On a recent trip to the library we borrowed a book called “Beau Beaver Goes to Town“. It was a relatively cute story (a bit dry but very educational) but it has sparked a real interest in beavers for Goose. As a surprise I picked up a Safari Ltd River TOOB and we made a River Sensory Garden.
To make our little garden I started with a large aluminum roasting pan and a wide selection of miniature plants from our local nursery. I began by covering the bottom of the pan with a layer of small stones. This was then covered with charcoal followed by potting soil.
The most difficult part was creating a “river”. After a few false starts I cut a plastic water bottle down to size and buried it in my soil, I tried to create a gentle angle for water to run down and then placed the spout of the bottle in a small Tupperware. Both containers were lined with blue glass rocks (also from the nursery).
The final step was adding the plants, and that’s when it all came together. Our Sensory Garden finally looked like a garden! The project ended up being a bit more time consuming than I expected but the look on Goose’s face made it totally worth while.
He has spent several days playing with his river habitat. We are keeping it wet with a spray bottle of water (another great way to build hand strength!) and I place it in indirect sunlight for a little while each day.
Happy Independence Day! Are you going to celebrate the holiday by watching fireworks? My boys are completely terrified by the loud noise of fireworks, so the entire weekend has been one long cry fest as our neighbors celebrate (over… and over… and over!) Luckily we have had lots of educational 4th of July fun of our own. If you missed all of the patriotic activities I posted about last week, be sure to check out 4th of July Tot School: Part 1!
Montessori Tonging Tray
Tonging is a funny name for a really fun Montessori-inspired activity. As the name implies, children use a set of tongs to transfer objects. Similar to spooning and pouring activities, tonging develops hand strength and muscle control necessary for writing.
For this activity I used a set of star shaped plastic ice cubes that I picked up from Target last year. I found a set of small tongs at Bed, Bath & Beyond, although this set from Amazon looks similar. Initially I introduced the activity as a simple transfer from one dish to another, then as Goose mastered the tongs I increased the difficulty by adding a color sorting element. As a surprise I didn’t mention that the stars are intended for freezing, so after working with them at room temperature several times Goose was shocked to find them frozen one day!
I also allowed Nugget to handle the frozen stars in a basin of water one day for some patriotic sensory play.
Red, White & Blue Bead Stringing
Our next Tot Tray featured a dish full of red, white and blue pony beads and a selection of pipe cleaners. The task was simple: string the beads on a pipe cleaner to make a bracelet or necklace. The mechanics of stringing alone were complicated enough for Nugget, while I encouraged Goose to design a pattern and stick to it. They both had so much fun with this simple activity and were eager to wear their ‘fancy beads’ at the 4th of July parade.
Independence Day Learning Resources
Our Tot Trays were augmented with a wide selection of historical and geographical learning materials that I have picked up over the years. Some are a bit advanced for Goose but he and Nugget both seemed to enjoy looking at the pictures as I read them different facts. Hopefully they each picked up some of the basics, at least.
The Story of George Washington by Patricia Pingry. This book is part of a fantastic series of board books about historical figures. We read the story of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin. The series also includes the story of America’s Birthday, Gettysburg, the Star Spangled Banner, Rosa Parks and more. I hope to add the rest of our collection soon.
Fandex Family Field Guides: Presidents. This guide is something I picked up last year at a consignment sale on a whim, and it turned out to be a valuable resource. Each page shows a portrait of the president and offers a brief bio. The stories are short enough that even Goose could follow them, and he delighted in picking the funniest looking presidents so I could read their stories. Even I have a hard time keeping some of the more obscure presidents straight (I’m looking at you John Tyler and Millard Fillmore!) So I don’t know how much Goose will really remember but if nothing else he is learning that history can be fun and that lesson alone is valuable.
Famous Folks of America (by Reading Discovery) and U.S. Presidents Flashcards: both of these materials along with the dry erase US Map came from the Dollar Spot at Target last year. The book is written at a 3rd grade level, and features short stories telling about key moments in US history. I didn’t have high hopes for it, but the stories proved enjoyable and the kid-friendly illustrations helped keep the boys’ attention. The flashcards have lovely portraits of each president but the facts were dry and my boys just aren’t ready to benefit from them beyond looking at the pictures. Really the flashcards were a little redundant with the Fandex so if you get that, you probably don’t need anything else for a while.
