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Toddler School – Week 5

23 Oct

This week we did a letter E worksheet.  Let me tell you, it was a little tough to come up with E words that they would recognize or that they wouldn’t things was something else.  In the end, I think it turned out good.

I searched for a while for some new activities to do.  I came across these number printables and figured since we had worked on number recognition somewhat last week, that it would be fitting to work on numbers again this week.  I ended up printing out all the printables available and laminated them, then cut them apart.  This week we only used the numbers with the colored dots on them.  Then, I got colored pom poms at the dollar store, and we used those to put on the colored dots to practice counting.

Then, we did something more crafty, we made butterflies like I had found on Pinterest.  You flatten a coffee filter, then paint it with watercolors.  Once it is dry, you fold it accordion style.  You cut a pipe cleaner in half, then fold that half around the folded coffee filter and twist a couple times.  Bend the ends for the antenna.

This week I decided to start keeping the activity materials together in gallon size zipper bags, much like busy bags.  I will have a post coming up talking about busy bags, the ones I have made, and some ideas for new ones.

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My new laminator is here!

29 Sep

With doing more learning activities with K, and doing “Toddler School” with S and her friends, I had been debating on buying a laminator.  I had a few projects in mind, but wasn’t sure it would be worth the cost.  So, when the Amazon Deal of the Day was a Scotch Thermal Laminator, I had some thinking to do. I went back and forth on it, then finally decided to go ahead and buy it.  Since it only comes with 2 laminating pouches and I had a few things in mind to do, I also ordered a 100 count package of pouches.  I was a little nervous about buying that many pouches without knowing how it all would go, but it was the best value, so I went for it.

Thank goodness for my Amazon Prime so I didn’t have to wait long to get it!  It came 2 days after I ordered, but of course, my UPS deliveries don’t come until after dinner, so I had to wait until the next morning to give it a try.

First thing I did was laminate construction paper for the color matching activity we’ve done with Toddler School.  Turned out pretty well.  I don’t think the pouches I got work perfect, but for what I’m using it for, it’s great.  Next, I made a handwriting practice sheet for K.  I had gotten a tablet of lined paper at the dollar store, so I put her name on the first line, then uppercase A, lowercase a, uppercase B, and lowercase b on the remaining lines. We have dry erase markers, so I had her write with that to practice the motions of writing the letters for now.  The markers just wipe right off.  Since I used a permanent marker to write her name and the first letters on each line, it is visible on the back since the paper is so thin.  And of course, I thought about doing it double-sided after I made this one.  For the rest of the letters, I will use 2 sheets of the paper to make it double-sided so I only have to use up 1 laminating pouch.

Next, I laminated some sheets I made for a shape activity for toddler school.  I left 1 uncolored and then colored the other one before laminating.  I colored with crayons to save on color ink, which is so expensive!  I’ll give a preview of it now, but will explain the activity in a post later this week.

This was only using the pouches from the 100 pack, I have not used the 2 pouches that came with it.  I had read that the Scotch pouches are a higher quality, but that comparison will have to wait for another time when I decide what will be good to laminate for comparison.  For now, I’m please with the pouches I got and the laminator as well!

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Fun with Pipe Cleaners!

6 Sep

While I was at the dollar store last week getting the supplies for the Popcorn Sight Words game, I saw pipe cleaners and decided to grab 2 packs.  Now, I say pipe cleaners, but you may also call them chenille sticks or stems, which is how they are sometimes labeled at at the store.  I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with them yet, but I know that there are plenty of fun things to do with them, plus they are great for working on fine motor skills.

First, we made some shape, circle, triangle, square, rectangle, heart.  Then we started making some letters, B, b, R, J, L.  Lots more possibilities there!

Then, I remembered  an idea I had seen on Pinterest, and got out my colanders.  Mine do not have circles, just lines, but it still worked well.  The girls had a blast with this!  We decided we were making rainbows!

Next time I am at the dollar store, I will look for some beads to use for stringing on the pipe cleaners.  I also might make up a box with holes and colors around the holes to do color matching along with putting the pipe cleaners in holes.  What kinds of activities do you do with pipe cleaners?

