Homeschool Parent

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTrfRx_9n3c Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Janene Russell, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3+Supplies:• Sticky notes• Crayons or markersProcedure:1. Together with your child, generate a list of people, places, and things.2. Draw them onto sticky notes.Tip: Draw the head separate from the body so you can make a new character, ex: a cat with a giraffe body! Have fun switching them around to create new fictional characters and story starters. The possibilities are endless.A former teacher and current mom of two young children, EI Product Manager Janene Russell has more than 15 years of early learning experience! This So Cal native puts her little kid knowledge to good use, guiding the development of the Bright Basics and GeoSafari Jr. lines, as well as various preschool games and classroom resources.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdRKroz-OsI&feature=emb_logoHome's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Sahad Rivera Sonda, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3-5Supplies:• Foam Sheets (Craft or thin EVA foam sheets)• Scissors• String• Markers• StaplerProcedure:1. Cut two eggs out of a foam sheet.2. Cut one of the eggs in half, then cut out little triangles along the top edge.3. Use one of the eggs as a guide for cutting the chicken out of a yellow foam sheet.4. Trim the excess so it’s smaller and can fit inside.5. Use a stapler to attach both halves of the egg together.6. Decorate your egg using washable markers.7. Add eyes, a beak, feet and wings to your baby chicken.8. Cut a hole on the top of the egg and tie a string to it.9. Place the baby chicken inside the egg “pocket.”10. Wear it! Happy Spring!Tip: Instead of using a stapler, cut some holes along the edge of the two egg halves and ask your kid to lace away!Sahad Rivera Sonda has dreamed of being a toy designer since she was a child in Mexico! Her passion for miniatures and other playful oddities (her collection includes everything from a plush churro to a miniature French fry) eventually led her to Otis College of Art and Design in California, where she obtained a degree in Toy Design. Sahad’s dreams came true when she landed a job with EI, designing the look and feel for many of our toys and games, including Playfoam Pals, Design & Drill and our plush line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRPlPM_riJE&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Sahad Rivera Sonda, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3-5Supplies:• Playfoam Pluffle in 4 different colors• Markers• Paper• Cookie cutters• SpoonProcedure:1. On a large sheet of paper, write the name of one of the colors of your Pluffle in one quadrant using the same colored marker.2. Repeat in the remaining three quadrants using marker colors that match your other Pluffle colors.3. Place a different cookie cutter over each one of the words.4. Show your little one how to use a spoon to transfer Pluffle from the tube (or a bowl) into the cookie cutter shape.5. Challenge your child to match the correct color Pluffle with the matching word. If they’re pre-readers, show them how to match the marker color with the Pluffle color.6. Get tricky by using two different colored markers to write two different colors in a single cookie cutter shape and see if your child can fill the shape with the matching colors.SSahad Rivera Sonda has dreamed of being a toy designer since she was a child in Mexico! Her passion for miniatures and other playful oddities (her collection includes everything from a plush churro to a miniature French fry) eventually led her to Otis College of Art and Design in California, where she obtained a degree in Toy Design. Sahad’s dreams came true when she landed a job with EI, designing the look and feel for many of our toys and games, including Playfoam Pals, Design & Drill and our plush line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c41UozGgE2k&feature=emb_logoHome's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Sahad Rivera Sonda, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3-5Supplies:• Design & Drill bolts in various colors• Pipe cleaners• Pencil• Scissors• Construction paper• Googly eyes• Stickers or markers to decorate your creaturesProcedure:Bolt Butterfly1. Fold paper in half, draw your wings and cut them out.2. Cut two openings on the center of the wings.3. Decorate your wings with stickers, markers or crayons.4. Cut two short pipe cleaners and roll one end towards the center, these will be the antennae.5. Insert both pipe cleaners through the hole of the bolt.6. Put the bolt through the opening on the wings.7. Add googly eyes and you’re done!Bolt Monster1. Cut pipe cleaners to the desired length, insert them through the bolt’s hole.2. Cut a mouth with an opening.3. Put the bolt through.4. Add googly eyes and you're done! Sahad Rivera Sonda has dreamed of being a toy designer since she was a child in Mexico! Her passion for miniatures and other playful oddities (her collection includes everything from a plush churro to a miniature French fry) eventually led her to Otis College of Art and Design in California, where she obtained a degree in Toy Design. Sahad’s dreams came true when she landed a job with EI, designing the look and feel for many of our toys and games, including Playfoam Pals, Design & Drill and our plush line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mow5lL4FKz4&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Sahad Rivera Sonda, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3-5Supplies:• Paper• Scissors• Spoon• Tape• Toilet Paper Roll• Playfoam PluffleProcedure:1. Cut two stems and a few leaves out of your construction paper.2. Tape the stems to a sheet of paper.3. Cut the toilet paper roll(s) in half, then cut each half into four shorter cylinders. Press each one in half to make a petal shape.4. Place the petals on top of the stems.5. Show your child how to spoon the Playfoam Pluffle into each “petal”, bringing your flower to colorful life and exercising those fine motor skills! Sahad Rivera Sonda has dreamed of being a toy designer since she was a child in Mexico! Her passion for miniatures and other playful oddities (her collection includes everything from a plush churro to a miniature French fry) eventually led her to Otis College of Art and Design in California, where she obtained a degree in Toy Design. Sahad’s dreams came true when she landed a job with EI, designing the look and feel for many of our toys and games, including Playfoam Pals, Design & Drill and our plush line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eALfa21BWCI&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Michael Sheridan, one of our EI Product Managers!Ages: 5-12Grade: K-6Supplies:

