Learning Through Play

Over the last 15 years or so, STEM learning has weaved its way into the American curriculum, with STEM activities showing up in classes as early as preschool. But what IS STEM? And why is it so important?STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math – areas that are growing by leaps and bounds as we become more and more reliant on technology. In fact, while there are millions of jobs in STEM fields around the world, employers are struggling to fill them because, until recently, these subjects were not emphasized in schools. Current thought holds that exposure to these subjects and opportunities to explore them through hands-on learning experiences will excite kids and inspire them to continue to study STEM subjects and then go on to pursue STEM-related careers.Teachers across the country have been working hard to infuse their daily lessons with STEM examples, ideas, conversations, activities, and experiments. And you can, too! The STEM experts at EI are sharing easy ways to introduce and reinforce STEM learning right now, at home![caption id="attachment_6537" align="alignnone" width="840"] GeoSafari® Jr. My First Microscope[/caption]S is for ScienceKids are naturally curious about science and there’s not a rug rat around who doesn’t love an awesome science experiment. Introducing your little ones to the amazing world of science is easy, with the GeoSafari® Jr. My First Microscope! Featuring extra-large, dual eyepieces and a chunky, kid-sized focusing knob, this sturdy microscope is perfect for preschoolers. Kids collect everyday objects, place them on the sample tray, turn on the LED light, and take a peek to see their object magnified up to 8x larger. They can examine everything from a postage stamp to a piece of pizza, gaining an understanding of the physical composition of different objects around them and getting invaluable, hands-on experience with a real, scientific tool! On sale NOW for $14.14 on Amazon Prime. Keep the science fun going with the FREE, downloadable science activities and Home’s Cool Videos on our website, like our beginning science activity cards and erupting apples experiment how-to video![caption id="attachment_6538" align="alignnone" width="840"] Artie 3000™ The Coding Robot[/caption]T is for TechnologyCoding is a key STEM skill and kids as young as 7 years old can get in on the fun, thanks to Artie 3000 the Coding Robot, the creative way to learn to code! Using a computer or tablet, and Artie’s on-board WiFi, kids follow easy instructions to create the code, then Artie draws whatever they’ve coded. Artie’s simple set up and pre-programmed designs are perfect for beginners; more advanced coders can create their own, custom code. From basic shapes to advanced drawings, words, even secret code, Artie grows with your child as their skills advance. Check out this amazing list of 45 fun things to do with Artie 3000 and the awesome Artie Home’s Cool Video series for a visual how-to. Available on Amazon Prime for $54.99.[caption id="attachment_6540" align="alignnone" width="840"] Design & Drill® Space Circuits[/caption]E is for EngineeringKids as young as five years old can explore the incredible world of engineering with Design & Drill® Space Circuits sets! Mini-STEMgineers use a kid-friendly drill to complete 20 space-themed missions, including making lights turn on and off, spinning simple motors, activating buttons and switches, and more, all while building basic problem-solving skills and gaining an understanding of simple circuitry. On sale now on Amazon Prime for just $27.70! Looking for even more building and construction fun? Browse our At-Home Activities page and Home’s School Videos for additional activities including drawing with your drill and practicing simple bolt addition.[caption id="attachment_6541" align="alignnone" width="840"] Hot Dots®[/caption]M is for MathMake math practice WAY more fun, with interactive Hot Dots®! The Hot Dots Jr. Let’s Master Pre-K Math set gives kids a jumpstart on math success with 85 pre-K math lessons, 15 advanced lessons, and a talking pen. Preschoolers press Ace-the Talking, Teaching Dog Pen to any answer dot for an immediate audio and visual response. Silly sounds and fun phrases keep kids engaged and motivated as they tackle lessons on counting, numbers, patterns, time, fractions, and more. Available now on Amazon Prime for $30.14. Kids can also practice counting, numbers, patterns, sequences, shapes, colors, and more with the free, downloadable math activities on our website!With a bit of forethought, sneaking some STEM learning into your at-home play time is simple – and fun!

