Mastering letter sounds can be a tricky thing, and learning digraphs can be even more challenging. After all, now kids need to remember not only what letters say on their own, but what certain combinations say when put together! Since we are all about making learning fun, this cookie jar beginning digraph sort was the perfect way to practice those tricky TH-, CH-, WH- and SH- combinations. The sort is a perfect addition to our Digraph Activity Pack! Getting ReadyTo prepare this digraph sort for my kids, I simply printed out the download (below) and laminated all the pieces. This way I could easily put the entire sort into a Ziploc bag or container and reuse it many times. After laminating the pieces, I cut out the four cookie jars – there is one jar each for digraphs TH-, CH-, WH- and SH- as well as the cookies with pictures. I set out the four cookie jars and then placed the cookies in a pile all together, but you could choose to work on as many or few digraphs at a time as you want, depending on the needs of your kids. Cookie Jar Beginning Digraph SortThis game was a hit with my small group of students! We took turns picking up a cookie and saying the name of the picture. “Thumb. Th…. Thumb.” We would stress the beginning sound a bit and then decide together which digraph made that sound. Then, we placed it in the correct cookie jar! We kept playing until all of the cookies had been sorted. You could easily make this game self-correcting by writing the digraph on the back of each cookie. Then, if your kids are playing solo, they could turn over the cookies after they sort them and see if they were correct! Grab Your SetReady to work on beginning digraphs with this fun cookie jar activity? Click the blue button below to grab your copy of the digraph sort and then hop over and download our digraph gumball puzzles and digraph clip cards, too! The post Cookie Jar Beginning Digraph Sort appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/cookie-jar-beginning-digraph-sort/
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Help students identify real world objects shaped like cones, cubes, cylinders, pyramids, rectangular prisms, spheres and triangular prisms with these playful, hands-on 3D shape sorting mats. It’s the perfect complement to our popular 3D Shape Activity Pack! Getting ReadyTo prep the activity, I first printed the sorting mats and 3D shape picture cards. I chose to print the sorting mats on pink colored cardstock and the picture cards on white cardstock to give them a fun pop of color. I laminated the mats and picture cards for durability and used my paper cutter to cut out the 3D shape picture cards. To make the activity self-check for students later, I used a marker to draw the correct 3D shape on the back of each picture card. At the end of the activity, students could turn their card over to make sure they had the correct card on the sorting mat. 3D Shape Sorting MatsI decided to introduce this activity as a math warm-up. We sorted the 3D shape picture cards together as a class and talked about the:
Then, I broke the students into small groups and had them sort all of the 3D shape picture cards onto the correct 3D shape sorting mat. Included in the download (found below) are seven sorting mats and four 3D shape picture cards for each sorting mat. Then, we added the activity to a math station basket so students could work on it again independently. Grab Your DownloadReady for your students to have some 3D shape sorting fun?! Just click the blue button below to download your free copy of this activity and then hop over and snag our 3D Shape Activity Pack too! The post 3D Shape Sorting Mats appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/3d-shape-sorting-mats/ This 4th of July twist on those classic Alka-Seltzer pop rockets is a must-try kids’ science experiment your kids will beg to repeat over and over again. The easy kids’ science project is perfect for the 4th of July, New Year’s Eve or just because! Follow the simple step-by-step below and then grab 30 more easy-to-follow science experiments kids will beg to repeat (plus a no prep science journal to keep track of their results!) in our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers! This kids’ science experiment uses antacids which can contain aspirin so make sure to inform your kids that it is a medicine and should not normally be played with. Also, make sure to clean up any remaining bits of antacid tablets – especially if you have toddlers in your home. Getting ReadyTo prep, I gathered together a few supplies:
