room · 2017-08-01 · tuesday: paint with water! whether it’s on a chalk-board filled with...

H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

the activity roomthe activity roomJune’s Activity Plans

for Toddlers & Preschoolers

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August’s Activity Plansfor Toddlers & Preschoolers

http://handsonaswegrow.com/water-play-experiment-float-sink/

room August Activity Plan

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Weekend

R O O M . H A N D S O N A S W E G R O W . C O M

this month’s theme:

Nature Wind

Chimes

PeelTape

Play freeze tag Plan what your morn-ing routine will be like during the school year.

Paper Plate Letters

Paper Plate Skating

Head to the library as a

family and check out new books for

everyone.

Start getting into routines. A good week

or two before your school starts. Get up

early and go to bed at a decent time.

Painting With Water

Bug Tray

Walking Water

Experiment

NatureSensory Bag

Blow bubbles and try to catch them.

Organize your home to be ready for the papers

that come home in back-packs.

Shape Photo Hunt

BerryPainting

Number Card Slap

Walk on Pillows

Play a simple game of hide and

seek.

Get into a system for af-ter school. Have a place

for everything.

SprayChalk Art

WaterWall

Bubble Wrap

Runway

Make Your Own

Binoculars

When the kids get home from school,

that’s the perfect time to talk about their day. Use these after school

conversations.

Triple Name

Tracing

VerticalNatureCollage

Back to School

2 3 4 5/6

9 10 11 12/137 8

16 17 18 19/2014 15

23 24 25 26/2721 22

30 31 1 2/328 29

31 1

Texture Scavenger

Hunt

WaterTransfer

page 9 page 10 page 11 page 12





Have a picnic lunch!

Member Activity


Around the House:2 toilet paper tubeshair gelpillows and cushionsspray bottleswhite sheet (optional)deck of cardspainter’s tapecamera or ipad

Other:bubble wrap(2+) pool noodlesfunnelstoy trucks or other toysplastic insectschalkboard or sidewalktubs or bucketsbucket or basketflowers/leaves/naturelarge stick

Full Supply List

In each week of activities, there’s a supply list. You can quickly scan the list to see what you need for the week. Most items are supplies from the home (office, kitchen, kids toys, etc).

Below is a list of supplies to do every activity in the month of August.

Craft Items:paperconstruction papercontact papershredded papermarkerpencilhighlighterchalkscissorsjewels/gemspaintbrushgluetapehot glue or tapeyarn or stringhole puncherpaint, stickers (optional)

Kitchen Items:bowlfork or spoonscoops, spoons, measuring cups, etc.canning jar lidsclear jarstray or baking sheetpaper platepaper towelgallon size baggy

Pantry Items:berrieswaterwater bottlesfood coloringbaking sodacorn starch

August: Supply Listroom


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this month’s theme: Back to School

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2

3

5/6

Wednesday: Trace canning lids onto contact paper to create a sticky surface for your natural elements.

contact papercanning jar lidsflowers/leaves/natureyarn or other stringlarge stick

Thursday: Stick tape onto a surface. Criss cross over each other. Peel the tape off, one by one.

painter’s tape

Tuesday: Go on a scavenger hunt around the yard to explore textures. Can you find something that’s bumpy?

naturebucket or basket (optional)

Monday: Have a water play day! Set out tubs of water with some scoops to transfer water back and forth. Add color to the water if you’d like.

Friday: Play freeze tag!

tubs or bucketswaterfood coloring (optional)scoops, spoons, measuring cups, etc.

Over the Weekend: Plan what your morning routine will be like during the school year. Use this helpful planner HERE to plan it out or visit:

https://room.handsonaswegrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/back-to-school-mornings.pdf

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August Activity Plan: Week One


https://room.handsonaswegrow.com/monthly-theme/back-to-school/

https://room.handsonaswegrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/back-to-school-mornings.pdf


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7

8

9

10

12/13

Wednesday: Write 3-4 different letters, several times, around the outside of a paper plate and cut slits be-tween each of the letters. Write one of those letters in the center. Have child fold down the flaps of all the letters that match the letter in the center.

paper platemarkerscissors

Thursday: Place two paper plates on the floor. Stepon them and skate around the house!

paper plates

Tuesday: Paint with water! Whether it’s on a chalk-board filled with chalk, or the sidewalk outside. Or even on construction paper!

waterpaintbrushchalkchalkboard, sidewalk, construction paper

Monday: Gather together items such as rocks, wood-en sticks, blocks, dirt, gems, shredded paper and plas-tic insects in a tray to make a bug tray to explore.

