We are Amazing Minds! A hands on, educational enrichment program running after school / summer enrichment classes in schools, park districts and camps since 2001. Even at home and outside of the classroom, we want to continue to encourage the intellectual growth of each child and continue our mission at making learning FUN!  We want to help YOU and your child engage in our fun, hands on, creative, topic based activities. We have adapted and created some activities for home!  ENJOY!

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MATH

Activity #1) Cubits

Objective: Students will utilize an Ancient Egyptian unit of measurement while simultaneously practicing their math skills.

Discussion:  What is a Cubit?  This is the unit of measurement used by the Ancient Egyptians. Take a piece of rope/string/yarn and hold it starting at the tip of your index finger down to your elbow.  This = 1 cubit.

Materials

1. Attached worksheet
2. Rope, string or yarn

Directions

1. Use the attached worksheet to measure and record the objects around your house.  
2. Go beyond the worksheet and measure whatever you want!  
3. Compare your findings with others.  Because everyone’s forearms are a different length, your findings will not all be alike. (Could this be why cubits are no longer used to make accurate measurements?) 

Activity #2) Tangrams

Objective: Students will use geometrical shapes to solve various puzzles.

Discussion: Tangram puzzles originated in Imperial China during the Tang dynasty.  Like building blocks, tangrams can teach children about spatial relationships and help develop stronger problem solving abilities.

Materials

1. 2 attached worksheets
   1. Worksheet 1
   2. Worksheet 2
2. Scissors

Directions

1. Cut out the shapes along the dotted lines from the first sheet and arrange them on the 2nd sheet to complete the puzzles. 

Activity #3) Graphing Coins Activity

Objective: Students will identify the names and values of coins and use them to complete a graph.

Discussion:  Explain to children that they will be making a bar graph. A graph is a way to display information about the number of items (ie- coins)  you have. Discuss the name and value of each coin. 

Materials

1. Attached worksheet
2. Variety of coins (pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters) 
3. Crayons

Directions

1. Sort the coins into piles of like coins. 
2. Look at the graph and the squares at the bottom of the page.
3. In the square with the number 1 in it, draw a picture of one type of coin.
4. Do this with the rest of the numbered squares. Draw a picture of each type of coin, a different type in each square.
5. Starting with the first coin, color upwards the number of coins you have of that type. You may make a line or color the entire width in. .
6. Change color of crayon. Do the same for coin #2.
7. Continue until all coins are graphed.

Activity #4) Germs on your Hand

Objective:  Students will practice simple addition to count the variety of germs around us.

Discussion: Germs are invisible to the naked eye but just because we can not see them does not mean they are not there. Everyone has germs and most are completely harmless and never make us sick. Ask “how do you think germs are spread?” and “How can we prevent the spread of germs?” 

Materials

1. Attached worksheet
2. Crayons

Directions

1. Use a different color crayon for each “germ” shape. 
2. Count the number of “germs” on the worksheet and fill it out. 
3. Use these numbers to complete the math problems at the bottom of the page.

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SCIENCE

Activity #1) Make a Kite

Objective: Students will learn how an object is able to take flight.  Students will demonstrate an ability to build and fly a kite.

Discussion: A kite depends on wind to overcome gravity so that it can fly. The basic principle of kite flying has to do with air pressure.  Thrust and lift are the forces that make kites fly. Thrust (ability to move forward) is created by the wind so the speed of the wind affects how well a kite flies.  Lift (ability to move upwards) is produced when the string across the kite (bridle) (the skewer or straw you will tape across the kite) and the line (the string used to fly the kite) hold the kite at an angle to the wind.  The correct angle causes the air to move more slowly across the face of the kite and push the kite upward. At the same time air moves more quickly across the back of the kite and reduces air pressure to create lift. The difference in air pressure is what causes kites to fly.

Materials

1. 8 ½ x 11 paper
2. Wooden skewer or straw
3. Crepe paper
4. Tape
5. 1 roll of kite string
6. Craft stick
7. Hole puncher
8. Scissors
9. Attached worksheet directions

Directions

1. Follow attached directions step by step. 
2. Decorate your kite. 
3. Go outside and fly your kite!

Activities #2) Chemistry

1. Bouncing Raisin experiment
   1. See attached sheet for all materials and directions
2. Moving pepper experiment 

Objective: Students will use chemical reactions to perform scientific experiments.