It was time to start this American-themed kids’ science experiment! To build the rockets, I first emptied and peeled the label off the M&M tubes. Next, I cut the tab that holds the cap on the tube so the cap could be completely removed. Then, I used an empty cereal box and my hot glue gun to make mini cones to top off the rockets I called A over and handed her the stickers and tape so she could decorate her rockets. While she was busy happily peeling stickers, I covered the cones with aluminum foil to finish off the tops and to provide them with a little more protection. When A was done, I hot glued the cones to the bottom (the side opposite the cap) of the M&M tubes and we were ready to make the rockets fly. Exploding Pop RocketsWe gathered our rockets, the antacid tablets, and a bottle of water and headed outside. This activity can get pretty messy, especially if you are like us and launch your rocket dozens of times. I placed the small ball of clay in the lid to hold the antacid tablet in place so that A could close the lid without starting the fizz until the rocket was flipped right side up. Next, I poured about a teaspoon of water into the rocket and handed the rocket and lid to a nervous A. She placed the lid snugly on the rocket, flipped the rocket onto the wooden board I had placed on the grass and ran for cover. The first reactions happened quickly giving A only a few seconds to run away before it popped and shot up about 3 feet in the air. As the tablet disintegrated, it took longer for the pressure to build, giving her more time to hop away. Initially, my daughter was nervous about exploding rockets until she realized how harmless it really was. Now, she can’t wait to show her grandparents and cousins how to make popping rockets when we visit them for July 4th. The Science Behind ItWhen water and antacid mix, carbon dioxide gas is produced. By placing the lid on the rocket, you are trapping those gas bubbles inside. As more and more bubbles are produced, the pressure inside the rocket builds, creating enough force to break the seal on the lid. There is so much force from the built up pressure that it launches the rocket into the air. 30 More Kids’ Science ExperimentsInspire kids to love science with our bundle of 30 easy-to-follow science experiments (plus a no prep science journal to keep track of their results!) from our shop or on Teachers Pay Teachers! The post Exploding Pop Rockets appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/kids-science-exploding-pop-rockets/ Marshmallow geometry is a fun way to teach the names and characteristics of 2D shapesincluding triangles, rectangles and squares. Kids love having the chance to build 2D shapes with food and grown ups love watching children practice important math skills. It’s a win-win! For a printable version of this activity, hop over and grab our popular toothpick challenge cards! Getting ReadyTo prep, I gathered together a few simple supplies:
I quickly drew four 2D shapes on a sheet of card stock and labeled each one (equilateral triangle, isosceles triangle, square and rectangle). Since my daughter’s knowledge of geometry at this point consists of basic shape names, I wanted to help her look more closely at shapes to notice how they are built; how many sides and vertices they have, whether they have parallel lines or perpendicular ones, and how long their sides are. That’s why I decided to start with the simplest 2D shapes she could build: the triangle, square and rectangle. I labeled each one with its name then left a spaces for A to write out how many sides and vertices each one had. Then, I called a very eager A over the play. Marshmallow Geometry“Can you tell me the name of these shapes?” I asked as I pointed to each one. “Triangle, triangle, square, rectangle,” A easily replied. “Yes! And can you point to and count the sides of this triangle?” I asked pointing to the first triangle. My daughter quickly counted three. Next, I explained that the spot where 2 sides meet to make a corner is called a vertex. I showed her how to label the vertices with a red dot and helped her label the vertices on the rest of the shapes. “Ok, here is a bowl of vertices,” I explained, handing her the bowl of marshmallows. “And here is a bowl of sides,” I continued, passing her the pretzels. I demonstrated how she could build the shapes using the marshmallows and pretzels. A couldn’t wait to start building and even though the pretzels were a little tricky to manipulate, she kept at it. I had toothpicks on hand just in case the thicker pretzels were too troublesome, but A didn’t want to swap them. “Can I eat it now?” she asked as soon as she finished building her first triangle. She was pretty disappointed when I said, “No.” I placed the triangle on top of the one I’d drawn with marker and asked her to count the sides and vertices again. Then, she wrote the totals on the blank lines. We moved on to the next shape. “Another triangle?!” A said confused. “Look closely at the two triangles. Are they the same or different?” I asked. When A replied they were the same I had her use a pretzel to measure each of