These projects are simple and require materials you might already have at home!
MAKE YOUR OWN CRAYONS
Materials Needed: Broken crayons, muffin tin, oven
Instructions:
- Peel off all paper and break crayons into smaller pieces if necessary.
- Preheat your oven to 150 degrees.
- Fill a muffin tin with an inch-thick layer of crayon pieces.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the wax is melted.
- Allow the muffin tin to cool completely, then pop out your new crayons.
TAKE A WALK
Going outside has many health and learning benefits! Whether you take a walk around the neighborhood or explore your own yard, there is much to observe and learn. As you walk, talk about what you see. Pick a letter, talk about the sound it makes, and identify all of the objects you can find that start with that letter. For example, pick the letter “B” and look for a bird, butterfly, blossom, etc. Sound out the words and help your child try to spell them. Older children can practice writing the words and use the words in sentences. The outdoors are also great for math. Count the trees, look for a four-leaf clover and count the leaves. You can also pick a color and see how many things you can find of that color.
STEM CHALLENGE – NOODLE TOWERS
Materials Needed: Spaghetti noodles or other long noodles, play dough or tape, marshmallows, etc.
Instructions: Use spaghetti noodles to see if you can build a tall tower. Use the play dough, marshmallows, or tape to join noodles together. Older kids could race each other or see if their noodle tower can hold weight.
MAKE YOUR OWN BUBBLES
Materials Needed: Water, dish soap, light corn syrup, large container, measuring cup, pipe cleaner or straw
Instructions: Begin by adding 6 cups of water to a large container. Next add 1 cup of dish soap (try to not use a soap that is ultra concentrated) and stir slowly until the soap is dissolved. You do not want to create bubbles while you stir. Next, add ¼ cup light corn syrup to the container and mix together. For the best bubbles, put a lid on the container and let it sit overnight. You can also use the bubble mixture right away.
Create a bubble wand out of a pipe cleaner or the wire from a 0 loaf of bread. You can also dip a straw in the mixture. *Adapted from homesciencetools.com
SCAVENGER HUNT
Materials Needed: Paper and pencil
Instructions: This activity can be complete indoors or outdoors. If you have access to a computer and printer, you can create a scavenger hunt list with pictures and words. If not, draw pictures or let children create their own scavenger hunt lists. If you are completing the scavenger hunt outdoors, make a list of items children are likely to see: birds, squirrels, trees, flowers, etc. If you are completing the scavenger hunt indoors, you can hide items around your home or simply list common items. To make it more challenging for older children, you can provide clues and have them problem-solve to find the items. For younger children, you can switch things up and have them find all objects of a certain color or shape.
SINK OR FLOAT
Materials Needed: Large bowl, water, various household items that will sink and float, paper, pencil
Instructions: Fill the bowl ¾ full of water. Create a chart on your paper with three columns for ITEM, PREDICTION, and RESULT. Write each item you will be testing along the left side of the paper. Take a moment to talk with children about how scientists conduct experiments and find out how things work. Also talk about the meaning of the words “prediction” and “result.” Before dropping each item into the water, ask the child to predict if it will sink or float. Have the child write an S for sink or an F for float in the prediction column. After dropping the item into the water, see if the prediction was correct and why or why not. Write an S for sink or an F for float in the result column.
MAKE YOUR OWN GOOP
Materials Needed: Cornstarch, water, bowls for each participant, paper towels/wipes for clean-up, optional food coloring
Instructions: Combine equal parts cornstarch with equal parts water. You may also add a few drops of food coloring. Use your hands to play with the mixture. Discuss if it is a liquid or solid.
COOKED PLAYDOUGH
Materials Needed: Flour (use gluten free for allergy friendly), salt, water, cooking oil, cream of tartar, optional food coloring
Instructions: Combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 4 teaspoons cream of tartar. Add 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons cooking oil and food coloring, if desired. Cook the mixture over low to medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the mixture forms a solid ball. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.
MAKE A BOOK
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, markers or crayons
Instructions: Encourage children’s imaginations and help them create their own book. For younger children, adults can write the story as children dictate the words. Older children can write their own words. All children can create the illustrations. Staple the pages together and encourage the child to read their book aloud.
SOCK PUPPETS
Materials Needed: Tube socks, markers, sticky foam shapes, glue, buttons
Instructions: Create sock puppets using tube socks. Use markers, sticky foam shapes, or glue buttons on the sock to create a face. Use the sock puppets to create your own puppet show.
