table Project:  Sometimes it’s not what you cook but how you present it. Decorate paper lunch bags and drop them off at your local  Meals on Wheels . Or have your children decorate a food collection bin for your kitchen. After shopping, they can put one or two nonperishables into the box when you get home. Deliver it to your local food pantry when it’s full.
4. Making and Creating
Kitchen Table Project:  Help your child harness her creativity by making care kits for the homeless. After decorating small paper grocery bags or shoe boxes, fill them with warm socks, lip balm, a water bottle, and granola. Your kids can include a drawing or warm greeting.
5. Cuddling Up to Furry Friends
Kitchen Table Project:  Children and animals are a natural fit. Call your local animal shelter to see if they’d like homemade cat toys or dog biscuits. When you get the green light, set aside a weekend morning to make a few. To make a cat toy, you’ll need new baby-size socks, cotton balls, dried catnip, and nontoxic permanent fabric markers. Start by adding 1 Tbsp of catnip to the toe. Stuff the rest of the foot with cotton balls. Then tightly knot the ankle of the sock. Decorate with fabric markers. To bake dog biscuits, preheat the oven to 350°F. Next, mix together 1/2 cup of cornmeal, 6 Tbsp of oil, 2 cups of whole-wheat flour, and 2/3 cup of water or broth. Roll out to 1/4" thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters and place on a cookie sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and store in a tightly sealed container. Deliver to some happy pooches!

4 Sites For Family Outreach
These websites match families with outreach activities and projects, from simple to grand.
Packed with suggestions for volunteering with your family whether you have five minutes (really!) or five hours.
New ideas for age-appropriate, kid-tested projects posted daily.
3.  VolunteerMatch.org :  
Plug in your zip code to see where your town could use a helping hand. Then click the “kids” checkbox to find a project that’s right for your crew.
Click the “Kids Helping Kids” tab for simple ways that your little one can directly connect with a child in need, from sending a birthday party in a box to organizing a book drive.
Texas Tune
(Sing to the tune of Bingo)
There is a state that is so great and Texas is its name-o,
T-E-X-A-S, T-E-X-A-S, T-E X-A-S,
Texas is its name-o!
Art & Creative Expression
Desert sunset
  •  Colored paper
  •  Black construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue
Tear strips of different color paper Use the paper to create a sunset. Draw a cactus or other desert item on the black paper and cut it out.
Paste the cactus on the sunset sheet!
Bluebonnet Art
Materials
  • paper
  • blue, green, white, and purple craft paint
  • paper plate
  • paint brush, optional
Instructions
  1. Carefully pour out a quarter sized dollop of each color paint on a paper plate.
  2. Have your child use their finger or a paintbrush to draw a stem and leaves for the bluebonnet(s).
  3. Let dry slightly, to avoid the colors blending together.
  4. Paint the petals for the bluebonnets with blue paint on a finger or thumbprint.
  5. Let dry.
  6. Use a fingertip dipped in white or purple to create the purple dots that appear on some bluebonnets and white tips, too!
Wild West and Rodeo Art Activities
Western Vest
Cut a slit up the front of a paper bag and the cut arm holes and a scoop for the neck. Children can decorate with markers, crayons, stencils, etc.
Bandanna
Start with triangle shaped pieces of fabric. Children can apply patterns with paint using western themed shaped sponges. Some suggested shapes include: stars, boots, and cactus.
Stick Horse
Cut out a horse's head from poster board. Children decorate both sides of it and glue on yarn for a mane. For the body, simply tape or glue two or three paper towel rolls together and then attach head. Finish decorating your horse.
Straw Painting
Have the children use pieces of straw for paintbrushes. When the paintings are finished, have them add the pieces of straw to their work for a different look.
Texas Flag
Materials: Red construction paper, Blue constructions paper, Glue, A copy of a Texas state flag, White star
  • First, cut the paper into squares.
  • Have your children glue the squares onto the appropriate sections of the flag.
  • When finished, glue the star in the correct spot.
  • You could also do this with project with squares of tissue paper.
Writing and Literacy Readiness
Where the Wild Things Are
Written and Illustrated by  Maurice Sendak
Max is a "wild thing," and after a fight with his mother, he leaves home and travels a long distance to live with his own kind. But he soon learns that being king in a faraway place isn't nearly as much fun as being home, where he was loved and cared for.
Where the Wild Things Are: Activity Kit
Get WILD! with activities inspired by Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
Where the Wild Things Are: Coloring Activity
This printable activity for Where the Wild Things Are asks children to imagine what their crown would look like if they were king of all wild things.
Mathematical & Scientific Concepts
Make-a-Cactus Play Dough
  • Play Dough – recipe below
  • Plastic pots
  • Stones for filling the bottom of the pots
  • Pipe cleaner segments and toothpicks for spines
Make the play dough recipe below and double it. (The recipe below is for a single batch.)