the sides. She noticed the second triangle had longer sides but the top triangle had sides that were the same. “Yes, this one has equal sides and is called an equilateral triangle,” I explained. “The other has two sides that are the same and one shorter side. That one is called an isosceles triangle.” These were new terms for A and I was not expecting her to memorize them – I just wanted her to notice that not all triangles are the same. “How should we build the isosceles triangle if it has 2 long sides and 1 short one?” I asked A. She thought for a moment, then bit off a piece of pretzel and proceeded to build the isosceles triangle. We continued counting sides and vertices and building more 2D shapes. When we got to the square and rectangle, we talked again about side lengths. “What is the difference between a square and a rectangle?” I asked A. “A rectangle is bigger than a square,” A said after a moment of thinking. I grabbed a piece of chalk and drew a square house with a rectangle door on it and a rectangle skyscraper with small square windows. I asked her in each picture which was bigger – the square or the rectangle? After realizing her mistake, A again used a pretzel stick to measure the sides of the square and rectangle. “The rectangle is LONGER!” A shouted when she discovered the difference. I gave her a high five and she was thrilled she came up with this discovery on her own. While building the rectangle A made it lean to one side. She laughed at the wonky rectangle. “That is actually a different shape called a parallelogram.” I said. Maybe it was the sugar from the broken marshmallows she had been eating, but she thought that was the funniest word she’d ever heard. Eventually after the giggles died down, I explained that a parallelogram had two sets of parallel lines. Then I explained what parallel and perpendicular lines are. “Can you point to the perpendicular lines in this square?” I asked, reminding her that perpendicular meant crossing by making my fingers into a cross. Then, she pointed to and counted the pairs of parallel lines. When we had finished talking about the four 2D shapes, I let A build whatever shapes and structures she wanted with the left over materials. Later that day, I had A set the dinner table asking her to place the fork and knives parallel to each other for the kids and perpendicular for the adults. I’m pleased to report that she’s got the new terms down! Grab the 2D Shape Activity PackFor print and play ways to learn shapes, hop over and grab our Shape Activity Pack! Clip shape sandwiches, color by shape, make interactive flap books and so. much. more. The post 2D Shapes Marshmallow Geometry appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/learning-shapes-marshmallow-geometry/ Digraphs and blends tend to trip up new readers. Just when kids finally have their letter sounds down, out pop tricky letter combinations that change those sounds. Oy! This digraph and blend chart is a helpful way for students to keep letter clusters straight once and for all. Grab your copy below and then hop over and snag our free sight word lists, too! Digraphs vs. BlendsWhat’s the difference between digraphs and blends? Digraphs are two letters that make just one sound. In fact, “di” literally means “two” and “graphs” means letters so when you put the two parts together you get a big hint at what the word means: TWO LETTERS that make one sound. CH in the word “chair” and PH in the word “phone” are both examples of digraphs. Blends, on the other hand, are two or more consonants that BLEND together but each sound can still be heard. For instance, the words “skirt” and “clock” start with the blends SK and CL. Digraphs and Blends ChartSince digraphs and blends can be tricky for kids to sound out on their own, it’s helpful for them to have a visual reminder handy to refer to while they’re reading and writing. This digraphs and blends chart is a great resource for students to tuck into their writing folder or keep in their book box. I included two versions: one in color…
Grab Your DownloadReady to start tackling blends and digraphs too?! Click the download button below to grab your free chart and then hop over and snag our sight word lists too! The post Digraph and Blend Chart appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/digraph-blend-chart/ My recently turned four year-old loves to get glammed up by making her own jewelry. With the 4th of July approaching, we thought making some patriotic patterned bracelets, which is such a great fine motor activity, would be appropriate for the upcoming festivities. My daughter loves making her own jewelry. It is something I encourage for many reasons, not the least of which is because of how beading is such an excellent fine motor activity. It takes such a great amount of dexterity to thread a bead onto a piece of string, or in the case of this activity, a pipe cleaner. Activities like 4th of July bracelets are wonderful for preparing those little muscles for writing. Getting ReadyThe materials for making these fine motor activity 4th of July bracelets are pretty basic:
