It’s amazing what PBS has accomplished by blending technology with creativity and movement. Great educational value plus movement and team play which translates to inside fun on a hot summer day!
The objective of FETCH! LUNCH RUSH is to serve lunch to Ruff’’s hungry movie crew. Your children will need quick wits, room to move and game pieces.
Start by printing off the “augmented reality” PDFs. The pdfs can be sent via email from the app or found on the PBS Kids website. Cut out the pieces and place them around the space where you are playing (yes, you can put them on people too).
Children fill sushi orders by searching for the game pieces with the correct number. We love the AR (augmented reality) feature of aiming the iPhone or iPad and seeing the sushi pieces emerge on the screen. Just tap on the screen to solve the given problems. Be quick about it, the timer is going!
FETCH! LUNCH RISH can be played with 1-4 players, making it a great app to use when friends come to visit. There are five rounds containing addition and subtraction problems. Our parent review team found lots of ways kids outside the suggested age range can play too!
Activity 1: Kid Olympics
What You’ll Need:
• A good plan of how you are going to set up the event.
• Active music that is good for kids to move to.
• A place to keep track of all the new world records your kids will set.
Olympics themed fun can be part of your active play for the month of July and August. Get ready for this awesome event that starts at the end of July by setting up your own kid friendly olympics. Planning is going to be important for this. After setting up a few events I bet your kids will get the idea and be inspired to come up with their own events.
Here are some of our ideas to inspire you:
1. Long-Distance Running: Encourage physical movement and math by encouraging your kids to race across your country or state. Start with a map of the country you live in. Write down the miles/kilometers across your country or state. Set an amount of how many miles/kilometers earned for walks around the block, dancing to a song or doing laps across the backyard. Tally your activity over the week and map it to see how far your kids went. Note: this event also really works well with cycling too!
2. Volleyball: Blow up a balloon or grab a beach ball for this event. Set a timer and see how long the gaggle of kids you have over at the house can keep the ball from touching the floor. Records the times and names of the teams to see who can set the new “world record.”
3. Gymnastics: I spent many hours of my childhood making up dances with my sister so this is one of my favorite suggestions. Let your child pick their favorite song. Use garageband or the record feature on your iPhone to take a small clip of the song. Your child who loves to dance, choreographs a “floor routine” during the day. Host the gymnastics event after dinner that evening. Moms and Dads you should probably get ready to create your own routine too!
Activity 2: Encouraging Confidence
Learning happens all the time. Our kids are like little sponges, they pick up on everything. I would have to challenge you to not having your child asking questions, discovering or role playing during the day. Keep that excitement to learn, which is so natural in our little ones, by playfully encouraging and challenging them with the questions you ask.
We suggest using the strategy of positive motivational language. In addition to providing the choice language of “can you…?” try language that shows your child that you know they can do it. Prompts like “Show me you can…” or “Let me see you…” tells your child that you know they can do something. It also lets your little one “show off” which is usually not an issue for young children.