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Sand. Rocks. Spelling.

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 Spelling in the Sand! The beach is something I love living in Florida, and I have always loved writing in the sand. However, not everyone may have access to the beach. One fun activity to do with your children or students is spelling in the sand with rocks. All you need to do is either buy or find some sand with your children and get some rocks. You can go on a rock hunt with your children and sing to the "Bear Hunt" tune while searching for rocks, which will help with learning new words, or you can buy some rocks at the store. If you don't have access to rocks, you can use sticks and instead of placing them in the sand, you can use the sticks to write. Once you have the sand and the rocks, the activity is simple! Lay the sand out in a bin or tray, and then get to work. You and your children can use the rocks to spell names and create numbers or other words. While doing this, your children will get a great sensory feel of the sand and rocks. You can also ask what your ch...
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Flour. Paint. Mixing Flour and Paint?

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 Flour Paint! This week, my students and I explored what happened when we mixed flour with paint. It was incredible fun for both my students and me. They got to see how the paint thickened when mixed with flour. They also explored how the paint clumped up when mixed with flour.  My students were able to use a spoon to scoop the flour out onto a plate, then scoop the paint onto the plate as well. They then had the choice to mix their flour and paint with their hands or a paintbrush, allowing them to explore with their senses or gain better control of their fine motor skills.  This is a great activity to do with either your class or your own children; all it takes is a bag of flour and some paint. When doing this activity, you can ask your children what the mixture feels like, what happens when the flour and paint mix, and even how the colors may change. Using a paintbrush is also a great way to complete this activity since not only will it allow children to practice learni...
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Nature. Stories. Telling Stories through Nature.

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The Importance of Exploring in Nature. Whether you live in a suburb, an urban city, or a small town; nature is all around you. Exploring nature itself is important for young children as it strengthens their gross motor, fine motor, and their senses. When exploring nature it gives children the opportunity to walk, run, jump, spin, pick items up, touch new objects, and see, hear, smell and even taste new things as well. The Importance of Storytelling in Nature. Storytelling in nature allows children to use their imaginations to use objects as props, come up with stories, poems, or songs for the objects, animals, and plant life they come into contact with. Not only that but it helps children make connections between themselves and nature, and life cycles, and build an understanding of how nature works. Storytelling also builds oral skills for children as they imagine and share their stories of the nature around them.  Ways to use Nature for Storytelling: - Use objects as props. - Tell...
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Cookie Cutters. Alphabet. Play-Doh.

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 Making Early Literacy Fun! Making early literacy a fun activity for young children can seem like a daunting task. But there are so many ways to make early literacy fun.  An interactive and sensory-appealing way is Alphabet Play-Doh. Play-Doh allows children the creative freedom of exploring things they can model while also appealing to their sensory needs of using their hands to touch and move the Play-Doh as they desire. Using alphabet cookie cutters is a great way to help children with recognizing their letters.  As they use the cookie cutters you can point out what they are doing or what letters they are using, for example, "Look, you have chosen the letter 'Z'." You can also ask them what word may start with the letter they have chosen, for instance, 'D' for dog. Another way to make this activity fun while also promoting spelling is instructing them to pick the first letter of their names such as an 'A' for Alice.  To help with their practice of w...
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