News for Black Hills Early Learners
July 2022
At the end of each activity South Dakota Early Learning domain and goals for the activities are provided. For a copy of the Early Learning Guidelines click on the photo.

Infant Corner
Activities for children under 1
Caring for Infants
Mirrors are a great way to help babies explore. Try holding baby in front of the mirror. They may even reach out to touch the “baby” in the mirror. Eventually, they will learn they are seeing their own face and start to recognize their reflection.
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-1

Babies love to put everything in their mouth. This is why board books, cloth books and vinyl books work best for infants.  Here is a list of first year favorite board books.
Foundations For Reading Goal CLL-4

Watch the Video linked below to learn how to make a sensory book for babies.
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Create an outdoor baby obstacle course that challenges them. Once your baby has explored the backyard and needs something new to entertain them, creating an outdoor obstacle course. Here are a few ideas for obstacles:
  • Cardboard boxes cut to make tunnels or turns
  • Pool noodles set up ‘croquette style’ for the baby to crawl under or ‘speed bump’ style to crawl over
  • Outdoor chair cushions to make the baby crawl over
  • A small play slide that the baby will need help climbing up and sliding back down from
Motor Development Goal HPD-5
Busy Toddlers
Activities for children 1-3
Physical/Outdoor
Toddlers love to get messy so why not give into it and let them do some target practice with mud!
Physical Health and Growth Goal HPD-2

After reading Brown Bear Brown Bear imitate the animals for a great gross motor activity with your toddlers.
Motor Development Goal HPD-4

Looking for an easy fun activity to support fine motor development? How about a Tape Peeling Race!
Place long strips of tape on a clean surface, such as a table or countertop. Each player gets their own piece of tape to peel. The objective is to be the person who peels the entire piece of tape off the fastest! 
Motor Development Goal HPD-5
Science/Sensory
During bath time or outside in a small swimming pool, offer your child safe kitchen items like a plastic bowl and spoon. Encourage them to pretend to cook in the tub! What might they make? Use soap, bubbles and water as ingredients and take turns suggesting different things to cook.
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal-1

Create a color laboratory water play activity, to strengthen fine and gross motor skills, and it’s a terrific way for children to keep cool on a hot, summer day!
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-8

Rainbow Foam is easy to make. Within minutes, you can create a beautiful rainbow or simply a couple of shades to create an engaging sensory activity for your toddler.
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-8

This homemade recipe really does make the biggest bubbles ever! If you’re looking for something super-fun to do in the backyard with your daycare kids or family, or a great outdoor.
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-1
Literacy
Young children love Pete the Cat books. Read and sing along with Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. Then have a button scavenger hunt to develop both fine and gross motor skills
Foundations For Reading Goal CLL-4

Singing targets many of the ways children learn new words. The repetition of words and verses can help children acquire new vocabulary and new concepts. Check out these summertime tunes to sing with your toddler.
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Math
Let your toddler role the dice and use objects to count out the number of objects that matches the number they roll.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4

Incorporate math into playdough exploring by playing a count and smash playdough game.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4

Create counting bowls with styrofoam bowls and poms poms to encourage toddlers to explore numbers.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-4
Social/Emotional

Books are a great way to encourage discussion about feelings and learn social skills.
Read the Rainbow Fish. Use the story as an opportunity to talk about sharing and friendship. After reading the story have fun with Rainbow Fish Play Dough.

Read My Many Colored Days. Play Simon Says with feelings/moods from the story. For example, say: “Simon says, be busy like a bee.”
Hands-On Preschoolers
Activities for children 4-5
Physical/Outdoor

Next time your preschooler says, "I'm bored" pull out the 'I'm Bored Jar'. Write out on paper activities like Play Four Square or Make Up a Silly Dance and put them in a jar. Have your child pick an activity. Link to Activity Here
Motor Development Goal HPD-4
 
Keep your preschooler active while learning letters with a Name Broom Hockey activity. Link to Activity Here
Motor Development Goal HPD-4
Turn your obstacle course games up a notch by calling out ‘green light’ to get the children moving over the obstacles and ‘red light’ to make them freeze, wherever they are. This can help train their impulse control, self-regulation and reaction time.
Motor Development Goal HPD-4

Tag with a Jurassic Park twist that dinosaur lovers will enjoy.
Physical health and Growth Goal HPD-2
Science/Sensory

Ask your preschooler(s) if they think they can make their own bouncy ball. What do they think would they need to make their ball? Then try out this Borax bouncy ball recipe.
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-9

Create this fun icy exploration of the different places they go to in the Going on a Bear Hunt book for your child to melt, discover and explore! 
Construction of Knowledge: Thinking and Reasoning Goal CD-2

Simple science and a cool chemical reaction with this fun DIY water bottle rocket! Kids and adults will have a blast with this easy to set up STEM project. Grab a few simple ingredients from the kitchen for amazing chemistry in action.
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Magic Milk science experiment is one of my all time favorites! Kids love it too.
Scientific Exploration and Knowledge Goal CD-8
Literacy

Combine Alphabet exploring and fine motor practice with a simple Splash the Alphabet activity.
Foundations for Reading Goal CLL-8

Get everybody reading this summer by joining the the Race to Read Challenge.
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Math

Here is a great math and science activity that is fun too. So make a quick check list and head outside to find creepy crawlers and tally up what we found!  
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The article below will give you ideas on how to make 10 frames and activities to use with them. Ten frames are becoming one of the most widely used models to teach a range of strategies in early math.
Mathematical Thinking and Expression Goal CD-6
Creative Arts

Children love getting messy, here is a fun sensory feet painting activity to go along with Pete the Cat: I love My White Shoes.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12

Have you ever tried fly swatter painting? Summer is definitely the time to explore an awesome painting art project with easy materials.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12

Another interesting object to create art with is a hammer! Check out the process of hammer art in the link below.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12

Lipstick resist art will be a real winner with preschool children.
Creative Arts and Expression Goal CD-12
imagination BOOK STOP
For lesson plan ideas around books that families receive from the Imagination Library go to Black Hills Reads Resources. Each Book Stop features information about the book, discussion ideas and activities.