[caption id="attachment_6158" align="alignnone" width="1024"] 5 Tips to Help Your Child Make New Friends - Scholastic.com[/caption]In part one of our friendship series we shared the many and compelling ways that making and playing with friends supports your child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development, along with some simple things you can do at home to help your child learn to be a good friend.Now it’s time to talk about helping your child make a new friend! For some kids, making new friends is as easy to sitting down next to a small stranger in the sandbox. For others, making friends is a little bit harder. Whether your little one is outgoing or reserved, the suggestions below will help make their first forays into friendship a smashing success!1. Provide Limited Options – Having a friend over? Put your child’s special toys away, leaving just two choices out – say Playfoam® and Legos – and let the kids choose what to do. If they can’t agree, you may need to intervene with “Let’s let our guest pick first this time, and you’ll choose first next time.” (Talking about how we treat guests in our home before a friend comes over can make this solution go smoother.) Or let them each play what they want, side by side. They may choose to engage as they play or not – either way is okay![caption id="attachment_6150" align="alignnone" width="600"] Playfoam® - photo credit: @playingwithchanel[/caption]2. Keep It Short – Limit the amount of time the toddlers and preschoolers play with one activity to roughly 10 minutes. Unless they both seem really engaged, offer another set of activities to choose from, checking in on that one after another 10 minutes. And keep the play date short, too. Better to end it while the kids are having fun than to wait until someone melts down! An hour together is a good goal for toddlers and two hours is plenty of time for preschoolers.3. Serve Snacks – If the fun starts to stall or things start to get sticky, offer a snack! Snack time is a good distraction and gives the kids a chance to regroup and start fresh when they’re done. Check out our School Lunches and Snacks for Kids Pinterest boards for some super snack and awesome meal ideas! Odds are your child’s friend’s caregiver will stay while the kids play, but if not be sure to ask about any food allergies when they drop off.[caption id="attachment_6151" align="alignnone" width="486"] Photo credit: Kristine's Kitchen[/caption]4. Go Outside – The park, playground, or backyard are perfect places to play – and to burn off some of that endless kid energy! Pack buckets and shovels for sandbox time. When the kids are ready to move on from that, offer outdoor exploration tools like the GeoSafari® Jr. Kidnoculars®, Walkie Talkies, or My First Telescope.5. Stay Close – In some cases you may need to join in the fun to keep things rolling. Play a game like 1-2-3 Froggies™ or My First Game: Bears in Pairs with your kiddo and their pal or doodle along side them as they color in some of their favorite EI characters and scenes using free, downloadable EI coloring pages. Even if you don’t engage directly, stay within earshot so you can quickly intervene if the kids hit a speed bump.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="680"] Unicorn Magic, Sprinkle & Twinkle Coloring Sheet[/caption][caption id="attachment_6156" align="alignnone" width="680"] Dino-mite Crown Activity[/caption]Like anything, making friends takes a bit of practice, but with a little prep and guidance, your kiddo will find just the right friends to share in their adventures! Looking for a bit more perspective? Check out some friendship reflections from the mom of a 10-year-old, in our past blog!

[caption id="attachment_6113" align="alignnone" width="830"] Photo credit: PBS.org -  Helping Young Children Learn To Make Friends[/caption]Grandma wisdom says, “In the cookie of life, friends are the chocolate chips.” As your toddler tootles toward preschool, they’re also headed toward the first of many childhood friendships. And although it feels like a family’s love is all a child needs, these friendships are a positive and necessary milestone in your child’s natural development. They’re the chocolate chips!Baking  delicious cookies is a fool-proof way make a special friend's day! Here's the famous DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie recipe to help! Enjoy baking time with the kiddos while teaching them the spirit of giving and sharing. They will love the warm fuzzy feeling when surprising their friends with a special homemade treat. Adding a little note with Grandma's words of wisdom will add the perfect personal touch.[caption id="attachment_6108" align="alignnone" width="1021"] The infamous DoubleTree by Hilton chocolate chip cookies.[/caption]Building and sustaining friendships develops a child’s confidence and self-esteem. Navigating friendships helps kids understand the concept of loyalty and teaches them about acceptance. Playtime with friends promotes patience, builds decision making skills, enhances communication and language skills, and provides an outlet for imagination, creativity, and energy. Disagreements provide practice with compromise and conflict resolution. Spending time at friends’ homes gives kids a glimpse into other lifestyles and family units, broadening their perspective. And, of course, later on, friends provide a peer group to provide support and encouragement when you are not around.Those are some pretty compelling reasons to nurture your child’s friendships. So how do you go about helping your little one make good friends? The first step is learning how to BE a good friend – and that starts at home. Here's a great kid's book that can help start the conversation. Below are some of our best tips and tricks for modeling and practicing being a good friend:• Talk and Listen – Ask your child a question and really listen to their response. Then ask more questions about what they’ve said, or restate what you heard them say, to show that you are listening and that what they have to say is important to you.• Observe – See something, say something. When you see your child exhibiting positive and friendly behaviors say something out loud! “I love that you let Grampa pick tonight’s story!” or “It was great that you and your brother found something you both wanted to play!”.• Practice – Game play is a great way to practice choosing an activity, deciding who goes first, taking turns, and winning and losing gracefully. Ask your kiddo if they’d like to play a game (you’re modeling how to invite a friend to participate in an activity). Then set out a few favorites, like The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel Game® or Pancake Pileup!™ Relay Game. Tell your little one that they can either choose the game or go first, but not both, then follow their lead.[caption id="attachment_6109" align="alignnone" width="680"] Photo credit: @my_sensorium[/caption][caption id="attachment_6110" align="alignnone" width="680"] Photo credit: @preferredtherapytoys[/caption]• Keep Things Light – Whether you’ve been sent down the long slide playing Chutes and Ladders or your block tower tumbles, laugh it off and try again. Teaching your child to roll with the punches and be a good sport will make them even more fun to play with.With a little practice and a lot of support, your kiddo will be ready for their first play date in no time! Be on the lookout for part two of this piece, Teaching Your Child to MAKE a Good Friend, including five of our favorite tips for hosting a successful play date.Check out this great article from Popsugar: How to Help Your Child Become a Good Friend for more helpful hints.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=HhFjZMqeZIE&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• Construction Paper• Tape• Scissors• Marker• Googly EyesProcedure:1. Cut out a head shape, use a marker to draw a nose, mouth, and ears, and add googly eyes.2. Secure the face to the table with tape.3. Start sculpting! Use Playfoam to create silly hairdos. Try pony tails, a perm, or even a mohawk!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=mK2s32dvsyw&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:• Construction Paper• Glue• Scissors• Craft StickProcedure:1. Sketch and cut a flower and flowerpot shape out of construction paper.2. Glue your flower to the top of your craft stick.3. Fold a sheet of paper in half and cut two slits, one about quarter of an inch lower than the first one. This will be your background.4. Slip your craft stick “stem” through the slits.5. Glue the sides only of your pot to your background paper, so the pot covers the slits.6. Move the flower up and down and see how it “grows”!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.

