5 TV Free Activities For Your Daycare

1. Home Made Play Dough

Home Made Play Dough
Required:

  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Oil
  • Alum
  • Container
  • Cookie Cutters
  • Kitchen Implements
  • Food Coloring

Here’s a classic hit with kids (and parents) of all ages. It’s easier to mold than clay – and easier to clean up after, too.

The cooking part is for grownups only. Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup of salt, and 1 tablespoon of powdered alum. (You can find alum in the spice aisle.) Add 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 cup of boiling water. Stir the mixture until it’s cool, then knead in food coloring. (Your child will love to help out.)

Once the play dough is ready, give your kids cookie cutters, rolling pins, a garlic press, spatulas, or anything else that can be used for shaping and cutting. Pass out play dishes, pans, flatware, and so on, in case your kids feel like throwing a play dough party.

The stuff can last for months. Always keep the dough in airtight containers when it is not in use – otherwise it dries out. (Fortunately, you can rejuvenate even the most crusty play dough by resealing it in a container after sprinkling it with water. After a day or so, take it out and knead it. It will be as good as new.)

2. Make Paper Chains

Paper Chain
Required:

  • Construction Paper
  • Safety Scissors
  • Adhesive Tape

You probably remember these from grammar school. Paper chains are the construction-paper links that make for festive decorations at holiday time – or anytime your kids want.

Cut a number of small strips of construction paper about six inches long and one inch wide. (Use safety scissors.) The strips should be uniform in size, but of different colors. (Monochromatic chains are boring.)

Connect the two ends of the strips with a small piece of transparent tape. Then links the next one inside it and connect it in the same fashion. Repeat…and repeat…and repeat. Deck the halls with links of construction paper!

Beware: This is addictive!

3. Macaroni Cards

Macaroni Card
Required:

  • Paper
  • Macaroni
  • Glue
  • Tempera Paint

Why should your kid bother with those stuffy preprinted greeting cards? When holidays, birthdays, or other special events roll around, have your child put together a deluxe macaroni card.

These are cards that use dry, uncooked macaroni noodles (or any other variety that suits your child’s fancy) as decorative elements. You glue them into place with nontoxic glue, let them dry (a couple of hours will usually suffice), and then decorate the cards and the noodles with tempera paint. They make quite a statement! (Only one warning is in order: If you plan on mailing the cards to a friend or a loved one, be sure to use adequate cushioning; it’s no fun if the noodles crack. Popping the card into a standard envelope will only invite the wrath of the Postal Service’s automatic sorting machines.)

The cards are perfect for birthdays, Mother’s, Father’s, or grandparent’s Days, Hanukkah, Christmas, or just about any other occasion – including no reason at all.

4. Juice Bar Delight

Homemade Juice Bars

  • Juices
  • Paper Cups
  • Spoons
  • Refrigerator

In the summertime, your kids may be used to slurping down lots of frozen “pop” bars. The only problem is, these treats have minimal nutritional value (most are essentially colored sugar water). Plus, they’re expensive. Why not make a project out of making your own juice bars with your kids?

All you need are a few paper cups, some reclaimed, washed plastic spoons, and a bottle or two of your favorite fruit juices. Pour juice into the cup, set the spoon in (it will freeze at an angle, but that adds to the character), and place the cup in the freezer. Approximately two hours later, run the cup under warm water and you’ll have a delicious homemade frozen treat.

Your kids will eventually find themselves experimenting with various juice combination, some of which will be quite tasty. We can vouch for apple/cranberry juice bars; other, more adventurous flavors proved too intense to sample. You’d flinch, too, at a gourmet tomato juice/pickle drainings/peach nectar bar.

5. Set Up A Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger Hunt with Kids
Required:

  • Paper
  • Crayons or Markers
  • Household objects

Optional:

  • Paper or cloth
  • Basket

Did you ever go on a scavenger hunt at a birthday party or at a summer camp? If not, you missed out on one of the great rambunctious joys of youth. Here’s how you can recapture the fun.

Make up a list of objects around the house, your backyard, your neighborhood – as far as you want to extend the hunt. Be very specific. The pre-reading set can enjoy the fun if you give them a picture list; draw simple pictures of the objects they are to find. Keep it easy – a blue sock, a red truck, a book about teddy bears, and so on. Give your child the list and a bag or basket specifically decorated for the occasion, and be sure to tag along for the fun.

Have everyone work together on one list, time the hunt, and encourage the team to work even faster the next time. Alternatively, you might have your kids make a list of things for you to find. If you have trouble, just ask a toddler for help – these things are often clearer when you’re closer to the ground.