At this time of the year, lots of fresh fruit is available. This is a great time to teach your child how to prepare a fruit salad with local produce. Your child can learn how to wash the fruit, slice or peel the fruit and then prepare the fruit salad with you. We encourage you to use local produce, as it indirectly teaches your child what your landscape grows. If you鈥檙e worried about your child learning to use a knife, purchase a 鈥榮andwich spreader鈥� at your local dollar store. It has a blade that will cut the fruit without cutting your child鈥檚 hand, and it is very easy for them to use. Watch out, though! You may have just inspired your child to become a regular sous chef in your kitchen! Why not stretch your child鈥檚 thinking a bit . . . how about a getting them to decide on the fruits to make a Rainbow Fruit Salad (the colours of the rainbow), or how about eating your way through the alphabet in fruit (apple, blueberry, cantaloupe . . . )?
Kid-Friendly Fruit Salad:
Rainbow Fruit Salad:
Best Kid鈥檚 Fruit Salad:
Fruit Salad Song:
Eating Through the Alphabet Read Aloud:
We鈥檝e been doing a lot of measuring lately, so let鈥檚 stick to that theme. This week, let鈥檚 measure time! When your child knows the numerals 1 鈥� 12, you can teach them how to tell time. It鈥檚 best to start off with the hour (o鈥檆lock) and progress to the half-hour (half past, or x:30). It鈥檚 best if you are able to use a large analog clock. Begin by showing your child how the minute hand and the hour hand can move. Place the minute hand at 12 and explain that when the minute hand is at 12, it is always an 鈥渙鈥檆lock鈥� time. Practice by moving the hour hand to various positions. For the first couple of examples, tell your child what the time is (鈥渢his says 3 o鈥檆lock鈥�). Then, move the hand and ask your child 鈥渨hat time does this say?鈥� 鈥淲hat o鈥檆lock is this?鈥� When your child is familiar and adept at telling the hour, you can move on to teaching the half-hour.
Telling Time Video:
Parts of the Clock and Telling Time practice:
The Grouchy Ladybug Read Aloud (a story about time):
Telling Time worksheets:
Telling Time worksheets:
Since the fresh fruit at this time of the year is so bountiful, let鈥檚 take a look at the purpose of fruit- to make seeds! With your child, you can explore what the inside and outside of different fruits look like, you can learn the names for the parts of the fruit, you can discover where a fruits seeds are hidden (some are inside, some are outside) or, you could learn about the life cycle of a particular fruit . . . the apple is always a great place to start. Throughout your explorations with your child, make sure to reinforce the fact that the flesh we eat is actually the protection for the precious seeds inside.
Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds Read Aloud:
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big, Hungry Bear:
I Love Fruit Song:
Inside/Outside Fruit cards:
Life Cycle of the Apple cards:
Parts of the Apple (and interesting facts):
Parts of the Apple Cards:
Parts of the Fruit Cards:
Last week, you made a Rain Stick with your child. This week, you鈥檙e going to explore water鈥檚 鈥榤usical鈥� ability! For this activity, you鈥檒l need: several small glass pop bottles, or drinking glasses of the same size, water, a wooden/metal spoon and food colouring if you鈥檇 like. You鈥檒l fill each bottle, to varying degrees, with water. Add food colouring so that you can see the level of water in each bottle. Then, blow gently over the lip of each bottle to create a musical note. You can fill the bottles by systematically increasing the amount of water, or randomly. Now, listen to the sound each bottle makes as you tap it with the spoon. Each bottle has two distinct sounds! After you鈥檙e done making music, water your inside plants and let them sing!
Make an Apple Tree painting using toilet paper rolls:
Watermelon Handprint:
Video on how to make a paper strawberry:
鈥� This website has a collection of videos and art instructions for young children.
鈥� Mommy blog about foods toddlers will eat and made easy