Letter Rocks for Light Table

I finally got around to making these fun letter rocks for light table play.  All you need are clear rocks and a permanent marker.  Write each letter backwards on the flat side of the rock.

 

I made an upper case set and a lower case set.  I also made extras of highly used letters.  I keep a bag of blank rocks and a sharpie with the set of letter rocks so that we can quickly make more of any letter we need while playing.

We use the rocks to practice reading, sight words, and spelling.

Black Light Sink Play

We love black light play so I keep trying to find new ways to play.  Recently I set up a "Glowing Sink".  I added highlighter water, glowing water beads, and neon shot glasses and tubes.

Initial Set-Up

She drained the water out because she wanted to be able to see the water beads better.

She enjoyed trying to find water beads that were small enough to fit inside the neon test tubes.

 

This did not hold her attention as long as our Science Lab (posts here and here).  But she had fun and it was super fast to set-up and clean-up.

Blokus Tiles on Light Table

We got the Blokus Jr. game for Christmas last year and we love using the pieces on the light table.  Here is a look at some of the ways we play with the pieces.

Making words or letters

 



Completing patterns

 



Filling in a shape outline

 

Blokus Jr. only comes with two colors but the regular game comes with four so I have it on our wish list because we want the additional colors.  You can find Blokus at most stores or here on Amazon.

Glowing Bubble Bath

Here's some pictures from my daughter's Glowing Bubble Bath. 

Supplies- Neon paint, Black Light, Spray Bottle, and Bath Toys

I mixed water and neon paint together in a spray bottle. 

She spent the beginning of her bath spraying all her bubbles so that the whole bath glowed.

 



Then I gave her some bath toys and neon paint.

 

She painted her duck so that it would glow.

She had to paint her faucet protecting duck also.

 

We also took turns writing her name on the wall and making designs.

 

Her favorite part was spraying the bubbles.  She keeps asking to do it again.

Light Table Sand Math

 



This post has moved to schoolingatplay.com

Sprinkler Fun

My daughter is so lucky that she has the Daddy she has.  He is so much fun, encourages her curiosity, and helps her live out her dreams.  I try to be fun and laid back but I often find myself thinking about the amount of clean up that will have to be done before I agree to let her do something she is asking. 

 

For example- Running through a sprinkler in the park. 

 

She really wanted to run through the sprinkler and my first thought was no because we were on our way back to the car and I did not want her to be soaked.  Daddy however immediately said yes and just shrugged and smiled at me when I gave him a look. 

 

Not only was he willing to let her run through the sprinklers but he was willing to accompany her when she got a little scared about running that far away from us.  If it would have just been me and my daughter and I had said "yes you can run through the sprinklers" but she was too scared I am sure that we would have been heading back to the car nice and dry because I would not have been willing to sit in wet jeans for the car ride.  Luckily Daddy is willing to sacrifice comfort to bring his little girl's dreams to life (also willing to carry her Tinkerbell backpack).  Here are some fun pictures. 

 

 

After running through a couple times with Daddy, she started running around by herself.  She tried running under the streams, avoiding the streams, and jumping over them.  She even tried to closely inspect how the sprinklers work.

 

 

What joy my daughter would have missed out on if Daddy would not have been willing to say yes or participate in her adventure.  I learn so much by watching my husband interact with our daughter.

Early Reading on Light Table

Here is a look at some of the fun early reading activities we have been doing with our sand tray on the light table.
 

Writing short-vowel words for her to sound out.  We also practice spelling simple words.

 



Writing short sentences or phrases that include sight words or easy to sound out words.

Right now she is really enjoying learning how to spell animal names.

I choose an animal and write the name in the sand.  Then she sounds it out.

After she has read the word she draws a picture of the animal in the sand.

Practicing word families

Practicing blends

 



Practicing sight words

 

I love using the sand tray on the light table because it allows my daughter to be more active during her reading lessons.  I love hands-on reading activities because it is not practical to expect a young child to learn by only sitting at a table and completing workbooks. 

 

That being said we do spend time sitting at a table working on lessons during the day but I add a lot of activities and breaks in between the sitting/workbook work.  We only sit and do workbook lessons when she wants too.  I do not force her to sit at the table and complete a set amount of work.  When she is done we are done.  That means some days we do no sit down work and other days we might spend a few hours through out the day working at the table. 

 

My goal this year has been to teach her to love learning and find joy in it.  I am slowly trying to acclimate her to the idea of sitting and doing quite work for short periods of time just to prepare her for school in a few months (we will be homeschooling so I can still build in a lot of hands-on work but she will be expected to sit still for longer periods once "school" starts).

Sticks and a Sponge

Here is a look at the fine motor, sensory box I put out recently.

 

I grabbed a bath sponge and her neon stir sticks (from Walmart) and put them in a container.  The sticks have a rounded edge so it is a little difficult to poke them in the sponge but she was able to do it.  This activity was a great way to strengthen her hands and fingers.  It also kept her busy for about 30 minutes.

She was able to remove and reinsert the sticks a lot of times before the sponge got destroyed.