Pre-K Activities for Families and Students

Pre-K Standards: https://www.berkeleycountyschools.org/Page/22

Family Activities—Week One

Math/Science (Counting & Cardinality, Operations and Algebraic Thinking, Measurement & Data, Geometry, Science as lnquiry, Scientific Knowledge)

Activity #1 Sort socks by size (big/small). Count how many big socks and how many small socks. Which do you have more of? Less of? Compare similarities and differences of the socks above (color, size, feel, patterns/pictures on socks, lace, boy, girl, etc.) Activity #2 Use pieces of dry cereal or beans to practice counting, adding, subtracting, making groups of more and less, etc. Activity #3 Mix Baking Soda and Vinegar together to make steam Social-Emotional/Social Studies (Self-Concept, Social Relationships, Knowledge of Family and Community, Dispositions to Learning) Activity #4 Make a "Memory Game" with note cards, using shapes, letters in your child's name, or numbers. Find matching sets, taking turns in play. Activity #5 Have child choose which story they want you to read (they should get to choose) The Arts (Music, Creative Movement, VisualArt, Dramatic Play) Activity #6 Have your child move like different animals Activity #7 Mix food coloring to create colors (Yellow + Blue = Green) (Red + Blue = Purple) (Yellow + Red = Orange). Ask your child what color they think mixing them will make before they mix them. (This also meets the science standard for prediction-child predicts new color). Health and Physical Development (Safety Practices, Health Practices, Gross Motor, Fine Motor) Activity #8 Wash hands with soap and water while singing the ABC's Activity #9 Act out "Jack be Nimble" using the candlestick, then ask what else could Jack jump over? Jack be Nimble Jack be Quick Jack Jump over the candlestick (cup, book, box, can, toy, etc.) English Language Arts and Literacy (Speaking and Listening, Foundational Reading, Writing) Activity #10 Recite and act out a Nursery Rhyme of child's choice

Family Activities—Week OneActivity #1 Use a spoon to measure items around the house couch, table, bed, chair, TV, etc. A Shoe T.V Table Chair. Which item that you measured is the longest? Which item that you measured is the shortest? Activity #2 Play "Simon Says" using positional words. For example: Put the sock on top of your head, between your knees, behind your back, under your foot, beside your leg, over the chair, etc. The Arts (Music, Creative Movement, Visual Art, Dramatic Play)

Activity #3 Have your child draw a picture of himself/herself, their family, or a favorite character in a book Activity #4 Write down what your child tells you about their picture. Health and Physical Development (Safety Practices, Health Practices, Gross Motor, Fine Motor) Activity #5 Brush teeth twice a day Activity #6 Place items (such as socks) on the floor in various places. Have your child hop from item to item. Activity #7 Play basketball with your child using a laundry basket and rolled up socks English Language Arts and Literacy (Speaking and Listening, Foundational Reading, Writing) Activity #8 Play "l Spy" using food labels. Examples are: ').. I Spy the letter A (on a box of Apple Jacks cereal) 2. I Spy the letter C (on a can of Chicken Noodle Soup) Activity #9 Read a book to your child. Have the child predict what is going to happen from looking at the picturesActivity #10 Write each letter of child's name on separate squares of paper. Mix the letters up. Have the child put the letters in the correct order to spell their name.Activity #11 Act out a story using sock puppets.

Family Activities—Week TwoActivity #1 Have your child count how many boxes of food you have in your food pantry/cabinet Activity #2 Have your child count how many cans of food you have in your food pantry/cabinet Activity #3 Which one do you have the most of /least of (boxes of food or cans of food) Social-Emotional/Social Studies (Self-Concept, Social Relationships, Knowledge of Family and Community, Dispositions to Learning) Activity #4 Let child dress up in parent's clothes and pretend to be the parent. Have them role play with you being the child.

