CMSM at Home

Make your own trail mix with #CMSMatHome today! This is one of our favorite Toddler Wednesday activities. Offer a variety of family favorites, as well as some new foods: popcorn, pretzels, granola clusters, dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut flakes… Encourage your toddler (and older children!) to pick and choose ingredients and to create their snack

  Are you familiar with Pointillism? George Seurat and Paul Signac developed this technique in the late 1800s. Let’s try to paint with colorful dots to see if we can make patterns in today’s edition of #CMSMatHome! Gather some markers or paint, pencil, and paper. Lightly outline a simple shape or anything else you’d like

Start your week with a #CMSMatHome dance party! Choose a song, your favorite or another, and create some moves. Practice, then perform for your family. Teach them how to bust a move and have a dance party! Do the steps and moves change with the song, as it goes faster or slower? How does the

It’s time for secret messages with #CMSMatHome! Get some paper, cotton swabs, and some pure, strained lemon juice. Dip your cotton swab(s) into the juice and write or draw on the paper. Wait for your message or artwork to dry, then bring it to a lamp. Hold up the paper, close to the light bulb,

Create a quiet, comfortable space to read or relax with #CMSMatHome: let’s build a fort together! Gather blankets or sheets, couch cushions or pillows, chairs, cardboard boxes. Throw a blanket or sheet over the chairs, and pad the floor with cushions on pillows, then snuggle in. Do you have a large cardboard appliance box? Have

Hello from #CMSMatHome! Have you ever done potato prints? We’re working a lot with paint this week, aren’t we? Get a couple potatoes or sweet potatoes and have an adult slice them up or carve a design into them. Pour some paint onto a tie pin or a plastic ice cream pail lid. Dip your

  Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Did you know bugs are important to our ecosystems? They pollinate, protect biodiversity, eat bad things, and are a food for others. Today, we’ll create imaginary or realistic rock bugs and decorate our gardens or planter boxes. Search for smooth rocks in different sizes, wash them, and allow for them

It’s picnic time with Toddler Wednesday, and all while we #CMSMatHome! Gather a blanket, tablecloth, large towel. Get a basket if you have one and help your child find plastic plates and cups. Pretend or real food is a bonus, but not a must. Who will you invite to the picnic? Stuffed animals? Other toys?

Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Let’s pilot paper planes together. Get some paper, pencils, and a measurement tool. Fold several airplanes, making each a little bit different than the previous one. Fly them from the same spot and in the same direction. Measure how far each plane traveled and record the distance. If you don’t have

What’s your story? Let’s create and share one in today’s #CMSMatHome! Write or imagine a story. Create your characters, describe where they are and what they are doing. Gather a variety of props you want to use. Cast family members as story characters, or use them as an audience. Take your story further by creating

Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Let’s gather some tempera or craft paint, a foil pie pan or ice cream pail lid, and some paper. You’ll also need some cardboard and scissors. Cut your cardboard into wedges that fit in your hand, pour paint on your pie pan or lid, then start working on your art. Dip

Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Let’s learn about trees together. All plants, trees included, use sunlight to make food and to grow. Trees are different than other plants because they have a tough, woody stem. Choose a tree in your yard, neighborhood, or park, and “adopt” it. Find out what kind of tree it is, and