[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! 

From toys and games to online programs, you’re probably seeing “coding” everywhere. But what do we mean by coding? And how could it possibly be meant for kids? Read on for the basic buzz on coding and some fun ways to get your kids started down the path to programming success.Simply put, coding is using a specific language to get a computer to do what you want it to do. Codes are written in “lines” – each line of code tells the computer to perform a specific action. Lines of code come together to create a “script”. The script is comprised of all the lines of code needed for the computer to perform an entire job.Coding Isn’t Just For Computers - There are apps for everything from helping preschoolers master their ABCs to getting tacos delivered to your door. Machines are performing more and more functions in industries ranging from manufacturing to healthcare. And they all rely on coding. While most young kids are probably not ready to program a robot to dispense a prescription, they can definitely begin to understand the systematic logic behind creating code. Which is basically that one command equals one action.Below are a few fun ways to introduce the basic idea at home. Bonus – while your kids are playing with the concept of coding, they’ll also be working their problem solving and abstract thinking skills, too ????Step by Step – Pick an everyday activity your child is familiar with – like getting out of bed or brushing their teeth. Without performing the task, ask them to verbally walk you through EACH step of the process. Then have them repeat the instructions while you do them. Wait a minute. Can you put the toothpaste on the brush without taking the cap off the tube first? How can you rinse your mouth out if you haven’t turned on the water yet? Talking a task all the way through helps your little one start to notice and identify each and every step required to complete a job.Walk Me Through It – Starting in one room of the house, ask your child to direct you to the front door, step by step, turn by turn. Don’t make a move they haven’t announced and play up walking into walls or closed doors if they haven’t guided you around them. Silly as it sounds, this will help kids equate one instruction to one move.Screen Free Coding – Coding Critters, from Learning Resources, allow kids to code adorable animal friends following the directions in their new pet’s storybook adventures. 100% screen free, kids simply press buttons on the Critters’ backs to move them left, right, forward, or back, navigating the obstacles in the included pet playsets. This playful STEM experience is perfect for kids ages 4 and up. Watch this video to see them in action!Draw It Out – ARTIE 3000™, the award-winning coding robot, teaches kids ages 7 and up to write computer code line by line and then draws whatever they’ve coded! From shapes and letters to mandalas and custom designs, kids use an easy computer interface (no WIFI required!) with step-by-step instructions to tell ARTIE which way to turn, how many steps to take, and when to lift his pen or put it down. Then they simply click “run” to see their ARTIE execute their coded script on paper. Check out the short video below to see exactly how it works.Visit https://codewithartie.com to learn more and take advantage of free downloads. You can also sign up for our newsletter to save 30% today!Help prepare your child for the work world that awaits them with everyday coding activities like these and you’re sure to set them up for success!