Tagged with 'Exploration'

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=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.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkPWWsKdmDY&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+This is a great way to repurpose any container, such as a yogurt or cream cheese tub!Supplies:• Yarn• Glue• Clean yogurt or other container• Paint brushProcedure:1. Use your paint brush to brush a thing layer of glue on the outside of the container.2. Starting at the bottom, wrap your yarn around the outside of the container. Try not to leave any space between the layers of yarn. If there is space between the layers, push the yarn closer together toward the bottom of the container.3. Trim the loose ends of the yarn.4. Add a drop of glue to the ends to keep them adhered to the pot.5.  Allow the glue to dry.For EXTRA FUN - Add potting soil and a plant. If you’re not ready to plant, use this as a vase for faux flowers!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_6416" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Photo credit: allsmallcrafts.com[/caption]If you’re like us, you’ve been busy trying to keep a schedule for learning at home, so we thought it would be helpful to show you how to create your very own clock. This is a useful tool to show children what time their next activity will begin, help teach how to tell time, and help understand concept of elapsed time. Attach your clock to your daily learning schedule to keep you all on track!Ages: 4+Supplies:• 2 pieces of construction paper (2 different colors)• Scissors• 1 Brad• Marker or crayonProcedure:1. Trace a circle onto a piece of construction paper to create the clock face. You can do this freehand or trace a large coffee can, tea kettle, or pot.2. Cut out the circle – this will be your clock’s face.3. Using the second piece of construction paper, trace and cut out arrow shapes for the clock hands. Be sure to make a smaller hand for the hour hand and a larger hand for the minute hand.4. Place the hour hand on top of the minute hand and push the brad through both arrows. Then push it through the clock face and open the brad arms on the back.5. Have your child write the numbers on the clock face with a marker or crayon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OGAvKbCZek&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 Product Managers!Ages: 5+Grades: K+Supplies:• 1-gallon container (clear is nice so you can see the food breaking down)• soil• food scraps• worms (optional)In the United States, it is estimated that 30-40% of food is wasted. That’s more than 100 billion pounds of wasted food! Composting is a great way to make full use of that food material that would normally be thrown away, reducing waste and enabling a household to create their own, nutrient-rich dirt for gardens and planters.Procedure:1. Find a clear bin to store your starter dirt and fill it about ¾ full. We recommend using a container with a lid to help regulate the temperature and humidity, but it’s not absolutely necessary.2. Add kitchen scraps as you have them.3. Stir your compost every day or two to help distribute the material.Thing to compost:• eggshells• banana and orange peels• apple cores• food trimmings• coffee grounds• teabags• corn cobsOther tips:• Do NOT put meat or dairy products into your compost bin unless you want to attract flies and other pests• If you are adding materials with a lot of moisture (watermelon or squash, for example), add a few dry leaves or bits of finely shredded paper to absorb some of the liquid• Smaller items break down faster, so chop your food waste into small bits if possible• If you would like, you can add earthworms to your compost bin to help break down the food particles you add• You can make it easy on yourself by using the Educational Insights Now You See it, Now You Don’t See-Through Container.[caption id="attachment_6422" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Now You See It, Now You Don't™ See-Through Compost Container[/caption]Resources:Composting overview: https://www.thespruce.com/tips-for-indoor-composting-2539618Indoor composting overview: https://www.bobvila.com/articles/indoor-composting/ 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!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=UUtYw0FtVU8&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!Let’s get our fine motor skills working with this fun EASTER activity.Ages: 2-4Supplies:• Cardboard box (if you’re using a delivery box, let it sit for the CDC’s recommended 24-hour “cooling off period.”)• Popsicle sticks (colored sticks are better)• Plastic Easter eggsBefore you start!• Remove any staples or other fasteners from boxes• Empty all plastic bags or packing materials from boxes as they can present hazards to childrenProcedure:1. ADULTS ONLY! Use a knife or scissors to cut small slots into the solid bottom of your box.2. Slip your Popsicle or craft sticks into each slot.3. Show your little one how to place one half of a plastic Easter egg on top of a stick, then have them try. See if they can balance more than one egg on a stick.Pro Tip: For added learning, match each colored eggshell with its matching popsicle stick! When you’re done:• Save your plastic eggs…• Save your sticks for another craft…• Recycle your box!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=TSFfjXtVraI&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: 3-7Supplies:• Flowers, leaves, acorns, anything you can find outside• Googly eyesProcedure:1. Go outside, explore, and collect flowers, leaves and other cool things from nature!2. See what you can create using the natural objects you’ve found! Here we’re making a bunny…3. Use the flower as the head…4. Then the leaves as the ears…5.  An acorn as a nose…6. 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.