(And if auto correct tries to delete or change that word one more time, I might crack this iPhone even more than it already is : )
I thought this shaving cream + food color activity looked like a fun idea. Plus, I had everything I needed already on hand. It was a really really big hit for several reasons.
First, it took place in our enclosed shower, so the mess was easily contained. Meaning I wasn't having to constantly remind/ prevent the colored mess from getting all over the rest of the bathroom surfaces.
The clean up was a breeze. I just ran the shower head water over the 'painted' walls. The mess came off with no effort.
The kids practiced some writing skills. Annette did shapes and letters. Charlie mocks everything his big sis does, and in doing so, he's learning how to hold and use writing utensils with ease.
They loved having a 'no rules' kind of activity. They got to make a mess and get wet and they loved it.
One change for when we do this for the third time: I'll use actual shaving CREAM, instead of the gel kind we had on hand. It worked, but the cream would have been better and fluffier to work with.
Today we did a simple counting activity. Annette has become (pretty) consistently accurate with counting objects up to about 10. (We love the book 10 Black Dots by Donald Crews and the m&m counting book, pictured below.)
So, when I saw this simple idea on Pinterest, I thought I'd see how well Ann could do this activity on her own.
When she saw the permanent marker I used to draw the fish bowls, she begged to use it herself, knowing that permanent markers are off-limits to her. This created a perfect 'hook' (or reward) for her if she completed the fish counting activity. Not that she even needed an incentive:)
Oh, how she loved getting to use that permanent marker for a few minutes. I'll have to remember to use it again as a reward.
After making the little sheet, I explained how she should read the number on the bowl and then glue the matching number of fish onto the bowl.
She was able to do 1-3 without help, and with 4, she had glued 5 fish. So, I showed her how to re-glue them into a straight line, instead of in a jumbled pile, so she could count them easier. Which is An important counting skill. As is starting from the left and counting with your finger as you move to the right. Such simple, yet important skills our kids learn when we 'play' : )
Charlie just ate the fish while we did this activity, but I'm thinking I'll buy the colored goldfish at the store so he can do color sorting while Annette practices her 'set counting' skills.
She can write Dad and Mom now, without help. But still not her whole name. Our next child may have a 3 letter name for this very reason.
Obviously, there are thousands of little kid books on counting, but here are two of the ones we read over and over again to practice.
I'll do this fish activity again with her later, with numbers 5-10, and see if she remembers to line the fish up as she counts them. And while posting this, I remembered another activity to do with the 10 Black Dot book. I'll give Annette some black paper dots, and see if she can think of some creative ways to arrange them to create a picture, like in the book.
But until then, and while it's still nap time.... I'm going to go 'pinning' some more!
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3 comments:
i love this whole post, and i think the title is my very favorite part
i also love it. but you know my favorite was charlie's little innocent face while he eats the "manipulative"
How I loved this stage and miss those simple learning activities! We used to read 10 Black Dots and use black pom pons with it. We did tons of one-to-one correspondence activities, like the goldfish. I may have some of the materials we used. I'll keep an eye out for them. Such a fun time- cherish it!
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