Saturday 13 April 2013

Car Park Lotto

Car Park Lotto was a fun little game we made up to practice number recognition and adding up. 


I  drew six car park spaces on a sheet of paper and asked the children to pick numbers between two and six. (For children who are not confident with recognising numbers yet  add dots to help them along) 



We then rolled two dice and the children added the numbers together. If they had that number in their car park they get to park a car in that bay.




First person to fill their car park is the winner :)



Alternatively use numbered cards. You could shuffle the cards and call out the numbers or place them face down in a pile and let the players take turns to pick a number




Thursday 11 April 2013

Cardboard princess shoes

My daughter like any little princess loves clip clopping about in her play shoes and was mortified to find that her beloved shoe collection were getting too tight. To turn her frown upside down we grabbed the craft box and set about making her some new shoes.


First of all I drew round her feet on a bit of cardboard and cut them out slightly larger.


She then mixed some paint colours and painted them.


Once the base colour was dry she added polka dots :)


We then cut out some straps by placing a strip of card over her feet and cutting it so there was a cm extra at either side to tape underneath.


She then decorated them with foam shapes and feathers.







Friday 5 April 2013

Exploring track marks

My children love exploring track marks, it really appeals to there inquisitive minds. I was hoping to do this outdoors today so we could get a bit messier but the weather was a bit of a let down. Instead we taped brown paper to the top of the dining room table.


We then rolled the cars through the paint and pushed them across the paper to discover what kind of track they left.

When we do this outdoors we usually sent up a car wash using a tray of shaving foam, a ramp, a bucket of water, and a few plastic cups and funnels. Next time we get to do this outdoors I will share pics.


Sometimes we play detectives. I tell them a little story about a robbery or crime  that took place and the only clue is this track mark I found outside. I show them a picture of the track mark and their job is to find out who committed the crime by finding out which car has a track that matches the one from the scene of the crime.





Thursday 4 April 2013

Practising reading and writing with Flashcards

Making writing fun can be really tricky especially for children who don't want to pick up a pencil. I have found my kids prefer writing on small pieces of paper.


One of the activities my daughter enjoys is making her own flashcards. I give her a pile of small sheets of paper, various pens and pencils, and a pack of flash card for inspiration and to help with words she cannot spell
She will sit for a hour or so drawing pictures, reading words, and writing. She has a great sense of self achievement and is always really proud of her finished pack of Flashcards.









Monday 1 April 2013

Easter Sensory Box

A sensory box is an activity where  the children are given materials and tools in a table or container with no instruction on what to do with them.  The children are given a chance to explore whats in front of them and decide what to do with it themselves. This self directed play allows children to be creative and gives them confidence and a feeling of self achievement. 

Today we set up a Easter themed sensory box using porridge oats, crunched up Shredded Wheat, fluffy chicks, plastic eggs, and feathers.





The plastic eggs I used split in half. The children used these as scoops and also mix and matched them together. They  used the eggs with holes in as sieves. 




Sensory activities  build on cognitive development. This is a mental process that includes memory, making decisions, problem solving and understanding language. It is the part of our brain that helps us process information and apply knowledge.



Maths can be applied to count, size, match and sort items into groups. They can grasp a better understanding of full and empty, more or less, and whether things float or sink.

Science concepts are used when predicting outcomes and experimenting with materials such as cause and effect. Children have the opportunity to explore and build a better understanding of gravity and speed.

English and language can also be improved. Children build their hand eye coordination and fine motor skills which are used for holding a pencil to learn how to write when pouring stirring, whisking and manipulating the materials. The activity gives a child a sense of self awe which they want to share. It gives them something interesting to talk to others about because each child will use the materials differently. It builds on their vocabulary as they try to express and share their ideas.