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The Empowered Educator

Inspiring ideas, training and resources for early learning.

Weekly Wanderings – Easy activities for home day care and parents

by The Empowered Educator 18 Comments

It’s that time again when I share some of the favourite activities from our family day care week before a new one begins.

These activities and invitations to  play are just a glimpse into our week, I hope that perhaps you find some ideas for your own planning or just to enjoy with your own child!

They are all easy, budget friendly and easily adapted for a multi age group. Let’s take a wander shall we?

Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
As usual we enjoyed lots of play outside. The twins even embraced planking…no, not really, apparently they were waiting for the doctor…as you do! Amazing the things these DIY planks and trestles have been used for lately.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
There was lots of messy sensory play and cooking with our moon dough. The kids absolutely loved this activity and it was so easy to put together. I’ll be sharing the recipe and some more details in a blog post later in the week!
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
Some days we had green moon dough and other days we had red…but there was always lots of cooking action no matter the colour. All our pots and pans and cooking bits and pieces come from the op (thrift) shop.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
We’ve been challenging our fine motor skills lately and also talking about big and small so this eye dropper and turkey baster painting provided opportunities to incorporate both skills.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem

I just used a little edicol dye and water to make some bright colours, put out  the basters and eye droppers and a little paper towel and then let the fun begin.

We talked about colours, colour mixing and patterns as well as the big basters and small eyedroppers and how much liquid each could hold.

They can be tricky to use for little hands but I find with a little modelling and support they soon work it out.

Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
I was treated to a little child led play as an outdoor cafe was set up in the imagination circle…and the sand cakes served there were very special!
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
There was lots of play with loose parts and the bus needed some traffic cones to help it park.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
A little hay left out on the mat with a box of small loose parts became a place to bury treasures of pebbles and gems…and koalas!
Playdough was very popular this week but I made it a little too crumbly unfortunately so we took it outside to make some sculptures with a few special bits and pieces.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
There was a moment of awe with the discovery of imprints left in the dough by some objects.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
There was much excitement when we received a parcel and found some wonderful wood biscuits and farmyard log fences from the lovely Magical Play Moments.
We had to set them up for the animals straight away.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
I love watching the creation of small worlds  and also  the fact that you just need a few quality resources to make a simple invitation or prompt to play.
The 3 and 4 year olds kept very busy with this one!
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
Another favourite fine motor activity is a little marble play. Placing marbles on a suction cup bath mat can be quite the challenge and a great group activity as they race to fill all the holes together.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem

We also used the marbles with the playdough to make some very clever little creations! The children really loved this activity and it kept them engaged for quite a while.

Please note that on the day I did this activity I did not have any children under 2 in care. Marbles can be a choking hazard so I would always recommend close supervision with any activity using marbles.

Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
To renew  interest in the wooden blocks I placed our large whiteboard on a low table and it became their special building space.It is amazing how presenting this old favourite in a new way encouraged  problem solving, imagination and manipulative skills.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
Patterns were made, towers were built and colours and shapes named, that whiteboard made a huge difference to how they played with the blocks.
Activities and ideas for home day care - Mummy Musings and Mayhem
The children have also been helping me create some fairy gardens in our 2 old wheelbarrows.
One has lots of lovely Spring flowers planted in it with a little house (just a birdhouse from Bunnings…I use it everywhere!) with a bit of a Christmas theme. I just love the red pebbles don’t you?!
Christmas themed fairy garden by Mummy Musings and Mayhem
As the flowers grow a little taller there will be more hiding spaces for little hands to play with magical friends……
Christmas themed fairy garden by Mummy Musings and Mayhem

Our other old wheelbarrow (Can you believe we moved all the sand for the sandpit in these two ancient things?) now houses a sensory fairy garden with lots of beautifully fragrant herbs.

There is a very special red path to follow and little friends hiding along the way.

sensory Fairy garden fun from Mummy Musings and Mayhem

As little hands play and brush against the herbs it invites conversation and wonder into the day.