Friday: Family library day! Head to the library as a family and check out new books for everyone.

nature itemsshredded paperplastic insectsjewels/gemstray or baking sheet

Over the Weekend: Start getting into routines. A good week or two be-fore your school starts. Get up early and go to bed at a decent time.

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August Activity Plan: Week Two




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14

15

16

17

19/20

Wednesday: Fill two jars with different colored wa-ter to walk water. Dip a strip of paper towel into each jar and place the other end of the towel into a third, empty jar. Watch the water walk the paper towel and mix together as it drips into the empty jar.

clear jarspaper towelwaterfood coloring

Thursday: Create a sensory bag with hair gel in abaggy. Add other objects from nature, such as leavesand feathers, if desired. Tape it to the window to ex-plore in the sunlight.

gallon size baggyhair gelnature objectstape

Tuesday: Snap photos of objects around the house (look for shapes) with your iPad or camera. Go on a hunt to find the shapes in the photos!

camera or ipad

Monday: Mash overripe berries in a bowl with a fork or spoon. Paint the mashed berries on a piece of pa-per with the fork or spoon, or use a paintbrush.

Friday: Blow bubbles and try to catch them.

berriesbowlfork or spoonpaintbrushpaper

Over the Weekend: Organize your home to be ready for the papers that come home in backpacks. Use this helpful sheet HERE or visit:

https://room.handsonaswegrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BTS-Organization-Com-mand-Center.pdf

18

August Activity Plan: Week Three



https://room.handsonaswegrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BTS-Organization-Command-Center.pdf


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21

22

23

24

26/27

Wednesday: Tape one of each number card from a deck of cards to a wall (remove J, Q, K, A). Put tape on the rest of the number cards. Set out to find matches to the numbers on the wall.

deck of cardstape

Thursday: Lay pillows and cushions on the floor in a line. Attempt to walk across them!

pillows and cushions

Tuesday: Create your own spray chalk with equalparts baking soda, corn starch and warm water. Addfood coloring. Create colorful art on a hanging whitesheet!

baking sodacorn starchwaterfood coloringspray bottleswhite sheet (optional)

Monday: Cut pool noodles to various lengths and tape in various positional on a vertical surface. Add funnels to the top of the pool noodles, or below. Fill water bottles with water and pour into the top of the water wall!

Friday: Play a simple game of hide and seek.

(2+) pool noodlesfunnelstapewater bottlestub of water

Over the Weekend: Get into a system for after school. Have a place for everything.

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August Activity Plan: Week Four




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NEXT month’s theme: Make Reading a Top Priority

28

29

30

31

2/3

Wednesday: Tape a bubble wrap runway to the floor and run along it! Drive trucks across it to hear it pop!

bubble wraptoy trucks or other toys

Thursday: Make binoculars and go on a nature walk. Hot glue two toilet paper rolls together. Punch a hole on the right and left sides and tie a string to each to make the strap. Decorate as desired.

2 toilet paper tubeshot glue or tapehole puncherstring or yarnpaint, stickers (optional)

Tuesday: Write their name on a piece of paper in highlighter. Then trace over it with pencil. Trace over that with glue. Trace over that with yarn!

paperpencilhighlighterglueyarn or stringscissors

Monday: Tape a piece of contact paper to a vertical surface, sticky side out. Go on a hunt to collect nature items to stick on the contact paper as art. Finish off with a piece of contact paper to seal in the nature.

Friday: Have a picnic lunch! At the park or on the floor!

contact papertapenature

Over the Weekend: When the kids get home from school, that’s the perfect time to talk about their day. Use these after school conversations cheat sheet HERE or visit:

https://room.handsonaswegrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BTS-Conversation-Starters.pdf

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August Activity Plan: Week Five

https://room.handsonaswegrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BTS-Conversation-Starters.pdf

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Activity: August


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Water Transfer Fill two tubs with water. Add food coloring to each if you’d like.

Set out a third, empty container to dump the water into (and mix the colors).

