Homefun! It’s like homework only better! Here are some things you can do at home to reinforce and duplicate what we’re learning at school. These are simply starting points for you to expand upon and even create your own. Have fun and remember to let the children guide where this exploration takes you. Activities should be age appropriately adjusted so that all ages infants to preschoolers can participate.

Our Hearts:

• Is the heart shape we see at valentines day what our heart really looks like? Search for heart images on the internet.
• Our heart is a large muscle. What does it  do for us?
• What happens to our heart when we run around?
• Our heart is filled with love for our family and friends. Call up your grandma or other loved one just to say “I love you.”

Outdoor/PE/Gross Motor:

Measure how fast your heart beats after each activity.

1. Go for a walk down the block- is your heart beating fast or slow?
2. Do 10 jumping jacks – is it beating faster?
3. Run as fast as you can down the block – is it beating really fast?  Why is your heart beating faster?
4. Add your own exercises. 

Cooking Project: Heart Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1 cantaloupe
• 1 honeydew melon
• 1/2 watermelon
• 1 6 ounce container plain low-fat yogurt
• 1 tablespoon frozen orange-juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 tablespoon honey

Make It

1. Cut fruit into 1-inch-thick slices. Using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut hearts from melon slices. Poke a hole in each heart with a toothpick, going from top to bottom. Then thread fruit on ice-pop sticks.
2. Make dip: Stir together yogurt, orange juice concentrate, and honey until well combined. Serve with hearts.

Math Skills & Language Arts:  Candy Hearts Sorting, Counting…

You’ll need a bag of colorful candy hearts and a cupcake pan

1. First put about a handful of the hearts on the table and have your child sort the hearts by colors until  the whole pile is gone.  Then have them count how many there are of each color. Which color has the most? Which color has the least? What other shapes can you think of besides the heart shape?
2. Have your child give you 3 hearts, then have he/she give you 1 or 2 more.  Next ask them to now count how many hearts you ended up with.
3. Now starting with 5 hearts, have your child take 1 or 2 away.  Next ask them how many hearts are left. 
4. Finally when you’re all done subtract hearts by eating them! How many did you eat? How many are left?

Art:

• Draw Hearts: We always see a heart colored red. Draw as many hearts as you can and color them any color you want.
• Heart cut outs: Fold a paper in half, draw half the shape of a heart on it then cut it out. If you did it right you should end up with a full heart.
• Sponge Painting: Take a regular kitchen sponge & cut it into a heart shape.  Next put some paint on a paper plate, then dip the sponge in the paint.  Take the sponge with paint on it & press it all over a piece of paper. 

Spanish: 

• Heart-corazón
• Heart beat-  latido del corazón
• Love- amor

Read about hearts

There are learning opportunities around every corner. Keep your eyes and ears open and you can help your child learn and explore every day.  Have Fun!