I have these wheelbarrows placed near my front entrance so that those children who are a little anxious or upset as they enter care have an opportunity to enter the world of imagination and safe spaces instead!

sensory Fairy garden fun from Mummy Musings and Mayhem

 

What fun are you planning for the week ahead?

 

Filed Under: Ideas for Fine Motor Play, Ideas for Home Daycare, Ideas for Sensory Fun, Outdoor Learning

« Weekly Kid’s Co-Op – Ideas for DIY Homemade Fun!
How to make your own Sensory Moon Sand »

Comments

  1. Kate Gribble says

    10/11/2013 at 11:57 am

    Such a wonderful week Jode. I hope you do this again regularly. I love looking at little weekly snippets like this ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  2. Racheous - Lovable Learning says

    10/11/2013 at 2:37 pm

    I agree with Kate. That was a lovely inspiring post!

    Reply
  3. Bekka Joy says

    11/11/2013 at 12:20 pm

    So many wonderful wonderful ideas! I too hope you do this every week!
    We have a small busy bag that contains a small suction toy and marbles – it’s FABULOUS! And Miss Daisy will happily do it over and over and over again! This size would blow her mind! ๐Ÿ™‚ x

    Reply
  4. Christie-Childhood 101 says

    11/11/2013 at 12:41 pm

    I love your wheelbarrow gardens, so inviting ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  5. Kelly says

    11/11/2013 at 5:24 pm

    so many wonderful spaces Jode! So inspirational!

    Reply
  6. Nae Adventuresathomewithmum says

    12/11/2013 at 1:46 am

    Love this weekly wrap up. Looks like lots of fun!
    How clever, to use marble balancing on the bath mat. genious

    Reply
  7. emma @ frog, goose and bear says

    12/11/2013 at 2:02 am

    What a wonderful wonderful place you have for children. Such fun to be explored!

    Reply
  8. katepickle says

    12/11/2013 at 3:21 am

    So many awesome ideas… those kids are so lucky to have you as part of their lives!

    Reply
  9. Penny says

    12/11/2013 at 11:05 am

    Oh Jode you always make me laugh. There’s six awesome posts in this one post alone. Will you ever be short of ideas you brilliant thing?

    Reply
  10. Little Home In The Country says

    12/11/2013 at 11:51 am

    Wow, Jode – everything looks SO fun!

    Reply
  11. Easy Peasy Kids says

    15/11/2013 at 12:15 pm

    Wow you must be the best family day carer ever.

    Reply
  12. Deborah Alter-Rasche says

    17/11/2013 at 3:08 am

    What a fabulous week of play, Jode. And I absolutely LOVE your wheelbarrow fairy garden. I’m now on the lookout for an old wheelbarrow!!
    Pinned to remember!

    Reply
  13. Kate Grono says

    18/11/2013 at 1:26 am

    You guys have so many busy, fun ideas! Love the wheelbarrow garden.

    Reply
  14. Kate Lloyd says

    18/11/2013 at 10:05 pm

    The children in your care must have the best fun at your place. You’d be so terrific and the activities are sensational. I bet you’re in high demand.

    Reply
  15. Sara Murray says

    30/11/2013 at 2:51 am

    So many wonderful ideas! We love moon sand, and colour mixing experiments have been very popular recently ๐Ÿ™‚ #CountryKids

    Reply
  16. Cheryl says

    30/11/2013 at 8:07 am

    Great to do some messy play outside. Lots of lovely activities. #CountryKids

    Reply
  17. Coombe Mill says

    30/11/2013 at 10:02 am

    What a selection of fantastic outdoor activities. I love the cafe and fairy garden and can see how the children have fun learning through their play. Thanks for linking up and sharing with Country Kids.

    Reply
  18. Kim Carberry says

    30/11/2013 at 3:46 pm

    What great ideas! Certainly sound and look a lot of fun x

    Reply

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Jodie
Hi, I'm Jode, Mum to 3 girls in Australia, and an early childhood educator, presenter and consultant.
I share ideas, inspiration & resources for play based, inquiry led learning
Find out more about me here...

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