Multi-age activity:
It’s now officially spring! Depending on where you live, the weather might be changing. There are tons of art and sensory activities you can do with multiple age groups. I highly recommend getting a bag of cotton balls (or search your bathroom cabinets for them). Dip them in paint or glue, or if you want a mess-free art project, get some contact paper and stick the cotton balls on. They can be big, fluffy cumulonimbus or drag them on the contact paper to make some wispy cirrus clouds.
Song list:
Books:
Infant: The Big Umbrella by Juniper Bates and Amy June Bates
This book is about how there is room for everyone under the big umbrella. It’s all about inclusivity and was also written by a mother and eleven year old daughter!
Toddler: Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld
Cloudette is tinier than the big clouds, so she wonders if she’s really needed. When she meets a frog in a dried-up pond, she realizes even the smallest cloud can help!
Beginning reader: Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
I love Elephant & Piggie books! This one is great because these best friends need to pivot when they realize the weather isn’t what they planned for on a day they plan to play outside. Also, the repetitive nature of the dialogue is a great way for early readers to gain confidence.
School aged: Magnificent Makers: How to Test a Friendship by Theanne Griffith
Third grader Pablo and his best friend Violet love science. But Pablo isn’t interested in making friends with Deepak, the new kid. What happens when all three of them are whisked off into the fantastical Maker Maze? They’ll get to learn about ecosystems but also will have to learn how to work together. Not only does the reader learn about ecosystems and interpersonal relationships, but there are also instructions in the back of the book on how to create your own experiments.