Activity #5 Play charades. Act out an animal without using any words and have the child guess what animal you are. Then let the child have a turn acting out an animal and you guess what the child is acting out. Activity f6 Play a game and practice turn-taking (Candy Land, I Spy, Go Fish, Hop-Scotch, etc.) The Arts (Music, Creative Movement, Visual Art, Dramatic Play) Activity #7 Tear up paper into small pieces and glue to a piece of paper to create a mosaic picture Activity #8 Paint with cotton balls or Q-tips Health and Physical Development (Safety Practices, Health Practices, Gross Motor, Fine Motor) Activity #9 Wash hands with soap and water while singing the ABC's Activity #10 Create an obstacle course inside using sheets, blankets, towels, furniture, etc. Have your child go over, under, between, beside, below, above, on top of, etc. to get through the maze. Be sure and talk about all the different positional words. English Language Arts and Literacy (Speaking and foundational Reading, Writing) Activity #11 Have child choose between two books for you to read chose that particular book. Have child explain to you why they Activity #12 Put play dough, sand, dirt, snow, shaving cream, hair gel, etc. in a Ziploc baggy, on a cookie sheet or on a table, and let your child practice writing their name, letters, or numbers.

Family Activities—Week TwoActivity #1, Make a pattern using household items. For Example Spoon-fork-spoon-fork Shoe-sock-sock-shoe-sock-sock-shoe Activity #2 Use crayons or markers to draw/color patterns Social-Emotional/Social Studies (Self-Concept, Social Relationships, Knowledge of Family and Community, Dispositions to Learning) Activity #3 Talk about the different roles/jobs people have in your community Activity #4 Have child draw a picture of what they want to be when they grow up and have them tell you why. Write down what they tell you on their picture or the back of it while they watch you write it. The Arts (Music, Creative Movement, Visual Art, Dramatic Play) Activity #5 Use household items to play/make your own music (pots and spoons, etc.)

Activity #6 Make up your own dance to your favorite song Activity #7 Dance with scarves or ribbon or streamers or string. Anything to wave in the air while you move Activity #8 Dance like you are in the jungle, on a farm, at a zoo, in the ocean, etc. Health and Physical Development (Safety Practices, Health Practices, Gross Motor, Fine Motor) Activity #9 Play an indoor game of hide and seek. You can change this by having the child take turns with you hiding a certain toy to find. Activity #10 Have child help you prepare a healthy snack or meal. Be sure to wash hands first! @ English Language Arts and Literacy (Speaking and Listening, Foundational Reading, Writing) Activity #11 Read a book to your child. Have them retell the story to you just by looking at the pictures Activity #12 Play "l Spy" using the letters in the child's name

Family Activities—Week ThreeActivity #1- Sort shoes by size or by family member Activity #2 Measure how tall things are with soup cans (e.g.-coffee table is 5 soup cans tall, etc.) Social-Emotional/Social Studies (Self-Concept, Social Relationships, Knowledge of Family and Community, Dispositions to Learning) Activity #3 Practice dressing skills such as zipping, buttoning, snapping, Activity #4 Brush teeth twice a day The Arts (Music, Creative Movement, Visual Art, Dramatic Play) Activity #5 Discuss the difference between safari animals and farm animals Activity #6 Have child draw their favorite safari animal and their favorite farm animal Activity #7 Discuss the similarities and differences between the animals Activity #8 Dance with your child to music of child's choice Health and Physical Development (Safety Practices, Health Practices, Gross Motor, Fine Motor)

Activity #9 Practice putting on own coat, gloves, boots, and hat Activity #10 Play outside in the snow with a parent or other adult English Language Arts and Literacy (Speaking and Listening, Foundational Reading, Writing) Activity #11 Play "Simon Says"-give child a command like "touch your nose" then continue with different body parts or actions like jumping, hopping, crawling, etc. Then switch and let the child be "Simon" and parent do commands. Parent should "mess up" a few times and see if child will correct you!!

Family Activities Week Three

Please complete the activities below for the day indicated.

Day 1: Number Scavenger Hunt and Count the House

Day 2: Measuring with Pennies and Coin Sort

Day 3: Pattern Fun and Sight Word Tic Tac Toe

Day 4: Sight Word Swat! And Sight Word Parking Lot

Day 5: Shopping Your Way with Words and Follow the ABC Road

Number Scavenger Hunt Children love to take part in scavenger hunts. Why not incorporate counting and number recognition into the fun!

