The beginning of the school year is the perfect time for children to discuss and write about what friendship “looks” like.  This is a great writing activity and a way for classroom teachers to start creating the community of friends and learners they desire for the rest of the year. In a classroom, these pages could be collected and copied into a recipe book for each to take home or just to keep in the class library. The same thing could be done for a family, small group organization such as Girl Scouts etc.

Recycling wine corks can be lots of fun and a simple summer craft or game for children.

Make a Boat:

You will need: Corks, popsicle stick, tape (electrical), hot glue, some form of fabric, plastic or foam to make sail.

Before you involve the children hot glue several wine corks together and allow to cool.  Then with the children, design a triangle shape foam or plastic sheet.  The size is up to you depending on the size of the boat. Use the tape to adhere to popsicle stick. Push in between cork. Or, you can glue popsicle stick in with corks prior to activity. Now the fun begins, use the boat in a river, pool or bath tub!

Pool Game:

The most simple activity is to bring the wine corks into the pool to play the old game of dibble-dabble.  All players are standing on the side of the pool and the “dabbler” swims to the bottom of the pool with the cork and leaves it on the bottom of the pool.  When the dabbler is up they yell go. All the other players may jump in the pool and the first to come up with the cork says dibble dabble. It is now that persons turn to swim to the bottom.  A simple game that keeps a group of children having fun in the pool!

How is water affected by different objects?

Young Ones:

Use a bath tub crayon or some sort of marker and fill tub with water midway. Have each child enter tub and mark where the water line is after the slushing of the water calms down.  With bathing suits on have the adults participate to really see the difference of the water levels.

Fill a tub or bucket of water outside and have different objects for child to play with using the same skill of watching the water level. Discuss and ask lots of questions and have fun.

First Grade and Up:

You will Need:

Bucket, Glass jar with lid, Water

Fill bucket about three quarters full.

Place empty jar with lid on into the water. Do not push down yet. What happens?

Slowly push to bottom of bucket. Looking at sides of bucket and water line ask, does the water rise, fall or stay the same?

NOW, fill the jar with water and repeat.

Older:

Look into the ancient mathematician/philosopher Archimedes. He discovered the law that the volume of water displaced equals the volume of the object placed in the water.

Each year, the first Sunday after Labor Day is the official day to celebrate Grandparent’s Day. There is nothing wrong with celebrating every day (as my mom would say) but this official day has the purpose of honoring grandparents,  giving grandparents an opportunity to show love for their grandchildren and helping children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.  If your children do not have grandparents, there are many elderly people that have no family around that would love to be a foster grandparent!

Many books can be found about grandparents. A few of our favorite picture books are Grandpa’s Teeth, The Song and Dance Man, Grandpa, Grandpa and The Gifts of Being Grand.

A writing and literature activity that can be done at home or school is to read a book and then design your own story using the same theme. We read Grandpa, Grandpa in my multi-age classroom and then each child made there own page. We then put the pages together to make our own class book. At home these pages could be used as a gift for grandmas and grandpas.

Cover Design for Class Book

First Grade Writing

First Grade Illustration

Second Grade Page

Second Grade Writing

Second Grade Illustration