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Raina Kennedy

Inspire, Enrich, Create

Our sandbox - thinking outside the box

7/12/2014

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This is a fun sand play area. The pirate ship is washed up on a beach. Kids can play with sand in and out of the ship. It's such a fun theme for dramatic and active play. I used PVC pipes to create the sling shot, filled the beach area with real beach sand, placed several pirate accessories around and built a fun hose powered water station.

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DIY: X-Ray viewing station for Kids Playroom

2/10/2014

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Our Vet clinic has become such a fun play area for the kids.  I found these amazing x-rays online.  The company we purchased them from is Roylco.  They have so many great science tools and activities for kid play there.  I made the x-ray station out of an ikea best shelf.
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DIY Oar 

11/15/2013

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For Our Indian Theme this week, I made the kids a canoe and created this fun oar to go with it.  I filled the oar with corn so it would make sounds when they rowed the canoe.
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To make: Get a piece of PVC Pipe, fill it with corn or rice, close off the ends with duck tape, cut a piece of cardboard and tape with duck tape. Cover the rest in a fun design with duck tape
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DIY Moving fire activity for kids

11/14/2013

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This Elefun Toy makes a great fire prop.
We covered ours in red and had the kids place red fire ambers inside.  The fire explodes with ambers when turned on.  We used tissue paper because it was light enough to take air.  I wanted the fire as a prop and activity for our Indian Village Theme this week.
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Rainmaker Wand

11/13/2013

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This mailing tube makes a great sound toy.  We filled ours with corn and covered with fun Duck Tape colors.  
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We call ours the rainmaker. It's a great prop added to our Indian Village Dramatic Play.
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Indian Village Theme Activities
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Indian Village theme for Fall Activities

11/12/2013

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Created this Fun Indian Village to teach the kids about the Indian's and how they helped us when we arrived to the Americas. Here are the activities we did and the props I made for this theme.      
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The Canoe is an Expedit Shelf. The kids love sitting in their cube while they pretend to row along the river. I used blue painter's tape to create water lines on the floor (not seen here).
More Expedit Ideas
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Created the oars with PVC piping, cardboard, duck tape and corn. I filled the pipes with corn so that they made sounds when rowing. Also hung yarn and jingle bells along the window. This was a big hit and super easy to construct. My 11 month old loved it too.

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Music and Movement playdate/lesson

11/6/2013

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Opera pitch hello and goodbye to get the kids experimenting with the sounds they can make. Also did sound exercises where the kids made different sounds with their lips.
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During circle time, we initiated a contagious giggle go round where we tickled the kids feet with feathers.
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Music note collage art. Just pre-cut a music sheet and let the kids paste it to a colored sheet. We also used music stickers.
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This is a fun sound activity. I filled these cans with two types of sounds and four containers. The kids were asked to listen for the containers that made the same sound.
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Follow the conductor movement, music and sensory activity. The kids danced like kangaroos and ducks on a path of bubble wrap and sticky paper.
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Tape contact paper to the floor with sticky side up
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Soft music and spatula painting.
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Spring Activities for Toddlers

11/6/2013

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Bug Week

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For bug week, we re-used some easter grass and buried bugs. We gave the kids some fun magnifying glasses and bug containers to collect their findings. Afterward, we hid the bugs around the house and had the kids search for them.
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This was fun for the younger toddlers too.
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The kids swatting flies with fly swatters. A great ceiling activity!
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We made some black playdough and had the kids make spiders for art today. Here's George and mom acting scared. This spider was George's creation!

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Fall Themed Activities for Kids

11/2/2013

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Turkey trot and Turkey yoga. The kids have a blast going fast, slow, hopping, running in place like a turkey
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Have them form a turkey conga line and trot like turkey's along each shape taped on the floor
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Sailing The Mayflower water play. Have them try to blow the sails.
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I made these with craft sticks and wooden blocks. I would pre write the names of the kids on the sails and laminate prior to class. Ours flopped too soon during this play.

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Expedit shelf re-purposed into a Race Car

11/2/2013

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This took 15 minutes to make. It's the Ikea Expedit Shelving unit turned into a Race Car. Just cut up some construction paper and tape to the sides.
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Can't wait to see what other fun transportation themes we can come up with now the idea is born!
Looking for ideas on Birthday decor.  This decal took 20 minutes to make.  I covered it in clear contact paper so it could last several play sessions.  Still need to add his jet pack but love the way it's coming out.  My boys are totally into Turbo Snails right now.
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Turbo!
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An Indian Canoe for Fall Theme
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Tape yellow and blue paper to form the length of Expedit
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Turn over and draw zig zags with pencil
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Follow pattern with colored duck tape
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Sleep Tight Playdate

11/2/2013

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Also a good lesson for preschool age children
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Sleep Tight theme this week. I covered our hallway entrance with long black fabric. Here we did shadow shows and played with all sorts of fun light up toys.
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Catch a flying star. This is always a fun eye coordination activity. Hang the stars from the ceiling and have the kids swat with paper towel dowels
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Sheep Jumping over the fence. HAve the kids Baa as they jump. Create the fence on the floor with painter's tape
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As a craft, have the kids make wishing pouches. Each one has a star, moon and cloud.

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Apple Playdate: Learn through Play

10/29/2013

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Our Apple Tree. The kids will pick apples during their dramatic apple stand pla
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Our Apple chute. The kids will take turns dropping apples into the basket while counting each apple.  The tunnels are made of clear ketchup bottles and black electric tape with magnets fastened to the back.

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Our apple stand came out so good! Its a lemonade stand converted for the playdate! It set the stage for some great dramatic play of buying and selling apples.


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Learn Through Play: Street Safety

10/29/2013

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The kids learn about driving safety. Here they learn to follow street light signs.  Green means go.

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Prompting them to slow for yellow.


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Marching Band Playdate

10/28/2013

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These salt containers make great drums and maraca's! Best part is they are only .33 cents each!
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We love throwing theme playdates.  Our Marching Band playdate was such a hit with the kids that I have to share it.  We hosted it in the summer when real parades were happening.  The kids really enjoy dramatic play, music and making crafts.  As a craft we had them make their own drums and maracas  After the craft, our little performers paraded around the house playing their instruments with some fun band music in the background.  For the parade route we taped contact paper to the floor (sticky side up) so that their feet made music too!  For the education component, we cut the contact paper into shapes.  When the music stopped, the kids had to call out the shape they landed on.  





For the drums, we used salt containers.  They were only 33 cents each and small enough for the kids to handle.  We saved the salt to make playdough for other playdates.  Prior to the craft, I cut out several strips of scrapbooking  paper for the kids to choose from.  Then we cut out 2 thinner strips for the borders (see orange in pic).  It was a simple tape/glue craft.   We put out a bowl of stickers for the kids too.  Make sure to cut off the bottom of the container. The drum beat sounds louder when the bottom is hollow.
For the drum sticks, just use some spoons in the house.  The ones we made in the picture didn't work out so well.  The simpler, the better.

You can also make some fun Maracas.  Prior to the playdate fill the salt container with beans and seal the lid shut.  




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Follow the conductor movement, music and sensory activity. The kids danced like kangaroos and ducks on a path of bubble wrap and sticky paper.
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As the kids make their way around the parade route their feet make music too. Here they march along contact paper sticky side up and bubble wrap.
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We gave the kids streamers to wave while they paraded
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Encourage leadership. Have the kids take turns being the conductor.
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    Raina Kennedy

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