We began by sorting out the red, white and blue beads from the rest of the colors in the package. This was tedious work, but my daughter didn’t mind because she had a story to tell about each color bead she found. I love listening to her talk. She, like many other four year-olds, has some very interesting stories to tell. Once we had the pony beads sorted, we sat down and made a plan for our bracelets. I’m one of those moms who can’t help but integrate math or reading into a fine motor activity, and this one was no different. It only seemed appropriate that we make patterns. My daughter began with a simple ABC pattern, carefully threading each bead onto the pipe cleaner in just the right order, before moving on to an ABB pattern. Because fine motor activities can take so much concentration, as my daughter challenged herself to make more difficult patterns, I encouraged her to make her pattern on the table first, which worked her fine motor muscles even more. It took a huge amount of dexterity to place the beads on the table in order without disrupting the rest of the pattern. To finish the bracelet, I twisted the two ends of the pipe cleaner together. Then, instead of clipping off the ends which can still be pokey, I tucked them into the beads, threading them back through. This also added structure to the bracelet so that it would not lose its shape so easily. As my daughter worked, I shared the meaning behind the colors we see around the 4th of July: white stands for innocence, red for valor and blue stands for justice. The finished bracelets are perfect for the 4th of July holiday. Corinne loved making her own jewelry and, as a mom and teacher, I loved that she was getting in some extra fine motor practice and even some patterning reinforcement. More 4th of July FunGetting in the Independence Day spirit?! Make a batch of exciting patriotic pop rockets, piece together USA puzzles and work on some 4th of July handwriting sheets. The post 4th of July Bracelets appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/4th-of-july-bracelets/ Whether lines are straight, thin, dotted or thick, they are the beginning of fun shapes like circles, squares and rectangles. This art project is perfect for scissor cutting skills and combines literacy with art when paired with the book When A Line Bends… A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene. The simple step-by-step makes the activity easy enough for kids of all ages. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Getting ReadyTo get ready, I gathered supplies for each student:
Tip: I folded the construction paper in half horizontally, unfolded it, then in half again the other direction so the background paper would have 4 equal squares for the paper lines to be glued into. Introducing Lines and ShapesTo start, I wanted to get the children thinking about various lines and shapes, so I decided to start the lesson by pulling out the adorable book When A Line Bends… A Shape Begins and reading it aloud. It was a great way to talk about how lines make different shapes and get the kids’ creative juices going. Then it was time to create our line and shape art! Lines and Shapes ArtFirst, I had the children choose one piece of paper to start cutting. Each student cut a straight line across their chosen piece of 6 x 6 colored construction paper, followed by a second line. Once kids felt comfortable with the scissors, I encouraged them to create different lines such as straight, thin, thick, wavy, dotted, broken and zig-zag. After various paper lines were cut, students created basic shapes out of the colored construction paper. I challenged the kids to create circles, squares, triangles and rectangles, and to try to cut at least 5 different lines and 3 different shapes. Once everyone had their shapes, they each picked out a colored 12 x 12 piece of construction paper for their background. Then, students applied glue on the back of the cut strips and placed them on their background construction paper. I suggested placing one line in the top left square and laying the duplicate line in the lower right square. It was so fun to see all of the creative ideas the kids created. The end result was visually stunning! More InspirationReady for some more crafty fun?! Pair literacy and art with a fun painting project. The post Lines and Shapes Art appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/lines-and-shapes/ These bright, hands-on digraph wheels make a wonderful literacy center focused on learning common digraphs such as CH- and SH-. It’s the perfect complement to our super