What is it about bubbles?
Something about them makes us want to stop, stare, marvel, pop, and play—whether we’re two, 12, or 60.
One thing that makes bubbles so special is the fact that they’re temporary—they float through their course before they pop and vanish. At Chicago Children’s Museum, we believe there’s a powerful lesson there—for our littles, and for us.
This week we’ve been embracing the mess. Because let’s face it—our littles are messy—and that’s one of the best parts of play.
One of the best ways to embrace the mess is through sensory play! When little ones explore their senses, they often make a mess—with paint, water, dirt, or whatever other materials they’re using—but they also learn some powerful stuff.
We’ll admit it: Sometimes being a grownup can be really boring. When we’re kids, our whole lives revolve around imagination and trying new things—days are about a lot more than Zoom meetings and taking out the trash.
But, we’re also here to tell you: Play is everywhere, and even the most boring grownup stuff has the potential to turn into a powerful play moment!
Is anyone else going through groceries like never before? Staying at home means more meals at home, and more meals at home means more empty containers.
That’s where today’s at-home activity comes in. It shows how you and your littles can take an empty milk carton, egg carton, or even a clean takeout container and create a bird feeder. From there, your little ones can be in charge of refilling the feeder and keeping track of which birds visit it.
Did you know that inside every water-based marker lies a whole world of painting possibility?
Today’s at home activity explores those possibilities through the use of chromatography, otherwise known as “color writing.”
When you stick a water-based marker into a cup of water, the different pigments (or colors) inside the marker will actually separate based on their density (or weight). Some pigments will sink, some will float, and some will land somewhere in-between.
By using water and a paper towel, your kiddos can explore this fascinating phenomenon, all while creating a beautiful piece of art.
Goals:
Recognize that a single color of ink is made up of other colors
Children will:
Use water and paper towels to map the hidden colors in water-based markers.
Note how two markers of the same color may consist of different hidden colors.
What you’ll need:
water-based markers of as many colors and brands as you can find
paper towels.
Clear containers, for instance plastic or glass jars or drinking glasses
tape (masking works best)
Some scrap paper in a light color.
How to:
• Choose the colored markers you’d like to investigate. Cut a paper towel into narrow rectangles for each color. The rectangles should be at least one inch taller than the container you plan to use.
• With one marker, draw one thick horizontal line with each of the colors one inch from the bottom of the paper towel rectangle.
Stand each rectangle up in the container so this line is close to the bottom. Fold the blank extra inch at top over the rim of to the outside container. Secure it with tape or a binder clip.
•Carefully pour one half inch of water into the jar, so it’s just below the line. Make sure it’s enough to wet the bottom edge of the rectangle. Keep the rest of the rectangle dry.
•Watch! The water at the bottom of the container will quickly climb up the paper towel, taking color pigments with it.
•When the water reaches the top of the paper towel, pull out the wet paper towel and lay it on a light-colored paper or washable surface. (The wet rectangles may leave some color on the surface underneath).
• Repeat this process with several more markers. Which color markers have blends of different pigments? What colors do you see?
•Compare the results of two or three markers of the same color, but from different sets or different brands. What do you notice?
Today’s at home arts activity for kiddos brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Put your stamp on it!”
By looking around the house, yard, or other places for mess-friendly, interesting objects, your kiddos can create their very own stamp. It’s an easy way to create a DIY art project, explore different shapes and textures, and learn more about how to make a pattern.
What comes next?
We’d all love to know the answer to that question right about now. Luckily, today’s at-home activity is one way you and your little ones can explore predictability by making patterns. Because even if we don’t know what’s next for us right now, we can still rely on certain patterns and order in the world around us.
In a lot of ways, the roller coaster feels like a spot-on metaphor for the parenting and caregiving process—especially during COVID-19.
Today’s at home activity lets you and your little ones dig even deeper into what makes a roller coaster the fun, thrilling, terrifying ride that it is. Talk about what makes rides scary, then build your own with everyday, easy-to-find materials.
With today’s at home activity, you can combine a few easy-to-find ingredients to make your own textured paint. Your little ones will satisfy their inner chemist by creating their own paints, then use those paints to create three-dimensional works of art.
It’s an easy, fun, win-win art activity for your whole family.
Toilet paper isn’t as hot a commodity as it was a few weeks ago, but we’ve got one more reason to think twice about this otherwise boring item: the empty cardboard rolls.
Today’s at home activity focuses on another way to upcycle those rolls into a STEM focused, spatial reasoning exercise for your little ones.
So save whatever cardboard rolls you’ve got and let your kids discover their inner architect.
Whether it’s for an aunt or the next-door neighbor, parent, or community helper—take time to create a thank you card or sign for healthcare providers, mail carriers, grocery store employees, or anyone else deserving of gratitude, inside or outside of your household. Your kids will work on their literacy and creative skills, plus you’ll be teaching them the power of gratitude.
