Published: June 26, 2024
By: Kimberly Blaker
Does it seem like every time you turn around your home has been taken apart by your little explorer? Don’t despair. It may only result from an extraordinary desire to learn. Who knows, your child may be a future scientist, inventor or leader in the making. On the next page are some ways to redirect that seemingly endless supply of youthful energy.
BOREDOM BUSTERS
When your child needs to occupy her creative energy, have her try some of these fun, educational activities. Put together a book. Gather some facts of personal interest such as dinosaurs, insects, rock bands, sports or astronomy. Clip pictures and descriptions from magazines and Internet printouts, then trace drawings from books and write about personal experiences with the topic.
Make up a scavenger hunt. Make a list of easy to find items for your small children. Make it more challenging for older kids by providing them with a list of puzzles to solve to determine what items to find. Kids can also create a scavenger hunt for family or friends to try.
Play restaurant. Have your child make up a restaurant menu with several simple dishes he can prepare. At dinnertime, he can seat the family, take orders, then prepare and serve the meals. (Suggestion: Bring along some reading while you wait).
Recycling fun. Start a discard collection and teach your kids the importance of recycling and reusing disposable items. Save zippers and buttons from old clothing, plastic containers, fabric strips, packing materials, small scraps of wood, carpet, wallpaper scraps and other remnants. Then, supply your kids with scissors, tape, and glue and let them get to work. Offer ideas to get your kids started then let them come up with their creations.
Make a United States puzzle. Purchase several colors of clay and a United States map. Clip each state from the map, place a state clipping over the rolled-out clay, and trace the shape into the clay with a toothpick. Cut out the shapes then write the name of the state with a pencil tip. Be sure to use a different color of the clay for each neighboring state, and then let the shapes dry or bake according to instructions.
Play Thomas Edison. Save old kitchen appliances, computers, DVD players and other electronics. Give your child a supply of tools such as pliers, screwdrivers and safety glasses, and let him go to work. Kids love this type of exploration and learn by taking apart and examining the inner workings of electronics. As a word of caution, cut the electrical cord before your child begins to prevent any mishaps. And supervise for sharp parts or mechanisms that could pinch fingers.
Create a video. Have your kids make up several humorous TV commercials using household items for props and dressing-up for the part. Once they’ve rehearsed their skits, set up a video camera and tape their production.
TOYS THAT TEACH
Keep kids entertained with these educational toys that won’t quickly lose their appeal.
Building blocks. With building sets, there are endless possibilities of what a child can create from dinosaurs and airplanes to roller coasters, space shuttles and motorized cars.
Go on a dig. Archaeology excavation kits are found in many educational toy stores or online. Children can dig for ancient treasures from replicas of dinosaur fossils to Egyptian reliefs. Kids also learn about the history behind the excavated items through stories included with the kits. Once kids’ interest has been sparked, parents can print out additional articles from encyclopedias or the Internet.
Scientific Explorer kits. These kits offer a variety of educational activities, experiments and worksheets. They are available in the following themes: Ancient Greece: The Dawn of Modern Science, Galileo: Renaissance Astronomer and Physicist, Charles Darwin: The Life of a Naturalist, and many others.
EXPLORATION ON THE GO
Are you looking for some new and exciting things to do with your kids? There are countless events and activities taking place throughout South Florida this summer. Best of all, many of them are free. To find something to do today, next week or even next month, visit https://www.southfloridafamilylife.com/south-florida-family-events to find your next adventure.
