CMSM at Home

We’re going outdoors again with #CMSMatHome! Gather a plastic cup, some water, baking soda, dish soap, washable paint, white vinegar, and measuring scoops. Find a good spot for making a mess… err, science. Place your cup on the ground and fill with water, about two-thirds full. Add five tablespoons of baking soda, one teaspoon of dish

Today, let’s take a walk in our neighborhood as we become bark detectives. Some trees will have thin bark that peels, while others have thick, cracked bark. Some will be smooth. There might be hole or a foreign object embedded into a tree, with bark growing around it. Has any tree been pecked away by

To ease into the weekend, we’re rolling out a simple prompt that could keep the whole family busy for as long as you’d like. We’ll go on an alphabet hunt inside the home, as well as outdoors if/when the weather permits. To play this game, simply call out the letters of the alphabet and challenge

Today, we’ll work on a color collage. You can start by picking a color, then gathering your supplies: old magazines or newspapers, scissors, markers, paper, and glue. Search your magazines for pictures in the color of your choice, cut them out, and glue to your paper or thin cardboard. On a separate piece of paper,

It’s time for a #CMSMatHome Toddler Wednesday session! Children always have fun with parachute play, and it’s a super-easy activity to do at home. Use a light blanket or sheet, gather some soft toys or balls, and all members of your household (the more, the merrier!). Place your toys on the sheet and have each

Spring is here and birds will be nesting! Make a nest-building station with #CMSMatHome and help birds collect materials for their homes. Collect dried grasses, small twigs, straw, or native plants. (Do not use grasses or twigs from areas that have been chemically treated.) Find a suet holder, onion or orange netted bag, or an old kitchen

Let’s tell sky stories and learn about constellations today! Think of an object you want to turn into a constellation and tell a story about. Use paper or light cardboard, draw an outline, and punch holes where your stars are. Hold your constellation up to the light to see your starts shine. For this activity,

Do you miss the Museum’s ball course? Create your own today! Gather paper plates, cardboard, straws, paper towel or toilet paper rolls, marbles or small balls, scissors, tape, and a hot glue gun. Tape down straw and small pieces of cardboard, and connect other materials with glue. Engineer the maze by creating obstacles, then maneuver

Today, we’ll observe how light moves around objects and creates shadows. It’s shadow play time! If the weather serves us and there is some sunshine, we can go outside. Otherwise, we can use a flashlight or lamp. Gather some interesting shadow-makers, such as animal figurines, blocks, colander, thin colored fabric, lace, crocheted objects, or anything

The weather is getting nicer and we can start our seedlings! Today we’ll make starting pots with paper towel and toilet paper rolls, fill them with soil, and plant garden seeds in them. Once labeled, they’ll go in clear, plastic clamshell containers (such as those for salad greens or some takeout foods), which will act

Today, we’ll guess, predict, count, and measure! Gather materials, such as a measuring tape (or a ruler), see-through jars, and a variety of small objects found in your home (beans, paperclips, coins, rocks, cotton balls, small building blocks…). Fill a see-through container with small objects, then make a guess on their number. Dump them out,

We will be making music at home today! Let’s use items found in our kitchen and experiment with different sounds we can make, and hear. We’ll pay attention to the variety of sounds and how they change between instruments. Material ideas: uncooked/dry rice, noodles, or beans, plastic containers, kitchen utensils, rubber bands, plastic wrap… Make