What You Need:

• Index Cards (You can make your own cards with paper) • Pencil, Pens, Crayons, or Markers

What You Do:

1. Make two stacks of cards. One stack of cards will be number cards. Write the numbers 1-10 on each card. Only write one number per card. The other stack of cards will be object cards. Write the name of objects found around your house on each card that will be easy for your child to find. For example, Legos, cars, dolls, etc. Only write one object per card. 2. Have your child draw one card from each pile. 3. Next, have your child find the number of objects that matches the number card they drew. For example, if they drew a 5 number card and a car object card, they would search to find 5 cars. 4. Once your child has found the objects, have them count the objects aloud to make sure the number of objects they found matches the number card they drew.

Count the House Children love to count real world objects. Counting the House incorporates counting and number recognition as children scramble around the house counting objects in their home.

What You Need:

• Count the House Chart • Pencil

What You Do:

1. Students will complete the chart below by counting to find out how many of each of the items listed below are in their home. 2. Students will record their answer on the chart below. 3. Add to the fun, add your own item to count in the last space. 4. You may choose to place the chart on a clip board for your child to carry around as the count.

Count the House

Measuring with Pennies Children love to measure real world objects. Measuring with pennies gives children the opportunity to practice key measuring skills with a non-standard form of measurement…pennies!

What You Need:

• pennies • Pencil • Measurement Record Chart What You Do:

1. Give your child a cup of pennies. Tell your child you are going to use the pennies to measure some things around your house. 2. Measure a practice item with your child. Teach your child to line the pennies up end to end. Have your child count how many pennies long the object is. 3. Now, have your child measure the length of the objects listed in the chart below using pennies. 4. Have your child record his or her measurements on the chart below. 5. Add to the fun, add your own item to measure in the last space. 6. You may choose to place the chart on a clip board for your child to carry around as the count.

Measuring with Pennies

Coin Sort Children love to sort objects. Sorting coins is one of the first steps in learning to identify and count coins.

What You Need:

Coins (pennies, dimes, nickels, quarters)

What You Do:

1. Give your child a handful of coins. Ask your child to sort the coins by putting coins that are the same in groups. 2. If your child has trouble sorting the coins, encourage them to pay close attention to coin size, shape, color, pictures on coins, etc. 3. After your child is done sorting and grouping the coins, ask him or her to explain their reasoning for sorting each coin into each group.

Pattern Fun Children love to make patterns with objects. Creating patterns is a foundational skill to understanding number sequence.

What You Need:

• Objects to create patterns with (cereal pieces, beads, etc.) • Pencil, Pens, Crayons, or Markers • Paper

What You Do:

1. Give children several objects that they can create a pattern with and encourage them to create a pattern. 2. Next, have your child draw the pattern on paper. 3. Have your child use the same objects to create a different pattern. 4. Have your child draw a picture of the new pattern. 5. Ask your child to show you how many patterns they can make.

Example 1: star, star, moon, star, star, moon

Example 2: star, moon, star, moon, star, moon

Sight Word Tic Tac Toe Children love to play games. Why not incorporate reading into a fun game of Tic Tac Toe.

What You Need:

• Paper • Pencil, Pens, Crayons, or Markers

What You Do:

1. Each player chooses a sight word. This word will be used in place of a traditional X and an O. 2. The game is played like a traditional game of tic tac toe, with players writing their sight word in place of a X or an O.

Sight Word Swat! Children love to play games. Why not incorporate reading into the fun!

What You Need:

• Index Cards (or paper cut up into cards) • Pencil, Pens, Crayons, or Markers • Fly Swat

What You Do:

1. Write several sight words on index cards. 2. Scatter the sight word cards on the floor. 3. Call out a sight word on one of the sight word cards. Have your child search for the sight word card and then use a fly swatter to smack the sight word card. 4. Continue calling out sight words and allowing your child to smack the sight word cards with a fly swat.

is

is the

the the is

Example Kindergarten Sight Word List all now be pretty did she good they must was am on black ran do so have this new well are our brown ride eat soon he too no went at out but saw four that into under must ate please came say get there like want new

Follow the ABC Road Children love to play games. Why not incorporate letter practice into the fun.