Use scoops, spoons, measuring cups (etc) to transfer the water into the empty tub (and back again)!

Supplies: tubs or buckets

waterfood coloring (optional)

scoops, spoons, measuring cups, etc

Tips:

This is a great opportunity to introduce color mixing. Use only two primary colors (red, blue or yellow) to mix together.

Smaller scoops means more fine motor control used as well as more time to transfer the water!

Take this outside if possible. If it’s not possible, set this up indoors with a tablecloth (or shower curtain or large towel) on the floor to catch spills.

CLICK FOR MORE DETAILS

http://handsonaswegrow.com/colored-water-transfer/

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Activity: August


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Texture Scavenger Hunt

Activity: July

Supplies: nature

bucket or basket (optional)

Explore what’s in your own backyard!

Find something rough? smooth? pokey? prickly? and so on.

Once an object is found, describe it!

Tips:

For multiple kids, an older kid can take charge of describing a texture.

Younger kids? Show an example when you describe the texture. See this rock? It’s smooth. Can you find something else that’s smooth?

No backyard? No worries! Try it at the playground, or even indoors!


http://handsonaswegrow.com/explore-textures-outdoor-scavenger-hunt/

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Activity: August


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Nature Wind ChimesTrace canning jar lids onto a piece of contact paper. Remove sticky side and tape to a surface, sticky side up.

Stick piece of nature on contact paper to fill the circles. Add another piece of contact paper on top, and cut out the circles.

Push the cutouts into the canning jar lids to make suncatcher. Tie around the lids and tie the other end to a stick. Hang on the porch or patio to see!

Supplies: contact paper

canning jar lidsflowers/leaves/natureyarn or other string

large stick

Tips:

Go on a hunt to collect nature items, it can be an activity itself!

Toddlers can enjoy sticking the nature to the contact paper, but cutting out the circles will be best for adults, or older kids to do.

If the contact paper circles don’t fit tightly in the canning jar lids, you can tape them in place.


http://handsonaswegrow.com/nature-suncatcher-wind-chimes/

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Activity: August


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Peeling Tape Tape several pieces of painter’s tape on the table, or other hard surface.

Have your child peel the tape off, one by one.

Repeat!

Supplies: painter’s tape

Tips:

This is amazing for strengthening fingers! Just the sheer grip to pull the tape off strengthens them.

Little fingers may need help starting the piece of tape.

For added fun, have your child put the pieces of tape down how they’d prefer!


http://handsonaswegrow.com/peeling-tape/

http://handsonaswegrow.com/peeling-tape/

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Activity: August


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Bug TrayGather rocks, wooden sticks, blocks, dirt, gems, shredded paper and plastic insects.

Put together a simple tray of the items.

Accept this simple invitation to explore bugs!

Supplies: nature items

shredded paperplastic insectsjewels/gems

tray or baking sheet

Tips:

If you don’t have plastic bugs, you can go on a hunt to find lightning bugs at night, or worms and ants to observe in your bug tray. Or make bugs out of play dough!

Older kids can make small worlds and use it for pretend play!

Include younger kids in tearing paper and putting together the bug tray.

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Activity: August


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Fill a small tub with water and grab a paintbrush!

Cover an area (driveway, chalkboard, etc) with sidewalk chalk.

Paint in the area with water to erase it.

Tips:

If doing this inside, only use a small tub of water. Expect it to get dumped, so only fill it as full as you’d like to clean up.

Paint with Water

Supplies: water

paintbrushchalk

chalkboard, sidewalk, construction paper

You can do this without the chalk too. Just painting a sidewalk with water changes the color of it. What else can you paint? A fence?

Using real paintbrushes and paint rollers adds a bit of excitement to toddlers. They love to act just like Mom and Dad!


http://handsonaswegrow.com/toddler-water-painting/

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Activity: August


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Write 3-4 different letters (several times) around the outside of a paper plate. Write one of those letters in the center of the plate.

Cut 1 inch slits in between each letter.

Have child fold the flaps of all the letters that match the letter in the center of the plate!

Tips:

Be sure to use a couple letters that your child knows and add in a couple new ones for them to learn. This will help build their confidence.

Paper Plate Letters

Supplies: paper plate

markerscissors

Older kids can use a paper clip or a hole punch to work on fine motor skills to clip or punch each letter.

