Valentine M&M Graphing Here is another opportunity to build math skills while having a bit of yummy fun with the small package of Valentine themed M&M’s. I use the package of candy with Andrew to make graphs. As I’ve said before, I like to use things that are random because it helps to keep things from getting boring. These small packages are perfect because neither of us know how many of each color will be inside. (There are lots of ways to do this sort of thing without candy … [Read more...] about Valentine Themed Math Part 2
Archives for February 2011
My Obstacle Course: February Theme
Here is a video clip from a February themed My Obstacle Course that we did last year. The station activities are all specific to the skills and concepts that Andrew was working on in therapy and school but I want you to see how it looks when I combine the station activities I post on to build developmental and academic skills. If you'd like me to post on specific skills or skill levels that you are working on with your child or want help figuring out how to know what to do or where to start, … [Read more...] about My Obstacle Course: February Theme
Race To 100!
The other day was the "Hundredth Day of School" for Andrew and for those of you who don't know about this, it is a big deal for young children. At the beginning of the school year they begin keeping track of how many days they have been in school. This allows for a very natural introduction and instruction about numbers. They usually use straws and add one per day until they have 10 to bundle into one group of 10. This continues each day allowing them to count by tens and adding on the ones. … [Read more...] about Race To 100!
Valentine Themed Ball
This particular ball holds a special place in my heart and while I know that sounds corny, it actually does. I found this ball last year and purchased it because it was sparkly and went along with the February theme since it had a heart inside. At the time, we were really working with Andrew on his bouncing skills. We tried all sorts of things but he just really didn't care about bouncing a ball. He used to barely look at the ball when tossing or catching with me. (*See note below) Of course, I … [Read more...] about Valentine Themed Ball
Building Pouring Skills
Most young children spend a great deal of time in the bathtub playing and while they are playing, they are building skills that will help them later on. Andrew enjoyed hanging out in the tub, but he kind of did just that - he hung out in the tub, floating around, holding his breath under water but he did not "play" in the tub the way I remember playing. For me this involved measuring cups, filling and pouring, transferring soapy water from one container to another. One day, he was wanting to … [Read more...] about Building Pouring Skills
Groundhog’s Day
My apologies for the lateness of this post but I just realized that tomorrow is Groundhog's Day and while this isn't a major holiday, I do have some ideas for how to introduce or reinforce this at home with your child. Last year, Andrew was at home sick and it occurred to me that they were probably going to discuss this a bit at school and I didn't want him to miss out. Literature I had a book from my teaching days called Groundhog Day by Gail Gibbons (a favorite author of mine) and there are … [Read more...] about Groundhog’s Day