Enjoy the power of play at home with these hands-on learning experiences! #CMSMatHome
Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Find a Y-shaped fallen branch in your yard and gather some yarn, fabric scraps, dried grasses, pinecones, feathers, or tassles. Tie a long piece of yarn to one side of the top of the Y, then cross over to the other side of it, and wrap tightly. Repeat this process until
Today, we’ll explore volume with #CMSMatHome! Gather a couple glass jars or other see-through containers and some popcorn kernels. For this experiment, you’ll need access to a microwave, stove top, or air popper. Count out 100 kernels for each jar, then pop one jar’s content using a microwave, stove top, or air popper. Put the
It’s time for a Toddler Wednesday session with #CMSMatHome! We’re going on a color scavenger hunt today. Cut some construction paper of different colors into rectangles or other shapes, then encourage your toddler to find items that are the same color as the paper cards. You can search in your home, your yard, or your
Good morning from #CMSMatHome! We’ll trace our hands today and turn the outline into dinosaurs. You’ll need some paper, crayons, markers, or colored pencils. If you desire, you can add stickers, sequins, feathers, beads, or similar items you may have lying around. Talk about your dinosaur, explain how it moves, and what it eats. Cut
Good morning from #CMSMatHome! We’ll learn about spider webs today. The most common kind of spider web is a near-circular type, built by the garden spider. They are most noticeable int he early morning, while covered with dew. See if you can step outside, find one, and then build like a spider yourself. You’ll
Hello from #CMSMatHome! Have you ever made a guessing box? Let’s create one today! Find a box, big or small, and make a hand-sized hole in it. Gather your mystery items (or have someone else do it), and place them inside the box. Make sure to hide a variety of items, from shapes to materials
Good morning from #CMSMatHome! Let’s think about how habitats protect animals from rain, wind, sun, or snow. We’ll venture outside today and gather some materials: sticks, small and large rocks, dried leaves and grasses, moss, seed pods. Choose an animal figurine that can go outside and take it for a walk as you explore
Let’s make a puzzle today! Gather some crayons, colored pencils, or markers (or watercolors or tempera, if you’d like) and make a colorful drawing. Glue your artwork onto a thin piece of cardboard or poster board and let the glue dry. Examine your artwork and determine how many puzzle pieces you would like to
Create a set of juggling balls with #CMSMatHome! Find some fabric scraps (woven fabric will work best, but any will do), scissors, sewing thread and needles, and some dry lentils or rice. Cut your fabric into rectangles (6″ x 3″ is a good size), fold it in half, and stitch it up inside out, leaving
It’s time for a Toddler Wednesday session, at home! Let’s collect balls, tubes, small boxes, paper bags… then cut holes into their sides. Fit the balls through the holes, and place boxes and other items inside one another. Engage your toddler with the words of in and out, and look for the balls and other
Today’s challenge is a doodle challenge. Take a piece of paper and fill it with doodles. Just draw and scribble whatever comes to mind. Start a project and doodle for a few minutes every day, and observe how your creations change over time. Does your mood affect your doodles? Color in your doodles, make a
Are you familiar with alliteration? It’s a sequence of words starting with the same sound, usually a consonant. A well-known example is below–but can you come up with your own? Create a poem with words that all start with the same letter. Write it down. Recite to the rest of your household and share with