Move: Alphabet Archeologist- Sensory Tubs Part 1

Nicole is a huge fan of Sensory Tubs...and she's got A LOT of easy, fun ideas for using them.

In keeping with our back-to-school theme this month, she's shared this one: Alphabet Archeologist. 

Materials:

 plastic tub (storage bin)

rice, beans, pasta, sand, etc.

foam or wooden letters

small shovels

paintbrushes

She says, "Take turns burying and hiding the letters in the rice and searching for them. My little girl found the same enjoyment from this activity as she does from the classic game of peek-a-boo...plus she was able to practice identifying and saying some of the letter names and sounds."

More Sensory Tub ideas coming...but we'd love to hear yours in the meantime!!

Move: Window Clings

It's that time of year again when stores are no longer stocking their shelves with fun, summer toys and games, and the plethora of  "back-to-school" supplies are in sight. As a kid this would always make me cringe, but once I became a teacher it almost felt like Christmas. I no longer have a classroom to decorate, but I still love looking through all of the teaching supplies and decorations this time of year (really, at any time of year!). 

Last week at the Dollar Store, I came across adorable window clings. My daughter has just gotten into the world of stickers, and I thought these would be a great activity for her. She LOVES them! I bought two sets. One with animals that had the spelling of the words below, and another that was numbered from 1-10, and had pictures of different objects for counting. 

Here are a few reasons that I love window clings: 

1.) They are larger than a regular sticker, and therefore are easier for little hands to manage and manipulate.

2.) They are reusable...It doesn't matter if my little girl crumples them in a ball and puts them in her mouth (because she does that at times). They still stick!! 

3.) They stick to our sliding glass door in our kitchen so it is an easy, mess-free activity for her to do while I work in the kitchen. 

When I use them with my toddler we play hide and seek..."can you find the bird, where is the cat?" Other times I will point to the animal and ask her what sound the animal makes. With the number set we practice counting objects and identifying the different pictures. For two dollars I definitely got my money's worth!

What would you do with window clings?

Move: Nicole's Number Hop

 Introducing the newest www.funmoms.org team member....

Click on image to learn more about Nicole.

You're gonna LOVE her! 

Here's the kind of stuff she's got up her sleeve: 

Nicole's Number Hop

My little girl is a toddler...and that means a lot of running, hopping and jumping on a daily basis! I love the energy of this age, but I wanted to think of a way we could use this energy to learn as well (I guess that's what happens when your mom is a teacher!). On one of my many trips to the dollar store I stumbled across what I believe are  supposed to be rubber hot pads...but all I could see was a fun floor game that could grow with my daughter. I  bought three packs of four and headed home to my Sharpie's! I wrote the numbers 1-10 on the little circles, and that was it!! 

They are perfect for hopping on! They don't slip because of the soft, rubbery surface and my daughter loves to jump on them. She even takes her baby dolls and has them jump on them (which is adorable I must say!). Since we have been playing with them, she has learned the numbers 1, 2, and 3! She was even able to bring me the number three when I asked her for it the other day. Most of the time though we just enjoy hopping all around the house on them...wait a second, did I say WE?  

In the future I am sure there are many more math-related games I can come up with for these inexpensive dollar store finds. 

Anyone care to share other ideas for these fun little circles?