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Morning

Activity: Painting with Yellow & Blue

Note: All activities we plan for little children work best when we prepare the space before inviting the child to participate.

Fill a small cup or jar with rinsing water. If you have a painting board or cutting board you would like to use, you can pre-soak your watercolor paper in the sink or a plastic basin 15 minutes before beginning. Then take your paper out of the water and smooth it onto your surface with a damp sponge. This can be done on a counter or table as well if you do not mind the paint staining, but it will need to stay in that place until dry, most likely 24 hours. If you are working with a different type of paint, or do not have a painting surface, you can adapt all of these directions to fit your individual needs. The aim is to have fun experiencing color!

When the space is prepared, you can invite your child to the "art studio" to be a painter. Sitting down with your child and painting first or with them, will facilitate an excitement for the activity and infuse the moment with creativity. Painting can be a very soothing, calming experience. You may decide to hum or play classical music while you paint. You can also tell a story.

Prepare the space by singing a song. Make up your own tune and words if you prefer! Peter Paintbrush loves to paint, on this lovely painting day. He dips his feet and wipes the well. Then he visits the color.
Place the paintbrush on the non-dominant side of the child.
Encourage your child to work with Peter’s feet gently.
Ask them to pick up the paintbrush and wake Peter’s feet on their opposite arm. This allows the child to cross the vertical midline.
Begin with dipping Peter Paintbrush’s feet into the color yellow.
Ask your child to leave some open windows of white paper, ensuring that every bit of white is not covered with yellow.
Rinse Peter’s feet well in the rinsing water.
Dip Peter’s feet into blue. Invite blue to the party!
“I wonder if yellow and blue will invite any other friends?”
When green miraculously appears, you can exclaim with delight that yellow and blue have invited green!
Talk about other seasonally appropriate demonstrations of green. The baby leaves, new shoots of tender green grass, the slender leaves of the tulips, the moss on the trees are all wonderful examples of spring green!

For more activity ideas, click here.

Games

Snack: Rice Day

Prepare the amount of rice that you desire according to the number of bellies you will feed. Feel free to use the variety of rice your family likes best. We use a 3:1 ratio. Add a pinch of salt to the water.

Toppings:
Tamari, butter, nutritional yeast (golden sprinkles), and sunflower seeds, or any other seeds your family likes.

Sides:
Carrot and celery matchsticks (or other veggies your family enjoys)

The Adventures of Ms. Stephanie

For the complete collection of The Adventures of Ms. Stephanie, click here.

Afternoon

Golden Bells for Rest Time

Sammy the Squirrel Story

For the complete collection of Sammy the Squirrel stories, click here.

Rest Time Song & Verse

Evening Wind
Adapted from Wilma Ellersiek

Blow the evening wind so mild
Rest my little flower child
Lu lu lu lu lu, lu lu lu lu lu

Flowers Grow
Words by Monica Stone
This verse can be accompanied by gentle therapeutic touch to help your child come to a state of rest and wellbeing.

The flowers, they grow on your ten little toes
With forefinger and thumb, gently caress and massage each toe
All the way up to your little nose
Gently draw finger down the length of child’s nose
The petals, they softly brush your cheek
Gently brush each cheek with back of your hand
As you lay down and fall fast asleep
Gently run fingers along child’s brow

Fingerplay

Here is the Beehive

Here is the beehive
Where are the bees?
Hidden away where nobody sees
Watch and you’ll see them
Come out of the hive
One, two, three, four, five

They buzz so high
They buzz so low
Thye buzz so fast
And they buzz so slow

They buzz. to the left
And they buzz to the right

They buzz all the day long
And go to sleep at night

Coloring Activity

Explore lines, shape, and color with crayons (or whatever you have available).

Make a beautiful rainbow, a ship sailing on the seven seas, or a forest for Sammy Squirrel!