Magic Scarves

I love playing games with scarves with the kids. Everyone has an old scarf in the cupboard, if not you can buy a scrap of this sheer colourful material from spotlight for about 50 cents. Make each scarf around 20 x 50cm as it makes it manageable for the little ones to twirl and move with. Below I have put up some of my favourite activities I like to do with Magic Scarves. Magic Scarves offer the opportunity to develop fine/gross motor skills, dexterity, language development and movement skills.

•Toss scarves up in the air and then run under them and catch them. If they have difficulty getting the scarves to "float and flutter," toss the scarves up for them and let them catch them as they float down.

•Hoops and scarves can be combined as children dance inside the hoop with it lying on the ground and spin and twirl to lively music.

•Tie a "scarf ball," leaving some of the scarf ends loose so children can catch the ball by the dangling ends and throw it through a hoop hanging from the ceiling or from a low branch outside.

•Throw individual scarves into hoops placed on the floor or ground. Since scarves don't "go straight," children will develop unique ways of getting the scarves to land inside the hoops.

•Stand at the outside edge of the parachute and throw their scarves as far in toward the centre of the parachute as possible.

•Juggling with Scarves – Preschool-age children can develop pre-juggling skills that help to improve concentration, eye-hand coordination, tracking (a pre-reading skill), fine motor skills, and they get a cardio-vascular work-out too. Start by learning to toss and catch one scarf. Then, as coordination develops (which may take a long time) progress to 2 and 3 scarves.

• Scarf Toy Trampoline – Have 2 or more people hold the corners of a scarf and bounce a toy up and down in the middle of it, like a trampoline.

•Use an instrumental track to create free movement activities with scarves as well as direction following activities. Give children directions using prepositions of up, down, to the side, under etc.

Rainy Day Activities

With so much rain about it can be difficult to keep the kids entertained and you sane!! Below I have put together my Top 20 Rainy Day Activities for this week. Rainy days don't have to be dreary days. With a little bit of preparation on your behalf you and the kids can have great fun!

1. Help your kids construct their own cubby or fort from blankets in the lounge room.




2. Spend some quality time together playing a board game.http://rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/07/best-board-games-for-kids.html




3. Make some home-made musical instruments http://rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html




4. Make home-made sausage rolls for lunch. http://rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/09/super-sausage-rolls.html




5. Visit your local library and search for some of my Top 100 great reads
http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/10/my-top-100-favourite-books-for-kids.html


6. Have a "Junk Modelling" morning, then spend the afternoon painting your creation.




7. Make an indoor obstacle course - put in other activities like, stop and do a puzzle, eat some morning tea..stretch it out as long as is suitable for the age of your child.




8. Create an indoor sandpit using rice or pasta. Be sure to put in lots of different sized spoons, bowls and cups.http://rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/08/sand-and-water-table-play.html




9. Balloon Tennis - use fly swats as a bat and blown up balloons as a ball, then follow up with some fly swat painting.http://rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/09/fly-swat-painting.html


10. Make home-made play dough http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/08/edible-art-activities.html




11. Cut out some shapes out of different coloured paper. Spread them out on the lounge floor and put on some dancing music. When the music stops get your child to stand behind a shape and they have to tell you the name and colour of the shape.




12. Cut out magazine pictures and make a collage picture of a rainbow.




13. Make and decorate paper planes or boats. Float the boats in the bath tub or sink. Have plane races and measure with string how far the planes fly.




14. Visit the local Pet Shop.




15. Sit with your child and do some drawing together.http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/09/drawing-them-in.html




16. Visit Bunnings and spend time looking at the seeds and identifying all the fruit and vegetables. Purchase a small pot and come home and paint it, then plant your seeds!http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/08/tiny-seed.html



17. Make home-made ice-cream.http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/07/from-cow-to-ice-cream.html


18. Get creative and do some painting.http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/07/fun-painting-ideas.html



19. Try some of my spectacular science activities.http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/06/spectacular-science-for-toddlers.html



20. Bake some home-made bread in the morning for your lunch.http://http//rhymetime4kids.blogspot.com/2010/10/little-red-hen.html