Thank you for joining us!

Throughout August, our Playful Partners created kids activity videos for the Building through Play online event! These videos are wonderful for kids who need fun things to do while at home — plus, they will learn as they play!

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!

Make Tasty Caterpillar Fruit Snacks

Enjoy story time and then learn how to make a yummy, healthy snack. You just need fruit and your imagination! We recommend grapes, bananas, berries, and peanut butter but you can use all sorts of stuff! Here are some other fun ‘caterpillar snack’ ideas: https://bit.ly/2EzoFts

Sailboat Race!

Join Westport Aquarium staff as they challenge kids to make and race their very own handmade boats from items they find at home. If you need some inspiration on craft boat ideas check out this site: https://bit.ly/32rfxzc. Then test out your design!

A huge thank you to Playful Partner Sponsor — Westport Aquarium — for making this fun video! Westport Aquarium is open for you to enjoy displays of fish from the local Pacific waters, touch tanks, hands-on interpretive exhibits, and much more! Open five days a week, (Thursday through Monday, 11am – 4pm), visit them at 321 East Harbor in Westport, WA.

Walk N Roll Scavenger Hunt

T-Rex “stopped by” our Building through Play event to bring us the Walk N Roll Scavenger Hunt. This activity is a fun way to explore your neighborhood, get some exercise and practice pedestrian and bicycle safety skills. Download the Scavenger Hunt sheet here: https://bit.ly/3b1Q3w7

A huge thank you to Playful Partner Sponsor — Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll program — for making this fun video! Intercity Transit’s Walk N Roll program educates and encourages youth to walk, bike and ride transit for transportation. Visit Intercity Transit’s YouTube (https://bit.ly/2EDeQdC) for more T-Rex videos. For more Walk N Roll activities, follow them on Facebook & Instagram at @walknrollit.

Wind Powered Car

Make wind powered cars with Puget Sound Energy and Miss Grays Harbor! What you will need: cardboard, paper, straws or penne pasta, life savers (or something that can roll), cake pop sticks (or some type of rod), hot glue gun (parents please help with this step!), markers/stickers to decorate, and fan to race your car!

A huge thank you to Playful Partner Sponsor & #powerfulpartner, Puget Sound Energy, for making this great kids video! Child Care Action Council is proud to be selected as a PSE powerful partner. As a powerful partner, CCAC and PSE work together to educate our families, employees, and supporters on ways to save energy and money on their bills, as well as safety and emergency preparedness. www.pse.com

Science Experiments

Join Dr. Science as he explores Ghost Water at the Hands On Children’s Museum. After you watch the video, be like Dr. Science and do your very own science experiment of your choice (Need some inspiration? Check out this link for 50 easy experiments you can do with your child at home: weareteachers.com/easy-science-experiments).

A huge thank you to Playful Partner Sponsors, Hands On Children’s Museum, for making this great kids video! The Hands On Children’s Museum is now open for daily visitation. Mask up and join us for safe play! Capacity limited to 35 families per 2-hour playtime. Online reservations required. More info: www.hocm.org/

Shark Fin Hats

This fun kids activity created by the Puget Sound Estuarium has a Naturalist show you how to make a shark fin hat while also giving fun facts about sharks! To follow along you’ll need: construction paper, scissors, and a glue stick.

A huge thank you to Playful Partner Sponsor, Puget Sound Estuarium, for making this great kids video! And be sure to visit the Estuarium this summer and explore exhibits featuring an amazing diversity of animals from intertidal and subtidal environments in South Puget Sound. Their animals include sea stars, anemone, shellfish, crabs and more! http://pugetsoundestuarium.org/

Bunny Puppets

This video was made by South Sound Reading Foundation and was inspired by the book “Five Little Bunnies Hopping on a Hill” by Steve Metzger. So cuddle up with your child and read the book, and then follow along with this craft video to make your own bunny puppets.

A huge thank you to Playful Partner Sponsors, South Sound Reading Foundation, for making this great kids video! All throughout the summer, they are  distributing free book packages for entire families. Learn how to sign-up for your own book package here: https://www.southsoundreading.org.

