Stepping Stone School
Supporting Families & Learning at Home
April 17th
At Stepping Stone School, our mission is to offer not only exceptional nurturing and education for our students, but also extraordinary support and care for all parents and families! Many families are finding new and creative ways to engage and educate their children while at home! We compiled a list of fun and educational activities and resources for you to use with your family! 
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and now includes events in more than 193 countries. Share your Earth Day activates with us by using the hashtags #SSSEarthday on Social Media!
Community & Cultural Awareness
Plant a Tree
Materials needed:
  • One tree or seed 
  • Shovel 
  • Bucket of water 
  • Measuring tape 
  • Journal Pen or pencil Camera (optional) 

Planting the tree

1. Pick out a tree. 
2. Pick a suitable spot in your yard to plant your tree. Be sure that the tree has the amount of sunlight that it needs to grow. 
3. Dig a hole and set aside the soil, sod clumps, and rocks. You want the hole large enough that the roots fit in without being crowded. 
4. Put the tree in the hole and fill it 2/3 of the way with the dirt. Fill the rest of the hole with water. Once it has settled, fill the rest of the hole with dirt. 
5. Make a saucer-like circle around the tree using the leftover rocks and dirt clumps. Water thoroughly and then mulch. 
6. Stake the tree so that it does not get knocked over by strong winds, lawn mowers, and other hazards. Water thoroughly once a week in dry weather.
Variation: Bring a tree indoors! Some trees may be grown in large pots or other containers.

How does your tree grow?

You can also pick a tree that is already growing instead of planting a new one.
At the beginning of each month, take a look at your tree. Record in your journal the following observations: 
  • Measure the height.
  • Measure the circumference of the trunk.
  • What does the bark look like?
  • How many branches does it have?
  • Does it have leaves? If so, how many? What color are they?
  • Does it have buds?
  • Does it have fruit or seeds, like apples or acorns or pinecones?
  • Draw a picture of your tree. 
Variation: Also record your child's height each month. Take a picture of your child by the tree. Find out who has grown more in the past month/year!
Art & Creative Expression
Supplies For A Painting With Nature Activity
  • Items found in nature, like sticks, pinecones, rocks, grass
  • Paint
  • Paper
  • A large container such as a baking tray or box.
  • A muffin tin for your paints.
How To Set Up A Painting With Natural Items
This is a great way to let children get outside and explore and to find their own way to explore and create. Painting with natural things the children have found is a great way for them to explore patterns and textures as each item will leave a different trail on the paper.
Before starting this painting activity you can encourage the children to look closely at the natural items and think about their shapes, colors and textures. A magnifying glass is a great addition and there’s lots of wonderful vocabulary building opportunities!
Once you’re ready to start painting with nature simply line the bottom of your cardboard box or baking tray with paper and provide the paint.
Possible Ways For Kids to Paint With Nature:
  • Some children spoon the paint onto their pinecones and then roll it along the paper.
  • Some children dip their items into the paint and then roll them on the paper.
  • Some children put paint onto the paper first and then roll their nature finds through it.
  • Some children want to paint the nature items and don't use the paper at all.
  • Some children like to use one color at a time others like to use two or more.
  • Some children enjoy mixing and merging the colors!
This painting activity can be approached in so many different ways creating beautiful and unique paintings of patterns and textures, and even the painted natural items look pretty too!
Writing and Literacy Readiness
This is another good pick for young listeners. Children are encouraged to do 10 simple things that can have a big impact on the world from turning off the water when you brush your teeth to picking up trash!
The 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World printable vocabulary scaffold guide pairs 10 challenge words from the story with short definitions and easy to understand pictures. Use this guide to pique students' interests, put words in context, and aid reading comprehension.
Prompts for discussion include:
  • What do you think the narrator is talking about remembering on the first page? [Predicting/inferring]
  • Why might there be insects flying around near the light bulb? [Inferring/making connections]
  • Why do you think the illustration shows only eyeballs on this page? [Inferring/analyzing]
  • What do you think the narrator will try [Predicting/inferring]
  • Why do you think this text about saving water was placed on the illustration in this way? [Inferring]
Mathematical & Scientific Concepts
WHAT MAKES ICE MELT FASTER?
Let’s get to learning all about ice!
In this experiment, you will investigate what makes ice melt faster, by adding several different solids to your ice.
YOU WILL NEED:
  • Ice cubes
  • Muffin tin, jars, or containers
  • Various solids. You can start with salt and sugar, but also include different types of salt, baking soda, sand or dirt etc.
  • Stopwatch or clock  
MELTING ICE SET UP:
  1. Add 4-5 ice cubes to 6 cupcake cups. Make sure the same amount of ice is in each one.
  2.  Add 3 tablespoons of each solid to a separate container of ice. 
  3. Keep one cup as your control with nothing added to the ice. 
  4. Set the timer to check back on the ice cubes every 10 minutes over 1/2 hour and record your results. Then draw your conclusions.
What caused the ice to melt fastest?
EXTENSION: Use a timer and record how long it took each material to melt the ice. Record the results. Try adding solids of your own choice and record that data too. Now, turn the data into a graph!

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN
You can cover most of the steps pretty well just by talking with your kids about…
  • what they think will happen
  • what is happening
  • what actually happened compared to what they thought would happen.
There lots of easy science concepts that you can introduce children to very early on! You might not even think about science when your child…
  • pushes a car down a ramp.
  • plays in front of the mirror.
  • laughs at your shadow puppets.
  • bounces balls over and over again.
  • fills up a bucket of water and dumps it out.
Character Development
On a large piece of paper, write TIPS FOR RESPECT at the top. Using the
following questions, generate ideas from your children on ways to respectfully ask permission and use kind words when sharing.
● Have you ever asked for permission and someone said no? How
did you handle it? Can we help him/her come up with other
ideas?
● Have you ever wanted to share, but the other person turned you
down? What happened next? What other ideas could have
worked here?
● Have you ever had a toy taken away from you without permission? How did that make you feel? How could that person have used kindness and respect instead?
Highlight 3 ways to show respect for ourselves, our friends, and our
space each day.
Using the following formula, plug in your Childs actions to create your respect song!

