Homework Resources
Social Sciences
Science / Social Studies / Health - Exploring the world around us through hands-on discovery and community engagement.
Weather and Seasons
1. Weather Chart
Create or purchase a simple weather chart. Each day make a notation of the weather. At the end of the week or month create a bar graph showing the number of sunny and rainy days or the spread of temperature: hot, warm, cool and cold days.
2. Spring Hat Creation
Seasons: Spring: Give your child a plain white paper plate and old scraps of fabric, magazine photos, construction paper and allow your child to decorate the plate to make a springtime hat. Add yarn to tie and when finished either you or your child proudly wear the springtime hat.
Social Skills and Emotional Development
3. Managing Anger
Discuss appropriate ways to handle anger rather than getting angry or having a temper tantrum.
4. Expressing Emotions
Teach your child words to appropriately express anger.
5. Ways to Share
Make a list of ways to share.
6. Cooperation Discussion
Discuss what cooperation means (working together). Make a list together of the ways your family cooperates together.
7. Emotion Faces
Sing the song: "If You're Happy and You Know It" together. Change the words to other feelings. Then have your child show these emotions with his/her face.
8. Puppet Show
Make a set of Happy face and Sad face paper plate puppets. Then encourage your child to make up a story using the puppets. (This activity can be repeated throughout the year.)
Nature and Science Exploration
9. Leaf Study
Go for a walk. Collect some leaves (autumn). Take the leaves inside and study the leaves. Point out the parts of the leaves. Then put a sheet of paper over the leaves and use a crayon to rub over the leaves. The shape of the leaves should appear on the paper.
10. Bark Rubbing
Go for another nature walk. Take your paper and crayons with you. Find a nice big tree. Place the paper over the bark of the tree. Rub the crayon across the paper to make a bark rubbing.
11. Rock Collection
Go for a walk outside. Take a small bag with you. Call this a nature walk and collect stones and rocks as you walk. When you return home spread the rocks out, count them, line them up by size then "study" each rock. How are they the same? How are they different?
12. Weed Study
Is the weather nice today? Go for another nature walk. This time pull up a weed from the garden or grassy area. Examine it closely studying the leaves, stem, roots, etc. Bring the weed home. Study it further then have your child draw the weed. Help your child label the parts of the weed.
13. Magnet Experiment
Is your child curious? Purchase an inexpensive magnet. Then let your child go through the house experimenting to see which surfaces attract the magnet. Help your child make a list of items that are attracted and those that are not attracted.
14. Shadow Observations
Shadows: Go outside different times of the year to see how different your shadows are. Write your observation and draw a picture showing the shadow (or use a digital camera to show the shadows.)
15. Daily Shadow Changes
Another shadow activity. Plan to do this experiment on a day off from school. Go outside different times of the day and stand in the sun to form a shadow. Which time of day is your shadow the longest?
Geography and Community
16. License Plate Hunt
While driving in the car, have your child find license plates from other states.
17. Navigation Skills
While driving to a familiar location, see if your child can tell you where the next turn comes.
18. Block Neighborhood
Encourage your child to build your neighborhood out of blocks. Then ask your child to describe the neighborhood by using the blocks scene.
19. Map Reading
Pull out a globe or world map. Read the map together. Try to find your country, state and city on the map.
20. Language Learning
Learn to say "Hello" in three or four other languages.
21. Street Safety
Take a walk and teach your child how to cross the street safely, remember to look both ways and listen, then proceed to cross.
Health and Self-Care
22. Exercise Importance
Talk about the importance of exercising to stay healthy. Discuss what it means to be healthy.
23. Warm-Up Exercises
Go outside and help your child warm up his/her muscles. Stretch, flex, bend and practice balancing on one or both feet.
24. Family Exercise Routine
Start a family exercise routine. Go for a walk or bike ride together as many evenings as possible.
25. Dance Movement
Put on some lively dance music and dance together. Show your child some dance movements.
26. Obstacle Course
Create an obstacle course either in the yard or in the house. Use many motor skills such as skip, hop, jump, run, gallop, etc. Also use position words such as under, over, next to.
27. Heart Rate Activity
Older children love to learn about their hearts. Have your child predict how many times his/her heart will beat in 10 seconds. Show your child how to find a pulse on the arm or throat. Then help him/her count the beats while you keep time. How about if you run for 10 seconds first?
28. Beach Ball Challenge
Winter time fun… Put a beach ball in the middle of the floor. See how many ways your child can think of to move the ball across the floor without touching it.
29. Hand Washing
Teach your child how to properly wash his/her hands before eating and after using the bathroom. Washing should last at least 20 seconds, just long enough to sing Row, Row Row Your Boat or Happy Birthday.
30. Teeth Brushing
Teach your child how to brush his/her teeth. Demonstrate the movements then set the timer for one minute.
