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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Introduce children to creative learning

ABC stones keep kids entertained.
Donna Erickson

Summer days are skipping by, but there is still plenty of time for creative learning adventures and fun with your kids. Add these simple ideas to your list of activities, and you’ll always have something fun to do.

ABC stones: Collect pretty rocks and pebbles from nature walks or strolls along the beach. When you return home, create “ABC” stones. Rinse off rocks if needed, and let dry thoroughly. Paint a design and images on the large ones with acrylic paints. Or, use permanent markers to write single words or alphabet letters on the flat side of each rock.

Arrange them in a row to write a poem, sentence, name or word. Store the stones in a decorated box and place on your kitchen table, ready to use whenever you feel inspired.

Nurture creativity: Play a game by looking around your home together with different “glasses.” In other words, think about ways you can use an object you see for something other than its intended use. Empty tin cans on the kitchen counter? Turn them upside down, and they could be jungle drums. Plastic drinking cups? Hold them up to your eyes for “alien” goggles.

Get organized: Sort through closets, cupboards and drawers. Donate children’s books and magazines you no longer use.

Garden surprise: Provide an incentive of weeding the family vegetable plot. Hide tiny tokens among the crabgrass and the dandelions. Tokens can be exchanged for rewards, such as a walk to the playground, a swim at the lake or a bike ride to a favorite destination.

Sing-along: On a weekend jaunt in the country, sing together in the car. Make the harmonizing extra fun by making up new lyrics to favorite songs. For example, to the tune of the song “The Wheels on the Bus,” you might create “the berries in the field are red and sweet.” Other traditional songs that work well are “Oh! Susanna” and “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain.”

See more ideas at www.donnasday.com