Jack-O-Lantern Counting

We haven't done this activity in a long time so MD enjoyed it this week.  Especially the halloween theme.  He is getting really good at it and I love to see that he is learning.

Shake Shake Shake

Saw this on the somewhere on the web many many moons ago and we've been using it on and off for a while both with numbers and letters.  It's a fun game to use for letter or number recognition.  We put the marble in, give it a good shake, and then open the egg carton and name the number/letter where the marble landed.  Anything with movement and silliness is always a big hit!

Water Bottle Number Match-Up (Extended Version)

MD still has difficulty with numbers and counting.  He can identify numbers 0-10 except for 6 and 7.  Those he cannot remember for some reason.  After we finished our number crafts we finally began doing the Water Bottle Match Up and Marble Game using numbers 0-10 but he still has difficulty with the larger numbers so I help him out a lot.

He really enjoys putting the marbles in the bottles and screwing the lids on to shake them.

Number Crafts: Ten

We finally arrived at number ten.  This is the last number craft and MD had a lot of fun with it. 

Painting bubble wrap and pressing it on the number to paint it. 

Then adding glitter glue over the paint.

And glued ten little green beads under the number.

Number Crafts: Nine

I don't know what's wrong with my camera and blogger but I could not get this picture upright.  This one was easy and fun.

Number Craft: Eight

Number Crafts: Seven

Number Crafts: Six

This week our craft number was six.  I like tissue paper art but MD didn't really care for it before so we had not used it in a while until recently when making some valentine cards with it and now for the number six.  He is really starting to enjoy using the tissue as he carefully laid it on the number and painted over it.  Makes me happy. 

These number crafts are a good way to fit art into the day and they have been great for teaching number recognition and counting. After they are complete I stick them onto cabinet doors in the kitchen and since we spend a lot of time there, MD looks at them a lot. Sometimes he points to each of them and says the number and then I encourage him to practice counting.

Number Crafts: Five

For number five, I put out some paint rollers and finger paint and tempera paint.  After a few rolls MD was no longer interested.  But once I suggested he use a car, he kept going and I even had to give him more paper to roll the tires on.  It ended up looking similar to the marble paint number.

Tower Games

In my treatment of children at the mental health clinic, one game I always had around was Jenga or Jumbling Tower.  Since my internship days I always had one with me in which I wrote "feeling" words on each of the blocks such as "angry", "happy", "confused", "sad", etc.  I would also leave a few blocks blank.  As we began to play the game the child would have to talk about a time when he/she felt such a feeling and describe it.  If the child pulled out a blank block then he/she would get to ask me a question about anything they wanted.  The same rules applied to me and both the child and I had the chance to decline answering a question.  This was a favorite game of the children and myself.  It occured to me that this game could also be used at home with our own children, as I sometimes had children play with their parents and me, and sometimes parents would comment that they had the game at home and would be adding the "feelings" words to the blocks also because it helped them discover things about their child.  Kids just seem to open up more when they are playing.  So I am definately planning on using this game with my children as they get more verbal and better at understanding the game process.

For now I also decided to make this same game educational.  I went out and bought 2 more sets of the tower game.  On one I wrote a different letter on each block.  This can be used to play a letter recognition game and can also be used with older children as a phonics game.

On the other tower game I wrote numbers 1 through 10 on some blocks and dots for counting on other blocks.  So far we have played with the alphabet one and MD enjoyed identifying the letters as he pulled out a block.  Since he's only three, this game is a little difficult for his coordination so our tower tumbled over pretty early in the game.  But the good thing is you can always start over :)

Valentine Treats & Valentine Numbers

We made Valentine themed bagels.  Mini whole wheat bagels topped with light cream cheese, no sugar added strawberry preserves, and a few red sugar sprinkles.  MD was so excited because he thought he was making and eating jelly donuts.  I told him they were bagels but he was too excited to listen to me.  He happily ate his yummy treat with a big smile on his face.

I've seen this number ordering activity many times at Chasing Cheerios and decided to give it a try.  MD preferred to put the foam heart numbers over the numbers I wrote on the piece of paper instead of below them.  It was quick and easy to put together and he enjoyed it. 

Apples to Numbers

I showed MD how to place the correct number of apples on each number and count them.

Then I allowed him to do it himself. 

The concept of  zero was a little difficult, as expected.  He did one through 3 very well.  Then he had difficulty with number four because he kept wanting to give one of the apples from number four to the zero. 

Overall this was a fun use of my kitchen decorations!

Number Craft: Four

This was an easy one.  Black and white ribbon and googly eyes.

Number Crafts: Three (and Birthday)

Painting with marbles is so much fun!

MD just happened to officially turn 3 years old the same week we learned about number three.  It feels like he's been three years old for a few months already and he started saying he was three years old since SE was born back in September.  But he actually just turned 3.   Happy Birthday my big boy!!

Water Bottle Number Match Up & Then Some

Matching water bottle lids with numbers on them to the correct bottle with the same number (also a work in fine motor skills if I can get him to screw the caps on).

  I am going to be adding more numbers as I collect more empty bottles.  Good thing I love drinking water.

We later added marbles to the bottles corresponding to the number on each bottle . . .

And shook them just for fun . . . .

And extended the learning with some colored blocks . . . right about this time I started loosing him, oh well, it was a fun and educational five minutes.

Bottle Cap Numbers

I re-used these water bottle caps by placing number stickers on them for MD to match his numbers. 

I also made this nifty container to store them in.  An old baby formula can decorated with tissue paper and Mod Podge.

Number Crafts: Two

This week we are working on number two. 

Number Crafts: One

This week's number of focus is 1.  I am going to prepare a crafty/artsy way to decorate each number from 1-10 for MD to begin to recognize his numbers.  I got this idea from Counting Coconuts doing something similar (but much more clever) with the letters of the alphabet.

Numbers Everywhere

MD is starting to learn all about numbers.  We are starting small from 1 to 3 for now.