Library Treasures: Way Out in the Desert

We found several wonderful books this week, but  Way Out in the Desert by Jenifer Ward and T. J. Marsh, illustrated by Kenneth J. Spengler, stands out.

Virtual Book Club, Julia Donaldson's A Squash and a Squeeze

Every month we love participating in the Book Club for Kids. Julia Donaldson was a new author for us this month.  The book that we found was a delightful little story called A Squash and a Squeeze.  My daughter was fascinated by the story immediately.    It has rhythm, rhyme, and some simple counting. 

Reading Alphabet Books

"A" is for apple.

Our first alphabet books were in the mix almost accidentally, board books that appealed to toddlers who hadn't really started speaking yet.  We would point to the letter, name it, then read the fun caption that followed.

Learning with Playdough

Play dough is an amazing substance.  My kids will play with play dough for hours.  When I had two preschoolers I tried to pull the playdough once a week. The body of this post was written during that time.   Here's how you can cover all your preschool learning goals with one this one great activity.

How do we learn with Play dough?

Make stuff. 

I've noticed that my kids are interested in making stuff longer if I engage in a little parallel play making stuff too.  This took a little effort at first.  After a while, it became a relaxing opportunity to try something new.  

Use tools.

When I see that just making stuff is getting a little boring, I like to introduce stuff: a random piece of plastic, butter knife, rolling pin, tooth picks, slotted spoon. Of course, sometimes my son starts pulling out tools as soon as we pull out the play dough.

Practice math skills.

My kids love asking me to make tiny balls, which could also be called spheres.  Sometimes we make cubes and build structures.  Sometimes I ask for a particular number of pieces of play dough.  My daughter can count to six pretty easily right now, so I ask for four first.  Then I ask for seven, then five and so on.

                                     

Write.

When we were learning the alphabet I made letters and asked for their names.  Then I asked for the sounds that they make.  Now I make simple words and coach my kids to sound them out.  You could do the same with numerals.

Of course, all this time we're strengthening the muscles needed for fine motor skills.  

Using just one activity I cover all my objectives for the day.  Even better, I connect with my children in a way we all enjoy.

When we lived in Kuwait, making play dough was by far easier than trying to find it.  A good friend asked me to "try out" a recipe for a church group, and I am grateful for the nudge in the right direction.

Homemade play dough recipe

Ingredients:

 1 part corn starch, 

2 parts baking soda, 

1.5 parts water.  

(i.e. 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda, 1.5 cups water)

Method

1.Mix everything in a sauce pan.

2. Cook and stir on medium low heat, until all at once it comes together and forms into a ball.

3. Cool.

4. Knead in a little extra cornstarch as you go.

I have to admit I was scared to try it, but it turned out brilliantly!  Of course, you can always buy the commercial version. 

What do your kids like to do with play dough?

Looking for more sensory ways to learn?  Thriving STEM is happy to be an affiliate for this great book.  Click on the picture to purchase, or read my interview with author Cathy James by clicking here.

Other Posts from Thriving STEM you may like:

How to make simple animal puppets that really talk

Our family moves every few months right now, which makes it really tough to build up a good supply of craft materials.  It's hard to justify the space for all that extra cardboard and the pile of old socks when you're packing to move cross country.

How to teach counting with a fun rhyme from Jamaica

Ten little green bananas hangin' on a line,

A bird eat one, Dat left nine.

Nine little green bananas swayin' in de breeze,

They all turn yellow, An' one a dem sneeze!

Learning to count and subtract with a Jamaican Centipede Rhyme

My preschoolers loved learning to count with  A Caribean Counting Book by Faustin Charles and Robertan Arenson. We enjoyed the book so much the first couple of times through, that I thought we could get more use out of some of the math rhymes.  To help  us get the most out each rhyme, I started making up visuals. This activity is for the Jamaican Centipede Rhyme.

Just for fun, favorite Board Books

Board books are great for the period of time from when those little hands start grabbing, until they finally get the co-ordination to be gentle.  Here are some of our favorites!