April Showers bring May flowers
April is a wonderful time, flowers begin to bloom, the weather is finally warm, and of course Spring break! This post will feature several April Shower themed activities to do with your children of all ages!
Things you will need
-Water
- dish liquid
- several containers of various sizes
-Food coloring (optional)
- measuring cups
-straws
- Wash cloths (optional)
-Sponges (optional)
- Paper towels
Water Play & Bubble fun
Bubble and water play are fun sensory activities, that help develop children's fine and gross motor skills, while introducing them to basic math and science concepts.
Start by filling up multiple containers with water. For infants, have them put their hands in the container and explore the water. Older children can also take part in filling up the containers while practicing pouring. It is here, they can explore the concepts of flow and motion. You can use different objects of various weights, and ask the children which ones do they think will float, versus which do they think will sink.
You can use old cloths and sponges in the water, and ask the children about how they absorb the water, and why one might hold more water than the other.
You can use multiple measuring cups to help introduce basic concepts of half full and half empty. You can also pour the water into different size cups and ask them to identify which cup has more water, or which cup can fill up faster than the other. In addition to this, you can also ask how many cups of water the children think it will take to fill up certain bottles and containers.
Bubble Play
Mix dish liquid with one of the cups of water, while using different kitchen items to see which can blow the most bubbles. For older children, you can ask them questions about how the water and soap form bubbles. Have the children count and observe how many drops of dish liquid it takes make make the water soapy, and how much soap is needed for better bubbles.
For infants, they will try to follow the bubbles with their eyes, and even grasp at the bubbles. This can contribute to helping their hand-eye coordination. For older children, practicing blowing the bubbles can help with developing certain mouth and tongue movements related to speech.
Gardening
Gardening can be a great opportunity for children to explore and understand the process of growing and maintaining something, while also understanding where we get our food from. You can begin indoor gardening, and have your seedlings ready, just in time for spring.
You can use recycled egg cartons to help you start your seedlings, before transferring and planting them outside. As you're planting, you can ask the children questions about how plants grow, and why we need them.
Experimenting
The following activities experiment with water, the sun, and food coloring. Children can get as creative as they want, while observing some natural occurrences.
Rainbow with a hose
With just a water hose, and the right amount of sunlight, you can create your own rainbow. You can ask the children about why they might be seeing a rainbow, and if they have ever seen one outside. Have them point out the colors they see.
Shadow Play
Children can practice learning about their shadows, and how light can affect the shape and size of their own shadow. Have the children stand in place while you trace their outline. They can hold up their hands, or different different objects, to observe the different shapes they can cast.
Mixing colors
Use the food coloring to turn different cups of water into multiple colors. You can practice making and naming the colors of the rainbow, and also mixing different colors together. Have the children try to guess what color will be the result of the two colors mixing together.
When mixing the colors together, have the children practice their stirring. Use two different size containers, and have them pour their different colors in. With bigger containers, you will have more time before the two colors naturally mix.
Rainbow in a cup
This activity explores the science behind why water travels up paper. Take six cups and fill them halfway up with water. Add a couple drops of food coloring of each color into one of the cups, until you have one cup of each color. (For some colors, you may have to mix two colors together).
Take a long length of connecting paper towels, and drape a portion of it in each cup. Make sure the paper towel does not rip. Let it soak up the colored water. Eventually, the paper towel will connect each of the colored water, thus making a rainbow.
Geography
For school aged children, you can introduce concepts and ideas involving geography, through the use of a research based activity. Try to generate a list of questions the children might have about plants, animals where they live, and their overall environment. Some of these questions could include
- Where do plants grow?
-How is Spring different around the country? World?
You can research these questions on the internet, or use this activity as an opportunity to introduce researching within your local library.
Books related to Spring and Gardening
Here are a few books with additional information related to Spring and gardening activities.
Water Play Items
Here are also a few items you can use with water play and bubble activities.
You can purchase these items at Amazon.com , and order using our links. Have fun and get creative!