  • 1 cup flour 
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1 Tablespoon cream of tartar
  • 1 Tablespoon oil
  • 1 cup water
Mix all the ingredients and then heat it on the stove, stirring constantly. It will quickly begin to form a sold mass. Keep stirring until it’s no longer wet and mushy, but a nice play dough texture. Let it cool and then knead it well. Use a non-stick skillet and stir with heat-resistant rubber spatula. Towards the end, you’ll need to flip the whole mass over in the pan rather than stir.
Split the double batch in half once cool and add green food coloring. You can mix green and yellow food coloring to get the lighter shade of green.
Start by putting rocks in the bottom of your pot, otherwise it will take a LOT of play dough to fill up the pot.
Then make cacti of all shapes and sizes. Give them fuzzy spines or pokey spines – whatever you like!
For some of them, you can use the toothpicks just to make holes. It gives the cactus a neat texture.
Character Development
Ruth had just woken up from her nap and was sitting alone near her mat with her head lowered, arms crossed, and a sad expression on her face. Three-year-old Lizzie walked over after noticing her friend was not moving to participate in the classroom activities. Squatting down and looking closely at Ruth’s face, Lizzie gently patted Ruth on the back and gave her a soft toy.
Lizzie’s acknowledgment of Ruth’s feelings caused other members of the class to ask Lizzie what was wrong with Ruth. Following Lizzie’s lead, other children brought toys over to try to cheer Ruth up. It worked, soon Ruth was sitting with the group. She had a big smile on her face and a lap full of toys.
Caring for others involves the ability to recognize and respond to the feelings of another person. It requires a certain level of empathy. Empathy grows out of an understanding of how another person is feeling.
During the month of June, the children at Stepping Stone School will explore what it means to care for others as we focus on the trait of empathy.
Teaching children how to care for others invites parents and caregivers to help children notice their own feelings and how their actions bring about specific feelings in others:
  1. Label the feeling. When children are showing expressions of specific feelings, make a statement like, “I can see you are feeling sad because you are crying.” Or “I can see you are happy because I hear you laughing.”
  2. Praise caring behaviors. Tell your child when you observe him performing an act of kindness. “I saw you let the other child have a turn. It made him so happy! He has such a big smile on his face now.”
  3. Use “I” statements. Children will follow your example. By describing how you feel, you invite your child to explore how she is feeling. Statements like, “I feel so excited, I get to spend time with you today!” allows your child to recognize causes for certain feelings.
  4. Teach nonverbal cues. Encourage children to understand how someone is feeling based on their body language. How did Lizzie know Ruth was sad? She looked at Ruth’s body language. While you are out with your child or when you are reading a book together, watch for facial expressions and body positions that may describe how a person feels. Ask questions like, “How do you think that person is feeling?” or “How do you know that person is happy?”
  5. Read stories about feelings. Books like My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss and Feelings by Aliki allow children to explore different feelings. They provide vocabulary and reasons why someone may feel a certain way. It provides a safe context to share and discuss different feelings.  
Even very young children can begin recognizing feelings and how their actions influence the way another person feels. By labeling those feelings from an early age, children become more aware of the attitudes of others. Recognizing feelings builds empathy and empathy builds a desire to demonstrate caring behaviors and actions towards others.
Physical Development
Wild West and Rodeo Motor Skills and Movement
Lasso Game
Make a large cow head of poster board, decorate and attach to a short chair. Children can use a hula hoop over the cow's head to "lasso" him. Alternative: Set up a group of stuffed animals to be lassoed.
Wild West Dramatic Play Area
Add wild west dress up clothes to your dramatic play area: Chaps, Cowboy Hats, Cowboy boots, Belt Buckles, Handkerchiefs, Jeans, Bandanas, etc.
SACK RACE
If you are lucky enough to have a feed supply store near by, burlap sacks can be purchased inexpensively. If not, old pillow cases will do. A soft grassy park or lawn is an ideal location.
  • Each player steps into his/her sack with both feet.
  • Pull the sack high enough to hold the edges.
  • Practice hopping first, until all of the players get the hang of it.
  • Identify the start and finish lines.
  • Blow the whistle and go!
  • Adjust the race with obstacles for more excitement—-or if it’s summer add sprinklers…
Pan for Gold
Paint small rocks or pebbles with yellow or gold paint. Add sand and rocks into a water table, pool or bin. Using sifters have children pan for gold. Count how much gold they found!
Homemade Butter Recipe
Making butter can be a great movement activity and your children can enjoy sampling their hard work!
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • pinch of salt, optional
  1. Place a clean marble in a jar. 
  2. Add whipping cream and salt. 
  3. Seal jar tightly.
  4. Shake until butter is thick and creamy.
  5. Pour off the buttermilk liquid. 
  6. Rinse the butter with cold water. Continue rinsing until the water runs clear.
Cognitive & Phonological Development
The “What’s Missing?” Memory Activity for Kids
The “What’s Missing?” is a game and memory activity.
You can also do this in restaurants using the silverware, crayons, and whatever else you can find.
For this example you can use Mr. Potato Head parts.
  • You can use whatever you have on hand. A few toys. Some colored blocks, or different shaped blocks.
  • Wow! Think of the learning potential there. You can focus on learning colors or shapes, or even numbers and letters if you’d like with them written out on cards. Or even sight words! 
  • Using Mr. Potato Head, you can set out a few of his parts on the floor.
  • Have your child cover their eyes and remove one.
  • Then have your child guess what part of Mr. Potato Head you took away.
  • To make it more challenging you can remove two parts at one time! The possibilities are endless!
Desert Animals Graph
Show pictures of different animals. Ask children to discuss which animals live in the desert. Make a graph of Desert animals vs. Non-Desert animals.
Preschool Cognitive Concepts!
Downlaod the PDF for 13 pages of cognitive development activities!
  • Following Directions
  • Left, Right, Middle
  • Which is different?
  • Graphing
  • Counting
  • Patterns
  • Addition
  • Subtraction
 TRAIL MIX
Are you serving several children that all like something different? Put out several ingredients from the below list:
  • Raisins
  • Goldfish crackers, plain or cheese
  • Chex cereal
  • Life cereal
  • Cheerios
  • Square pretzels or pretzel sticks
  • Nuts (only if no children in your group are allergic to nuts)
  • Raisins or Yogurt covered raisins, sunflower seeds, etc.
  • Your choice of M&M’s, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, etc.
1. Put the variety of ingredients out in bowls.
2. After children wash their hands–give them each a bag. The ingredients will then go into each child’s bag with their choice of mixes.
TIP:  Let children know how much ‘measurement-wise’ they can take of offered foods; also how many choices they can have. Example: Each child can take 1/2 cup of 4 food choices offered.
Cactus Pretzel Rods
These Cactus Pretzel Rods make a great treat or snack. Made using Dark Green Candy Melts Candy, these sweet and salty snacks are great for those looking for a fast and easy dessert or party favor. Sprinkle dipped pretzels with coconut or sprinkles to create cactus spikes.
Ingredients
  • Green Candy Melts Candy
  • Sprinkles or coconut
  • Pretzel rods
  • Tall resealable container
  • Waxed paper
  • 13 x 19-Inch Rectangular Cake pan
Instructions
  • Melt green candy according to package instructions. Pour into tall container.
  • Dip pretzels, one at a time, into melted candy.
  • Tap to remove excess candy.
  • Sprinkle with coconut or sprinkles.
  • Place on waxed paper-covered board.
  • Chill until set, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Emotional & Social Development
Brain research shows us that movement and breath help to alleviate stress and anxiety. Our bodies are designed to move—just think about how many miles a day the cave people used to run every day. Modern people lead mostly sedentary lives, and we almost have to relearn how to use movement to lead happy and healthy lives.
“I am strong.”  Pretend to be a surfer.
To do Warrior 2 Pose:  From standing position, step one foot back, placing the foot so that it is facing slightly outwards. Take your arms up in parallel to the ground, bend your front knee, and look forward. Pretend to be a surfer and use your strength to catch tricky waves.
“I am kind.”  Pretend to be a tree.
To do Tree Pose:  Stand on one leg, bend your knee, place the sole of your foot on the opposite inner thigh, and balance. Sway like a tree. Think of trees being kind by offering shade, creating oxygen, and providing homes to animals.
“I am brave.”  Pretend to be a skier.
To do Chair Pose:  Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and keep a straight spine. Hold your hands out in front of you, pretending to grasp ski poles as you fly down a ski run like a brave and fearless skier.
“I am friendly.”  Pretend to be a dog.

To do Downward-Facing Dog Pose:  Bend down and place your palms flat on the ground. Step your feet back to create an upside-down V shape with your buttocks high in the air. Straighten your legs, relax your head and neck, and look down between your legs. Think of being an eager and friendly dog.
I am wise.”  Pretend to be an owl.
To do Hero Pose:  Drop your knees to the ground and come down to rest upright on your heels. Then pretend to be a wise owl perched on a tree. Twist your upper body one way and then the other.
Start slowly and focus on your child’s success. If your child doesn’t click with using movement as a calming down strategy, don’t push it. Leave it for a while, and then try again. Just like every strategy, nothing is a one-size-fits-all solution, so feel free to adapt and change the yoga method to suit your child’s interests and needs. Introducing the idea of using movement and breath to help their brains to re-boot and re-focus is what’s important!