Welcome back MRASP-ers! Can you believe it's already June? May flew by, but I'm excited to share new summer activities with you throughout June as the weather gets warmer!
Today on Zoom we have Word Games for K-1, Madlibs for 4-5, Veronica's Hangout, and Choose Your Own Adventure. Head over to the Zoom calendar to sign up and we'll see you there.
On the Blog we have Radical Races, a Snail Craft, Root Viewers, and Black Jack. Let's get started . . .
Radical Races
By Tyler
Tired of the same old relay races? Follow these tips and tricks to up the ante!
Grade Level: K-5
Individual or multiple people: 1+
Materials: you, a few racers, enough space, and a timer
Location: an open space preferably outdoors
Instructions:
Instead of just racing on two feet, how bout all 4’s! Here’s a way to spice up typical races that you may have with your family or siblings.
Set up a start and an endpoint for your race (they may be the same location if you are racing in a circle)
Decide what type of race you are doing: bear brawl( all 4’s), crab walk (all 4’s with your chest in the air), skipping, or wheelbarrow (if you have enough participants)
Have someone say “Ready, set, go!” and you're off. Try to complete the course as quickly as you can without taking any short cuts or coming into contact with your fellow racers.
Race again and again until you can’t race no more!
Accommodations:
If you are the only racer use a stopwatch to time how quickly you complete the course and race against yourself to try to get the quickest time!
Rolled Paper Snails
Crafted By Brendan
Grade Level: 2-5
Individual or multiple people: Individual or multiple people
Theme: Using craft materials around the house to practice fine motor skills and create a spring decoration!
Materials:
White printer paper
Pencil
Scissors
Crayons, colored pencil, or markers
Location: Table or any large flat surface usable for crafting
Instructions:
Draw the snail template by copying the design above. You can split a piece of white printer paper into four sections (for four snails) and then trace the eyes on the top of each one before cutting the whole shape out.
The long straight strip of the snail template will become its shell, while the top part that you traced and cut out will be its head and eyes.
Decorate your snail however you want with crayons, colored pencils, and markers!
Finally, once the snail is completely decorated and colored, lie it face down on the table and fold the “neck” part of the snail face up so that the head is standing straight up.
Using a pencil or marker, starting from the other end, roll the paper around the pencil or marker to create a spiral snail shell.
6. You’re done! Place your snail inside or outside, wherever it looks the best and most festive!
Links and resources: https://picklebums.com/paper-snail/
Root Viewers
Brought To Us By Aurora
Grade Level: Any
Individual or multiple people: Individual
Materials:
A Plastic Snack Baggie
Paper towels (one per root viewer)
Seeds (any kind, 3-5 per root viewer)
Location: Windowsill
Further instructions or accommodations:
Fold up your paper towel so that it fits well into a plastic snack bag. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should fill up most of the bag without having to bend.
Next, dampen the paper towel. It should be wet, but not so much that it starts to break apart. Place the paper towel inside of the plastic bag, as flat as you can.
Lay 3-5 seeds on top of the paper towel inside of the bag and close the bag. Make sure there is about one inch of space between each seed. I like to put a couple of different kinds of seeds inside to compare how the different plant’s roots look.
Finally, set your root viewer in a sunny windowsill or use masking tape to attach it to the window itself. Either way, make sure that the seeds are facing the sun. Check on your seeds every day or two to watch the roots grow!
Note: The seeds will only survive one or two weeks inside of the root viewer. After about a week, I like to transplant the seeds into small pots or into a garden so that they have a chance to grow into full plants. After transplanting, you can continue to observe them every couple of days - not for root growth, but for above-ground growth such as leaves and flowers.
Optional: Keep a journal to draw a picture and write about your seed every day so you can record the growth like a scientist!
Blackjack
Dealt By Meg
Grade Level: 3rd-5th
Individual or multiple people: 2-10 people
Theme: Game, Strategy
Materials: Deck of cards
Location: Anywhere!
Links and resources: https://wehavekids.com/parenting/Card-Games-For-Kids#mod_45697225
Key Information:
The goal is to get the cards to add up to 21
Aces are worth 1 or 11 points
Jacks, Queens, and Kings are worth 10 points
Other cards are worth the number that’s on the card
Instructions:
Shuffle cards and deal 2 to each player
Each player should look at their cards and decide if they want to stick (this means they don’t want anymore cards) or tell the dealer they want another card. (players can keep asking for cards as many times as they want, but once they add up to over 21, they lose).
Once all players have “stuck” all remaining players show their hands.
The winner is the one with cards that add up the closest to 21
Hope you enjoy these activities and we will see you later on Zoom!