Montessori Salt Writing Practice
Salt writing is a wonderful way for children to practice early writing skills. All you need is a small wooden tray lined with a piece of brightly colored paper, and a little salt. I have seen people use sugar or sand for this activity but in my experience salt works best at discouraging children from sticking their hands in it.
I let Goose use a chopstick to trace out letters in the salt, and then give the tray a quick shake to clear the writing and start over. (It’s like a primitive etch-a-sketch!) It can be helpful to provide some degree of direction so I like to use our Montessori Cursive Alphabet Flashcards. (Click the link to learn how to get your own free copy!).
Free Do-A-Dot Flag Printable
This free printable is designed for use with Do-A-Dot markers. The download includes 2 versions, one with letters denoting which colors to use, and one with blank circles. This simple activity is a fun and easy way to work on letter recognition, and fine motor skills.
Do I sound like a broken record going on and on about fine motor skills? They really are vital to so many higher level skills that children need. Sadly kids today are losing their fine and gross motor skills at an alarming rate, so these are the types of activities that they need more than ever.
My final 4th of July Tot Tray was a punching activity using this old star-shaped scrapbooking punch. I provided strips of red cardstock and a tray to catch the stars and let Goose go wild. The punch requires a good amount of hand strength so this was an ideal way to let him feel like he was playing while still increasing muscle control. We did this activity at Christmas last year using gold paper and I was pleasantly surprised to see how far his hand strength has come in the last 6 months.
Simple punches like this are an easy addition to any tot school unit, because the design makes it difficult (though probably not impossible) for a child to injure himself. Traditional office-style hole punches are a bit more prone to pinching skin so I would save those until you feel confident that your child can handle it safely.
Happy 4th of July!
I hope you have a wonderful holiday full of family and friends! Do you have any secrets for helping your little ones tolerate noisy fireworks? Comment below. I need all the help I can get!
Can you believe that it’s already July?! It feels like this summer is just flying by. Next week people all across the United States will be celebrating the 4th of July, and for different people that means different things. It might mean fireworks, a trip to the beach, or a backyard bar-b-que. For me, it means all of those things PLUS an excuse to do a new red, white and blue themed tot school unit. My family loves the 4th of July so we always go all out and this tot school unit is no exception. Keep reading for crafts, Montessori trays and lots of free printables!
Popsicle Stick President: Abraham Lincoln
Seriously, who doesn’t love Honest Abe? I designed this fun popsicle stick craft to honor our 16th president and provide a jumping off point to talk about our country’s history. This is a simple art project that could easily be modified for even younger children. Simply replace the paint with washable markers, and maybe provide a little help with the gluing.
Supplies:
7 Plain Popsicle Sticks
Glue
Acrylic Paints (black, brown and pink)
Paint Brushes
Instructions:
Begin by laying out 6 popsicle sticks side by side, then glue your last popsicle stick horizontally about 2/3rds up to make Abe’s hat brim.
Once the glue has dried, paint the stovepipe hat black, including the brim.
Use brown paint to paint Lincoln’s beard.
Finally, add a face using black paint for his eyes and mouth, and pink cheeks. (This would be a great step to sub in a fine tip marker or even some googly eyes.)
Flag Fine Motor Activity
My boys had so much fun with this activity! I actually did it with Goose last year, and then brought it out again this year. Even though it is much less challenging now he still enjoyed the activity quite a bit. The best part is that it requires almost no prep work!
All you need is a package of toothpick flags (Mine were sold as cupcake toppers!) and a square piece of floral foam. That’s it. See, I told you it was easy! Now let your child poke each toothpick flag into the foam. There is just enough resistance from the foam to build hand strength, which is vital to develop the muscle control necessary for writing.
