Summer and Water! Home learning ideas!

Frozen ice paints – Use lots of different colours to make a colourful ice painting. Using an ice cube tray fill each hole half way with paint and then top up with water and then stir. Popsicle sticks can be added if you want to for your children to hold on to (you may need to freeze them for a little first for them to stay standing up).

Pop in the freezer and wait overnight until frozen.

Can you move the ice paint around with your hands to make marks on paper? How does it feel? Is it cold? Slippery? If you have used the Popsicle sticks can you hold onto them and move them around the paper?

Ice Cream Sensory Play – In a tray or container add ice cream. How does it feel when you move your hands around to make marks in the ice cream? Is it cold on your hands? How does it feel when it starts to melt? Can you squeeze the ice-cream in your hands? You can also add ice cream cones or cornflakes to add a different texture to your play. Can you break up the cone / flakes? Can you listen to the sound it makes when you crunch them? You can explore with different body parts hands and feet too! You can make your ice cream play colourful by adding some sprinkles… Can you feel the sprinkles / reach out for them as the adult pours them onto your hands. If you can try to tip/ pour the sprinkles out of the container to add to the ice-cream.

Fruit Printing – You can use any fruits to create your own fabulous fruit picture. When using different fruits, what do they smell like? Put some paint on and then move the fruit around with your hands to make marks… and see what marks all the different fruits make.

You can use lots of different objects / toys to make marks. This may be toys / objects your child likes i.e. beads, cars etc.

Why not go outside when it is sunny to do your mark making activities!

Water Play!!! – Get outside and splash around in trays of water or a swimming pool if you have (Make sure your adult is always there to supervise you during water play). You can add lots of different objects to play with in water, cups bowls to practice filling and then tipping and pouring or your favourite toys! Why not add bubbles to your play? If the water is in a tray why not add glitter / change the colour of the water for a different experience.

You could have a separate tray of sand too… how does the sand feel on your hands / feet. Can you make marks in the sand / build sandcastles. What happens when you add water to the sand, how does it feel now?

Make your own bird feeders – and then hopefully you will have some little birds come to visit for a treat!

Painting with water – You can use many different resources to make marks with just water! Use your hands, rollers, sponges, paintbrushes. You could make the marks on paper or outside too!

SPLASH!

Make your own bird feeders – and then hopefully you will have some little birds come to visit for a treat!

Dress up and go outside! – Learn about summer by dressing up in summer clothes, shorts, t –shirt, sun hat / cap, sun glasses and then go outside either in the garden or for a walk in your local park when it’s sunny and nice and warm outside! Don’t forget to rub on some sun cream too!