Discussion: Chemistry is the study of the way materials are put together and studying their behavior under different conditions. With the bouncing raisin experiment, combining vinegar and baking soda creates bubbles of carbon dioxide, the same gas that is in carbonated soda. Bubbles collect on the raisins and lift them up. At the surface the bubbles escape, the raisins sink, and the process begins again.  With the moving pepper experiment actual science happens because the soap breaks the surface tension of the water, like popping a balloon. It is the WATER that moves, not the pepper that is floating on it. Surface tension is caused when the molecules in a liquid cluster together. Because of surface tension, small objects can be supported by the surface of a liquid without sinking. Insects for example can walk across the surface of a pond because of the surface tension of water.

Materials

1. Toothpick
2. Paper cup with water
3. Liquid dishwashing soap
4. Pepper

Directions 

1. Fill the cup with water.
2. Sprinkle a teaspoon of pepper into the water.
3. Dip the tip of the toothpick in the liquid soap.
4. Place the soap dipped tip of the toothpick into the water.

Discussion:  What happens?

Activity #3) Make a Cloud

Objective: The student will be able to see how a cloud is formed.

Discussion: In this experiment, students will create the conditions necessary for cloud formation.  Clouds form when water vapor in the air condense and stick to dust particles (that we are providing with the match). Then we cool the air by lowering the air pressure in the bottle.  The black paper helps us see the ‘cloud’ better.

Materials

1. Hot tap water
2. Disposable plastic water bottle with label removed
3. 1 sheet black construction paper
4. Matches 

Directions

1. Place your mouth over the opening and blow into it to ensure that the bottle is fully expanded.
   2. Pour 2” of very hot tap water into the water bottle.
2. Immediately seal the bottle with the cap.
3. Shake the bottle vigorously (This distributes water molecules).
4. Light a match, let it burn for 2 seconds.
5. Open the bottle and drop the lit match into the bottle.
6. Quickly recap the bottle.
7. Lay the bottle on its side on the black paper.
8. With the bottle still laying on its side compress the bottle’s side for 10 seconds.
9. Take off bottle cap and gently squeeze bottle to “encourage” the “cloud” to come out. You have less than a minute to observe it. As the vapor is being released, it looks similar to fog.

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SOCIAL STUDIES

Activity #1) Sacred Bowl Game

Objective: Students will learn, create and be able to play an authentic Native American children’s game.  

Discussion: The Sacred Bowl game was invented by the Native Americans. They built their own games with materials they found in nature. They didn’t have a place to buy toys over 100 years ago, so people made their own. 

Materials

1. Attached Worksheet
2. Paper plate
3. Marker
4. Sunflower seeds (or any similar item)

Directions

1. Draw a vertical and horizontal line in the middle of the paper plate creating 4 equal sized quadrants.
2. Glue 1 animal from attached worksheet onto each quadrant.
3. Can decorate paper plate.
4. Take 6 sunflower seeds and color ONLY ONE side of each. (If no sunflower seeds, can use anything where you can color 1 side of the object-even cut up pieces of paper).
5. Play the game according to instructions on Worksheet #2.

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LANGUAGE ARTS

Activity #1) Rhyming

Objective: Students will think of six or more rhyming words and use them to write sentences.

Discussion:  How can we tell if 2 words rhyme? You listen closely to HEAR the same letter sounds at the end of the words and to SEE the spelling of the words. If two words end in the same sound or the same letters, they rhyme.

Materials

1. Index cards or pieces of paper
2. Pencil
3. Optional- Dr. Seuss books or similar rhyming books; If you don’t have any rhyming books at home, go online and find some rhyming books like Dr. Seuss or another fan favorite- Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends and try to find and list the rhyming words 

Directions

1. Write as many rhyming words down that you can think of on the index cards/paper (i.e.-run, fun, bad, sad).
2. Have someone hide the words around the house and then you go hunt for all of them. 
3. Use these words to make up funny sentences. 
4. You can also put all the words that rhyme into pairs once you find all the cards

Activity #2) Alphabetical Order 

Objective: Students will demonstrate ability to put words in alphabetical order looking at the first, second, or third letter in a word.

Discussion: Alphabetical order is a way to put things in order so they are easier to find. When we put things in alphabetical order, the name of the first item begins with the letter closest to A and the last item’s name is closest to the letter Z.  Things can be arranged in different orders (ie shortest to tallest, lightest to heaviest, newest to oldest)

Materials

1. Construction paper
2. Books or pictures of animals 
3. Crayons/Markers
4. Glue and Scissors

Directions

1. Fold construction paper in ½ to mimic a book. Then write the letters “A” through “Z” vertically on the paper.
2. Write in alphabetical order the names of the various animals you choose to use until you’ve found one for every letter. 
3. Or, instead, you can cut pictures out of books/magazines and glue them next to appropriate letter.
4. If you have more than one word/picture with the same letter (ie- monkey, mouse), put them in alphabetical order by looking at 2nd letter in the word.
5. Decorate the cover of your book.

