We had to take our dogs in for their annual check up and also little sister Millie in for her follow-up flu shot so it seemed like the perfect week to explore Body Parts. That's the trick to easy theme weeks...match them up to things you are already doing. Keep it simple, right? I told both the veterinarian and the pediatric nurse that we were learning about body parts and they jumped right in to help. The vet pointed out the different canine body parts she was checking and told Mia about the tools she was using. The pediatric nurse gave Mia all kinds of goodies -- tongue depressors, swabs, masks, a specimen cup -- to play with at home. While Mia was eating lunch one day, I set up a whole doctor pretend play area. I've heard this technique called "an invitation to play" (you know, on Pinterest and stuff) but it's one of my favorite things to do for Mia. After my initial setup & maybe a brief introduction, she'll go for hours (I did something similar for the Manners week teddy bear tea party). I pulled together her doctor kit, the real items from the kind nurse, and a few goodies from our own first aid kit. Oh, and you gotta lay down a piece of tissue paper because no doctor's office is complete without the noisy paper. Here's what my setup looked like:
She immediately ran to find a patient, Froggy (yes, we're original with names around here). Her favorite thing to do was take his temperature so she did that about 30 times. She listened to his heart, checked his blood pressure, covered him with bandaids, gave him shots, and fed him vitamins. And her bedside manner is pretty awesome...she gave him a kiss during his shot. Does your kid need some x-rays for his doctor kit? I found those pics during a google search and then printed & laminated. Staples will print on transparencies for you, if you want to go the ultra authentic route.
We had a play date with Mia's pal Olivia at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science this week, so we made sure to check out the Expedition Health exhibit. Everyone receives a card upon entry and you sign in with some basic info like your age, gender, and name. Then you can record different health stats at stations as you learn about body parts and systems. At the very end, they give you a printout with all your information. Mia checked her heart rate and danced around in front of the x-ray simulator. Olivia looked at her skin with an ultraviolet camera. Then her mom gave her some sunblock and we got to see how that works to protect the skin. Pretty cool!
There are so many easy activities you can do, too. I pulled out Mrs. Potato Head & a magnetic face game for Mia to play with during the week. We sang songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" and "The Hokey Pokey." I cut out random body parts from magazines and let Mia make a body collage (I included a printable link below if you don't want to cut up magazines). And this last activity is fun as a pre-bedtime family game. Give your kid a sheet of stickers and challenge them to put a sticker on daddy's nose. Put a sticker on baby brother's foot. And on and on.
A summary of all Body Parts week activities with links:
ACTIVITIES: Played Doctor with stuffed animals, Sang body parts songs like "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes" and "The Hokey Pokey," Played with Mr. Potato Head and a magnetic faces game, Labeled body parts on family members with stickers
ART PROJECTS: Made a face collage with magazine cutouts and household items (string, pasta, beads, etc)...Here's a printable from Picklebums if you don't want to cut up magazines
OUTINGS: Explored the Expedition Health exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Took the dogs to vet for their annual appointment, Supported little sister as she got her follow-up flu shot
BOOKS: When I Was Born and At Our House both by Isabel Minhos Martins, Tickle Monster by Josie Bissett
BIBLE STORY: Eve was made from Adam's rib
If you'd like to share a photo of your kid doing theme week activities, you can email it to me (email button in the left menu) or tag me on your Facebook photo or use the hashtag #weeklytoddlerthemes on Instagram (if you are private, just make sure I'm following you or tag me in the photo).
No comments:
Post a Comment