Patriotic Nomenclature Cards
This set of nomenclature cards features 18 patriotic vocabulary words. There are basics like ‘Fireworks’, ‘Statue of Liberty’, and ‘Bald Eagle’ as well as a few more advanced concepts like ‘Declaration of Independence’ and ‘Revolutionary War’. Of course, as a parent it’s always up to you to decide just how much information your child is ready for. I hope that this free download will help with whatever way you wish to teach your children about the history of Independence Day.
You can download your own free set of Patriotic Nomenclature cards from my Digital Resource Library. Sign up below to get the password!
Montessori Bead Spooning
I continued to work on my boys’ fine motor skills with this easy Montessori spooning activity. I presented a tray with 2 dishes, one of which was full of assorted red, white and blue beads. Then I carefully demonstrated for Nugget how to scoop up a spoonful of beads and pour them into the adjacent dish. He spilled plenty, but he also surprised me with just how well he did. The really wonderful part was when Goose came over and began helping him. Brotherly love at its finest, and it just melted my heart!
Easy Star Clings for Early Tot School
Some of the activities I have listed today are better for slightly older children, so I wanted to include something for the younger siblings as well. I found this set of 4th of July gel window clings in the Dollar Spot at Target. They are VERY sticky and stretchy, so I introduced them with a child-sized cookie sheet (I think it came from this Melissa & Doug cooking set). The primary activity was to peel the star clings off of their backing and stick them to the cookie sheet. As it turned out, they were so sticky that it turned into great sensory play.
I think that a child as young as 6th months would enjoy touching and interacting with the sticky texture if you placed them on a cookie sheet yourself. As always, watch your child to ensure that they don’t try to eat them (and if it were me, I would wash hands after handling, who knows what chemicals are in these things – eek!)
Free 4th of July Decorative Printables!
After so many activities for the littles, here is something for the Mamas! This download features 3 separate 8×10 designs, perfect for framing or adding a patriotic touch throughout the house. Visit my Digital Resource Library to get yours, and have a Fabulous 4th of July!!
Colored rice is incredibly easy to make and extremely fun to work with. The color combinations are endless as are the applications. Below is my favorite recipe for how to make your own colored rice, followed by a few easy activities you can use it with.
Ingredients:
1 Cup Uncooked Dry Rice
1/8th Cup White Vinegar
Food Coloring
Instructions:
Begin by pouring the vinegar over your dry rice. Ad 3-5 drops of food coloring in your desired color(s) and stir until well combined. The more food coloring you use, the darker and more vivid your rice will be.
Once the rice is fully combined spread it evenly over a baking sheet. Let sit for 1-2 hours until completely dry, stirring occasionally. Store in a dry, sealed container when not in use.
OK, I’ve Made My Rice – Now What??
Colored Rice is perfect for sensory bins. It works particularly well for smaller children because it doesn’t post a chocking hazard and is non-toxic. Below you can see that I used it in an Ocean sensory bin and a Farm themed sensory bin.
This material also works well in several Montessori activities. I have used it as an introductory pouring medium, as well as for scooping.
Comment below with your favorite colored rice activity!
from Amazon looks similar. Initially I introduced the activity as a simple transfer from one dish to another, then as Goose mastered the tongs I increased the difficulty by adding a color sorting element. As a surprise I didn’t mention that the stars are intended for freezing, so after working with them at room temperature several times Goose was shocked to find them frozen one day!
by Patricia Pingry. This book is part of a fantastic series of board books about historical figures. We read the story of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin. The series also includes the story of America’s Birthday, Gettysburg, the Star Spangled Banner, Rosa Parks and more. I hope to add the rest of our collection soon.
. This guide is something I picked up last year at a consignment sale on a whim, and it turned out to be a valuable resource. Each page shows a portrait of the president and offers a brief bio. The stories are short enough that even Goose could follow them, and he delighted in picking the funniest looking presidents so I could read their stories. Even I have a hard time keeping some of the more obscure presidents straight (I’m looking at you John Tyler and Millard Fillmore!) So I don’t know how much Goose will really remember but if nothing else he is learning that history can be fun and that lesson alone is valuable.
Melissa & Doug cooking set). The primary activity was to peel the star clings off of their backing and stick them to the cookie sheet. As it turned out, they were so sticky that it turned into great sensory play.
