Info Centre - Active Kids

Time

• 10 to 20 minutes

Materials

• Garden spot that can be viewed from a window
• Seeds or plants that attract butterflies such as zinnias, marigolds, asters, hollyhocks, or other purple, yellow, and orange flowers

Directions

1.      You can attract butterflies into your yard by creating a garden spot that contains the kinds of plants that nourish and attract them. Plant the seeds/plants compactly. Butterflies especially like purple, yellow, and orange flowers and those with short petals or flat tops that are easy to land on.

2.      Sit back and enjoy the beauty from your window together with a nice cup of tea.

Extensions

• Make a butterfly viewing zone with some soft pillows and quiet music.

Buy a small pair of binoculars for close-up butterfly watching

Flying a kite is difficult and frustrating for toddlers and preschoolers. These "kites" are guaranteed to fly, even on days with light wind.

Materials

• Large, round helium balloons
• Kite string
• Paper streamers (optional)

Directions

1.      Tie one end of a long length of kite string to a round helium balloon and the other to your child's wrist.

2.      He will find it fun and easy to fly his balloon, and you won’t worry about crashes and tangles.

3.      Try attaching lengths of paper streamers to the balloon to give it a more authentic kite look

Time

• 15 to 20 minutes

Materials

• Variety of hand-sized sponges
• Bucket of water
• Chalk

Directions

1.      Draw a target on outdoor pavement.

2.      Soak the sponges in the bucket of water and toss them into the center of the target.

Extensions

• Play until the bull's-eye is erased.
• Draw the target on a wall for a different throwing experience.
• Alternate turns for 2 throws, letting the child keep track of who is up next.

Not all kids want to play soccer or be the star quarterback. Which sport is right for your child? Ask yourself these questions:

• What is my child interested in? Does she want to stick with one sport, or participate in several seasonal ones?
• What can I afford in time, money, and commitment?
• What is the coach's philosophy? Do we share the same values and beliefs about sports? Does this coach enjoy working with athletes at my child's level?
• Do all the kids in the program appear to be having fun? Are they all involved?
• Am I comfortable with the parents of the children who participate?
• Is the equipment and location safe? What procedures are followed if my child is injured

Materials

• Small objects to hide
• Shovels
• Colander
• Sandbox

Directions

1.      Hide small objects in the sandbox for your toddler to find as he digs about.

2.      Try using an old kitchen colander to sift through the sand.

3.      If you like, spray-paint rocks in shiny silver and gold, and show your toddler how to search for hidden treasure

Time

• 15 to 30 minutes

Materials

• Patch of dirt
• Spoon or small trowel
• Water
• Small stick

Directions

1.      Strip your toddler down to a diaper or put on a swimsuit, and work together in the shade by playing with mud.

2.      Once you locate a small patch of bare dirt, begin digging, using the trowel, spoon, or stick.

3.      Add a small amount of water and model mixing it together with the hands. This activity is a guaranteed winner.

Extensions

• Add a plastic cup or carton to spoon dirt and mud into.
• Add plastic little people or animals.
• Add a little coarse sand so the texture changes.
• Add small broken twigs and hand-sized rocks

Time

• 10 to 15 minutes

Materials

• None

Directions

Take a walk to the back of the house and ask your child to guess which room is behind each window.

Extensions

• If possible, lift your child so the guess can be confirmed.
• Hang pictures on a window and go outside to see them

Time

• 5 to 10 minutes

Materials

• Puddles after a rainy day or a lawn watering

Directions

Being told that it is OK to jump in puddles will bring squeals of delight. Go out together dressed in rain gear and stomp in the puddles.

Extensions

• Model dragging your feet gently through the water.
• Play "follow the leader" as you play in the water.

Hold hands and jump with both feet into shallow puddles

This activity is good for either indoor or outdoor play.

Materials

• Long rope

Directions

1.      Lay a long rope in a zigzag pattern in the grass or on your deck.

2.      See if your child can walk on the rope.

3.      Lay the rope in a straight line like a tightrope and have your child hold out his arms to balance himself as he walks.

4.      With the rope still lying straight, ask your child to think of how many ways he can go over it: walk across it, hop over it (on one or two feet), jump across it, crawl across it, or any other way he can think of.

Time

• 5 to 10 minutes

Materials

• None

Directions

Knowledge of what the body can do begins with learning to move it in different ways, at different paces, and in ways that challenge emerging balance. Encourage your toddler to walk in different ways with you--with high marching steps, with big striding steps, etc.

Extensions

• Follow any clues that your toddler gives for ways to play this game.
• Use music of varying tempos to play the game.
• Try the game in shoes and then barefoot and talk about the difference.

Time

• 10 to 20 minutes

Materials

• Brown paper shopping bags
• Shallow pan of water

Directions

1.      This is an easy outdoor activity that provides a fun way to learn about the feet and the length of stride. Cut the paper bags at the seam so that they can be spread out flat.

2.      Step into the water with bare feet and walk across the paper bag, leaving footprints.

3.      Watch as they evaporate and disappear.

Extensions

• Do this activity on the pavement on a warm (but not too hot) day and compare the stride of walking to running.
• Repeat the activity making hand prints.
• Try to cover the entire page before the prints evaporate.
• Challenge your child to find other objects outside that they can use to make prints