Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Pumpkin, Rubber Bands, and Golf Tees

When I saw some really cool Hands on Pumpkin Math, over at Fun A Day, and what her kids did with push pins, rubber bands and a pumpkin, I knew that would be right up our alley! 
 
I wanted to give the kids the opportunity to use the hammers and golf tees, since it such a great experience in hand/eye coordination and fine motor skill.  So, I put out the pumpkin, rubber bands, golf tees and wooden hammers. 
 

I did show them how to stretch the rubber bands from on peg to the other, and then they took it from there.





It was a great effort in team work, cooperation and lots of language skills too!  Thank you so much for the inspiration, Fun A Day!  

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Linky Shapes from the Dollar Tree

I'm quite fond of popping in the Dollar Tree to find some good deals.  I saw these in the toy aisle and grabbed 5 packs.  There are so many activities you can do with them.

Just some of the ways we have been exploring with them:
Sort them by color
Sort them by shape
String them together
Create Patterns
Make necklaces
Make bracelets
Use them to measure lengths
 







 
I placed some on my copier and made some pattern cards for the kids to follow too.
 

 
I covered them in clear contact paper so they would last a little longer. 
 
These are a great deal.  If you have a Dollar Tree near you, go grab some.  Your kiddos will gain some great skills using them....counting, patterning, color recognition, fine motor, problem solving, creativity....for cheap, cheap!