What You Need:

• Index Cards (or paper cut into cards) • Pencil, Pens, Crayons, or Markers

What You Do:

1. Write the letters of the alphabet on 26 different index cards. Write one letter per card. 2. Lay the cards on the floor face up to create an ABC road. 3. Have your child stand at the beginning of the ABC road and say the letter on the first card. 4. Once they say the correct letter, they move forward on the road one space and stand beside the card. 5. Have your child move along the path reading the letters on the ABC Road until they reach the end of the road.

6. For more fun, you can put the letters out of order or have your child try to walk the ABC road quicker each time.

Links to Books on YouTube 

1. Don’t Let Pigeon Drive the Bus! By Mo Willems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dljje7L9nIs 2. Pete the Cat Rockin’ in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin http://www.petethecatbooks.com/pete-the-cat-rocking-in-my-school-shoes/ 3. Caps for Sale by Esyphr Slobodkina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijC7nCo3EAI 4. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9mryuEKkKc 5. The Selfish Crocodile by Faustin Charles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-NhjfJ_RZI 6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-NhjfJ_RZI 7. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPWk3SjKRAs 8. Those Mean Nasty Dirty Downright Disgusting but...Invisible Germs by Judith Rice https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81NIovm10ow 9. Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2NlqL1QiMk 10. Elmer the Patchwork Elephant by David McKee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdyo4ykh2WA 11. The Three Billy Goats Gruff (folktale) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QzT1sq6kCY 12. It’s Ok to Make Mistakes by Todd Parr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqp5kvnKg5k 13. Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAo4-2UzgPo 14. Corduroy by Don Freeman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNmcAnILJuY 15. The Colors of Us by Karen Katz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=679Sw4IACAk 16. A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8rab-HcTN0 17. An Extraordinary Egg by Leo Lionni https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etdpDxrF0r4 18. Fish Is Fish by Leo Lionni https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy-VQUQMUEI

19. Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urB6gh-E59Q 20. Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev-oFnOuaiY

Education Links for Educational Activities

https://www.education.com/resources/preschool/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwu6fzBRC6ARIsAJUwa2RqIkUYXrRvUUZMy3puKehe0sgLBUcguiVC6W2KmK6X_JCnCxUQd5UaArilEALw_wcB

https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/25-playful-learning-preschool-activities/

https://www.abcya.com/grades/prek

https://www.jumpstart.com/parents/games/free-games

https://pbskids.org/games/

https://www.turtlediary.com/games/preschool.html

http://www.cookie.com/preschool.html

https://www.gonoodle.com

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Talk with your child about things that are associated with spring (flowers, picnics, sunshine)

2 Go to a nearby park or running trail. Everyone run like the March wind.

3 Hide an object and give your child three easy clues to find it. Praise her for following directions when she finds it.

4 Talk about shapes while riding in the car. Use road signs as examples to help your child learn different shapes.

5 Ask your child how and why questions to give him practice answering questions that require reasoning

6 Read three poems with your child today.

7 Make sure your child knows her street address. Look at the house number together.

8 Play a game of Follow the Leader. Take turns leading and following and talk to your child about what those words mean.

9 Visit the library to check out some books. Enjoy them together.

10 Bake a cake with your child. Help him decorate it.

11 Give your child a set of household objects and ask her to line them up from smallest to largest.

12 Turn on three different types of music today. Together make up movements for each type.

13 Help your child learn to identify coins. The penny is the easiest because of its different color.

14 Ask your child to name an animal that has stripes. Then have him name one that has spots.

15 Create an obstacle course for your child. She could go around a chair, under a table or over a box.

16 Play a game of hide and seek with your child.

17 Have a red day. Color a picture red. Find foods to eat that are red. Have your child look for the color red all day.

18 Turn your child’s plate upside down before putting food on it. Explain the concept of upside down.

19 Make a time line of your child’s day. Let our child illustrate it with drawing or magazine cutouts.

20 Place an item in a pillowcase. Let your child feel the item through the outside of the pillowcase. Can he guess what it is?

