Ice Bricks

Connor has been very into building things lately. Blocks have become more then just stacking and knocking down. He really explores them now, and uses his imagination. He loves to build "briges" (bridges), and push his cars and trains under. He also builds train tracks, and houses.

So I decided to try to make some 'ice bricks' to build with. I filled a cupcake tin and a snack tray up with water and food coloring. I put foam letters in them (assuming they would freeze in the middle of the ice... however they floated so didnt go as planned). This is how they turned out...

We then built with them. I also gave the boys a hammer to break them, and get the letters out. Both boys were naming colors and letters. We were also comparing the different sizes. We had so many great conversations from these!

((look how engaged!!))

After a while Connor pointed out that his hands were turning colors, and kept calling it paint. Then I said great idea. We did paint with ice before, and decided to do it again!

We all had a lot of fun with this project (however, I havent found one that didn't bring smiles). The boys were really into it, and it lasted a good while! I want to try this one again when Logan is a bit older! This could be something real young ones could do as well!

Huricane Irene

For the past week everywhere we went we heard about "the hurricane." Being from Florida I wasn't too worried about potential damage since it wasn't that strong of a storm.

I wanted to find a way to prepare Connor for it, in case it woke him at all during the night, etc. (When in reality I am the one that woke him, and had him sleep in bed with us!)

We talked about the storm, looked at the pictures and videos they were showing on the news, etc. Then I told him we are suppose to be getting A LOT of rain. So I decided we will measure it. I took a glass jar I had, and made inch lines with a permanent marker. Then we put it outside. Connor was excited when I showed him what we collected. He kept just calling it "water" which it was.. but I don't think he exactly put the concept that it was the rain we heard all day/ night to it. Either way it made for a fun conversation about measuring, numbers, and rain! :D

We only got two inches (which is probably a good thing!). We used the rain water to water a plant.

We suffered more from wind damage!! Yikes!

Two days after the storm we walked down the road to the playground. I actually completely forgot about the storm, and the playground was cover in sticks and leaves from the trees. Connor brought some funny looking thing to me that I wasnt sure what it was, but we called them "tree balls." We started collecting a bunch, then we decided to collect the sticks with "no leaves" and we made piles! It was great to practice sorting/ classifying/ counting objects. Plus it was fun!!

Transportation Sorting

We have been working on classifying and sorting objects recently. Since we have been doing some transportation themed activities, and since that is what keeps Connor the most interested we decided to sort his airplanes, cars, trucks, etc. Basically what I did was made a pile of all these toys, made some labels that had the word with a simple drawing, then lined it up. I would hold up a toy and say "Oh Connor, what is this mommy is holding?" He would tell me, and I which say "Which sign says ____" he would "read" the picture, and then put the toy in the right area. It was a lot of fun. When we were done we counted each column. If he were a bit older I would have added on a bit by making this setup more like a graph, and we would have had a lesson on reading graphs. I would also have used where you find these types of transportation instead. For example, "in the sky, on the ground, and in the water." Would have required some more thinking to sort the objects. However, it was very age appropriate, and kept us busy for now! This can be done with any type of toy. Sort things by color, where you find it, size, type, etc. All are important concepts children should be introduced to.

One of my favorite parts of this activity was that I laminated our signs after wards, and put them in his basket where these toys are kept. Now I see him taking the signs, "reading" them, and matching the toy to the sign. What great practice! Makes me smile knowing he really did learn something from this :D

Sorting & Counting

Today we did some sorting, counting, and color practice! I have some small wooden blocks that come in red, blue, yellow, and green. So I made 4 corresponding bags. Then we took the wooden blocks, and sorted them by color. After we did all the blocks we emptied the bags and practiced counting! This kept them entertained for a good hour or so! For being a new two, Connor picked up really quick!

The Process Not the Product

Many people associate preschool/ kindergarten with fun art projects, nap time, lots of coloring, and playing with toys. In my education classes, and from experience I learned that preschool is so much more then that. Many psychologists agree that the first 5-6 years of life are the most crucial times, and has the most impact on our core personality. I truly do believe this. During this time there are so many windows of opportunity for certain development such as speech & language, and the brain is growing nonstop. Having the experience of a quality preschool program (whether at home/ at an actual preschool) can make a huge impact on that child's life. It can give them the tools they need to be successful in school. Which can lead to college, and other awesome life choices.

