Learning at Home: Popsicle Sticks as Learning Partners by Lyssa Turner

Oooh! Crafty mommies get excited when they read those words! Teacher mommies do, too! This classic and inexpensive manipulative can magically become math and language tools. Remember, learning bursts should be short and sweet. A general rule is to match the number of minutes to the age of your child plus one minute. Now here is how to use them!

• Introduce the tool and call it just that! When pulling out any new tool, remember to allow time for exploration in the beginning. 2-3 minutes of free play is a must! The transition into learning play will be much easier!
• Tell your learner ahead of time, “We are going to explore with these _____ for 3 minutes. When I ring the doorbell (or whatever you choose) we are going to try something new.” Then do just that! Here are some things to try:

1. Make letters with the sticks. Start with a letter they know or choose one from a book and go from there! Once the letter is made, trace it with your fingers and say the sound. (Have older siblings put the letters in alphabetical order or make whole words!) You are learning and reinforcing letters and their sounds!  Next time, glue the letters down. Use the popsicle stick letter as the beginning of a word, or even better, the beginning of your child’s name!
2. Make shapes with the sticks! (Have older siblings make the shape you describe, “It has three sides.” “It looks like a stop sign.” “What would I have if I put a triangle on top of a square? Make it!” ) You are teaching shapes and working on fine motor kills while you are at it! Next time, glue the shape down and turn it into a picture by adding details with crayons or markers!
3. Grab and toss! Give your child a predetermined number of popsicle sticks (3 for beginners.) Have them toss them in the air away from their body. Have your child describe where they landed. “One is by the chair.” “These are by the door.” (Have older siblings practice addition and subtraction with the sticks. Toss and describe using math terms. “2 by the door and 6 by the chair makes 8 sticks in all.” You are building language skills and locking in them with the movement! Next time, use the popsicle sticks to measure from one place to another by lining them up from end to end. “Wow! It takes 6 popsicles to get from the door to the chair.”
4. Sort colored popsicle sticks by color, identifying the color as you go. (Have older siblings rename the popsicle stick colors using adjectives. Then write the new names on the sticks. For example,instead of "red," try "raspberry red"!). Next time, mix all kinds of popsicle sticks (fat, colored, short, etc) into a pile and have your child sort them however they want! This open sort allows your child to use their inductive thinking skills. When done, sort them again, another way!

To learn more about the benefits of sorting with toddlers and more ideas, visit Bright Hub.

BOOK OF THE DAY: If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

When I taught kindergarten there were a few books that I knew by heart, and this was one of them. That's why it made it to my Books I Love to Read Aloud post!  Here are some supporting activities for this classic story:

MATH

• Sequencing Activity: Cut out and laminate at least 2 different types of cookies (for example, a chocolate chip cookie - click HERE for pattern from ABC Teach-  and a heart shaped cookie) and have children make A-B-A-B patterns. For children who are ready, cut out 3 or 4 different "cookies" and make more complex patterns (A-B-B-A or A-B-C-A-B-C). Younger children can sort cookies by size, shape, or color.
• Visit the Virtual Vine site to find how to make a cookie graph along with other cookie math activities such as cookie addition and much more.
• Visit Quirky Momma to see how children can use cookies to learn about fractions.

CROSS CURRICULAR LEARNING: Baking cookies

• To enhance literacy when baking, always use a recipe chart so that children can see the steps and follow along. After the cookie activity is over, hang the recipe in your dramatic play area so that children can continue to recall and imitate the experience.
• To enhance scientific learning, talk about what happens when you add liquid to the dry ingredients or why we have to add egg to the recipe. Remember, cooking and chemistry go hand-in-hand!
• For added fun, use a mouse cookie cutter. I used to use the companion book, MOUSE COOKIES 10 Easy-to-Make Cookie Recipes and  cookie cutter by Laura Numeroff but it's hard to find these days.
• To enhance social-emotional development, make a batch of cookies to give to someone. Let the children decorate paper bags for the cookies. You can make the cookies for another class, a sick friend, the janitorial crew, or anyone who might enjoy them.
• To enhance mathematical thinking while cooking, talk about the measurements. For example, Is two cups of flour more or less than 1 cup of sugar? Two half cups equal one whole cup, etc...

LITERACY:

• Sorting C sounds and M sounds: Cut out pictures that begin with C (cookie) and M (mouse). Give children two unbreakable cookie jars (I love my local Dollar Store for these kinds of goodies) and have them sort the pictures by placing "C" words in one jar and "M" words in another.
• Sequence the events in the story by photocopying the main parts of the story, laminating them, and putting a piece of Velcro on the back. Using a flannel board, have children put the events on the flannel board in order.
• Allow children to make up their own stories (individually, in groups, or as a class) such as, If You Give a Raccoon a Raisin or If You Give A Kangaroo a Coconut.
• Don't forget to visit the websites for Laura Numeroff and the Mouse Cookie Books for additional activities.  
• Also check out If You Take A Mouse to School and other books by Laura Numeroff like:

I was inspired to choose this as the Book of the Day because my niece had an awesome third birthday party at Little Hands Cookie Company (there is also an outreach program, where they will come to your school). If you live in the Baltimore Area, please check out this awesome place! The staff was awesome and you can tell that for Ms. Lisa, owner and head cookie baker :), this is a work of love. Here are a few snapshots of the event:

BOOK OF THE DAY: Things That are Most in the World by Judi Barret

Things That Are Most in the World by Judi Barrett

Yesterday while on my way to Target, I passed a group of kids holding signs to encourage folks to come to their yard sale and bazaar. Not wanting to pass up a good sale, we stopped in. The event was a fundraiser for The Shoshana S. Cardin School in Baltimore. The first table I found was filled with one of my favorite things in the world: BOOKS, BOOKS, AND MORE BOOKS. One of my finds was this hilarious book by Judi Barrett. I giggled as I was reading it and couldn't wait to fork over my $1 for this cute story!

Did you know that the quietest thing in the world is a worm eating peanut butter? And the jumpiest thing in the world is 2,222 toads on a trampoline? Or that the wiggliest thing in the world is a snake ice-skating? Humorous text combined with hilarious illustrations (thanks to John Nickle) make this my BOOK OF THE DAY.

Additional Activities:

• Before reading the book, spend some time exploring the cover and have children predict what the story might be about. The cover lends itself to LOTS of ideas!
• Give children the adjectives and let them finish the sentences with their own text and illustrations: The loudest thing in the world is..., The messiest thing in the world is...., etc...
• Talk about comparisons and comparative words. This is a great book to use to introduce size concepts such as longest/shortest, heaviest/lightest, etc.
• Visit John Nickle's home page and print the pictures from the story; have children re-tell the story in their own words.
• Read more books by Judi Barrett such as Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing.