150+ screen-free activities for kids : the very best and easiest playtime activities from FunAtHomeWithKids.com!

351 Pages·2014·14.86 MB·English

by  Citro

150 Screen-Free Activities for
Kids
The Very Best and Easiest Playtime Activities
from FunAtHomeWithKids.com!
Asia Citro, MEd
Avon, Massachusetts
Dedication
To Goose and Bubba.
Contents
Introduction
CHAPTER 1: How to Use This Book
CHAPTER 2: Slimes
Simple Two-Ingredient Slime G-F
Borax-Free Gak Dough
Basil Seed Slime T-S G-F
Easy Flax Goo T-S G-F
Flubber T-S G-F
CHAPTER 3: Doughs
Easy Dough G-F
Foam Dough G-F
Gluten-Free Playdough T-S G-F
Classic Playdough
Banana Playdough T-S
Magic Foaming Dough G-F
Cloud Dough T-S G-F
Melting Ice Cream Dough T-S G-F
Moonsand T-S G-F
Colored Salt Dough
Gluten-Free Play Clays T-S G-F
Baked Cotton Balls T-S
Fizzy Colored Slush G-F
CHAPTER 4: Paints
All-Natural Gel Fingerpaints G-F
Natural-Dye Liquid Watercolors T-S G-F
No-Cook Fingerpaints T-S G-F
Shaving Cream Paint G-F
Natural-Dye Fingerpaints T-S G-F
Magic Expanding Paint
Sidewalk Paint T-S G-F
Crystallizing Watercolors G-F
Puffy Paint G-F
CHAPTER 5: Small Worlds
Frog World
Dinosaur Rescue World
Dragon World
Medieval Dragon World
Dinosaurs in Sticky Mud
Farm World
Fizzing Ocean World
Insect World
Fizzing Foaming Car Wash
Erupting Volcano Dinosaur World
Glow-in-the-Dark Insect World
Bubbling Swamp World
Penguin World
Fish World
Beach World
Butterfly World
Desert World
CHAPTER 6: Simple Sensory Activities
Miniature Water Beads T-S G-F
Colored Water Play T-S G-F
Colored Pasta T-S G-F
Colored Beans G-F
Oobleck T-S G-F
Soap Foam G-F
Colored Salt G-F
Shaving Cream G-F
Dried Oats T-S G-F
Dirt and Worms T-S G-F
Reusable Gelatin T-S G-F
Colored Rice T-S G-F
Sand T-S G-F
Ice Excavation T-S G-F
Glow Water T-S G-F
Colored Noodles T-S G-F
CHAPTER 7: Do-It-Yourself Toys
Pompom Shooters
Outdoor Sound Wall
Hatching-Egg Bath Bombs
Recycled Cardboard Butterfly Wings
Recycled Mix-and-Match Magnetic Robots
Sticky Window or Wall Art
Foam Reusable Window or Bath Sets
Recycled Giant Lacing Box
Recycled Pompom Straw Push Toy
Recycled Car City
Recycled Pulling Toy
Funnels and Tubes Window or Bath Set
Discovery Bottles
Sensory Boards
Texture Wall
No-Sew Dinosaur Land Playmat
No-Sew Doorway Puppet Theater
Dyed Rainbow Building Blocks
APPENDIX A: Scientific Explanations
APPENDIX B: Where to Find the Supplies Listed in the Book
APPENDIX C: Resources
T-S Taste Safe G-F Gluten Free
Introduction
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But
for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
—FRED ROGERS
Play is powerful. Through open-ended play, children learn to investigate and
explore. They develop imagination and creativity. They learn to problem solve.
In today’s world, you are more likely to see a child poking at the screen of an
iPad than poking a stick in a puddle of muddy water—and something important
is lost there. Though educational games and TV shows have their merits, too
much technology can be detrimental to a child’s development. Children learn so
much through activities that use their senses and move their bodies. Because
technology does not involve the use of several senses and rarely involves full
body movement, it limits learning. In most electronic games or shows, there is a
specific path the writers want a child to follow and a set outcome for the story
being told. A puddle of muddy water, however, provides an endless number of
ways to play. It is a vast blank stage ready for a child to act out a story, create a
work of art, or begin a scientific investigation. Whenever you are engaged in
open-ended play you have a chance to discover something new and to play in a
completely different way. Open-ended play plants the seeds of creativity. It
fosters innovation and allows children to do what they do best: question, explore,
and imagine.
If you are new to the idea of open-ended play, this book will provide plenty
of guidance to get you started. If you are experienced, the book will expand the
number of play recipes and activities at your disposal. Whether you are a parent,
a grandparent, an educator, or a caregiver, this book has plenty of ideas
applicable to any setting. The activities included here are the most popular, best
loved, and easiest to prepare activities in my repertoire. You can move through
the book in order or pick and choose the activities that appeal to you most. Each
activity is laid out so that the simplest version is the one offered in the step-by-
step directions. It’s always great to start there, especially if it is a recipe/activity