I was doing a “treasure hunt” around my house to see what we have to include in a summer themed My Obstacle Course. I went into Andrew’s closet to look for some summer books and my eyes fell upon the shelf where this “Find It” toy he had received from his grandma was sitting. This is a great item for car trips or lazy summer afternoons but it also makes a great, super easy (no set up required at all!) station activity.
“Find It” is a cylinder filled with colored rice sized beads that hide thematic items (kind of like a sensory bin without being able to touch). There are several different varieties that I have seen for sale in toy stores (Brilliant Sky is one I know for sure that carries them).
Twist and turn the toy to expose different items, trying to find items that are listed at the top.
I really like this toy because it includes items that are quite common as well as some items that are not as familiar, giving us an opportunity to build vocabulary.
We don’t have a lot of “sand dollars” where we live so when he comes across it and wonders what it is, I can help give it a name while pointing out some unique characteristics.
I like that the items are not too simple. I always say that intelligibility and intelligence are not the same thing and it is nice to have something for him to play with that doesn’t insult his intelligence.
When using this as a station in My Obstacle Course, I will have him either find 10 items or have him choose from the list which 10 items he will be hunting for. From there, I may have him practice writing a few of those words (maybe 3 or 4) at the next station to work on his handwriting skills. This could be done with Magnadoodle, Aquadoodle, pencil/marker/crayon and paper, dry erase markers and white board, or chalk on a chalkboard.
Note: While I haven’t done this myself, I am going to try to make my own using a tennis ball container (label removed), dried rice and some small items from Michael’s. I tried this around Christmas time with fake snow and it didn’t work very well so I’m thinking that rice or something like it might move better. I would love to know if anyone has done this already! Definitely thinking some duct tape around the cover once it’s been completed so little hands don’t open it up all over the living room! 🙂
Engage, Encourage and Empower!