busy hands

the ridiculously popular

bead work lesson, 

in action

building towers 

with the knobless cylinders

 skip counting by eights 

{can YOU do this?}

building and writing a useful word 

with the moveable alphabet 

{useful words are words that get used frequently, 

but you can't quite sound them out - the, is, of, are, was....}

exploring objects from the 

"l" drawer of the alphabet box

{explore OUR alphabet box here}

busy hands

 grading color tablets from  

darkest to lightest

 writing and illustrating  

a story

 building and writing 

short vowel words

 counting spindles

{Wrapping each quantity with a colorful rubber band 

makes this lesson a hit!}  

 scrubbing chairs and tables

{This is one of our FAVORITE afternoon activities!}

All you need to get scrubbing

is a bucket of water, soap, and few brushes or sponges. 

Hope everyone has a great week!

busy hands

squeezing pink water from a dropper

into a heart-shaped ice cube tray

{when all the hearts are full,

use the dropper to suck the water back up

OR just stick the tray in the freezer}

 constructing with 

the pink tower AND the broad stair

 using the 100 board to count to 100

on the 100th day of school

{yes, that IS a muffin tin holding the number tiles}

writing and illustrating 

a book of planets

 

painting a wooden bead 

with liquid watercolor

 two friends wearing their hand-painted

valentine's day necklaces

{we can't wait for v-day around here!}

busy hands

grinding up chunks of dry bread

{a new twist on the ever popular bread grating lesson}

The child in this photo is 4, but this lesson is perfect for 3 year olds, too.
This activity helps develop organization, fine motor control, and problem solving. Children love the grinder and the sound the dry bread makes as it's being crunched up.

What does one do with a bag of bread crumbs?

Here are our most favorite uses:

• feed them to the birds
• sprinkle them on a salad
• nibble on them - straight out of the bag - at the snack table

{That last use makes me laugh at least once or twice a day!}

Read more about grating lessons here.

a display of spheres

The children often use the geometric solids to go on shape scavenger hunts around the classroom.

Other shapes include:

• cubes
• cones
  
• cylinders
• rectangular prisms

This activity is enjoyed by all ages in our classroom, especially the 3 and 4 year olds.

Buy geometric solids here or make your own set {I bet you could!}.

reading 3 letter words

The word is on the front and the picture is on the back, so the child can challenge himself AND double check his work.

To play the game:

The first child reads the word on the top of the stack. If she's right, she keeps the card and passes the stack to the next child. If she gets the word wrong, she she puts the card back in the stack and tries the next one.

The children in this picture are 5 years old and just beginning to develop accurate word recognition. We play LOTS of word games before we present readers with books.

Find awesome reading materials and info here.

clipping carabiners together

This lesson builds concentration and strengthens fine motor control.

Ta da!

The 3 year olds cannot get enough of constructing this chain. I think you can find inexpensive carabiners at most sporting good stores.

Have a great weekend!

Edit: The grinder used in the bread grating lesson is a nut grinder I found at the thrift store. Ebay has several, too. Here's the link!

busy hands

using tongs to transfer "ice cubes"
between a bowl & an ice tray

bead work
A brief description of bead work:
The child arranges the tiny beads on a peg board shape.
{Some children just fill the board,
and others select certain colors to make patterns.}
When the board is full, a teacher irons it -
the beads melt together, holding the shape.
I can't emphasize enough how much the children LOVE this work!
Check beads and peg boards out here.

using a screwdriver
to screw bolts into a board
Check the slotted bolt board out here.
{I'm sure you handy types could easily make a homemade version!}

tower built with The Pink Tower & The Broad Stair
{No extension cards were used in its construction!}

balancing marbles on top of golf tees
{idea courtesy of the lovely Pink & Green Mama
and Jo A Bit of This and A Bit of That}

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend!
It's been snowing here!
{Yee haw!!!}

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!}

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

busy hands

painting at the easel

tracing a name tag
{The children usually use their name tags to "save"
lessons for more than one work period,
but they're nice to trace, too!}

baby washing
{This lesson has been irresistible to the 3 & 4 year old girls!}

twisting nuts onto bolts

building sentences
{Read more about this lesson here.}

making a number stamp book

shoveling snow
{at my house}

Wooo hoooooo!!!
{I heart snow!}

busy hands

tweezing terrifying spiders
from a box filled with black beans
{much easier to clean up than rice!}

lacing wallpaper pumpkins
{more durable than regular paper}

pumpkin number sequencing
{the idea for this came from My Montessori Journey}

opening bottles
{filled with imaginary potions}

using tongs to arrange orange puffs on a palette

rolling out sugar cookie dough
{get the recipe here}

cutting out a bat

and adding the final touches...

ta da!
the scary treats fresh from the oven
{We ate them all day long!}

our finished jack-o-lantern mosaic
{Featured today over at The Crafty Crow!}

Happy Halloween Eve!