• Baking Soda
• Liquid Dish Soap
• Water
• Vinegar
• Food Coloring (optional)

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, mix 1 cup of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, and 1 teaspoon of water. Use your hands to mix it all together and shape into a ball. If you are adding food coloring, do that now.
2. If the ball wants to crumble, add a little more water. If it’s too fluid, add a little more baking soda.
3. Place the baking soda ball in the center of a large bowl.
4. Slowly pour about ¾ cup of vinegar over the top of the ball. Watch it erupt!

Explanation:This is a chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar. In this case, the baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) react to form a gas called carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide created by this reaction escapes in the form of bubbles, causing the eruption you see.EI Product Manager Michael Sheridan is a jack of all trades! An avid surfer and former international soccer competitor, this outdoor and sporting enthusiast also has a degree in Astrophysics from UCLA and eight years of product development experience in a variety of industries. Prior to helping build EI's science products and brain game lines, Michael developed everything from folding chairs to electric scooters and skateboards!  

[caption id="attachment_6407" align="alignnone" width="800"] Photo Credit: https://iowaccrr.org/[/caption]The thought of messy play might make your toes curl, but there are so many good reasons to let your little ones dig in and get dirty! Messy play fosters curiosity and encourages exploration; it builds creativity and imagination, communication and language development, fine motor skills, independence, and self-confidence. In a nutshell, messy play teaches kids to live outside the box. Now that spring has sprung, set your sweeties up outside and let them loose with some of our favorite messy play activities, like:

Oobleck!

Always a hit, Oobleck is oogey, gooey, and so much fun! Mysteriously, it’s a solid when you smash it but a liquid when you pick it up (visit our friends at TheBestIdeasForKids for the scientific explanation). To make your own batch, just mix 2 cups of cornstarch with 1 cup of water and a drop or two of food coloring in a large pan or bowl. Then show your little ones how to press down on the mixture to create a solid and scoop it up and drizzle it through their fingers to see its liquid form. Drizzle drops on top of each other to make a 3-D sculpture or see if you can smash it down with a potato smasher.[caption id="attachment_5904" align="alignnone" width="646"] Photo Credit: thebestideasforkids.com[/caption]

Shaving Cream!

