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News for Black Hills Early Learners
We are here to bring you fun activities for any child ages 0-5 years. We want to thank our local early learner providers and educators for their contributions to this weekly newsletter! We hope you find this useful and helpful during this very unusual time. Happy learning!
This week's theme:
Earth Day:
April 22 is  Earth Day
A natural time to talk to children about caring for the world.
Infant Corner
Activities for children under 1
Development
Singing is a great way to soothe and bond with your infant. But there is so much more learning going on. Here are 10 ways babies learn when we sing to them.

Treat your baby to a bird's eye view of the world, and give him a chance to touch things that are normally too high for him to reach.

Play
It is still too cold to fill that plastic pool with water so why not bring it inside and make a fluffy bin for your baby to explore the different textures of stuffed animals.

Many of us have plastic lids with no containers! Turn them into a tugging activity for your infant.

Busy Toddlers
Activities for children 1-3

Physical/Outdoor
Make your own bowling game out by recycling soda or juice bottles.

Make a milk jug scoop by cutting off the bottom of a gallon milk container leaving the handle intact. Make a ball out of tin foil. Throw and catch it in the plastic container.
Science/Sensory
Make Plastic Milk
Plastic? In milk? Well sort of. This science experiment you will make a substance called CASEIN.

Children love the baking soda and vinegar reaction science experiment! So of course Earth Day should have a fizzy Earth! e
Literacy
Check out the Rapid City Public Library on Facebook for online Story Time Events!

Celebrate Earth Day by reading to your child about Mother Earth, recycling, planting trees, and all things green! Top 10 Earth Day Books for Children

Making Toddler Books are a wonderful way to foster a love for books. Link to book making ideas here
Creative Arts
Use your salad spinner to make unique artwork! Put a little spin art into your Earth Day Plans

Make Puffy Paint that is fun and easy to make. Choose green, blue and brown colors and cut out a circle to paint the earth.
You will need a microwave to puff up your paint!
Hands-On Preschoolers
Activities for children 4-5
Thank you Betty Jo with Sturgis Elementary for these ideas!
Physical/Outdoor
Exercise small muscles by making a Cheerio Bird Feeder.


Teach your child Earth Day Yoga poses.

Science/Sensory
Combine children's love of crayons and science to make unique homemade Earth crayons by recycling old crayons.


Teach your child, or students, about the consequences of oil spills in our oceans, with this oil spill clean up experiment for kids.  
Literacy
Teach your child the importance of not littering while playing a simple Earth Day Alphabet game.

Make a temporary name card with your child from items found on a nature walk

Creative Arts
Scraps of paper are the only supplies you need for this recycled flower garden!

Earth Day  is a time to think about caring for the world we have. Reusing and recycling materials are ways to be responsible. In this activity children can use recycled materials to use for painting.