Raina Kennedy
Inspire, Enrich, Create
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Pendulum Play is excellent for learning cause and effect, physics, spatial reasoning, experimenting with weight and size, language, vocabulary and teaches kids how to work together. I made this pendulum out of PVC pipes, string and tennis balls. After the initial excitement of knocking blocks down, the kids began experimenting with the the limitations of the ball and began building their towers more strategically. This is a great way for kids to learn through play! Very easy set up! 
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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.   I'm slowly putting our new playroom together. Just found this adorable scale at Walmart for $14! I bolted it to the shelf so it can't be moved. The kids have been putting the entire contents of the house on it! It's proven to be a great learning tool as they discover what's lighter and what's heavier. We also talk about numbers. I love the aesthetic it brings to our market area but even more, I love the educational opportunity it brings to our play. Sometimes, household items make the best toys! 
They come in all sorts of fun colors.
This is a fun way to keep kids active while in the house. Just put up a string of painter's tape and have them run through like it's a racing finish line. I chose tape because they wanted to do it at least 100 times over. It was the easiest and safest tool for the game. Incorporate fun simon says games to encourage listening and following instructions. 
 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.
 Soft music and spatula painting. Bug Week
The kids swatting flies with fly swatters. A great ceiling activity!
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!
 Taped paper to the floor and had her paint with dot paints. They're not as messy. She got excited about this one.  Turkey trot and Turkey yoga. The kids have a blast going fast, slow, hopping, running in place like a turkey
 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.  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.  Turbo!  An Indian Canoe for Fall Theme
Also a good lesson for preschool age children  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.
Teaching sounds can be fun with these vienna sausage cans.  Only .50 cents each Remove Sausages, label, rinse and let dry .
Created these flower magnets for our spring program. They really brightened up the room and the kids love them! They also act as a learning tool to teach about colors and textures.  Here's what you'll need to make them
 Metal can from soup or vegetables 12-14 OZ. Remove the lid with one of those openers that doesn't leave rough edges. Use the lid as your base to hold magnets on one side and flower on other side. Deconstruct the flower and glue each piece back together with hot glue gun. Glue back section first to the lid and rebuild your flower piece by piece from there using the glue. Adhere the magnets to the back using the mounting tape. Cut the tape around the magnet to form the shape of magnet.
Our 20ft long ABC run. This is a great activity to learn ABC's and get out lot's of energy. You can sing the ABC song slow or real fast. You can also have the kids land on certain letters. This is a simple DIY project: yellow craft paper, abc print outs and clear shelving liner.  Our Apple Tree. The kids will pick apples during their dramatic apple stand pla 
Start with a fun set up displaying any dinosaurs you have 
 Get a big pumpkin, several little pumpkins, tie string to a magnet and then tie to a wooden dowel. And let the pumpkin fishing begin!
 Our season buckets. Here the kids learn about the items associated with each season.
As a science activity- we used glass jars to teach children about fire and how it needs oxygen. Here we illustrate how fire burns without the lid and how it blows out once the lid covers the jar.  Here the kids watch closely as the fire goes out once the lid is placed. 
In a grand effort to give my kids the best foot forward, I have been introducing education fundamentals through play. After reviewing tons of eduction sites, I came up with a weekly curriculum that is used in pricey preschools and day care facilities . Now my munchkins can have quality mommy time and a great education without breaking the bank. It's so rewarding to see the light go on and be there to experience it with them. The effort and time to create these activities is minimal compared to the rewards! Give one a try!  Here are three of our favorite activities where the kids learn to sort colors, letters and numbers with spring related items. Do it yourself-Felt activities your child will love  This interactive felt activity board is a great addition to any playroom. Not only is it great as room decor but it also serves a rewarding purpose- educating your child. Felt activities are a fun way to learn colors, shapes, numbers, seasons, sizes, sorting and so much more! This learn through play method offers a fun approach to mommy & me learning. After you walk your child through the activity, watch them come back on their own to figure it out over and over again! Here the kids learn how to build a flower, match the bird color to the color of eggs in the bird nest, size up the frogs, build an egg and build a bunny. Here are a few other ideas on how to make learning fun with your child.   Making a felt activity station: You can buy a frame or use an old one. I used some old frames to create these adorable felt activity walls for the kids. Take out the glass, cut a large piece of felt and glue it to the backboard of the frame. Now you have a fun activity station ready to go for the kids. For the felt activities: just pick up some clear contact paper, print out an image you want to create off the web, wrap in clear contact paper and attach velcro (rough side) to the back of the covered image. I used these images to create a bird and egg color sorting activity Cover all in clear contact paper and place rough side of velcro on back of each.
Kids love cardboard boxes. Next time you are about to throw one away, think about something fun you can make out of it. Here are a few ideas on cardboard fun!  For Thanks Giving, we wanted to have a unique playdate that had a different theme than making a turkey or leaves. I invited our friends to come sail the Mayflower at our house. As a craft activity, we had them make binoculars so they can spot Plymouth rock. This construction took 7 rolls of duck tape, 7 large boxes and 21 hours. A bit over the top but an amazing playdate!  For class, I built the kids a castle out of cardboard. This only took an hour. The kids played with the castle for an hour. |
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