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Raina Kennedy

Inspire, Enrich, Create

DIY Pendulum For Kid Play

4/7/2014

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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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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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Household Items make the best toys!

1/31/2014

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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!
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They come in all sorts of fun colors. 
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Race line for kids

1/22/2014

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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.  
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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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Sensory Activities for infants

11/6/2013

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Used a tennis ball to create this sticky ball.
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Taped paper to the floor and had her paint with dot paints. They're not as messy. She got excited about this one.

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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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Teaching Sounds: Learn through play

11/1/2013

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Teaching sounds can be fun with these vienna sausage cans.  
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Only .50 cents each Remove Sausages, label, rinse and let dry .
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Combine 2 of the cans together with duck tape. Make sure to insert items that will sound different when shaken. We used corn, pennies, sand and cotton balls. Make 2 of the same sounding ones so kids can try to match their sound with another kid. This was a fun game for us. You can also teach about quantities through sound. Put 1 penny, then 2 pennies, then 5 etc. Have the kids listen to see which container has more/less
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Bonus- your little ones will enjoy it too.
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Magnet Fishing

11/1/2013

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Fishing for paper clips
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Fishing for pipe cleaners
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Fishing for magnetic letters
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This was my favorite fish. It gave us good letter learning time. We talked a lot about things named with each letter too. "J" is for John, Jack, Jump. This one lasted the longest.
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Also great for younger toddlers. She understood exactly what to do and loved it.
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So excited about her catch!
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DIY Flower Magnets

11/1/2013

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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.
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Here's what you'll need to make them
Picture The Magnet Source 1 in. x 5/32 in. Ceramic Disc Magnets (6-Pack) Model # 07004 Store SKU # 902181 Home Depot carries them for $2.59 / each















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Scotch 1 in. x 1.66 yd. Exterior Mounting Tape Model # 411-DC Internet # 100575385 Store SKU # 490070 Home Depot sells it for $4.97 / each
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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.
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DIY ABC Runner

10/29/2013

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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.
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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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Dinosaur Playdate: Learn through Play

10/29/2013

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Start with a fun set up displaying any dinosaurs you have
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As a sensory activity- bring out the play dough and have the kids make dino foot prints

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Teach the kids about eggs and how some dinosaurs may have come from eggs.  I cracked a few shells prior and washed them out knowing the kids would want to feel the shells.


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Learn through Play: Pumpkins

10/29/2013

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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!


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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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Fun ways to teach about the seasons

10/29/2013

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We placed items that absorb and repel water to teach the need for rain gear in spring

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A fun demonstration of rain for spring

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Our season buckets. Here the kids learn about the items associated with each season.


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Fire Safety- learn through Play

10/28/2013

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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.
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Here the kids watch closely as the fire goes out once the lid is placed.
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Learn through play activities for spring

10/28/2013

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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!

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 Here are three of our favorite activities where the kids learn to sort colors, letters and numbers with spring related items.


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Do it yourself-Felt activities your child will love

10/28/2013

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Do it yourself-Felt activities your child will love
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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.
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Print 3 of these and color the eggs to match the color of the Bird
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Used this frog to illustrate sizes. Use your photo enlarging options to create large through small. We used this for our Spring semester
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Used this print out to create butterfly color sorting. Cut yellow butterfly in three sections. Same as blue, green and red. mixed all the pieces up onto our felt board and had the kids build the butterflies.
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This was my personal favorite for spring. I printed this out larger, cut all the pedals, laminated pieces individually and had the kids build the flower. I created the stem out of green construction paper.
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Another personal favorite. The kids really took to this one too. I ended up using colored paper to create the kite. I used this as a template
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Here's our bunny
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Used this as a counting activity. Printed out a large 7 and seven bee's, laminated, velcro'd and placed together on felt board
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Cardboard Fun!

10/28/2013

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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!


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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!

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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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    Raina Kennedy

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