If your child isn’t ready to learn letters yet, use what they do know. Shapes? Colors? Draw different colored circles on each flap and go around the house to find those colors. Fold it when you find it.


http://handsonaswegrow.com/paper-plate-letter-activity/

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Activity: August


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Place two paper plates on the floor (for each kid).

Step on them.

Slide them to skate around the house.

Tips:

Bare feet workbetter than stockingfeet (they won’tslide on the paperplate as much).

Paper Plate Skating

Supplies: paper plates

If kids are strugglingto keep their feet onthe plate you can tapearound their feet ontothe plate.

Make a course to followand race through. Addobstacles to go aroundlike a slalom.


http://handsonaswegrow.com/paper-plate-skating/

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Activity: August


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Mash overripe berries in a bowl with a fork or spoon.

Set out a piece of paper.

Paint with the fork or spoon, or use a paintbrush to paint the mashed berries on the paper.

Tips:

Older kids can help with the mashing! Use a fork, or bring out a potato masher and have fun with it!

Berry Painting

Supplies: berriesbowl

fork or spoonpaintbrush

paper

Younger kids can just use their fingers! Put this out during snack time.

If you don’t have berries on hand, try any fruit and blend it. Otherwise, baby food works great for this too!

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Activity: August


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Take a moment and go around the house or backyard and look for different shapes (triangle, circle, square, rectangle).

Snap photos of those shapes with your iPad or camera.

Hand over those photos (in digital or print form) to your child and go on a hunt to find them.

Tips:

When taking the photos, try to get in really close to the object. This way the surroundings can’t be used as clues.

Shape Photo Hunt

Supplies: camera or ipad

Add in a fun element of having your child take a photo of it too.

For triangles, look at tires (the spokes or hub caps), circles can be lids, wheels and so many things. Bricks are rectangles, so are tiles. Tiles can also be squares!


http://handsonaswegrow.com/photo-scavenger-hunt-kids-shapes/

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Activity: August


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Fill two jars nearly full of water. Add different food coloring to each.

Tear two long strips of a paper towel. Dip one end of each in the filled jars and place the other end into a third, empty jar.

Wath the water walk up the paper towel and drip down and mix together in the empty jar.

Tips:

The absorbency of the paper towel plays a big role in how fast the water walks. Experiment with different kinds, as well as toilet paper.

Walking Water Experiment

Supplies: clear jars

paper towelwater

food coloring

Also try folding a paper towel into thirds to see if that helps speed it up.

Try raising the filled jars above the empty jar to let gravity help.

Stick to two primary colors to mix so you can see what color it makes.


http://www.pbs.org/parents/adventures-in-learning/2015/06/walking-water-experiment/

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Activity: August


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Squirt hair gel into a large baggy.

Add other nature objects in with the gel,such as leaves or feathers.

Tape it to the window so the sunlight shines through it. Explore and move the pieces around inside the sensory bag.

Tips:

Add enough hair gel in the baggy so that it covers the baggy when lying flat. But not too full that it can’t be moved around.

To secure the sensory bag, you can either tape the top of the baggy shut or double bag it.

Young toddlers may try to bite at the baggy, please use supervision at all times. You can even swap the hair gel for Jello.


Nature Sensory Bag

Supplies: gallon size baggy

hair gelnature objects

tape

http://handsonaswegrow.com/nature-sensory-bag-suncatcher/

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Activity: August


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Cut pool noodles to various lengths and tape in different positions on a vertical surface (fence, wall).

Add funnels at the top of and below some of the noodles.

Fill up water bottles with water and pour into the top of the water wall and watch the magic!

Tips:

No pool noodles? Try plastic bottles and cut the ends off, or cut them in half lengthwise to get more!

Older kids will love creating the water wall, so involve them in the creation!

Younger kids may just enjoy the water sensory, let them explore.

Water Wall

Supplies: (2+) pool noodles

funnelstape

water bottlestub of water

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Activity: August


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Mix together equal parts baking soda,corn starch, and warm water in a dish.

Add food coloring to make your desiredcolor. Put mixture in spray bottles.

Spray colorful designs onto a whitesheet hanging in the backyard!

Tips:

Instead of spray bottles, you could also do this with cheap squirt guns.

