Popcorn Jars

The boys have been busy getting ready for the holiday season, as we all have been.  Today's project was popcorn jars.  I love this project because it is simple, economical & a great gift that the boys can make themselves.  Our list has grown this year and I felt like the kitchen was a little factory at one point, but the boys enjoyed it all & since I didn't have time to make dinner, it became a pizza night (all the better in their eyes).

For this project we just needed a jar, a sticky label (for the front that the boys could decorate), some popcorn & then our secret ingredient (just kidding), a ziploc bag & cinnamon & sugar.  We mix some cinnamon & sugar together but it in the ziploc bag & then put it in the top of the jar.  This way when the receiver opens his or her gift then can have a sweet treat (the only trick is to add the cinnamon & sugar mixture when the popcorn is HOT!

This was a great project to work on measuring, stirring & pouring.  It also gives the boys a great sense of accomplishment to realize that they made this, all by themselves.

HIDE & SEEK BOTTLES

So, we had a little rainy day fun today.  We made hide and seek bottles and the boys loved them (the little guys I watch part-time - my two are a little old for this project).  

First we got some plastic bottles out of the recycle bin.  The boys chose which ones they wanted & were very excited to hunt for them.  We then gathered different little items that I had laying around.  You know all those little toys you step on in the middle of the night & wonder where they came from & why you let them stay in your house.

So, first we poured in the little toys and then we poured in the rice.  I actually glued the lids on just to make sure they did not come open (although a tight twist would have probably 

done the trick for these little ones). 

Then the shaking and the hiding and

the seeking began.   

This was a fun project and I have found that it is a great car toy!

The Building Museum, AGAIN!

We hit the National Building Museum again!  They have a great architectural exhibit with Legos.  This exhibit was awesome.  The first part of the exhibit had some great sculptures, like the Eiffel Tower, the Seattle Space Needle, the White House and many more.  The exhibit entailed how many hours it took to design the creation & then how long it took to build it, as well as how many Legos it contains.

The boys were quite amazed by all of this.  I think they were caught off guard by all the planning it took, which made for a great conversation about planning out things.

  

But the best was yet to come!  After "seeing" the exhibit, they got to play with the exhibit.  The museum had an entire room of Legos for the kids to play with.  The kids were in heaven & best of all.  The museum was basically empty when we were there (only 3 other kids in this entire exhibit).  The kids then built many different designs & then placed them on the "city grid".  They had a great time & could of stay there for half the day (but I dragged them out after almost 2 hours), alas we had to meet Dad for lunch (one of the perks of coming to DC for sightseeing is getting to meet up with Dad).

                     And yes, they are wearing their Halloween Outfits. 

The Montessori Method by Maria Montessori

I thought this book was very informative.  Although I could of never read it.  Thank goodness for audiobooks.  We have gone on a few road trips to visit family and friends over the last few weeks and this was a great thing to listen to.  A nice change from the music & the hum of the DVD player in the backseat (5 hours later).  

I really enjoyed finding out how all of this started & what was her motivation behind it all.  The best is that even after 100 or so years it is just as effective with today's kids, nothing like the basics.

Handwriting Without Tears

I just took the Handwriting Without Tears program.  It is one of the best programs around, in my opinion, for teaching proper strokes in a fun, developmentally appropriate way.  I have been using it with my sons, as well as some of my oldest son's classmates (on my volunteer days at his school).

For very young children  who are just beginning to understand the concept of what a letter is, the program uses wooden pieces that can be manipulated to form the capital letters.   The neat thing is that children learn that all capital letters are made up of big lines, little lines, big curves, or little curves. I have been using the wooden pieces along with some letter mats (control cards) that I ordered from the company.

You can see what I have set up so far for my sons.  I have a basket which contains the wooden pieces, the foam mat and the control cards for all the capital letters, and a tray with a magic slate and magnetic wooden pieces (more on this below).

To do this work, the child gets a rug and places the basket of wooden pieces on it along with the tray that has the foam mat and control cards.  The foam mat is placed on the rug.  Next to it they place the white mat for the letter they wish to make.  You can't see it well, but the HWT program uses a little smiley face in the top left corner to show children where to start their letters.  It is referred to as the "starting corner".  That is important, because so often children start their letters from the bottom and get into bad habits that are hard to reverse.

In case you are reading this wondering why it matters where they start the letters, I will give you my two cents.  In the finished product (finished letter on the page) it doesn't necessarily matter how they form it as long as it's legible.  However, the goal is being able to write fluently enough to be able to express yourself with handwriting.  Starting at the top and going to the bottom allows for the most efficient way to build such fluency.  If you are starting any old place when you  make any given letter, fluency will be affected or reduced which slows kid's way down & causes more of a struggle as they get older.

This is the Stamp and See Screen.  This is like a Magnadoodle for those of you who know what that is.  This one is made by the HWT company.  It comes with 4 magnetic wooden pieces (big line, little line, big curve, little curve).

In the first step I used the wooden pieces (with a magnetic side) to form
a capital D.  Once removed  they leave an impression on the screen.  This can then be traced with the finger or with the little yellow "chalk" piece that is attached.  The little yellow chalk is angled on the end and short to force little fingers to use a proper tripod grip when holding it.

For anyone (especially "Montessorians" reading this) who is wondering if I have abandoned teaching letter formation with the sandpaper letters, the answer is NO!  I still use the sandpaper letters to introduce the sounds and to practice correct formation of lowercase letters.  However, since I don't have any uppercase sandpaper letters, this will provide a nice balance to what I already have.  (Please see my previous entries on Sandpaper Letters).

SPOT IT

What a great new game!  This game is by Blue Orange Games and is a great easy portable "card" game.  It can be played about 4 different ways.  Although my guys can only handle one way right now.  It is recommended for kids 7 and up, but my guys are 4 & 5 and do well with the easiest version of the game.

There is one and only one matching symbol on each card.  The trick is to be the first to find it.  The trick is they are in a different order & a different size on each of the cards.  

This is a great game, it is quick & easy.  It is great for matching skills & visual perception. There is always sure to be laughter (from the kids towards the Mom when she can not find the symbol).  We love to take it out to dinner with us (makes waiting go just a bit quicker, although my guys can get a bit loud as they get wrapped up in the game).

Sandpaper Numbers & Matching

I love how little people can just come up with their "own" work of matching.  The other day one of the little guys I watch a few days a week decided that he wanted to get out the Sandpaper numbers (which he has done before) and work with them.  He then got out the "number sticks" as I call them (one of my thrift store finds).  These two items had never been presented together.  And actually the "number sticks" had never been presented at all, however, they are on the shelf next to the Sandpaper numbers.

These "number sticks" have a numeral on one side and the number of dots on the other side, each one is incrementally longer than the one before.

So, O got both items out and put them on the rug and began working.  His first order of business was to put the numbers in order.  He then used the "number sticks" and matched them with the correct number, starting at number one and working his way up, very systematically.