Your home is a learning centre and there is lots to learn!

Your home is a learning centre This booklet was made to give you some ideas about how to use everyday situations at home as learning opportunities for you and your child to share. Don’t forget to talk as you plan and include your child in as many learning activities as possible.

Your home is a learning centre and you are the teacher!

In the kitchen let your child: *sort boxes by size or shape *measure with metric cups, spoons *help mix, stir, open, put away *find ingredients as you read a recipe *sort utensils into a divided tray *fold dish towels, water plants, wipe the table, put out place mats and set the table *find containers with sweet or salty food, contents that are wet or dry *name tools and appliances and their uses

In the bathroom let your child: *use the mirror to name body parts *fold and hang towels and wash cloths *find shapes: circle, rectangle *talk about textures: smooth, rough, hard, soft, fuzzy *talk about opposites – hot/cold, full/empty, big/little, wet/dry, clean/dirty, scented/unscented, float/sink, warm/cool *name sounds: flushing, dripping

In the living room let your child: *talk about loud, quiet, high and low sounds *develop motor skills by dusting *find shapes in common objects (television, bookcase, rugs, pillows, magazines, blinds) *name things in groups (furniture, decorations, soft things, things to read, entertainment) *develop number skills playing card or board games

In the bedroom help your child: *count knobs/doorknobs *name clothing; match socks and shoes in pairs *talk about front, back, right and wrong side of clothing *talk about fasteners: zippers, buttons, laces, snaps, Velcro *talk about clothes for hot or cold weather *sort toys by groups: the ones with wheels, or faces, the ones with moving parts, batteries…. *READ, READ, READ!

Outside the home let your child: *count steps, stones, trees, *feed the birds or a family pet *find different colours, textures, smells *find and name bugs, flowers, animals *find common shapes on: wagon, car, playground equipment *develop motor skills by: washing the car, raking leaves, watering plants

Experience trips away from your home Take your child: *on a walk around the neighbourhood *on a “listening” trip and keep notes about what you hear *on a scavenger hunt: first make a list of things to find (a yellow flower, a black pebble, a gray feather) *to the grocery store, a farm, a laundromat, the public library, a beach, a park, a recreation centre

After the trip with your child *talk about what you saw, heard, touched, and smelled *make a booklet and have your child tell the story about the trip * make a collage with things you found on the trip *put remnants (labels, tickets) in a scrapbook or ask your child to draw pictures to go with the story *take photos of the trip and help your child put them in the right order in an album *play a game or sing songs that relate to your trip