We've all seen those cool clear plastic tubes containing small objects surrounded by filler material. They're sort of like a 3D I Spy. You twist and turn them to find specific objects. I wanted one for my classroom, but these things retail for over $20 and that's a lot out of my paycheck for just one toy. So, of course, I made my own.
All I did was get a tall, thin, clear container. I used a tennis ball package, but you could just as easily use a pasta storage container or a tall water bottle. Don't make it too wide, or stuff will disappear in the middle part. I filled mine with rice and small toys - a ball, some alphabet letters, stuff from vending machines, and so on. I alternated the rice and the objects so they wouldn't all be together. I left an inch of airspace to make it easier to shift things around inside. Then I just put the lid on and glued it with Gorilla Glue, after which I wrapped it in duct tape so the hooligans wouldn't have a chance of opening it.
You can write little rhymes like those in the I Spy books, or just have them find things that start with whatever letter. Or just let them shake it and look. Either way, it'll provide some entertainment.
Showing posts with label DIY Manipulatives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY Manipulatives. Show all posts
Easy DIY Feelie Box
One of the ways to help integrate the senses into a preschool curriculum is to provide students with a "feelie" box or bag. These are opaque containers that the child can reach into and try to identify objects by touch alone.
You can do this with a plain drawstring bag, but some teachers don't want the outline of the object to show on the outside and prefer a rigid container. To make mine, I used a large coffee can. You could also use a shoebox, but I wanted something more durable.
I covered the outside of the can with colorful paper and protected it with contact paper. Then I lined the inside with pieces of self-adhesive felt to reduce the noise factor. Next, I cut a hole about 4" in diameter in the plastic lid. I covered the inside of the lid with more felt and cut out the circle in the middle. Finally, I cut off the ankle part of a small black sock. Pulling it up through the lid, I glued the sock's top edge around the outside of the hole.
Put something inside, pop on the lid, and have your students reach through the hole and try to guess what's inside. This can be a center or a circle activity. I suggest starting it as a circle game so you can teach the kids not to pull off that lid. Have fun!
You can do this with a plain drawstring bag, but some teachers don't want the outline of the object to show on the outside and prefer a rigid container. To make mine, I used a large coffee can. You could also use a shoebox, but I wanted something more durable.
I covered the outside of the can with colorful paper and protected it with contact paper. Then I lined the inside with pieces of self-adhesive felt to reduce the noise factor. Next, I cut a hole about 4" in diameter in the plastic lid. I covered the inside of the lid with more felt and cut out the circle in the middle. Finally, I cut off the ankle part of a small black sock. Pulling it up through the lid, I glued the sock's top edge around the outside of the hole.
Put something inside, pop on the lid, and have your students reach through the hole and try to guess what's inside. This can be a center or a circle activity. I suggest starting it as a circle game so you can teach the kids not to pull off that lid. Have fun!
Magnetic Board... With Bonus Project!
You didn't think I'd just go buy one, did you? Where's the fun in that?
Yes, I could've bought a magnetic whiteboard. But they're pretty expensive, and the white surface gets gross after you write on it a few times. I'd rather use my small portable whiteboard for writing during circle time and this big, soft-surfaced one for flannel-board type activities.
Materials Needed
• A piece of joist panning. Don't panic. Just go look in the ductwork section of Home Depot or Lowe's. You're looking for a flat piece of metal that's approximately 18" x 30". One end will have an odd sort of fold in it. It costs about $5 or $6. Watch your fingers on those sharp edges.
• 1 yard of fabric. Get something that's a medium weight in a neutral color. Avoid patterns.
• Spray glue
• Strong scissors or metal snips
• Optional: 1/4" eyelets and eyelet tool; hammer; large nail
How to Do It
1. First, use your scissors to cut off the folded edge of the metal. Save that piece for the bonus project! Then round off the corners for safety. Please, please be careful. The edges of the metal will be sharp and the pieces will have the tendency to fly around. Wear gloves and eye protection so you don't end up bleeding like I am right now.
2. Optional: If you want holes for hanging, now's the time to make them. Use a hammer and large nail to do it. Make sure you put the metal sheet over a very thick pad of newspaper or a phonebook... Or, have someone handy use a power drill with a large bit; test the bit size on scrap wood first by drilling a hole and sticking in an eyelet. (Thanks, Dad!) Make the hole slightly bigger than you think it should be.
