This station activity is perfect for a farm-themed My Obstacle Course. All you need are some colored puffs (yellow works great for baby chicks) and some tweezers or ice tongs. I had some brown shredded paper that I placed into a baking pan because I thought it would help in pretending that they were still in their nest. I also had a picture of a hen from a Mailbox Teacher Magazine but you could draw your own (you would laugh if you saw what mine would look like) or simply print one from of the … [Read more...] about Help the Baby Chicks
Sensory
Sand Writing
No beach? No problem! I shared in an earlier post about creating a Sand Bin and how that can be used to hide items to increase sensory tolerance and build hand muscles through sand play. This bin can also be used to build handwriting skills by having your child do some sand writing. One of the things I learned last year when Andrew attended a handwriting camp was the importance of providing opportunities for children to build handwriting skills in: large ways (ex. writing really big on a … [Read more...] about Sand Writing
Different Shades of Blue
In keeping with the summer, beach themed My Obstacle Courses, I'm including a station to use the primary colors to make different shades of blue, like water. This is something that only takes a few minutes to set up but is so fun for children to get to play around with. An activity like this also goes along nicely with building some pretend skills, like pretending to be a scientist experimenting or a magician who is making "magic potions." My Obstacle Course Station Activity: Different Shades … [Read more...] about Different Shades of Blue
Fourth of July Hat “Search and Find”
Fourth of July hat "Search and Find" is a modification of the "St. Patrick's Hat Search and Find" I posted on in March. This version uses a July themed hat (think Uncle Sam and parades!) along with some different textured items. I liked this hat because it was deep enough to put items in so the child cannot see what is in there. They have to use their sense of touch and also think about what the items feel like, connecting the feelings with words. This was something I did with Andrew early on … [Read more...] about Fourth of July Hat “Search and Find”
Sensory Sand Bin
I’ve done previous posts on using sensory bins with dried beans and fake snow and think that a perfect summer sensory bin is a sand bin. This is something that I would do in a low, wide plastic bin with a lid, so it can be stored away while not in use. I would also place it on a beach towel to contain the sand. This may be something that your child already does all of the time but in the past it is not something that has been a preferred activity for Andrew. There are so many motor skills to … [Read more...] about Sensory Sand Bin
Water Wheel Pouring Station
My Obstacle Course Station Activity: Water Wheel Pouring Station Here is a great toy to help work on pouring skills. Andrew is still very tentative about pouring and hasn't quite gotten the slowing down when the cup is almost full concept yet. Because of this, I tend to be very involved when he is pouring things like juice but I want him to get more opportunities to practice this skill without me being so nervous about spills. I am going to use this toy because it is super motivating for him … [Read more...] about Water Wheel Pouring Station