Spring has definitely sprung in our classroom. The seeds, the children planted, have started to sprout. The butterflies have emerged from their chrysalises, and the children’s colorful kites are hanging from the ceiling. To go along with all of this, I set up a garden sensory bin, that needless to say, has been a popular spot in the room this week.
As a base I used colored rice. I then added a shovel, a rake, a sifter, a pair of large tweezers, and some garden fruits and vegetables. Large plastic carrots, left over from Easter, made the perfect receptacles for all the goodies. The children all had a great time using their imaginations and motor skills while “gardening”.
MATERIALS USED:
– Rice
– Brown and black liquid watercolors (refer to our (post on how to color rice))
– Rakes and shovels
– A sifter
– Large plastic tweezers
– Plastic strawberries and carrots
– Large plastic carrot containers
In a previous post, we used strawberry baskets for an art project. Well, now we are turning them into a simple, yet powerful math tool. This strawberry activity is a cute way to practice number recognition and counting skills. It is also wonderful for number quantity. The large numbers help the child to understand that numerals represent quantity and that quantity is represented by a numeral. Additionally, the strawberries can be used for set tasks; recognition, matching, separation, and combination.
And let’s not forget about quantity comparison. Children may use the baskets of fruit to make comparisons of weight, size, and amount.
This is one of my favorite times of the year; strawberry season. The strawberry stands have recently cropped up along the roadsides, meaning that you may have quite the collection of those little green baskets. Whatever you do, DON’T throw them away. This is a post on just one of their many uses. I will be sharing more of them in the near future.
How about a little strawberry basket printing? This simple activity is an alternative to painting that will engage children.
MATERIALS USED:
– Paper
– Paint
– Strawberry baskets
– Glitter (optional)
Pour some paint into a shallow container. Have the child place the basket into the paint, lift and press onto the paper. If desired, glitter may be sprinkled over the wet paint. That’s all there is to it!
We're Gigi and Zoey. We teach a two-year program (preschool and pre-k), and we're passionate about Early Childhood Education and the philosophy that children learn through play. Our goal is to prepare children for kindergarten while making learning fun.
We hope that our resources inspire you, and that you will share them with your little ones.
- 
- 
- 
