Poundland Creation

So, used the "great" football match to create resources to support the bucket of plastic fruit ice-cubes.

Transferring

Transferring fruit into dish using tongs

Transferring fruits using tongs into matching coloured cups.

Transferring using tongs into compartments with matching picture.

Transferring using tongs into matching coloured silicone cases (only enough space for two fruits)

Repeating Patterns

Following and continuing ABAB pattern. Using velcroable matching fruits onto a velcro strip, allowing easy adapting or children creating their own patterns.

As above but permanent patterns following an ABCABC pattern.

Feeding Monster

I made this cute little model out of a food can (coffee mate) for feeding him the pieces of food. You could obviously use verbal instructions for a receptive language activity, particularly for stepped or sequential instructions e.g. "Feed monster an orange, banana and a strawberry." But for independent activity:

Pictures of fruits placed on a velcro strip, child feeds that "menu" to the monster. Ideal for use in a a workstation.

Laminated cards with numbers written on with a dry wipe pen, child feeds the monster that amount of each fruit. Ideal for use in a workstation.

Children select what fruit they want to feed to monster, velcro onto menu and feed him (or a friend feeds him). The menu can be used in imaginative play, to select fruits for fruit salad.

More about that Monster tomorrow.

"The only kind of learning which significantly influences behavior is self-discovered or self-appropriated learning - truth that has been assimilated in experience." Carl Rogers

Poundland finds

On my usual hunt for bargains, today found these fab items. Turned out brag books were buy one get one free!!! Any ways have plans for these and will post results, very exciting options.

"A bargain is something you have to find a use for once you have bought it." Benjamin Franklin

Flags

In hopefulness yesterday this was available to make St. Georges flags!!! We now have a garland of them (Well they are flags and they are red and white variations on the design). Putting pegs onto the tray for hanging up proved a real hit!! And our patriotic act paid off, I wonder about Sunday??

"When I get older I will be stronger, They'll call me freedom just like wavin' a flag." K'naan

Alphabet collections

Counting Coconuts is one of my favourite blogs, and after seeing today's wonderful offering I decided I must share. The astronomically creative Mari-Ann has photographed all her little boxes of small objects relating to each letter of the alphabet. No mean feat collecting or thinking of all those. Check it out for inspiration. Mari-Ann has used a little box that one uses to store nails, screws and the like in but you could equally use; plastic take out containers, little gift bags or small pots from the £ store.

As a supplementary activity/ resource these two printables may be of use. You will need to register with TES to access but registration is free and there are the most invaluable free resources to download. Including these two "wonderful" ones created by me :).

Alphabet Matching Cards

Alphabet Train (Freeze)

"I like Fisher Price music, nursery rhymes, and the alphabet song. " Tre Cool

Pegging pom poms

I saw this a while back on another blog (sorry I don't know which one). It has been a very popular activity. I presented the little pom-poms in a silicone cupcake case, using a peg for tongs children transferred pom-poms to the flower ice cube tray (ikea). Often children tipped them out of the cupcake case onto the floor, think it made it a little more challenging. The best thing about this is that adult fingers cannot remove the pom-poms using fingers, making the children feel very proud!! "I'll help you!"

'“Just as the little child cries out "help me to do it by myself" through his actions, so does the older child demonstrate the same need at successive levels of sophistication as he grows.'” Montessori

More World Cup

Another activity made from the resources at activity village, matching flag to their corresponding flag stick. Each lollypop stick has a name of a country on, children can look up the flag and identify the country using the little flip book. They can self check as on the back of each stick and flag there is a matching symbol.

Originally this activity was presented alongside others having been initially presented. It has not been accessed, except England flag is permanently stuck to stick and miraculously gets back on every time I remove it and I don't know who is actually putting it back (correctly) each time!! So I have put it out on the table in the hope it will be effectively accessed tomorrow. Will keep you posted.

"Our flag is red, white and blue, but our nation is rainbow- red, yellow, brown, black and white-and we're all precious in God's sight." Jessie Jackson

World Cup flags

Using the resource list I posted last week that are available at activity village I have created several flag activities. This one simply made by printing flags, laminating them and cutting them in half. I had underestimated how difficult this would be to even the most accomplished jigsaw creator!! I think I'm going to need to present the pieces in in two boxes, separated into the halves. Will let you know if we have any success on this, or alternatives. Having aid that it was popular, just not sustaining interest!!

