Dr. Seuss’ Birthday is coming up on March 2nd and every year I am reminded of a story one of my kindergartener's parents told me. She had been living in California at one point in time and had the opportunity to go to Dr. Seuss' house and he would sit in a rocking chair with his "Cat in the Hat" hat on and read his books to whomever came to listen. How great would that have been!! I was just trying to see if there was any information online about this and while there wasn't, I did learn that he … [Read more...] about Dr. Seuss’ Birthday
Archives for February 2011
See and Spell Puzzles
Thanks To My Obstacle Course, Another Toy Saved From The Island (Or Closet) Of Unused Toys! I got this great set of Melissa and Doug See and Spell puzzles to help with letter recognition and introduce word building with Andrew when he was around four. He wasn't really interested in it until I began using it as a My Obstacle Course station activity with him and then he was hooked! We would talk what the picture showed, the letters that made up the word and the sounds the letters make. It was … [Read more...] about See and Spell Puzzles
My Obstacle Course Video
I thought I would share a video I made for a tele-class I am taking (I posted it on Facebook as well so my apologies if you have already seen this!). My original intention for the class was to create "How To" videos for my website, which I'm still working on, but decided to begin with a video showing why I came up with My Obstacle Course, how much more Andrew is engaged when we are doing the station activities and the progress we have made in determining what he knows and what he can do. When I … [Read more...] about My Obstacle Course Video
Dice
If you are looking for a fun way to sneak in basic number identification, counting skills and/or math facts, try using something you probably have sitting in a cupboard inside of a board game box - dice. I like to use dice because it keeps things random, requires no set up, helps build motor skills and planning and can easily be paired up with manipulatives (any item that helps represent what is being counted) to provide reinforcement. If you want to mix things up a bit beyond the basic white … [Read more...] about Dice
The Bulb Syringe- Not Just For Baby’s Nose!
I know I say this all of the time but I really do love that there are so many wonderful and unexpected items sitting right in my cupboards that allow me to help Andrew build skills! I found this bulb syringe, aka the booger bulb, while cleaning out our medicine cabinet and figured since it hadn't been used in years, it was time to get rid of it. That is, until I squeezed it... and realized that it would be perfect for him to build his pincer grasp and hand muscles while being able … [Read more...] about The Bulb Syringe- Not Just For Baby’s Nose!
Cutting Out Grocery Store Ads
I love to find things that can be combined with another thing or tool to make an interesting station activity for My Obstacle Courses. When they are delivered to my mailbox and are free, I am beyond excited! Grocery advertisements are a perfect example of this. I used them all of the time when teaching Kindergarten to help with reading, math and fine motor skills and have used them with Andrew at home while doing My Obstacle Course. They are always changing so it keeps things interesting! My … [Read more...] about Cutting Out Grocery Store Ads