Making a Balance Scale Make a simple balance scale with the help from the children. Once completed provide the children with the opportunity to independently weigh toys and other household objects. Encourage children to gather an assortment of items and test predictions about which things will be heavier or lighter. To make the activity more challenging […]
Happy Valentine’s Day Here in the northeast of America we are having a very snowy Valentine’s Day. Spending the bulk of our days indoor, as snow has been falling heavily outdoors, the kids and I made a beautiful paper snowflake garland with hearts in many of the snowflakes yesterday. If you have cabin fever and […]
Doing Arts n’ Crafts with Kids Kids love Valentine’s Day and it doesn’t have to cost a lot to celebrate the holiday with the kids. Use tissue paper to make a lovely bouquet to decorate the house with the kids or to give as gifts to their family. As a cognitive activity, make a group […]
Weekly Trip to the Library The winter Olympics have started in Sochi and I recommend reading books on the topic to the children in your care. Then, be sure to have your own pint-sized Olympic games in the house you work in. When you are finished, hand out medals and serve up dishes from around […]
Teaching Classifying, Comparing and Patterns Children benefit from having lots of experiences sorting, comparing, and classifying objects before participating in patterning activities. Provide opportunities for children to sort or group things by shape, number, color, or texture. As children play sorting games, vocabulary such as classifying, groups, sets, categories, same, different, fewer, longer, heavier, lighter […]
Creative Projects to Do With Kids The teen I care for made this pencil topper for his little sister using a hot glue gun. I don’t recommend young children using hot glue guns. But, you can easily and safely use white glue instead if you are making simple pencil toppers. Hot glue works better than […]
Getting Creative with Kids There is something magical about the three-dimensional appearance of Puffy Paint. Puffy paint is easy to make and you can simply find the ingredients already at home. Allow the kids to use the Puff Paint recipes as finger paint as well — although I don’t like adding color to the puffy […]
Making a Simple Paper Chain Making paper garland is one of the easiest crafts to make during the holidays. It gives the kids an easy way to practice cutting and pasting. This simple paper garland decorates my charge’s fireplace mantel in her bedroom. Follow these steps to learn how to make a classic paper chain: […]
Kandinsky Tree I love the subject of Art History and hope to inspire my Nanny Kids to appreciate art as well. I introduced my three-year-old charge to abstract art by showing her Kandinsky Trees. Wassily Kandisnsky was a famous Russian artist who had a gift called synaesthesia cognate which gives him the ability to hear […]
Painting is such a great way to express yourself, but sometimes paintbrushes just don’t tell the whole story. I find that this unorthodox method of painting is a great way to help children express their high powered emotions, like anger or excitement. Try it out the next time your little one gets mad and doesn’t […]