Kids can’t get enough of shaving cream! Squirt a can into a pan or bowl and let them squish and scoop it. Push their hands down to make a hand print or see if they can make a cloud or other basic shape on a separate pan. Let them cover their arms and legs with the cream, then spray them off with the garden hose. Fill a sensory tub with shaving cream and add objects for kids to discover in the fluff. Then add a few drops of food coloring and let them swirl the colors together with a craft stick to create amazing rainbows! The experts at ArtfulParent have rounded up 60 of their favorite ways to play with shaving cream, here.[caption id="attachment_5905" align="alignnone" width="572"] Photo credit: artfulparent.com[/caption]

Mud Cakes!

April showers bring May flowers – and mud! Kids are drawn to mud puddles like fish to water and for once let them dig in! Mud play is proven to boost immunity and being outside is shown to improve mental health and even kids’ eyesight. So grab a bucket, a small shovel or spoon, maybe even some old pots and pans, and make some mud. Stir it up and squish it around – then show your kids how to shape the mud into a brick or cake and set it in the sun to dry. Dig a trench and pour some water in to make your own river. Visit Mom365 for more awesome ideas for playing in the mud.[caption id="attachment_5906" align="alignnone" width="500"] Photo credit: blogmom365.com[/caption]

YES! Messy Play without the Mess!

For those times when you just can’t deal with the dirt and would like to limit the mess, put out a pod of Playfoam®! It’s squishy and squashy and perfect for squeezing, smashing, and even sculpting – but it won’t stick to carpet or clothing and it never dries out so you can get squishy again and again. But don’t take our word for it! Check out GrannySmithsDiary for some great messy play ideas from a super-engaged Grandma as well as the reasons she puts out Playfoam for her darling granddaughter, Daisy.[caption id="attachment_5907" align="alignnone" width="598"] Photo credit: @carlson.toys[/caption]And for even more messy play ideas, check out our Pinterest Board!  Take a deep breath, dig in and have fun! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY0LRj3iYc8&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Sahad Rivera Sonda, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3-5Supplies:• Playfoam pods in 5 different colors• Craft sticks• White paper• Crayons• Tape• Scissors• Googly eyes (optional)Procedure:1. Cut your paper into a cloud shape.2. Draw a cute face on your cloud – googly eyes make everything more fun!3. Tape the top of the craft sticks side by side across the bottom of the paper cloud.4. Draw a colored dot above each craft stick – the color of the dot should match the colors of Playfoam you have.5. Show your child how to shape Playfoam into a long line and place it on the craft stick below the matching colored dot.Sahad Rivera Sonda has dreamed of being a toy designer since she was a child in Mexico! Her passion for miniatures and other playful oddities (her collection includes everything from a plush churro to a miniature French fry) eventually led her to Otis College of Art and Design in California, where she obtained a degree in Toy Design. Sahad’s dreams came true when she landed a job with EI, designing the look and feel for many of our toys and games, including Playfoam Pals, Design & Drill and our plush line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFjXx8QqO6M&feature=emb_logo Home's Cool! While we're all working from home, the parents, former teachers, and play experts at EI are sharing some of their favorite educational activities to help keep your family learning and growing. Check out this idea from Janene Russell, one of our Product Managers!Ages: 3+Practice writing your name using paper confetti.Supplies:• Construction paper• Scissors• Glue• PaperProcedure:Create a colorful masterpiece by using colored paper scraps and gluing them onto paper. This is a fun way to outline your child’s name and even design your own mosaic![caption id="attachment_6411" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Photo credit: @sarahroseloves[/caption]A former teacher and current mom of two young children, EI Product Manager Janene Russell has more than 15 years of early learning experience! This So Cal native puts her little kid knowledge to good use, guiding the development of the Bright Basics and GeoSafari Jr. lines, as well as various preschool games and classroom resources.