If you are looking for free craft projects, lesson plans and educational materials for children 3-7 years, spend some time in the “Can Do” Street Mall checking out the Crafts/Games and Teaching Resources.

Take advantage of the free materials that are there for your use. The materials are the work of parents, grandparents, educators, recreation and crafts personnel.

Each week we add more resources, shared by individuals, organizations and companies with the hope that you will visit their sites and make use of the 1,000s of free materials that they offer.

There is no catch, no hidden costs to using the free materials you find on the sites that list in the mall.

Prior to listing each of the free sites in the mall, the staff of “Can Do” Street check out the content to make sure it is suitable for out audience of parents, teachers and other adults involved in the care of young children .

To list your site in either Crafts and Games or Teaching Resources the content must meet the following criteria:

• Contain free resources suitable, in all or in part, for children 3-7 years

• Resources must be easy to download and use

If you wish to list, please send the following information about your free site to jeanc@candostreet.com:

• A brief description of your site
• A logo, if you have one
• Your URL address so that we may create an active link to your site

We look forward to having you visit the “Can Do” Mall where the resources are free and fun!

Nicola Fourie created a business around the activities she shared and continues to share with her daughter. These days she shares her  ideas on her web sites. The sites feature games and crafts for the younger set.

In a recent newsletter, Nicola shared, “It seems that playing games is a lost art. So I decided to start searching for all the recreational games that I could find.  Game playing is important to a child. Children learn through play and active exploration. Many toys and games encourage learning and develop skills in planning and sequencing, eye-hand coordination, visual perception and fine motor control. Group games help in moral and social development. Studies have shown that 80% of what kids learn is by doing, and learning is increased by an average of 50% when it’s fun and playful.”

Here are two of Nicola’s suggestions for having fun with activities using things that can be found around the house

Printing

Use anything around the house such as oranges, potato, pegs, rollers, bits of sponges etc and dab them in paint. Press these objects then onto paper and see the different prints they make. Little ones really enjoy this activity as it combines sensory and creative skills. Create masterpieces of art with things around the house and a little paint.

What’s in the box?

For a couple of weeks, save all your empty grocery cartons like cereal boxes, egg cartons and plastic bottles with tops. Clean them up, glue down the flaps of the cardboard cartons, and you have all the stock you need for a grocery store. You can use old coins or plastic money for added authenticity, and older children can make their own banknotes. This is great for teaching simple math.

Nicola is featured in our Parent Exchange on the Navigation Bar of this blog.

You can visit her sites at:

www.365KidsGames.com

www.new-kids-crafts.com

if you have a toddler, Teaching Tiny Tots is a great resource for toddler activities. It is designed to engage your child and promote learning through playing. Fun and educational ideas, kids crafts, easy recipes and free printables are just some of the information you will find here.

Teaching Tiny Tots website is the creation of an elementary school  teacher who is the mother of twins. You can visit this site at www.teaching-tiny-tots.com. Be sure to check out the blog as well as the main site.