Summer is the ideal time to let your preschooler soak up the sun’s warm rays outside, but not everyday can be spent in the pool or at the park. Summer storms are as much a part of the season as fiery hot temperatures, but you don’t have to let the rain dampen your child’s day. Rather, stay inside and participate in these fun activities specially designed for curious preschoolers:
INDOOR PICNIC
Materials:
Picnic basket filled with picnic items such as ketchup, mustard, plastic utensils, paper plates, napkins, blanket, your favorite food items, etc.
Empty ketchup and mustard bottles
Yellow and red craft paint
Old magazines
Construction paper
Glue
Scissors
4 bottles of different flavors of barbecue sauce (e.g. honey mustard, teriyaki, spicy, etc.)
Slices of cucumbers or celery cut up into bite size pieces
Directions:
Have your summer picnic indoors: Spread out your picnic blanket under the dining room table or in the living room and share a meal with your preschooler while discussing the weather (e.g. what creates thunder and lightning).
When you are done eating move on to an art project: Fill the empty ketchup bottle with red paint and the mustard bottle with yellow paint. Then, let your preschooler squeeze out the paint and create her own designs on construction paper.
While the paint dries on your child’s ketchup and mustard masterpiece have her look through a stack of magazines and cut out pictures of her favorite foods. Next, have your preschooler create a yummy collage from the pictures she cut out. She can use the collage as a souvenir of your indoor picnic.
Finally, give your preschooler a crash course in taste testing. Have your child dip bite size pieces of cucumbers or celery into four different barbeque sauces. Next, ask her to pick a favorite and discuss the reasons why. You can chart your child’s responses on a piece of paper and see how they match up to your own.
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