3. Put the metal sheet on newspaper. Spray it all over with spray glue and position your cloth on top of it. (Yes, even over the holes.) Press to smooth out wrinkles. Spray glue is usually repositionable to some extent, so if there are wrinkles you should be able to lift up the cloth and fix them.
4. Trim your cloth, leaving a 1" edge around the metal. Flip the whole thing over and glue the cloth around the back. For a neater look you should start by pulling in each corner and gluing; then do the sides. You may want to use a more easy-to-control glue on the back. I used Gem-Tac.
5. Optional: Locate the holes under the cloth and carefully snip the cloth open over each one. Insert an eyelet and attach as directed by the eyelet tool instructions. If you can't get the eyelet to bend due to the thickness of the metal, you may have to use a strong adhesive like Gorilla Glue to attach it.
Variations & Tips
• Add a fancy trim with ribbon.
• If you like, make the bottom third of the board green (for land) and the rest blue (for sky). This would be perfect for storytelling of any kind.
• When you're done, you have lots of options for making figures to put on your board. You can use cardstock printouts or fun foam sheets. Just cut off a piece of magnet tape and stick it to the back of each one. You can even attach magnets to those old flannel board pieces! You can also get printable magnet "paper."
The shapes in the photo above were made out of fun foam with magnet tape on the back. They took less than five minutes to make.
Bonus Project!
Use that leftover length of metal to make a magnetic strip to put anywhere in your classroom. Glue and wrap it with the extra cloth and attach to the wall with Velcro.
Upper- and Lowercase Matching Games With Manipulatives
Here are some ideas for upper- and lowercase matching activities, ranging from cheap and easy to elaborate.
With a little thought, you can create an upper- and lowercase matching game that is partially self-checking. To do it, you'll need two sets of small objects. The two sets should be natural matches for each other - things that normally or potentially go together. Examples:
You'll need 26 of each object type. To make the games, simply use a permanent marker to write the uppercase letters on one set of items and the lowercase letters on the other set. For some kinds of items, like black checkers, you'll need to use labels instead.
You may also want to create custom mats or containers for sorting. For instance, if you use spoons and forks, you might have a paper plate for the uppercase letters and another for the lowercase ones.
Variations
Write the letters of both cases on counting chips, and provide two plastic piggy banks (or make simple ones from Pringles cans). Mark one bank with uppercase letters and the other with lowercase, or color code them to the chips. Have the children sort the "coins" into the correct banks.
For a slightly more challenging game, 52 of the same item can be sorted into two containers. Just mark 26 with uppercase letters and 26 with lowercase letters. The possible items are endless; any small object that can be written on or labeled could be used. Try some of these:
- Spoons and forks (plastic)
- Small wooden circles and squares
- Clothespins and sections of rope (label the rope pieces with paper strips)
- Black and red checkers, or counting chips in two colors
- Pencils and pens
- Pencils and removable pencil-top erasers
- Wooden popsicle sticks colored or painted in two different colors, or large and small popsicle sticks
You may also want to create custom mats or containers for sorting. For instance, if you use spoons and forks, you might have a paper plate for the uppercase letters and another for the lowercase ones.
Variations
Write the letters of both cases on counting chips, and provide two plastic piggy banks (or make simple ones from Pringles cans). Mark one bank with uppercase letters and the other with lowercase, or color code them to the chips. Have the children sort the "coins" into the correct banks.
For a slightly more challenging game, 52 of the same item can be sorted into two containers. Just mark 26 with uppercase letters and 26 with lowercase letters. The possible items are endless; any small object that can be written on or labeled could be used. Try some of these:
- Acorns
- Pebbles
- Large beads
- Buttons
- Twigs, popsicle sticks, short dowels, straws
- Can lids, bottle caps, wine corks
- Old unifix cubes, cuisenaire rods, etc.
- Old puzzle pieces, Legos
- Small wooden blocks
- Marbles (Try the flat ones sold for floral decorating. Write the letters backwards on the flat part; protect with clear sealer, nail polish, or contact paper.)
- Tile chip samples
- Paint color samples (Use a large punch to cut out shapes; write on the letters and then laminate.)
- Mosaic tiles
- Small plastic toys (Check your local party or dollar store.)
- Pennies (Disinfect first)
- Walnut shells, unshelled peanuts
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