Daily at Home Project: Pots, Pans, Colors & Rainy Day Brownies!

by | Mar 19, 2020 | At-Home Enrichment | 0 comments

Please find below our daily SolBe Family update letter containing helpful resources and exciting projects to explore while we all do our part to stay home during this pandemic.

SolBe Families,

Marlo here! We hope you all had a few minutes to enjoy the beautiful weather yesterday.  If you are spending time inside today, the New England Aquarium is offering virtual tours. Older friends (younger friends too!) may enjoy the home activity they posted yesterday: “Fish Mouths, What Do They Tell Us?”. There is a printable pdf worksheet paired with the activity. I would also highly recommend the “Lobster Claws” virtual visit. Also fun and different: children’s author Mo Willems is hosting lunchtime doodles on the Kennedy Center website weekdays at 1:00 PM. He is a new-age Bob Ross!

In the works

We have received many requests for a selection of music from the classrooms. We are working with our educators to create a playlist for you all. Something to look forward to in the near future! We are also working with KidPowerment to plan virtual yoga and mindfulness for you to have for a Livestream or Zoom practice at home.

Project of the Day Infants & Toddlers: Pots, Pans, and Colors!

Infants and Toddlers don’t really need fancy toys to have fun or move forward in their development. I will never forget how we were so excited to give my 12-month old baby her brand new tricycle! It was beautifully wrapped in a glossy, huge, pink paper. When she finally received it, we were surprised to see how she became so excited with the paper, while ignoring the tricycle! She squeezed it, tore it, tried to eat it, moved it up and down, dragged it around the house, and more. Research and statistics say that the attention span in a toddler lasts a couple of minutes (somewhere between 3-5 minutes per year of age); however, we have witnessed otherwise. If the child is engaged, incorporates his or her senses, feels safe and is well, he/she can stay focused for way longer than just a couple of minutes! Put your expectations bar away, and put your effort into connecting with your child, participating in what you are doing, asking questions, describing what’s going on, and expressing your own thoughts!

Materials

  • Any pots, containers, cups you have at home! The more variety in material and size, the better!
  • Food coloring, water paint or regular paint
  • Water
  • Wooden spoons, or similar tool

Directions

  • Present all the materials to your child. Let him/her touch, feel, hear, explore, and wonder.
  • Place the pots (or similar) on the floor and pour a little bit of water in each (the amount you feel comfortable with!). Take a moment to observe. Pour one or two drops of food coloring (or similar) in each pot and observe what happens. Invite your child to use the wooden spoons (or similar) to mix.

Things to Notice

  • What happens when we poured food coloring
  • How does it feel?
  • What happens when we pour the water from one pot to another?
  • How does water move when we use the spoons?

Invite your child to get a little wet while touching, pouring, splashing, and mixing the water and food coloring. Let him/her explore the sounds, textures, observe the water coming down from one pot to the other – Have fun!

Project of the Day Older Toddlers & Preschoolers: Brownies for a Rainy Day!

Cooking with your children is an amazing opportunity to

  • Together create food that makes our body feel good!
  • Promote language (while reading the recipe – even if we use pictures instead of words), work on math in a meaningful way (we need to measure and talk about temperature), have a hands-on experience with science (observe how ingredients change)
  • Connect with your family while cooking and later on, sharing a special meal/snack together!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of ghee or coconut oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla
  • ½ cup of coconut sugar
  • ½ cup of cacao powder
  • ¾ cup oat flour (simply put oats in a blender!) you can also use whole-wheat or regular flour
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • ½ teaspoon of baking powder

Directions

Melt the ghee in a pot. Add sugar and stir until fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and add vanilla and 2 eggs (previously lightly beaten). Add flour, salt, baking powder, cacao powder, and mix without overdoing it. Add some chocolate chunks (70% or more) for an extra touch of flavor! Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

As my three-year-old niece told me on facetime last night that she “has the virus”, I realized some resources may be helpful (she doesn’t!!)! Please find a few helpful articles here if you need any guidance talking to kids about COVID-19:

The New York Times: “How to Talk to Kids About Coronavirus”

PBS: “How to Talk to your Kids about Coronavirus” (another creative title)

Psychology Today: This article specifically cites “early childhood and preschool”

These are challenging times and you are all in our thoughts every day. We are truly missing our friends! More resources to follow in the coming days. Feedback and more ideas welcome, as always!

Be well and stay healthy!

The SolBe Team


Be Supported

We’ve felt the uncertainty that occurs when our children are in the care of someone else. At SolBe, we know you will always be your child’s first teacher; we’re here as a knowledgeable partner in your child’s education.

From our experience, children rise to the intellectual life of those around them, so we are committed to growing as individuals and as a team. You can count on us to provide a warm and engaging learning experience for your little one.

Be Inspired

We’ve spent thousands of hours in classrooms that either overstimulate, underwhelm, or actively prevent educators from delivering the highest-quality education and care. At SolBe, you’ll go beyond the traditional four-walled classroom.

Our award-winning, inventive and uplifting learning spaces stimulate the senses and instill feelings of home-like safety and comfort. They allow for your child’s, and our educators’, changing needs and emotions. They create room for wonder—for learning, and living, outside the lines.

Be Immersed

We’ve seen what’s lost when things are done the way they’ve always been done before. SolBe is an adaptive Spanish exposure program that refuses to accept the status quo.

Our inventive practices grow from the shoulders of giants, with roots in the Reggio Emilia approach, the Montessori method, and well-researched cognitive disciplines that attend to the whole child. We create opportunities to develop character attributes that your child will benefit from for a lifetime. Collaboration. Communication. Independence. Healthy risk-taking. Critical thinking. Emotional awareness. Resilience. Intellectual curiosity. Creative innovation. An authentic love of life and learning.

Be Well

We know what it’s like to forget to feed ourselves—physically, mentally, and emotionally. At SolBe, we understand it’s impossible for you to pour from an empty cup. And we do what we can to keep your cup full.

Our learning ecosystem is designed with children and educators—and you—in mind. Seed-to-table nutrition program. Yoga and mindfulness. An all-inclusive experience so you don’t need to worry about finding time to provide meals, diapers, or wipes (unless you want to). Evening and weekend family programs.