21 Glue a phot of a family member on a piece of paper. Have your child decorate around it with drawings.

22 Have a family reading night. Select a few books and take turns readings aloud.

23 Make today a counting day. Help your child count stairs as she climbs them and cars as they pass.

24 Do a puzzle with your child

25 Describe a noise and ask your child to tell you if it’s loud or soft. An alarm is loud; a cat’s footsteps are soft.

26 What is your child’s favorite vegetable? Talk about different ways to prepare it. Cook it together.

27 Give your child some extra tub time today. Throw in some plastic containers, measuring spoons and funnels.

28 Encourage your child to draw a selfportrait.

29 Place an object on a piece of paper. Have your child paint over it, then remove the object to see the design.

30 Turn chores into a game. Assign each chore a number and have your child roll a die to see which one he gets.

31 Take your child on a walk today!

Domingo Lunes Martes Miércoles Jueves Viernes Sábado 1 Hable con su niño sobre las cosas que están asociadas con la primavera (flores, pasadias y los días soleados.

2 Vaya a un parque cercano o pista para correr. Todos corran como el viento en marzo.

3 Oculte un objecto y déle a su niño tres pistas fáciles para encontrarlo. Alábelo por seguir las instrucciones cuando los encuentre.

4 Hable sobre las formas geómetricas mientras viaje en el automóvil. Use las señales de tránsito como ejemplo para ayudar a su niño a aprender las formas.

5 Hágale a su niño preguntas de Cómo y Por qué, para que practique a responder a preguntas que requieren razonamiento.

6 Lea tres poemas con su niño.

7 Asegúrese de que su niño se sepa su dirección. Miren el número de la casa juntos.

8 Jueguen el juego “Sigan al lider”. Tomen turnos dirigiendo y siguiendo , hable con su niño sobre lo que significan esas palabras.

9 Visite la biblioteca para ver algunos libros. Disfrutenlos juntos.

10 Hornee un pastel con su niño. Ayúndele a decorarlo.

11 Déle a su niño algunos objectos del hogar y pídale que los coloque de menor a mayor.

12 Pongan tres tipos de música el día de hoy. Hagan movimientos para cada tipo de música.

13 Ayude a su niño a aprender a identificar monedas, El centavo es más fácil ya que es de un color diferente.

14 Pídale a su niño a que nombre un animal que tenga rayas. Luego pídale que nombre uno que tenga manchas.

15 Crea una carrera de obstáculos para su niño. Puede ir alrededor de una silla, debajo de una mesa o sobre una caja.

16 Juegue a las escondidas con su niño.

17 Tengan un día de rojo. Colerea una imagen de color rojo. Encuentren alimentos para comer que sean rojos. Haga que su niño busque el color rojo todo el dia.

18 Voltear el plato de su niño boca abajo. Antes de ponerle comida. Explíquele el concepto boca abajo.

19 Haga una linea de tiempo del dia de su niño. Deje que lo ilustre con dibujos o recortes de revistas

20 Colque un artículo en una funda de almohada. Deje que su niño sienta el articulo a través de la funda. Puede adivinar lo que es?

21 Pegue una foto de un miembro de la familia en un pedazo de papel…Deje que su niño lo decore con dibujos alrededor.

22 Tengan una noche de lectura familiar. Selecciona

23 Haz de hoy un dia de conteo. Ayude a su

24 Haz un rompecabezas con su niño

25 Describa un ruido y pidale asu niño que le diga si es alto o suave. Una alarma es ruidosa,

26 Cuál es la verdura favorita de su niño? Hable sobre las diferentes maneras de preparala. Cocinen juntos.

27 Déle a su niño mas tiempo en la bañera. Tire algunos

28 Anime a su niño a dibujar un auto retrato.

algunos libros y tomen turnos para leerlos en voz alta.

nino a contar las escaleras mientras las sube, los autos cuando pasan.

esta noche. los pasos de un gato son suaves.

recipientes plásticos, cucharadas de medir y embudos.

29 Coloque un objecto en pedazo de papel. Pídale au niño que pinte sobre el, luego retire el objecto para ver el diseño.

30 Convierta las tareas en un juego. Asigne un número a cada tarea y deje que su niño lance un dado para ver cuál obtiene.