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Playdough!

6 Sep

Last week, K’s pre-K teacher asked for volunteers to make playdough.  Always eager to help, I told him I would help and he gave me the recipe.  I already had everything on the list except cream or tartar and Kool-Aid, plus I was getting low on salt.  Off to the store we went and then came home to try this out.

Playdough
– 3 cups flour
– 1 1/2 cups salt
– 3 tablespoons oil
– 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
– 3 cups water
– saucepan
– mixing spoon
– hot plate or stove

Combine all ingredients.  Cook over very low heat until mixture is no longer sticky to the touch.  Add food coloring or 1 packet Kool-Aid for color (Kool-Aid also adds smell).

Ingredients for Playdough

All mixed together on low heat on stove

Starting to be less sticky

Finished playdough! Note how it easily pulls from the sides of the pan and it will be no long sticky to the touch

Cooled, put into gallon sized bags, and dated

The most expensive ingredient for me was the cream of tartar.  I didn’t have time to check out the dollar store, so bought it at the grocery store while I was there.  Otherwise, all the ingredients are things normally on hand.  In all, this takes about 20 minutes to do, 5 minutes to measure things out, 10-15 minutes for it to cook on the stove.

In the end, we ended up doing this recipe 4 times, making 4 bags of playdough.  We went through about 5 lbs of flour, 2 26 oz canisters of salt, 1 2.5oz container of cream of tartar, not very much of the container of vegetable oil.  Depending on where you shop for the ingredients, it’s a pretty cheap activity.

Update: A friend let me know that she made this recipe and does not have non-stick pans like I used, and the playdough was still stuck to the bottom of her pan even after it was all done.  If you have non-stick pans, I would advise using one for this project.

Popcorn Sight Words

4 Sep

I really don’t remember learning sight words and I don’t remember ever hearing of them until recently when I started doing research on how to help my oldest learn to read (K is 4, almost 5).  We have the first 3 collections of BOB books, thanks to a generous friend who gave them to us since her boys were done with them.  K is doing great reading the first collection, and along with that reading, I wanted to start practicing sight words.  My first thought was flash cards, but I know those can be rather boring.  Then, in the Scholastic Book Club flyer we got at school last week, there was a POP for Sight Words game.  It didn’t really explain what the “game” part of it was, but I was considering purchasing it.  Then, browsing on Pinterest, a new fun way I kill time, I came across this Popcorn Word Activities, and remembered seeing that popcorn tub at Dollar Tree a couple weeks earlier.  So, I decided that we would make it ourselves!

Supplies:
– 1 large popcorn tub, $1
– 2 small popcorn tubs, $1 each
– 1 yellow posterboard, $.50
– 2 sheets yellow construction paper (used up all the posterboard), had on hand
– Sharpie marker, had on hand
– Scissors, had on hand

Since K wanted to help me make it, we decided it would be best to make the “popcorn” be rectangles, because she’s “not very good at cutting circles, but is very good at cutting rectangles.”  So, I measured out the posterboard into 2″ x 4″ rectangles.  Since it was 22″ x 28″, I got 77 rectangles total.  I cut the first 7, then K went to work on the rest.

K cutting the popcorn rectangles

She did a phenomenal job cutting all of them.  Yes, the lines weren’t cut perfectly straight, but honestly, the jagged edges give it a more popcorn feel.  Then I went to work adding the sight words in the best handwriting I could.  I used these Dolch word lists, the pre-primer and primer lists.

The finished product

I’m still working on what games we will play using these, probably at first use them like flashcards.  I found some sight word bingo cards that I can print off and we can draw words out of the bucket to play bingo.  I”m sure K will come up with some games of her own.

I also wasn’t sure what I would do with the 2 smaller popcorn tubs, but decided they would be used to hold the different sets of popcorn inside the bigger tub for storage.  I’m sure we’ll find a way to incorporate them into a game as well.

Smaller tubs labeled for storing the 2 sets of sight words

So, I took a $9 game, made it for $2.50, plus K got some cutting practice and it was a fun way to spend a couple hours on a Sunday morning.

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