"A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." Albert Einstein

Afternoon Tea

I was just searching iphoto when I came across a few photos from a while back, which made me smile and I thought I would share. When I was a little girl it was common place to have afternoon tea with my mum and I would drink tea from her saucer and on special days I would even have my own tea set. Reminiscing on this with a little china tea set the children were playing with, they asked can we do that now? I thought no way, you can't drink tea. But then reconsidered, two mouthfuls of incredibly weak tea really wasn't going to hurt. Thought since we were going to have afternoon tea we should bake some cakes so we set to work baking appropriately sized cakes.

When it came to drinking the tea, I can not tell you how grown up and polite we all were with most English etiquette and table manners. Wonderful social opportunity along with the fine motor development through practical life skills.

"Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors." Alice Walker

World Cup Resources online

I have made several resources and have a few additional ideas, but currently have no photos so until I upload those thought may be useful to suggest some good online resources.

World cup printables including flags (coloured and for colouring) with name, football kit designs and trading cards, available from activity village

Simple animation (no words) story, fully switch accessible called "Goal" available from Helpkidzlearn

"Penalty Shoot Out" game available at Priory Woods School resources section, again fully switch accessible.

Football Shimmy song and dance available from Boogie Beebies

"Football is an honest game. It's true to life. It's a game about sharing. Football is a team game. So is life." Joe Namath

Spooning rice and non slip fabric

Usually we alternate between a medium sized tray with transferring activities (rice/ lentils) and small community playthings sand/ water tray. Recently we have had rice on the "cooking" table for children to use when pretending to cook (will try to find some pics), however they seem to have become very complacent and spilling it all over the floor (they do sweep up but it really is a job for the vacuum). So we have gone back to basics, with a tiny tray. One of the children has been having a bit of a problem getting the tray out without the bowls slipping so transferred to wider rimmed tray, still no success but today I had a brainwave add some non slip fabric and hey presto problem solved. Maybe we can get down to learning how to transfer carefully now.

"Reflection Montessori pedagogy is based on allowing children to move toward self-mastery." Tim Seldin and Jonathan Wolff

Shower ring maths

Yes you read right! I got these shower curtain rings at a ridiculously low price, I got them simply to appease the connecting scheme we got going on. But realising the ring fits nicely into a hole punched hole, thought they made the perfect "next step" activity tying in interests. Will let you know how the go down.

I think this activity would be perfect for visual learners to understand sums/ number sentences (whatever your preference), particularly those with autism.

Also created the number cards

"You don't understand anything until you learn it more than one way." Marvin Minsky

Finger print number people

Finger prints made into strips of numbers 1-10 added features to make little people. Ideal for children to make prints and adult to add features if child not able to.\

“What you love is as unique to you as your fingerprints” Unknown

Creative kids...

When they could be given all the toys in the world, often the simple things illicit the most creative responses. I will forever be thankful to my parents (and the time when I was born) that I had everything I needed, and most importantly not too much of what I wanted. And in that I wanted very little, and learnt to be incredibly creative and inventive. By far I feel this creativity has been my steering motivation for so many things and remains an absloute passion of mine that we must ensure we provide environments that allow and facilitate children's creativity.

That's why scenes like this make me smile with delight!

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo DaVinci

Charity shop find!

I often find fabulous items in charity shops/ carboots, often I don't have a clue what they are but think of a fabulous potential use for it. This is a case in question, I believe this find maybe a wine bottle stand? But who cares (unless I want another one and then I'm stumped) it makes the most wonderful accompaniment to some napkin rings, thread them onto the top and they satisfyingly spin to the bottom. Practice fine motor skills when retrieving the rings from the bottom.

"Riches do not consist in the possession of treasures, but in the use made of them."
Napoleon Bonaparte

Amazing Caterpillars.

Just wanted to share this AMAZING sight, discovered whilst driving the other day. I thought they were spider's webs, but turned out instead to be webs of Ermine Moth caterpillars. Who apparently (thanks to google) I now know, create these amazing structures to protect them from predators whilst they get they eat. They will then create their chrysalis in the web, and stay their safe (ish) from predators until they become moths. I do hope I get to photograph the whole process.

"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar." Bradley Millar