31 Lleve a su niño a caminar el dia de hoy

Hands-0n Activities- Week 1-3Balloon TennisMaterials: Paper Plates, Tape, Popsicle Sticks (plastic spoons or paint stirrers would work as well), BalloonsSimply tape the Popsicle sticks to the back of the paper plates, blow up some balloons and start playing, trying to keep the balloon off the ground. Hit the ball back and forth or make up your own rules as you go along. If you want to keep score, you can give a point to the person who lets the balloon hit the ground.

Basic SlimeIn one of the bowls, mix 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of white school glue. If you would like colored slime, add a few drops of food coloring to the solution. In another bowl, mix 1/2 tbs Borax with 1/2 a cup of water and stir until the borax has dissolved. Add the borax solution to the glue solution and mix. You can also pour the solutions into a re-sealable plastic bag and mix. A slime-like texture should begin to form immediately. Continue to stir and knead until you get the consistency you want. Remove your slime from the bowl (or bag) and enjoy.

Glow-in-the-Dark SlimeFor glow in the dark slime, simply add glow-in-the-dark paint to the glue solution of the Basic Slime Recipe.

Glitter SlimeWe used transparent glue gel, to create this "sparkle slime" (as my daughter likes to call it). In the Basic Slime Recipe, use clear glue gel instead of white glue and add glitter. The resulting slime is a fun way to play with glitter, without leaving a trail of sparkles around your home.

Fluffy Borax Free SlimePour about 1/4 cup of white glue into a bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of shaving cream by squirting it into the bowl. With a wooden spoon, mix these two ingredients together until you feel like there isn't any glue left (you can keep squirting small amounts of shaving cream into the bowl to achieve this consistency). Start adding small amounts of contact lens solution to this mixture. Since the contact lens solution is the "slime activator," you can keep adding it until you have fluffy slime.

Five Minute Ice CreamThere are many recipes out there for making your own ice cream at home, but did you know that you can make your own ice cream in five minutes using two Ziploc bags? Here's what you'll need for this experiment: 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 cup milk, cream, or half and half, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract (or other flavoring), 6 tablespoons salt, Enough ice to fill the gallon-sized bag halfway, 1 gallon-sized Ziploc bag, 1 pint-sized Ziploc bag

Ordinary table salt will work, but salt that has larger crystals, such as kosher salt or rock salt, will work much better. Mix the salt around in the ice and set aside. Make sure the pint bag gets buried in the ice. Seal the gallon bag. Shake the bags vigorously for five minutes. You might want to use a towel to hold them, since they will be very cold and slippery from condensation.

Have an indoor picnicWho needs a table and nice cooked meals? Make cookies and other finger foods ahead of time and let your kids decide where (within reason) to picnic.

Masking Tape CityHave kids who love cars? Get them started on a living room city project. The tape outlines the streets. Then the cars can drive around and even up and over some couches, chairs and such.

Make homemade Olay dough 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tbsp. cream of tartar, 2 tbsp. oil, 1 cup water food coloring (optional), Scent (cinnamon, vanilla, mint, etc. — also optional).In a saucepan, mix flour, salt, cream of tartar, scent ingredient, and oil. Slowly mix in water until it's all smooth. Then turn the heat on medium and stir until it forms a ball of dough. I used a heat-resistant rubber spatula so I could scrape the bottom of the pan easily. Once it's a ball, plop it onto some wax paper until it's cool enough for you to touch.

Make homemade finger paints2 tablespoons sugar1/3 cup of cornstarch2 cups water 1/4 cup dish-washing soap food coloring

Put the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and then slowly mix in cold water. Then cook the mixture over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until you have a smooth gel. Let cool and then add dish-washing soap. Divide into as many containers as you would like colors and then mix in food coloring drops until you have you desired color. If you have colored dishwashing soap that can influence all the colors you try to create, which isn't always a bad thing.

Treasure huntHide something in your house. Then post clues for your kids to find them.OR — just play 'hot' and 'cold' telling your kids they're getting 'warmer' when they're getting closer and 'colder' when they're walking away from the 'treasure.'

OR — Have one of your older kids hide a treasure and draw a 'map' of how to find it.

Fashion ShootHang up some sparkly sheets and beads, add tulle or anything fun fabric, then dress up in their favorite costumes and have a fashion shoot!