popular Digraph Activity Pack! Getting ReadyTo prep for the activity, I began by printing the digraph wheels on cardstock to give them extra durability. Then, I cut around the outside border of each circle. I wanted the kids to be able to self check later, so I clipped the correct answers with clothespins, turned each card to the back and colored a small dot to mark the correct clipping spots. I ran them through my laminator for added strength and filled up a small basket with clothespins. That’s it! We were ready to play. Digraph Wheels PlayI began by laying out the digraph wheels next to the basket of pegs. I grabbed the QU- wheel and asked the kids to place a peg on all the pictures that had a “qu” sound. Students quickly spotted the queen picture and placed a peg on it. I assisted the kids by saying the less familiar words such as “quill” and “quail.” They listened carefully to each word and placed a peg on the other pictures that started with a “qu” sound: quilt, quarter and quiet. Children continued playing with the other digraph wheels until they were finished. Then, they turned over the cards to check their answers. For those early finishers, I challenged the kids to think of other words that contained each digraph. It was amazing what a long list we made! The kids in my class loved solving the digraph wheels and the activity became a fast favorite at our literacy center! Grab Your SetClick the blue button below to download your free set of the digraph wheels and then hop over and snag our Digraph Activity Pack too! The post Digraph Wheels appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/digraph-wheels/ These magic fizzing popsicle paints are an awesome kids’ science project for all ages. One hot day a few weeks ago, I pulled out a batch of the magical popsicles from our freezer and invited my 4 year-old daughter to start painting. She was thrilled when her masterpiece began fizzing! Ready to make your own batch of magic fizzing popsicle paints? Read on. Getting ReadyTo prep, I gathered a few supplies:
A couple important notes about this popsicle paint – I made the popsicles the night before to give them time to freeze. Since vinegar has a lower freezing point than water, I also turned my freezer temperature down to 28 degrees. To make the popsicles , I filled the popsicle molds with vinegar until it almost reached the top. Then, I added several drops of food color to each pop, gave them a good stir and placed them in the freezer. To prep the watercolor paper for the fizzy reaction, I mixed about a 1/4 cup of baking soda with water until the mixture was about as runny as white glue. Next, I used my paintbrush to paint a nice thick coating of the baking soda mixture over the entire surface of the watercolor paper and set it aside to dry. (You might want to make several sheets. I ended up having to make more on the fly as the kids had so much fun we quickly ran out of the few sheets I pre-made.) Magic Fizzing Popsicle PaintThe next afternoon, I grabbed the baking soda paper and pops and headed outside with my very excited 4 year-old to paint. I wanted A to enjoy painting and watching the baking soda and vinegar reaction without any constraints. A, however, wanted to watch her name bubble up and had a blast making other fizzy letters on other sheets. “How did you get the popsicles to fizz mama?” A asked. I had her feel the paper. “Does it feel different?” I inquired. “It feels powdery,” she said. I explained that I covered the paper with baking soda and made the popsicle paint out of vinegar. We’ve done many activities with baking soda and vinegar before, so A knows what happens when the two chemicals mix. This time I explained acids and bases to A in simple terms. We talked about how acids taste sour. A decided she needed to taste the vinegar and baking soda and then we thought of a few more foods (like lemon and oranges) that are acidic. A then turned her attention back to painting and 14 sheets later, I had a colorful, bubbly mess and a wonderfully-dyed daughter to clean up. We laid the papers out in the sun to dry. They were beautiful!! The Science Behind ItWhen the vinegar (an acid) in the popsicle touches the baking soda (a base), a chemical reaction occurs, releasing carbon dioxide gas that produces fizzy bubbles. For more fun kids’ science, whip up a batch of magic balloons, make pop rockets and pour a rainbow in a jar. The post Magic Fizzing Popsicle Paint appeared first on Playdough To Plato. via Playdough To Plato https://www.playdoughtoplato.com/kids-science-magic-fizzing-popsicle-paint/ |
ABOUT MEHi, I am Aida Turner from Brampton. I am 30 years old and I am a school teacher by profession. I love my profession. I spend mostly free time in searching different teaching methods for kids. Archives
February 2023
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