"I Spy" Binocular Game

Children are always very curious about their world and its surroundings.  This is something that some parents might not be aware of, but you can easily teach your child great vocabulary and language skills using resources that are readily available to you in this busy world.  Basically, today's activity is something that you can do using very few materials, but can also open up a world of knowledge for both parent and child.  It is also a small twist on a popular game that I've played with my preschoolers and that some may already know!

Through "I Spy", we will learn:

• How to follow directions
• How to take turns
• New vocabulary - colors, shapes, , numbers, letters, animals, objects, etc.
• New language skills - repetition, sentence structure

Items that you need include:

• Toilet paper tube 
  
• Stickers, Collage Items
• Glue if needed
• Books, Magazines, Newspaper Ads

First, take the toilet paper tube and decorate it as you wish.  I used stickers because they are just so easy to use.  I placed them where I wanted and this step is actually up to you.  If you don't want to decorate, you can skip this step.  

Next, find a book your child likes, popular newspaper ads, or magazines that have nice, vivid pictures, letters, or numbers that your child is able to identify easily.  Pictured below are books, grocery ads, and a magazine I received in the mail.

After finding the objects you are going to use, you will take the toilet paper tube and pretend that it is a one-scope binocular or magnifying glass.  You will inform your child that you are going to go on a "I Spy" treasure hunt.  When you are ready, this is how this activity will play out.  

"I Spy with my little eye..."

A pink pig

Your child will then use his or her "binocular" or "magnifying glass" to find the pink pig.

Other examples...

I Spy with my little eye a purple dress...

I Spy with my little eye Cap'n Crunch...

I Spy with my little eye the letter "S"

Honestly, this game isn't always about pictures.  It can also be about letters, numbers, colors, or shape recognition.  This game is yours to dictate.  You decide what you feel you want your child to learn and have fun with it!

Extension activity:

Take it on the road ~ Summer is coming to a close, but I know there have to be a few more road trips left :-)  Have your child take his or her binoculars with him or her and play "I Spy" on the road.  Look for familiar objects such as restaurants, road signs, and vehicles.  Trust me, this game can be a lifesaver in the car!

Since this game is so diverse, how else do you play "I Spy"?  Share your thoughts!

Cardboard Slot Builders

This activity is basically something that doesn't take a lot of materials, but it can take a few extra minutes to prepare.  There is so much you can do with cardboard, especially your empty food boxes.  So today, I am sharing with you a simple building activity that your child can do.







To create this activity, you will need: 

• Empty food boxes 
• Scissors
• Tape (optional)

See!  So Simple!

Your child will learn:

• Eye-hand coordination
• Fine motor skills
• Patience
• How to use their imagination

Here's how it works.  First take the cardboard or food boxes and cut them apart.  I used the front and back of the boxes.  Once you have the fronts and backs removed, cut them into small squares~smaller boxes cut 4 squares and larger boxes 6 squares.

Next, you need to cut small slots on each of the sides.  The ones I pictured seem like small slots, but actually I could have gone even smaller.  Just test it out depending on the thickness of your box. :-)

           

Once the slots are cut, your child is ready to build by placing each slot together.