31. Hair Care
Teach your child how to comb his/her hair.
32. Dressing Skills
Encourage your child to dress him/herself. Assist when needed. Don't let your child get too frustrated with dressing, especially with tying shoes.
33. Shoe Tying
Now start to teach your child how to tie a shoe. This takes much practice.
Safety Education
34. Emergency Awareness
Teach your child what an emergency is. Role-play what you should do in an emergency.
35. 911 Practice
Using a toy phone, have your child practice dialing 9-1-1 in case of an emergency. Explain this is not a joke.
36. Water Safety
Talk to your child about water safety. Make a list of the fun things people do in water such as swim, dive, etc..
37. Stranger Safety
Talk to your child about "stranger danger" read the book, The Berenstain Bears Learn about Strangers. Discuss the story.
38. Fire Safety
Teach your child the danger of playing with fire and/or matches.
39. Stop, Drop, and Roll
Start to teach your child how to "stop, drop and roll" if his/her clothing is caught on fire. Practice, but do not scare your child.
40. Smoke Detectors
Work together to check each smoke detector in the house. Explain how they work and see if your child can answer, Why do we have smoke detectors?
41. Car Safety
Discuss riding in the car safety. Mention how your child should be quiet when riding in the car and the weather is poor.
Food and Cooking Activities
42. Pizza Making
Make a pizza together. Discuss where the ingredients came from. While it is cooking, read The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza by Sturges. Discuss who helped in the story.
43. Table Setting
Let your child help set a lovely dinner table, flowers, candles, and proper place settings. Discuss as you set.
44. Popcorn Observation
Snack break! Pull out a bag of popcorn. Sit and observe the corn kernels before they are popped. Discuss how corn pops. Then make the popcorn. Hold out a few kernels to be observed next to popped kernels. Of course, when you are finished observing, enjoy your snack.
Science Experiments
45. Sink or Float
Fill a small bowl or tub with water. Let your child choose some toys and experiment to see if each will sink or float.
46. Sailboat Movement
Fill your bowl or small tub with water again. This time float a small toy sailboat. Talk about the boat floating on the water. Can your child move the boat across the water without touching it? Explain how and why.
47. Ice Cube Melting
This activity should be repeated throughout the school year. Place an ice cube outside in the sun. Watch what happens. Compare what it looked like before you took it out and what it looks like after it has been out in the sun. Try this on different seasons and temperatures.
48. Sun Fading Experiment
Older children may enjoy this experiment. Take a dark piece of construction paper. Tape or glue a few leaves to the paper. Place the paper on a sunny windowsill. Have your child guess what will happen to the paper. Go back and take the paper a few weeks later. Remove the leaves and observe how much the paper has faded in the sun.
49. Air Movement Experiment
Collect a variety of smaller objects, cotton ball, marble, feather, small rock, etc… then give your child a drinking straw. Have your child experiment to see which object will move by blowing through the straw. Help your child keep a list of those objects that move and those that do not move. If your child can write, have him/her write the names of the objects.
50. Plant Growth Experiment
Plants are always a great science tool. Purchase a few small potted plants. Discuss how plants need light and water to grow. Place one plant in the closet (don't forget to water it); one plant in the sun but not watered (make a sign No Watering); one plant in the sun with regular watering. Have your child observe the changes in the plants. Drawing the differences and writing observations is great. Your child can keep a plant journal. This experiment will take a few weeks.
51. How Plants Drink
How does a plant drink? Take a stalk of celery with the leaves still attached. Cut off the end to make it straight. Then put the cut end into a glass of water that has blue or red food coloring in the water. Take pictures or draw observations twice a day. This experiment will take a few days. Discuss what is happening to the colored water.
52. Ramp Experiment
Ramps are always fun! Build a ramp then experiment with various toys to see which ones will roll down the ramp and which won't. Make a graph of the results: "Rolls", "Not Rolls"
Personal Development
53. Growth Chart
Measure and weigh your child. Start a chart to keep track of growth. Re-measure once a month for the rest of the school year. Watch as your child grows.
54. Hand and Footprints
Make a picture by making hand prints and footprints. It is easier if you paint the hands and your child presses them on the paper. Then repeat for feet. Allow to dry and discuss the picture.
55. "Me" Banner
Make a "me" banner. Give your child a long piece of paper, old magazines, scissors, glue and crayons. Help your child to write his/her name on the banner then cut and paste or draw pictures to show what your child is like or likes. Hang up the banner after discussing it.
56. Future Career Discussion
Talk to your child about what he/she would like to be when he/she grows up. Think about different jobs and the work required.
57. Reading Together
Read the storybook, The Little Engine That Could, by Piper. Discuss with your child trying new activities even when they seem hard.
These activities integrate science, social studies, and health concepts to provide a well-rounded educational experience. Remember to adapt activities to your child's developmental level and interests!