Wonderful Wednesday - Sport and Competition

I am beginning this term with the theme of 'The London 2012 Olympics' at work and am feeling very enthused with this topic, hence my inspiration for this Wednesday...

I Spy bag - Sports themed by 'I Spy Designs'

I think these little 'I Spy bags' would be lots of fun. The idea is for little (or big) hands to gently squish the bag in order to see all items 'hidden' inside. It would provide lots of entertainment for little ones when they are required to sit for a length of time (eg. at the doctors, etc).

Bird in the Hand Wooden Game by 'MollydagMade'

This seems like a great game to play with little ones that not only sounds like fun but also helps to foster basic Maths skills. What a bonus!

Fabric Balloon Cover Ball by 'Three Apples'

What a great item to build up coordination skills! This is a fabric cover that has a balloon inside that you blow up and...presto, you have a ball to play with. Great for children that dread balloons due to the noise when they pop.

I hope that these items inspire you also!

Friday thoughts - Life without TV

This week has been much different from the week that I experienced last week...

The previous week was spent relaxing, enjoying nature, being with family, crafting and eating...lots! You have no choice but to relax when you are surrounded by this:

This week was spent cleaning up after our time away and planning and programming for the next term of work. I did spend some extra time crafting up some goodies. However, it will be back to the 'busyness' of work very soon. Quite a bit of a contrast.

We have one rule on the houseboat...no media technology (particularly the type that 'blares' at people). Now I have to define this, as there are some 'exceptions'. What I mean, is that we don't have the TV, DVD or radio/music playing (even though they are present on the boat). There is the 'allowance' of computers and mobile phones, however, Internet coverage is pretty patchy. Those that 'need' to find out the football score can bring their own personal radios and find their own space to listen to the game.Hence, sitting down and staring at the TV in the evenings wasn't an option. What did we do?

Well...we had the campfire crackling away on the bank, which we often used to make baked potatoes, damper and my new favourite...fruit crumble. When it got too cold to be around the fire, we retreated inside and played board games/card games. While on the houseboat, these games get a good workout. I know that I have previously blogged about the lessons that children can learn from board games, however, they are great for adults as well. It was great fun to interact with family members, use the brain to try to problem solve and try to develop strategies. It ends up being a highlight of the trip. In the end, the TV is not missed.

Why not pull out a board game or card game from the cupboard and play a few rounds with family or friends?

Have a great weekend!

Friday thoughts - Let's Play!

This week at work we have started a new theme - Toys and Games...

Games are a fantastic teaching tool for children. They are a fantastic medium for teaching specific skills (eg. Spelling skills, counting skills, etc) and children enjoy playing games. They are also a great way to teach children social skills - turn taking, playing fairly, following rules and instructions and being a gracious winner and loser.

I used a number of games this week to teach Mathematical concepts. One of the games was a 'Concentration' or memory game to help with matching numerals to number words. I had cards that had numbers 1-10 on them and cards with the words 'one' to 'ten' on them. The children mixed up the cards, faced down and turned two cards over. If the number and the number word matched, the child kept the pair and had another turn, otherwise they turned the cards back over and it is their partner's turn.

Another game was a 'Cover up' game. Each pair of children had a game board that had numerals, amounts and number words on them (1-6). One child rolled the dice and placed a counter on the board that matched the number on the dice, either the numeral, word or amount. Then it was their partner's turn. It proves easy in the beginning, but once the board begins to be covered up, it is more difficult. If a child cannot place a counter on the board, due to their number being 'covered up', they miss their turn and it is their partner's turn.

Have a fun weekend!