Activity #3) Pet Rock

Objective: Students will familiarize themselves with adjective usage.

Discussion:  What is an adjective?  It is a word used to describe a noun.  What is a noun? A person, place or thing.  We use adjectives to describe what things look like, how they feel, etc. What physical characteristics does a rock have? (ie- bumpy, smooth, hard, grainy, grey, black,etc)  

Materials

1. Rocks from outside
2. Paper
3. Pencil

Directions

1. Go on a rock hunt. Collect as many interesting rocks you can find.
2. Come up with as many adjectives (little, big, rough, bumpy, smooth, etc.) to describe each rock. Write them down. Pick your favorite rock to do the following activity.

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ARTS AND CRAFTS

Activity #1) Stuffed Whale

Objective: Students will create their own stuffed whale with all the necessary body parts.

Discussion: Although whales spend all their time in the ocean, they are mammals like us. Whales have lived on the earth for 50 million years. Whales propel themselves through the water with their tails. Most whales have a stiff fin on their back that helps them stay on course while swimming. This fin can be large or small depending on the type of whale. A whale has a flipper on each side of the body. Before whales moved into the water these flippers were used to walk on land! Whale flippers are now used for steering, braking or to knock away an attacker. Whales have nostrils called blowholes. They are located on the top of their heads and allow them to breathe by surfacing, rather than sticking their whole head out of the water. 

Materials

1. Assortment of blue, black and gray markers
2. Paper lunch bag
3. Shredded newspaper or other material used for stuffing
4. Blue construction paper
5. Scissors
6. Rubber band
7. Straw 
8. Glue

Directions

1. Color the bag completely with markers.  The bottom of the bag is the face so you can make eyes, mouth, etc.
2. Stuff paper bag with stuffing about 3/4 full.
3. Rubber band the top (open end) closed. The stuffed part of the body is the whale. The banded part is the tail.
4. Cut out the blue construction paper in the shape of fins/flippers and glue 1 on each side of the belly of the whale (the underside) and one on its back (the top of the bag). 
5. CAREFULLY with a sharp pencil, poke a hole in the top of your bag (blowhole).
6. Cut the straw so you have piece 2-3 inches long and Insert into the hole. This is the water coming out of the blowhole.  Can decorate the straw with blue construction paper.

Activity #2) Save the Earth

Objective: Create a beautiful planet Earth as you see it.  You can make it blue/green or even rainbow- your choice!

Discussion: Factories, electric power plants, and cars are making a lot of new gases. Even trees, when they are cut down give off gases. These new gases are trapping more and more of the sun’s heat in the atmosphere. This is called the greenhouse effect, or global warming.  If the earth’s temperature gets hotter by just a few degrees, it could change the weather all over the planet. Places that are warm would become too hot to live in, and places that are cold would become warm. In some places on Earth where the polar bears live, the ice is melting and disappearing and the polar bears are losing their homes.  The places that grow most of our food could get too hot to grow crops anymore. Kids can help! Care for the earth! Use less energy, practice the 3 R’s, protect and plant trees.

Materials

1. Round paper coffee filter
2. Sheet of construction paper
3. Water colors or washable markers
4. Spray bottle with water
5. Glue

Directions

1. Watercolors: Use paint brush to dab a variety of watercolors onto the filter. Cover the entire filter with color.
2. If using washable markers: FIRST, draw on the filter, then spray with water and color will run like watercolor paint.
3. Put filter aside and allow to dry.
4. After it’s dry, glue onto construction paper and can decorate construction paper.

Activity #3) Pet Rock

Objective: To create a home for your new pet rock.  You can try and match your rock’s new home with the characteristics (adjectives) you’ve used to describe it. (ie- if you described your rock as grey, make/color the home grey, etc.)

Materials

1. Rock from rock hunt
2. Brown lunch bag
3. Materials to decorate lunch bag

Directions

1. Use your favorite rock from the rock hunt above. 
2. Use a brown lunch bag to decorate bag with materials. This is your pet rock’s new home.

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ADDITIONAL GAMES

1) Memory Game

Materials

1. Index cards or paper
2. Pencil
3. Can use the rhyming words on the index cards from Language Arts activity.

Directions

1. Write pair of words for mammals, reptiles or both (ie- giraffe, elephant, snake, turtle).  Can choose any subject matter.
2. Mix up the cards and lay them in rows, face down.
3. Take turns turning over 2 cards at a time trying to find a matching pair.
4. If the two cards match, keep them.
5. Whoever has the most matches wins!