This will thicken up over time, so make it very thin. You can also leave out the corn starch.

For kids that don’t have the hand strength to squirt, try having them drip paint on a sheet, using their handsor a spoon.

Instead of spraying ona sheet, add some dishsoap (for easier cleanup)to your mixture andspray on the sidewalk ora fence.

Spray Chalk Art

Supplies: baking sodacorn starch

waterfood coloringspray bottles

white sheet (optional)

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Activity: August


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Sort through a deck of cards and group them all by number.

Tape one of each number on the wall. Put tape on the back of the rest of the cards.

Pick up a card and find its match on the wall. Slap it on there to stick it on top of it.

Tips:

I roll the tape on the back of the card. You can also just tape it on the front to hang it in place.

Number Card Slap

Supplies: deck of cards

tape

You can do this on the table too. The wall just makes it fun. Especially if you hang the cards just slightly high enough that they have to jump a tad to reach them.

Not quite ready to match numbers? Just sort them by colors, red and black!


http://handsonaswegrow.com/number-match-playing-cards/

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Activity: August


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Collect pillows and cushions from around the house.

Lay them out on the floor in a line.

Attempt to walk or crawl across them without falling off.

Tips:

This is a fantastic gross motor activity that works on balance and coordination.

For older kids, they can try walking backwards, hopping, or even skipping a pillow!

Younger kids may just want to crawl over the pillows and not worry about falling off them, no worries! It’s still great for gross motor skills to climb over them!

Walking on Pillows

Supplies: pillows and cushions


http://handsonaswegrow.com/gross-motor-activity-walking-pillows/

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Activity: August


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Tape a piece of contact (sticky) paper to a vertical surface (wall or fence), sticky side out.

Collect nature items and stick to contact paper.

Finish off with another piece of contact paper on top to hold the nature art in place!

Tips:

The hunt for nature items can be an activity in itself! Search for 3 green items, something brown, something with 5 points, etc.

Vertical Nature Collage

Supplies: contact paper

tapenature

Older kids can make patterns, or a mandala, with their nature items.

Let younger kids explore the contact paper on it’s own before adding their items from nature!

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Activity: August


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Write your child’s name on a piece of paper with a highlighter.

Have your child trace the highlighter with a pencil.

Trace over it again with glue and stick yarn pieces to the glue.

Tips:

Holding and cutting the yarn can be difficult to maneuver. Help your child by holding the yarn in place while they cut.

Triple Name Tracing

Supplies: paperpencil

highlighterglue

yarn or stringscissors

For kids that find it difficult you can pre-cut the yarn to the right length for each letter.

Instead of glue and yarn, you could try small stickers instead! Or try gluing on sand instead of the yarn.


http://handsonaswegrow.com/triple-name-tracing-fun/

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Activity: August


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Save bubble wrap from packaging and tape it to the floor to make a long runway.

Run across the bubble wrap to hear it pop under their feet.

Drive vehicles across it too!

Tips:

This is amazing for gross motor skill, because kids can’t help but want to pop those bubbles! They’ll jump, crawl and run to make them pop!

This is also fantastic for fine motor skills. Toddlers will likely want to get down on all fours and pop the bubbles with their fingers, let them!

Can they hear more popping when they run or jump? What about if they crawl? What works the best. Older kids can test and find out!

Bubble Wrap Runway

Supplies: bubble wrap

toy trucks or other toys


http://handsonaswegrow.com/bubble-runway-popping/

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Member Activity: August


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Position two toilet paper tubes together, side by side the long ways and hot glue them together (or tape around both tubes).

Punch a hole on each side and tie a long string to each hole to make a strap.

Decorate as desired with paint, stickers, glitter, etc.

Tips:

If you don’t have toilet paper tubes, you can use a light cardboard (like a cereal box), roll it and tape it to secure.

Let young kids take on the decorating while you do the majority of assembly. Paint is fun for them and quicker.

Older kids can do the assembly. Then go on a nature walk. Make notes of what they find with their binoculars.

Make Your Own Binoculars

Supplies: 2 toilet paper tubes

hot glue or tapehole puncherstring or yarn

paint, stickers (optional)

by member, Haley

room · 2017-08-01 · tuesday: paint with water! whether it’s on a chalk-board filled with...

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