After School at Home

Week of May 11

Indoor Games With Mr. Ridore

Balloon Tennis

The game is simple. Hit the ball back and forth. Make up your own rules as you go.

In addition to hitting the balloons back and forth, you can have races where you try to balance the balloons on your plates and run across the room. You can also try to see how many times you can hit your own balloons up in the air without letting them touch the ground.

Materials

plastic spoons
painter's tape
paper plates
balloons

Skills you can work on:

hand-eye coordination
counting
balancing
concentrating
teamwork
good sportsmanship
sharing
following instructions
inventing our own rules and games

Do-it Yourself Science with Mr. Corey

Hey there, friends, Mr. Corey here with an awesome science experiment to do at home. Lets take a deeper dive into space to see if we can recreate the phases of the moon. Check out this video I made to help us along with the process. Safe science-ing!

Scattergories with Mr. Jean-Mary

Hey there, friends! Mr Jean-Mary is back with another iteration of SCATTERGORIES!

The object of this game is to score points by uniquely naming objects within a set of categories, given a designated letter. This game needs at least 3 players. You can also team up. After you have completed the two lists provided, you and your family can make your own lists and continue to play.

Gameplay

Each game is played in sets of 1 round. You start by seeing your list of categories. When you’re ready, start your clocks!
You have 1 minute and 30 seconds in the round. Write down as many answers to each category as you can, with each answer beginning with the letter given for each category list. The objective is to finish the list before the time runs out.
The same word must not be used multiple times in the same round; for example "violet" can't be used as a color AND a type of flower.
When the time’s up, the round is over. Each team or player will go around and read each answer. If two teams/players have the same answer for the category, no one receives a point.

Make a Paper City with Mr. Balkovetz

This Architecture Studio Released A Series Of Templates Children Can Use To Create Paper Cities During Lockdown | DeMilkedBritish architecture studio Foster + Partners released a series of paper building templates that kids can print out, color and use to build their own paper cities.

A group of architects from England designed these easy cut-and-fold templates so that you can make and design paper houses, skyscrapers, and buildings to make a paper town! Have your parents help you print out the templates and then all you need is glue and scissors—and of course, something to color your paper buildings and make them your own!

Marshmallow Tower Challenge with Mr. Brewer

Goal: To build the highest freestanding (no helping or holding it up) tower that you can using just these two materials. You may use as many marshmallows that you need but you are only allowed to use twenty pieces of spaghetti. Super simple instructions right? Good luck!

Materials

20 pieces of uncooked spaghetti
1 package of small marshmallows

Tips

A solid base is important. Your tower can be super tall but it won’t matter if it falls over!
If you accidentally break a piece don’t panic—just come up with a new way to use your new piece of pasta

Mr. Alford's Self-expression Activity

I did this art project in high school but it is pretty straightforward and can be done by children of younger ages. My completed project from high school can be seen below. I included drawings of my favorite food, my background, and my favorite sports.

Age Range: 5+ (a parent/guardian can help can help with drawing)

Materials

paper
drawing materials
a mirror (optional)
electronic device (optional)

Steps

Draw an outline of your "headshot"—your face, neck, and a little bit of your shoulders. You can draw an outline of your hair (see example below) but should exclude facial features (e.g., eyes). Feel free to use a mirror or ask someone else to draw the outline if you want help. Alternatively, you or someone else may draw an outline of your headshot from a side view but a front view is easier.
Think about what makes you unique. Make a list of your hobbies, different aspects of your background, and what is important to you. Be sure that everything on your list is appropriate.
Pick at least six things from your list to draw in your headshot. Use an electronic device to look up how to draw some items, if necessary. You may also include words for things that are hard to draw, for example, “family.”
Once you are done, color in the rest of your headshot.