The Father's Day Feely Box

Fathers Day is quickly approaching and to get prepared I wanted to create a feely box. What's a feely box you say? A feely box in a sensory box with objects inside that may or may not relate to a theme. 

The Purpose:
The purpose of the feely box is promote critical thinking, sensory and vocabulary skills while having fun.

How to create:
Find a box. I like to cut a hole on the top or on the side of the box, so my students can't see what's inside.
Grab items related to your theme to go in your box.

How to play:
Have a child feel inside the feely box. Ask them to grab an item in their hand. What does if feel like? Your class may ask questions too. "Is it squishy?" "Is it sticky"? Once the child guesses what's in their hand, they can pull it out for the big reveal! Was it what they thought it was? Why'd they think it was something else?

When to play: 
I usually introduce the feely box in Circle Time. This gives me an opportunity to model the correct way to use the feely box. After Circle Time the feely box can be placed near the Dramatic Play area, Science or it can certainly stand alone.

Items to place in your Fathers Day Feely Box:
Comb                             
Shaving Cream                   
Keys    
Toothbrush                     
Deodorant                           
Wallet
Brush                            
Belt                                     
Watch            
Cologne                        
Remote Control   
Tie                                 
Wallet                                         
Golf Ball                       
Cell Phone                                                                                  

Memorial Day Craft Hat

To create these Memorial Day hats all you need is various collage materials. I used scraps of paper, yarn, stickers, ribbon and sequins. 

First, I created bands with construction paper. 

Then, I placed random items on the table to choose from. 

Last, I used the child's head to measure. 

For more Memorial Day activities, check out my Memorial Day Pinterest board here. 

          

Memorial Day Math

For the Math Center I created these simple pattern strips. I cut out more than enough pieces just in case we lost any. These aren't laminated but I plan on laminating them to keep them sturdy and lasting a long time.

For more Memorial Day ideas, visit my Pinterest Board here. 

Memorial Day Pom-Pom Toss

I made these patriotic pom-poms a year ago for my Girl Scout Troop to wear during the Veterans Day Parade.
The girls wore them in their hair and on their shoes.

When I pulled out my patriotic box I wondered how I could reuse these. I came up with the perfect little game. It's called the Memorial Day Pom-Pom Toss. I'll arrange these little dollar buckets in the center of the floor and place two pieces of tape a good distance from the bucket. The kids will take turns tossing the pom poms in the bucket.

A great way to have fun, celebrate the holiday and promote gross motor skills. 

Hooray for the holiday, 

To make cheering pom-poms for the Memorial Day parade see my pinterest page here.

  

Celebrating Memorial Day in the Block Center

There's always this great teacher who covers her blocks, or add numbers and shapes on them. Not me, I'm always "thinking", that's a great idea; I'll have to do that sometime. I rarely have time cover our blocks for the Block Center. But, this year I decided I wouldn't plan on covering blocks, I'll reuse boxes instead. I collected a few random food boxes. I taped them shut and covered them with patriotic colors.

These are smaller boxes that can be covered with construction paper.  

The final result was really cute boxes that will be a great addition to my Block Center. 

Find this activity and more from my friends on

 

Memorial Day and Dramatic Play

It has been months since I've been able to sit down and write a post for my blog. Just last year we moved into a new home and then my Mom fell ill. I've been out of the classroom and thankfully no Center and Circle Time events scheduled. I prepared myself to jump back in when I was a little more stable. Memorial Day is right around the corner and I thought it was the perfect time to get back in the swing of things.

This week I'll be working on Preschool Activities for Memorial Day. Whenever I start a new lesson one of the places I like to start is in my Dramatic Play area because it is one of the busiest centers. Here are a few items to put in your Dramatic Play area for Memorial Day.

Patriotic Center:
Flags
Red, white and blue beads
Red, white and blue bandanas
Plastic Patriotic cups, plates, etc
Picnic Basket

Barbecue Center:
Create a play grill using a card board box
Plastic Barbecue utensils: Spatula, Tongues, etc.
Play Food
Play Dishes
Apron
Chef Hat

You could also do a picnic theme, or a beach theme to celebrate the holiday as well.
Send me pictures of how you transformed your Dramatic Play area for Memorial Day and I'll add them to this post.