I don't remember where I heard it, but someone taught me "It's the process- not the product that matters." This is so true for everything early childhood related. This blog may seem to some people that I just like to do crafts, and spend all day doing crafts with my kids. When in reality-- its more then the cute/ colorful rainbow we created. It's the process that we went through to create it.

For example, making a rainbow allows children to express themselves, it allows them to practice fine motor skills, we have conversations about it, I ask open ended questions such as, "where would you like to see a rainbow?," it allows for new words to be introduced (words that wouldn't be discussed while sitting in front of the TV), they are learning about colors and their scientific nature (what colors look like when combined), a project can stimulate all of the senses, they are learning math concepts such as proportions and quantity, they are learning social skills (sharing, taking turns, using words), and so much more!

So, when you take any ideas from this page please take this all along with it. It's not about how cute/ pretty the project turns out, but the process you go through to get there. These projects shouldn't be just handing materials to your kids, and saying "here make this," it should be quality time of sitting down and creating together!

These experiences are so much more meaningful, and they learn so much more then from sitting down and doing a worksheet, flashcards, or coloring in a book!

Cheerios

When is a child is between 6-8 months old they beging to develop a pincer grasp. Which is the pointer finger and thumb working together to pick up small objects. This is the age parents are usually encouraged to introduce easy finger foods such as cheerios, or puffs. The main reason these are recommended is because it's great practice, and they dissolve easily in the mouth.

As the child gets a bit older this skill can be advanced some by also including some problem solving skills, and hand eye coordination. We have an awesome "Cheerios" book that I adore. It's a way to make snack time last a bit longer so I can get some stuff done, he has fun, and is practicing important skills!

The book has different pictures made from cheerios. There are empty holes in the pictures where children are suppose discriminate which need cheerios, then put them in the holes. Here is a link to one:


However, you don't need to the book to make this a fun activity. You can easily draw dots on a paper, and have children cover the dots with cheerios. For children a bit older, you can give them a string to put cheerios on. You could even write their name on paper and have them put cheerios on the line!! Lots of great learning activities, and much more fun then doing a worksheet!

Painting with ice

It has been really cold out! (obviously, since it is January). Everytime we go outside Connor says "burr cold." So I thought we should do something to reinforce the hot/cold concept he has become interested in. So I decided to paint with ice. The night before I put water in an ice tray, and dropped lots of food coloring in each. Then I put plastic wrap over it. I cut up straws and punched them through the plastic into each ice cube. In the freezer it went!

When they were done, I took off plastic wrap and popped them out! This is what they looked like!

Connor and the others LOVED painting with them! They used different colors and mixed them. This allowed us to talk about the different colors they make when mixed. We also talked about hott vs cold, ice, water, solid, liquid, and they learned the word "melting." This was a great activity to introduce many basic scientific terms, and it was lots of fun!

This would also make an awesome summer activity since ice would melt faster, and may be a fun way to 'cool down.'

Playing in snow

Snow is good for some things. I see it as a big sensory table! You can use the same kind of toys that you would use to play with sand, and learn the same concepts. You can fill and dump, measure, pour, sift, feel, rub, pat, and best of all its kind of relaxing. You can also work on gross motor skills on it. Especially since just basic walking in it can be a bit more tricky and require extra work! There is no wrong way to play with this material. I love it because it is so open ended. You can just simply shovel a little, or make a big igloo. There is so much to learn from it, and if your dressed appropriately you can enjoy it at any age! Plus, getting some fresh air during a season we usually spend the majority of the time indoors is great!

Looking at it from this perspective makes me a little more tolerable of the stuff! :D

New letter match game

The other day I found a letter match game at TJ Max for only $5. It is designed to play a memory match game matching capital letters to lowercase ones. Of course Connor (and the others I have during the week) are a little young for this.. but we took just the first ten letters, and played a letter recognition game! I would ask where is the "D" with the duck on it? Then they would find it! We would even practice making the letter sounds! They had a lot of fun! It was a great way to learn some new words, follow directions, and a basic introduction to letters and their sounds!

Shaving Cream

I remember in first grade we got to play with shaving cream on special occasions to "clean our desk." It was always fun, and made the whole classroom smell amazing. When I taught in a preschool, we would always do shaving cream! It's a great sensory experience! As well as helps with the fine motor skills! You can let kids go on their own, or direct them to "draw" certain things. For example, shapes, letters, and numbers. Much more fun then a worksheet or flashcard! :D

For children with disabilities, or real young ones you can use whipped cream or pudding instead! This way if they eat it-- its okay :D