Cat Puppet

I had to make a puppet for a literacy class that went with rhyming words.  I made a black cat out of a mitten.  (the thumb is suppose to be it's tail)  It is very kid friendly and easy enough for kids to make.

Forming Words

These eggs are a great way for children to explore word formation.  On one side of the egg is a word ending such as –at.  On the other side of the egg has letters like c, b, m, s, f.  Children can then match these letters together and sound out the word.

Wood Blocks

These blocks are a great addition to any block area or science area.  My dad helped me with these chunks of wood.  He cut the branch into smaller pieces then I used a soldering gun to burn the uppercase and lowercase letters into the wood chunks.  I did uppercase on one side and lowercase on the other side. 

With my extra pieces I did numbers.  On one side I put the number and on the other side I put dot marks so children can either trace the number with their finger or count the dots!

How easy and everything was FREE!

Sandpaper Letters

Sandpaper Letters

Materials Needed:

Sandpaper

Die Cut Machine

Cardstock

Glue

I love these sandpaper letters as it always children to learn letters through texture.  Children can trace the letters with their fingers or use it as a rubbing.  See if they can spell their name by doing a crayon rubbing.  It’s easy to make these, use a die cut machine to cut out the letters from sandpaper and glue onto cardstock. 

Puppet Stand

I Spy Bags

Lightening Bugs

Lightening Bugs

Materials Needed:

Clear plastic jar (peanut butter jar)

Small paint brush

Black Sharpie Marker

Glow in the dark Acrylic Paint

Inside of the container put dots of the glow in the dark paint all over.  On the outside of the container, put wings on the dots of glue.  This makes a great night light for children as while they are brushing their teeth before bed, they can hold this jar near bright light.  Set it by the side of their bed and the lightening bugs will slowly go to sleep as well.

Color Matching

Colors

Material Needed:

Paint samples from hardware store/ wal-mart

Clothes Pins

Hot Glue Gun

A great activity for children to learn colors and use their fine motor skills to clip the clothespin to the correct spot on the paint sample. 

Crayons

Crayons

Materials Needed:

Crayons

Muffin Tins

I always have extra pieces of crayons that have broken, so I take the paper off and break them into 1 inch pieces and put them in a muffin tin.  I like to mix colors as it makes it exciting as you are coloring.  Put in an over at 300 degrees until they are all melted.  Place on counter to cool down.  Flip muffin tin over and they will pop out!  I like to use mini muffin tins and the large ones for children to experiment with.

Magnets

Magnets

Materials Needed

Button Covers ( can be found at a craft store such as JoAnns)

Hot Glue Gun

Fabric Scraps

Round magnets (can be found at a craft store such as JoAnns or Walmart)

Cover the button covers using the scraps of fabric.  Hot glue a magnet to the back of the button.  These buttons are very strong and work very well to hold up children’s art work on a magnetic board. 

Picture Rocks

Picture Rocks

Materials Needed

Rocks

Paint Pens (found at Joann’s or Michaels)

Paint pictures onto rocks.  Children can then use these in the block area as added props or while playing in the sensory table.  Use your imagination.

ABC Rocks

ABC Rocks

Materials Needed

Rocks

Sticker Letters

Apply Stickers to rocks and let children use their creativity to make words.

ABC Bean bags

ABC Bean Bags

Materials Needed:

Fabric

Sewing Machine

Rice

I love putting letters on different items in the classroom as I feel that literacy and an enriched environment in print will help children succeed in their efforts to write and read.  I used the die cut machine and made letters out of fabric, then sewed these onto fabric square, filled with rice and made a set up bean bags.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Materials Needed:

Felt

Puffy Paint

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is my favorite children’s book.  I love retelling stories and letting the children retell the story through props.  This one is very easy to make and always all children in the class to take part as there are many props needed. 

Cut out pieces of food that are in the book, make a hole in the middle and you are ready for storytelling.