Now add all the pieces together, and waa-lah, you have your very own slot builders!

~~~You can tape the edges if you like for extra safety!  This will help prevent any sharp edges!~~~

These can be fragile and difficult to work with at times, so this activity is mostly for older children who have developed some patience already.  Also, try out different types of materials and see which ones work best for you!  Different materials also will help build finer motor skills!

Good luck!

Paper Plate Lacing

In my basement, I have basically had a bunch of curling ribbon just sitting around.  Actually it was kind of a mess and I wasn't sure it was even worth using on gifts anymore.  Well with that thought, I was for sure thinking I might just have to toss it out, but I actually came up with a really simple activity that you can do with the ribbon and a basic paper plate.

While completing this activity, your child will learn:

• Fine motor skills
• Patience
• Tactile stimulation
• How to follow directions and/or a pattern
• Eye-hand coordination 

Now as I mentioned before, this activity is very simple and you don't need a lot of materials.  You will need:

• Paper plate
• Ribbon - I used curling ribbon, but you can also use fabric ribbon 
• Paper puncher
• Tape

First, take the paper plate and punch holes in it along the edge.  You can do as many or as little as you want.  Preferably punch less holes wider apart for younger children and more holes closer together for older children.  In the picture below, I punched the holes closer together.

  

Next, take a piece of ribbon and cut it according to the length needed to completely go around the whole plate.  On the edge of the ribbon, place a piece of tape around the end to make it lace easier through each of the holes.  Trust me, this will make it much easier!

Once the tape is secure, your ribbon is ready to lace through the holes.  This activity is so versatile and yet very easy.  Again, it can take some patience but don't worry, your kiddo will get the hang of it sooner or later!  

Happy lacing!

I'm back...

Hello Everyone!

Sorry that it has been awhile.  I have been very busy with a lot of things going on outside the blog.  For the most part, I have become a mommy to two, yes two, wonderful babies, Taran and Ananya.  During my pregnancy, I kept busy getting ready for their arrival.  Now that they have arrived, I have been busy keeping up with them and their needs.  They were premature, so they had a 1 month stay in the NICU which was stressful and tiring.  After coming home, we had a lot of adjustments to make because we weren't ready for them to be home quite yet.  Since then 3 months have passed, and I think that I might be ready again to start sharing my ideas with you through my blog.  With your support, I hope that I can keep this ball rolling!

Thanks!

"Lots of Lids" Size & Sort

Have you ever wondered what you could possibly do with all those left over containers.  Of course you can recycle them which is always a great thing, but before recycling, you can give them to your little one for a great educational experience.  This activity is so simple that it takes little effort to put together.

For this activity, the only items you will need are a variety of plastic containers with their corresponding lids.  So easy!



While playing with the lids and containers, children will develop:

• Fine motor skills through manipulating the containers and lids
• Eye-hand coordination
• Size differentiation - small, medium, large
• Sorting
• Shapes - cylinders, cubes, ovals, circles (this all depends on what kind of containers you have)

To play, all you need to do is lay out the lids and containers side by side and let your youngster explore and investigate the different sizes of containers.  If your child is a little younger, feel free to give them a little push and show them that the lids go on top of the containers.  I bet they'll enjoy doing this activity and it might keep them busy for a some time so you might be able to get some stuff done as well!  :-)

Have fun!

"Pick a Card" Math Game

Last year, my husband started playing poker and really enjoyed it.  For his birthday party, I planned a poker theme and bought several decks of cards.  During the party, they were highly used and after that, not so much.  I left them in a box in the basement thinking I would probably never use them again, but to my surprise I have thought of a great use for those extra cards!  I am going to teach you a simple math game that you can create using one deck (or more) of cards and a few extra items you find around the house.


While playing this game, your child will learn:

• Number recognition
• Sorting and classifying skills
• Counting
• Shape and color reinforcement
• Social skills, such as turn taking, if he/she is playing with another friend

The materials you will need include:

• Plastic cups - doesn't matter which color they are
• Black permanent marker
• A deck (or more) of playing cards

First, count out at least nine cups.  Unfortunately, with a deck of cards you will not be able to teach ALL the numbers from 1-10, but you will be able to teach most of them.  *If you want to, you can take a A, K, Q, J card and tape a piece of paper over it and write the number one on it to make your own "one" card for the game*  

Next, take your cups and the permanent marker and place the numbers 2-10 on the cups.

Once there is a number on each cup, place them in any order that you feel is developmentally appropriate for your child.  Then give your child the deck of cards. *If this is the first time you are completing the activity, start with half the deck and you can work up to the whole deck*  Encourage your child to sort through the cards and you can also help as needed.

After the cards are displayed for the child, encourage him or her to name the number on the card, and then place into the appropriate numbered cup.

  

This activity is a great math activity and yet so simple to make!  If you don't have plastic cups available, you can use plastic/styrofoam plates or bowls as well!

Have fun!

Extension Idea:

So what to do with those A, K, Q, J cards?  Go ahead and make cups for those as well!  You can either combine the two activities together or separate them.

Baggie Books

Sometimes you find some things around the house that you would never think of using to help educate your child.  But sometimes it is as simple as opening the bottom drawer in the kitchen and using household office items.  With this in mind, I have found a new use for a few of those common household items.  I present to you the "Baggie Book".


When your child is using the baggie book, it is basically like any other book, but YOU get to be the author.  During this activity, your child will learn:

• Basic reading skills such as print awareness and the understanding of how a book reads from left to write.
• How to take care of a book.
• Other concepts such as shapes, colors, letters, numbers, etc. based on whatever YOU decide to place inside your baggie book.

The items that you will need to make your own baggie book include:

• Plastic baggies with seals; I chose sandwich size which probably work the best.
• Stapler
• Duct tape or blue painters' tape; I found that duct tape worked better for a tighter seal.
• Content that YOU would like your child to learn, such as $1 bin flashcards, pictures from magazines, even old empty food boxes.

To make:

First, take approximately 3-4 baggies and place one on top of each other.  Take the stapler and staple the opposite ends from the seal with the stapler; preferably in 3 different spots. You can staple in more spots of you want EXTRA stability!  :-)

Once the staples are applied, measure out enough duct tape and place over the staples on each side of the baggie.  This helps keep the staples out of sight for safety and also reinforce the book and make it last a little longer.

Once the seal is on, the book is ready for YOU to place whatever your heart desires.  I had old flashcards sitting around so I placed them inside.

Open book with double sided pages

Finished book!

                    

Waa-laa!  You now have yourself a homemade activity book!  I know it doesn't seem like much, and it can probably fall apart if taken care of properly, but for the time being it is a great activity that you can change out at anytime depending on your child's needs.  Baggies can be so diverse and used for other activities as well.  Do you have any other ideas for baggies?