Kits will be available at the Youth Services Reference Desk while supplies last. The activity ideas are also posted below if you prefer to use materials from home.
Rainbow Oats
Materials: Oatmeal dyed with food coloring, letters or other treasures to bury/find, any other scooping or stirring tools from home
*Come to the Youth Services Reference Desk to pick up a kit with materials (while supplies last).*
What: Pour your colorful oatmeal into a bin and dig in! Try scooping, pouring, and exploring the texture of it. Bury the letters and search for them. Which letter did you find?
Why: When children pour, scoop, and transfer they're actually developing important math skills like volume, weight, and more or less. Oatmeal is a safe sensory play option for babies as well (as long as an adult is there playing too!).
Extra ideas:
*Add toy trucks and get to work moving your oatmeal around. Make a pile, make a road, or smooth it all out.
*When you find a letter buried in the oatmeal, try to see how fast you can think of the name, the sound, or a word that starts with that letter.
*Pretend you are baking and get out the measuring cups. How many cups of oatmeal do you need for your recipe? Don't forget to stir it up!
I would love to see you busy playing! Please send a picture to clewis@egvpl.org if you would like to share.