Make your own Obstacle Course!

South Sound Parent to Parent created this video to show how you can make a simple obstacle course in your home to build motor skills in toddlers.

The mission of South Sound Parent to Parent is that all families caring for someone with special needs will receive the support and resources they need to feel empowered, encouraged, and supported. Even though they are temporarily closed our office to the public during the current pandemic, they never stopped working and began virtual services without skipping a beat! This not only includes all Early Intervention services and Helping Parent Program support groups and activities but newly added events, activities and support groups as well! Since March, they have added a YouTube channel, A Grays Harbor Virtual support group, an “Ask Jim” video series and a weekly virtual parent & toddler group! They also provided a virtual training on the topic of success during challenging behaviors and a DDA Town Hall with private chat rooms available to assist families with filling out benefit packets. Check out all their programs and upcoming events here: https://www.ssp2p.org/events

Create Process Art

Create PROCESS ART by using different combinations of paper, painting tools, and paint. What is PROCESS ART, you might ask? It’s art that is focused on the experience and on exploration of techniques, tools, and materials. There is no right or wrong way for your child to explore or create – let the experience be entirely up to your child and let them choose the materials and tools they would like to use!

While your child is creating their artwork, spend time with them and sit alongside them observing their artwork. You can even create your own masterpiece alongside of them as well! Ask them questions about what they are doing and talk about the new tools, colors, shapes, and textures that they see. This could include:

  • Oh, what shape does that block make?
  • When these two colors mix together, what new color do you see?
  • Did you feel this paint with your fingers, what do you think it feels like?

Plus, if you have multiple children using the materials at one time, they are learning collaboration and great social skills. Check out our list of painting tools here: https://www.ccacwa.org/process-art-project

 

 

Finding Shapes in Nature

Capitol Land Trust and South Sound GREEN teamed up to bring you Shapes in Nature, an outdoor activity that challenges you to find different shapes outside. This activity was filmed at Capitol Land Trust’s Randall Preserve, but you can find shapes in any outdoor space! Download your shapes in nature activity sheet.

Learn more about CLT’s walking trails here: CapitolLandTrust.org. Find more activities from South Sound GREEN here: southsoundgreen.org.

Helping out the Food Bank

Work together with your child and go through your pantry to select a few canned good items that you are able to donate. Tell them that your family is able to provide your child with everything you need and now we can share with others who are hungry. Then bring your canned good items to one of the locations listed below (please remember to wear your mask and stay six-feet or more away from people).

Faux Stained Glass!

Kids — create your own faux stained glass masterpiece with items you can find in your own home! This is a great art project for children 1-5 years old and gives you a chance to talk about shapes, colors, and what happens when you mix colors.

All you need are:

 

  • A clear container lid
  • Sewing thread
  • Items that are opaque (the light shines through them) such as:
    • Markers
    • Glue/glitter glue
    • Tissue paper
    • Stickers

Rubber Band Band!

Make music with things you find around the house. Great ways to make your rubber band band, is to use a bowl or a cup and some rubber bands. Then watch this video made by Chris from the Timberland Regional Library and learn new words like Acoustics, Amplified, Low Tones, and High Tones.

This summer Timberland Regional Library is offering their Summer Library program online this year with something for the whole family including story times and STEM activities. Connect to their virtual activities here: https://www.trl.org

 

Story Stones

Create your own story stones with Squaxin Island Child Development Center and talk about how you are feeling with your kids. What you will need are 5-7 medium sized rocks and markers.

A huge thank you to Playful Partner Sponsor – Squaxin Island Child Development Center – for making this fun video! Squaxin Island Child Development Center is a tribal child development center, tucked between two creeks, and an old growth cedar forest, located in the beautiful PNW. We serve children 4 weeks old through their first day of Kindergarten. We have Early Head Start Slots, ECEAP slots and an outdoor preschool program. Follow them on Facebook at @SquaxinIslandChildDevelopmenCenter.

Thank you to our amazing sponsors!