busy hands

lacing a construction paper stocking

ta da!

numerals and counters
{holiday edition}

pouring red and green rice

poking holes with a corn cob holder

constructing a maze
{with the red rods}

carefully walking out of the maze
{Ring the bell when you get to the center!}

sweeping sequins
These little shimmery disks get spilled A LOT!
{Good thing they're fun to pick up!}

gift wrapping 101

As you probably already know,
I LOVE practical life lessons.

For one thing, there is a never-ending supply
of practical skills that one can learn.
{We're never short on inspiration when it comes
to putting together PL lessons for the children.}
Another thing I find fabulous about these lessons
is that they give the children so much independence!

My lovely co-teacher Christy came up with this
present wrapping lesson
that debuted in our classroom this week.

The children think it's genius.

First, a child chooses an ornament.
You can't tell from the photo,
but there's a variety of boxes and wrapping paper squares
for her to choose from, too.

The child carries the materials she will need
{ornament, box, wrapping paper, scissors, tape}
on a tray to a table.

Then, the wrapping begins.

The children have been very successful
with the taping...

and with the folding, too!

After the present is wrapped,
the child places it under a wreath in our classroom.
{We're hoping to acquire a tree soon!}
At line time, the children take turns unwrapping the presents
and hanging the ornaments on the wreath.
{We're using a list of names to keep it fair - VERY important!}

What has impressed me the most about this lesson
is the problem solving skills I've observed the children using.
This child is carefully cutting off the excess paper...

and this child is adding paper.
Having too much or not enough wrapping paper
is a problem that most gift wrappers encounter, right?
{I love seeing the different ways the children deal with it!}

At first, some of the children were frustrated that they couldn't
bring their carefully wrapped presents home...
but now, they've actually embraced the idea
of giving a gift to their classroom!

Hopefully, they'll take these skills home
and wrap presents for their friends and families, too!

dressing a snowman

Introducing our new felt board friend...

His snowball circles, mittens, scarf, and hat are cut from felt.
{I added the details to the mittens and hat with fabric paint.}
His eyes are beads and his mouth is a bent pipe cleaner.
His arms are tiny twigs from the playground.
His buttons are from a lovely button stash.
And, oh!, I wish I could tell you where his mini carrot nose is from,
but I honestly have no idea.
{It's small enough to be dollhouse food.}

The snowman is fun, but this spinner is the best part.
{The idea for this came from Melissa at Chasing Cheerios.}
I made mine on a circle of white paper, glued to a circle of red paper.
I sketched the quirky little pictures and laminated it
along with a little red arrow made from paper.
I pushed a brad through the center of the circle,
and used a hole punch to cut a circle in the arrow.
{It spins pretty easily!}

The child spins the arrow...

...and outfits the snowman accordingly.
Whether it was done individually or with a partner,
the snowman was dressed over and over all day!

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

busy hands

sorting objects by their beginning sounds
a, f, c, m, p

turkey matching

grading colors
from darkest to lightest

apple slicing

making a Montana animal book

something we think is really fun...

building a "campfire" at line time


Here's our favorite campfire game:

Lying in my sleeping bag, I couldn't fall asleep...
the wind began to blow and the bugs began to creep,
so I roooolled to the left {roll hands and point to the left with thumb}
and I rooooolled to the right {roll hands and point to the right},
and I heard every sound you can hear at night! {we whisper this last part}
{from Chants, Fingerplays, & Stories by Bev Bos}

Then we take turns saying what we've heard
and repeating the sound that whatever we've heard makes.

A sampling of what we've heard:

wolves
bears
the campfire crackling
grasshoppers
mice
volcanoes erupting
deer
tigers
sharks

Our campfire is made out of stones, sticks and tissue paper.
{A flashlight tucked underneath creates the glowing effect.}

Sometimes we lay by the fire and read books like

'Til the Cows Come Home
and
Cowboy Small

Oh, and did I mention it snowed?
A lot?!

{enough said, right?}