Water, Water Everywhere!

For our first week, I decided it would be fun to learn about water. It is summer vacation, and what better way to kick off the summer than to get wet? Below I will outline our plans for the week by day, and categorize everything by subject. I choose things I think will be fun for my daughter (and me!), and try to find a balance of different type of learning activities throughout the week. At the bottom, I will list all of the materials required for the week's activities to make it easier to plan and play along!

Monday:

Reading: Go to the library to get books about water (and attend Toddler Tales)
Fitness: Swimming at the water park
Math: Make blue jello with gummy fish (measuring)
Reading/World Around Me: "Sun Dance, Water Dance" by Jonathan London; "The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin; "I Get Wet" by Vicki Cobb; "Let's Try It Out in the Water" by Seymour Simon and Nicole Fauteux

Tuesday:

Fitness / World Around Me: Go for a hike at the State Park
Art: Painting with ice
World Around Me: Float or Sink Game
Math / Art: Make and paint with liquid chalk
Music: Watch The Little Mermaid
Reading: "Splish Splash" poems by Joan Bransfield Graham; "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey

Wednesday:

Music: $1 summer movies - Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
World Around Me/Math: Oil and water experiments, make a cloud (evaporation, condensation, precipitation)
Fitness / Art: Splash Bullseye with sidewalk chalk
Reading: "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Suess; "Water Everywhere" by Jill Atkins

Thursday:

Math/World Around Me: Make flubber
Reading: Ice letters
World Around Me/Reading: Solids, Liquids and Gases ("Experiments with Solids, Liquids and Gases" by Christine Taylor-Butler)
Fitness: Swimming
Reading: Pick from library books

Friday:

Fitness/World Around Me: Walk downtown; river / waterfall / splash area
Music: Rainbow Xylophone
Reading/Art: Chalk paint alphabet stencils
World Around Me: Properties of water (flow, absorption/cohesion, surface tension)
Reading: Pick from library books

Materials:

Books - 

• "Sun Dance, Water Dance" by Jonathan London
• "The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig" by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
• "I Get Wet" by Vicki Cobb; "Let's Try It Out in the Water" by Seymour Simon and Nicole Fauteux
• "Splish Splash" poems by Joan Bransfield Graham
• "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey
• "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Suess
• "Water Everywhere" by Jill Atkins
• "Experiments with Solids, Liquids and Gases" by Christine Taylor-Butler   

(Note: these books were randomly selected from the juvenile section of the library - substitute with your favorite water-themed books.)

Consumables - 

• Blue jello
• Gummy fish or sharks (I used Swedish Fish)
• Clear plastic cups
• Cheap sponges (no "scrub" side)
• Small zip ties
• Washable tempera paint
• Popsicle sticks
• Cornstarch
• Vegetable oil
• Food coloring
• Paper bowl
• Elmer's glue
• Borax
• Paper towels

 Equipment -

• Baby pool
• Measuring cups
• Ice cube tray
• Random household items - some that float and some that sink (I used: cut up pool noodle, foam shapes, ping pong balls, golf balls, rocks, marbles, beach/bath toys, small containers)
• Tray to mix paint - like a cheap vegetable tray
• Paintbrushes
• Water-themed movies (The Little Mermaid and Chipwrecked, or substitute with your own favorites like Finding Nemo or Free Willy)
• Fun ice cube trays (alphabet, numbers, shapes)
• Drinking glasses of different sizes
• Alphabet stencils (I used the large foam floor mat pieces)