Virtual PreSchool

This page will be updated as often as possible. It was created for use by our Early Childhood Center as a place to share educational links. If you would like to share something to add, please e-mail me at jscarani@tbhbe.org

l'chaim,

Judith Mont Scarani, ECC Director

On-Line ALL SUBJECTS:
Brain Pop
Scholastic Learn at Home
Seussville!
Khan Academy
Parent Toolkit 
Sheppard Software
ABCYa
ABC Mouse 
billypenn.com
https://www.firstup.org
www.thegeniusofplay.org

READING:
Books and Stories by Robert Munsch
StoryOnline
Squiggle Park and Dreamscape
Play to Learn Preschool Storytime
Audible Stories 
Kids Stories in ASL
Raz-Kids:      
Headsprout
PJLibrary

MATH: 
Prodigy
DreamBox
XtraMath
PBS Math 
Bedtime Math
Fiscal Tiger.com

SCIENCE
Mystery Doug
National Geographic Kids
Vroom
ST Math
STEM and STEAM Activities 
familycreativelearning.org
Easy Indoor Activities for Kids 
30 Days of Lego Challenges
Franklin Institute

 WRITING
Jungle Junior Typing Club
Handwriting Without Tears (Learning Without Tears)

 HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES
History for Kids
Learn US History for Kids
Social-Emotional

SPECIALS: ART, MUSIC AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION (P.E.)
Creative Movement with Leigh Bednoff:
Tuesday, March 17th
Tuesday, March 24th
Other:
GoNoodle
Lunchtime Doodle with Author/Illustrator Mo Willems 
https://www.gowithyoyo.com

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS
Museums – Travel and Leisure, Boston Children’s Museum
Zoos – EarthCam Animal Cams, Cincinnati Zoo Live Home Safari 
Aquariums – Monterey Bay Cams, Georgia Aquarium Ocean Voyager
MARS!
National Parks – Yellowstone National Park
Puppet Shows – Georgia Center for Puppetry Arts Puppet Shows 
Farms - Virtual Farm Tours
MORE FIELD TRIPS!

10 NON-SCREEN ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN:

1. MAKE YOUR OWN CRAYONS
Materials Needed: Broken crayons, muffin tin, oven
Do you have lots of broken crayons around your house? Gather up all of the broken pieces to make new crayons.
1.     Peel off all paper and break crayons into smaller pieces if necessary.
2.     Preheat your oven to 150 degrees.
3.     Fill a muffin tin with an inch-thick layer of crayon pieces.
4.     Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the wax is melted.
5.     Allow the muffin tin to cool completely, then pop out your new  crayons.
These chunky crayons are perfect for small hands!

2. TAKE A WALK
Going outside has many health and learning benefits! Whether you take a walk around the neighborhood or explore your own yard, there is much to observe and learn. As you walk, talk about what you see. Pick a letter, talk about the sound it makes, and identify all of the objects you can find that start with that letter. For example, pick the letter “B” and look for a bird, butterfly, blossom, etc. Sound out the words and help your child try to spell them. Older children can practice writing the words and use the words in sentences. The outdoors are also great for math. Count the trees, look for a four-leaf clover and count the leaves. You can also pick a color and see how many things you can find of that color.

3. STEM CHALLENGE – NOODLE TOWERS
Materials Needed: Spaghetti noodles or other long noodles, play dough or tape
Use spaghetti noodles to see if you can build a tall tower. Use the play dough or tape to join noodles together.

4. MAKE YOUR OWN BUBBLES
Materials Needed: Water, dish soap, light corn syrup, large container, measuring cup, pipe cleaner or straw
Begin by adding 6 cups of water to a large container. Next add 1 cup of dish soap (try to not use a soap that is ultra concentrated) and stir slowly until the soap is dissolved. You do not want to create bubbles while you stir. Next, add ¼ cup light corn syrup to the container and mix together. For the best bubbles, put a lid on the container and let it sit overnight. You can also use the bubble mixture right away. Create a bubble wand out of a pipe cleaner or the wire from a  loaf of bread. You can also dip a straw in the mixture. *Adapted from homesciencetools.com

5. SCAVENGER HUNT
Materials Needed: Paper and pencil
This activity can be complete indoors or outdoors. If you have access to a computer and printer, you can create a scavenger hunt list with pictures and words. If not, draw pictures or let children create their own scavenger hunt lists. If you are completing the scavenger hunt outdoors, make a list of items children are likely to see: birds, squirrels, trees, flowers, etc. If you are completing the scavenger hunt indoors, you can hide items around your home or simply list common items. To make it more challenging for older children, you can provide clues and have them problem-solve to find the items. For younger children, you can switch things up and have them find all objects of a certain color or shape.

6. SINK OR FLOAT
Materials Needed: Large bowl, water, various household items that will sink and float, paper, pencil
Fill the bowl ¾ full of water. Create a chart on your paper with three columns for ITEM, PREDICTION, and RESULT. Write each item you will be testing along the left side of the paper. Take a moment to talk with children about how scientists conduct experiments and find out how things work. Also talk about the meaning of the words “prediction” and “result.” Before dropping each item into the water, ask the child to predict if it will sink or float. Have the child write an S for sink or an F for float in the prediction column. After dropping the item into the water, see if the prediction was correct and why or why not. Write an S for sink or an F for float in the result column.

7. MAKE YOUR OWN GOOP
Materials Needed: Cornstarch, water, bowls for each participant, paper towels/wipes for clean-up, optional food coloring
Combine equal parts cornstarch with equal parts water. You may also add a few drops of food coloring. Use your hands to play with the mixture. Discuss if it is a liquid or solid.

8. COOKED PLAYDOUGH
Materials Needed: Flour (use gluten free for allergy friendly), salt, water, cooking oil, cream of tartar, optional food coloring
Combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 4 teaspoons cream of tartar. Add 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons cooking oil and food coloring, if desired. Cook the mixture over low to medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the mixture forms a solid ball. Cool completely and store in an air-tight container.

9. MAKE A BOOK 
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, markers or crayons
Encourage children’s imaginations and help them create their own book. For younger children, adults can write the story as children dictate the words. Older children can write their own words. All children can create the illustrations. Staple the pages together and encourage the child to read their book aloud.

10. SOCK PUPPETS 
Materials Needed: Tube socks, markers, sticky foam shapes, glue, buttons
Create sock puppets using tube socks. Use markers, sticky foam shapes, or glue buttons on the sock to create a face. Use the sock puppets to create your own puppet show.

PLEASE E-MAIL Judith Scarani, ECC Director at  jscarani@tbhbe.org if you have suggestions for her to add!