Math Games Mondays - City Life

Here's another fun Roll the Dice game for Math Games Mondays. Yep, it's Monday again already!  Where did the weekend go?

I found these Safari Ltd. Toobs that are of NYC and vehicles - perfect to use for every day play, but today, we are using them as counters.  Simply roll the dice. Cover up that many buildings.  Roll again until all the buildings have a counter on them. 

This game helps with number value, counting, taking turns, and bonding time.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Math Games Mondays - City Life by melanieshanks on Polyvore

City Love 2 - 8X10 Art Print/Wall Art - Baby Nursery Decor and...
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Math Games Mondays - Horses & Hearts

I think every kid goes through a "Horse Phase", right?

In this household, we are no exception.  Horses have taken over our lives!  We have horse toys, barns, horse rug, horse sweaters, etc!

If your child is "into" something, go with it!  Create learning opportunities around their favorite thing - whether it be a movie, a show, an animal.  If they are interested in it, the learning will be even more exciting!

I found this adorable and rainbow clipart on etsy.  Simply purchase and print one sheet per child on sturdy cardstock (or you could laminate so it lasts longer.  I always laminated my game boards when I taught preschool.)  I purchased a Horse Toob from Safari Ltd at Joann or Michael's.  Now you're ready to play.

Simply roll the dice.  4?  Count out 4 horses.  Now cover 4 heart/squares - one horse per heart/square.  Continue taking turns till all the heart/squares are covered with horses.  This game teaches counting, number value, one-to-one correspondence, and taking turns.

You could adapt this game to fit your child's interests or your weekly preschool theme.

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Math Games Mondays - Horses & Hearts by melanieshanks featuring horse home decor

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Planting a Toddler Garden

Roo had so much fun helping Big Sister make her Rainbow Forest that I decided to create something just for her to do and realized that it is a great fine muscle builder!  I had random fake flowers left over from a project, picked up the wooden fence recently in Target's Dollar Spot (it was $3), and used a coupon at Joann to get the Crayola Model Magic for under $3.

First, let the child squish and smoosh the model magic into the "garden".  This was a lot of fun.  Roo doesn't like much sensory stuff like playdough, because it leaves a film on her fingers.  But Model Magic does not feel like that at all and she loved it.

Then, just start poking the plants in.

Add more and more...

Yes, we did add some broccoli heads.  We had them left over from the weekend and were kind of soft.  But it does make a good connection...broccoli>garden>plants>earth.

Of course, I added some animals.

They are Jesse James Dress It Up buttons.

It actually makes a cute centerpiece, right?

Love her chunky little hands.

I think she had more fun "picking" from the garden!  What can I say?  She is a toddler.  Destroying things is in her dna.

As we are expecting yet another snow, it's fun to plant a garden and hope for Spring.  Hurry, Spring!  What's the saying...To Plant A Garden Is To Hope For The Future. 

Have a fun and playful day!
Mel

Math Games Monday - Penguin Grid Game

It's February and cold here in Ohio.  As we are stuck inside, I am inventing new things are us to do to keep the boredom at bay and the cabin fever away.

 Today, I made a Penguin Grid Game.  I used two pieces of scrapbook paper (JoAnn), glue stick, one die, and a penguin paper punch from EK Success brand.  Kids can help punch out the many min penguins then glue them on in a grid.

 Roll the die then cover that number of penguins with your acrylic hearts that can be found at the Dollar Tree.  OR you can use pennies or M&Ms or anything really.

 Continue you on...

 until you've covered up the whole board.

 My grid has 88 penguins on it - which would be good for a 4-5 year old.  If you are making with a younger child, make your game board with less (maybe 24 or so).  Younger children have a shorter attention span and may lose interest.

I can't wait until Spring, but until then...

Have a Fun & Playful Day!
Mel

Making a footpath

Making a Footpath is so easy!
I am going to walk you through it now. You can do these with a variety of themes to fit any occasion - classroom theme, birthday party theme, etc.

You need:
butcher paper
stickers
construction paper
glue
laminator (optional)

#1 Lay out 2 pieces of butcher paper side by side. Mine are about 6 feet long each.
Find stickers (or clipart) that you want for your theme. I used these ocean stickers and color copied, enlarging them 400%.
I matted the color-copied stickers with construction paper for durability and to color coordinate with the path. I placed them on the paper but NOT directly across from one another.
Then I began making my path. Here, the yellow matted fish coordinate with the yellow strips of construction paper that I cut. I made the path twisty and turny for added fun.
Here my lovely assistant is gluing them down for me.
The process continues with each color. Blue here.
Then orange. See how the colors criss-cross and overlap?
Purple came next.
Last - green. Here's a view from the top. Children will start on one picture, say the shark, then follow that path until they reach the other shark. It's even more fun when more than one child is on the footpath at a time.
I laminated mine for durability but you don't have to. I saw this done at a children's museum in London, but they painted it onto the floor. Kids love it.