I ________ my ________ when I start my day.

I ________ my __________ after I play.

I ________ my ________ when I have something to say.

I show respect in so many ways!
Today I ________ . (This will change every day to personalize the song daily.)

Chant the song 7 times on the first day you create it. Research shows you need to hear a new song or jingle this many times to make a solid memory. One way to do this is using different approaches: sing it in a silly voice, march while singing it, have each child sing it alone or with a partner, etc.

Sing the Respect Song daily to encourage this skill as second nature and to highlight different ways it is being demonstrated!
Sample of a completed song
I hang my backpack when I start my day.
I clean my area after I play.
I raise my hand when I have something to say.
I show respect in so many ways!
Today I ____________. (Add a different personalized answer each day.)

Explore The Earth with These Amazing Virtual Tours!
Physical Development
ELEMENTS OF NATURE GAME WITH CHALK DIRECTIONS:
To start the fun you can create the various elements of nature with your child with chalk on your sidewalk or driveway. Have your child take a ball or bean bag and encourage them to make the ball touch the element you call out by tossing it towards that object. You can start to add beginning sounds and words to the game with children ages 3-6.  For younger children create matches of elements with bean bags.
  • Sun
  • Moon
  • Stars
  • Clouds
  • Plants {tree}
  • Water {waves}
  • Land {grass or dirt}
  • Animals {snake, bird, turtle, cat, dog, fish…)
  • Planet Earth
While you’re playing you can also talk about the different continents of the World. 
EARTH DAY SNACK
Author: Rebecca Cofiño
Celebrate Earth Day with a healthy snack! All you need is a round plate and a rough idea of a globe!
INGREDIENTS
  • kiwi fruit
  • blueberries
  • bananas
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Cut kiwi fruit into small pieces. Arrange them to create the continents (highlighting wherever you live).
  2. Add blueberries to make oceans. A few slices of banana can mark Antarctica and the Arctic.
  3. Gobble it up and compost the scraps.

Cognitive & Phonological Development
PREPARING A NATURE TRAY WITH SORTING AND COUNTING ACTIVITIES
To get started take a nature walk. You can collect leaves, twigs, flower petals, rocks etc. Once you get back in the house there are so many ways you can sort, classify, and count these natural objects!
  • Sort the the natural objects into groups or place the objects horizontal or vertical lines.
  • You can place the nature objects in groups on the table and count each object to ensure your child understands the concept of quantity and one to one correspondence rather than simply saying numbers in order.
  • Sort items from nature by color, shape, size.
  • Sequence items from nature - smallest to largest (sticks, rocks, etc.)
  • Create patterns with items from nature (ABAB or AABB - flowers, grasses, sticks,etc.)
For older children you can try this lava lamp experiment! The best part of this lava lamp activity is just how easy it is to set up! Walk into the kitchen, open your pantry and find everything you need to create a homemade lava lamp and check out liquid density!
There are quite a few learning opportunities going on here with both physics and chemistry! The liquid is one of the three states of matter. It flows, it pours, and it takes the shape of the container you put it in.
However, liquids have different viscosity or thicknesses.
  • Does the oil pour differently than the water?
  • What do you notice about the food coloring drops you added to the oil/water?
  • Think about the viscosity of other liquids you use.
Emotional & Social Development
Virtual Connection with Friends and Family
With options like Skype, Facetime, it’s easy to find a way for children to stay connected to their friends and family! Simply set up a playdate so the children can entertain one another with these virtual playdate ideas!
1.   Play classic games like  Hedbanz , Charades, Mad Libs, Bingo, Pictionary or  Guess Who .
2.  Read to each other. The children can pick out one or two of their favorite storybooks and read it aloud to one another.
3.  Crafts. Find a  printable craft  online and have each parent print it out, then the children can do it together and show off their finished project.
4.  Play-doh ! Let the children create different people, places or things out of play-doh and have the other child guess.
5.  Build. Have the children create designs using blocks,  K’Nex  or  Legos  and show one another what they made.
6.  Do a magic show . Children love to use their imagination! Have them take turns creating their own magic for one another.
7.  Put on a concert or talent show. Plan this ahead of time so your child has plenty of time to practice their talent, whether it’s singing, dancing, baton twirling, hula hooping!
8.  Virtual show and tell. Children love to show off their toys and they can do it right from their own home!
10.  Do a science experiment. This one may need a parent’s help depending on the task.
11.  Illustrate a story and take turns reading it aloud to one another.  Here are some story starters .
12.  Math facts . Learning can be fun! Have each parent print out this FREE  Math Facts Game and the children can take turns answering questions.
14.   Virtual chess or checkers. Now is a great time to play against friends and brush up on skills.  Chess.com  allows you to play against each other from your phone or iPad.
15. Draw Together. Caribu  is a great app for interacting with friends and family members. The app–free for 60 days. Friends or family can read books to each other, jointly do electronic coloring sheets or play games like tic-tac-toe.
16.   Bake Together. Even if you can’t have dinner, lunch or an ice cream party together, you can still enjoy creating it at the same time. Coordinate in advance to have the same ingredients. You can compare creations over Facetime or Zoom and then eat together.
17.   Virtual Challenge . Have your children pick one or two friends to play with. An adult can help pick a theme and set a timer, and friends can compete against each other by building the same structure!