Porch Play Chats are conversations with experts regarding topics related to play. Sponsored by the American Association for Promoting the Child’s Right to Play or more affectionately known as IPA USA, these Porch Play Chats bring nuggets of information to help you incorporate more play into children’s day.
To learn more about IPA USA, visit our website at IPAUSA.org.
This Porch Play Chat features Summer Belloni on why kids need recess during virtual school.
Summer has also provided a list of free resources on this topic. Tinkerlab Creator and author: Rachelle Doorly https://tinkerlab.com/book/ The book includes specific ideas, recipes, and supply lists that promote children’s creativity, process art, and ideas for provocations and invitations to play.
Lego Education WeDo 2.0 (Junior Kit) https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/lego-education-wedo-2-0-core-set/45300#product EV3 Kit (upper elementary/middle school) https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/lego-mindstorms-education-ev3-core-set/5003400#product FLL –
Lego League Robotics https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll This nonprofit group has partnered with Lego Education to create a robotics league across the country. While it’s competitive, they truly promote collaboration and teamwork. The goal is to learn STEM ideas in engineering while at the same time working within your community to learn about and solve a real world problem locally. Kids learn how engineers solve problems using principles of engineering, science, technology, math, and of course research, problem solving, presentation, and communication within a team. Art Cart We have a cart like this Parents can fill it with a variety of items from old school supplies to new and novel items from the store. We have things such as: colored pencils, markers, gel crayons, chalk pastels, tempera and water color paints, paint brushes, as well as items like paper clips, brads, buttons, foam pieces, scissors, rulers, hole punches and more. Sometimes I’ll include special items such as neon oil pastels or glow in the dark glue! We keep our paper separate so the cart can hold supplies while a cabinet nearby houses different types and sizes of paper.
Art for Kids https://www.artforkidshub.com Art Hub for Kids is for kids to watch and draw along often using simple supplies such as a pencil, marker, and crayon, colored pencil, or marker. The free version has ads, the paid version has no ads.
Deep Space Sparkle https://www.deepspacesparkle.com This site is designed for classroom teachers or homeschool parents. The lessons are written for adults to teach art to children. It’s considered structured while teaching the specific art skill, however once children learn the skill they can begin to use the skills in their own unstructured, child-chosen art expression. They have some lessons that are free, some are a few dollars, as well as some in a monthly subscription for adults.
Other ideas
Ride bikes
skateboards
roller skates/blades
scooters, etc.
Build a cardboard castle and paint it
Build a cardboard pretend drive thru favorite eatery.
Decorate it. Build a fort (couch cushions, dining room chairs upside down, cardboard, PVC pipe, flat sheets, etc.
Go fishing at a nearby pond
Play a game of hide and seek
Play basketball outside –
Use multiple basketballs if wanted or needed
Art Swimming
Indoor bowling with paper or plastic cups and a ball
Dance Party Walk, run, skip, jump rope, outside on a sidewalk or around the block
Play indoor catch with lightweight balls
Play indoor games with a small ball and laundry basket
Build something with real wood. Sometimes you can get scraps at a hardware store.
Teach kids how to use real tools then let them build and create… Lemonade stand anyone?
