You're a Superhero

Sometimes teaching little learners feels like a lot more nose-wiping, conflict-solving, and ouchie-healing than anything else. That is why I love this reminder...

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Ice Cream Cone Trees

Doesn't this look like a fun (and delicious) project?

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Christmas Crafts

Here is some inspiration for some great Christmas crafts...

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Ice Pop Memory

I saw this cute idea on Pinterest today.

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I love the use of color and the simplicity of the game. I think I will use this to review art ideas about types of lines or shapes. You could use this in several ways:

1. Large group game - have students come up and pick one stick.
2. Individual review for fast finishers or assessment
3. Play memory in partners (remember you need two of each pattern)

Time to get out my scrapbook paper and craft sticks!

Clothespins - Number Matching

Yesterday I shared an idea on how to use clothespins for color matching practice.

Today I want to focus on numbers. I found this idea on Pinterest and thought it fit perfectly with this week's theme.

Number Matching from Frau Liebe*

You could create several of these wheels with different designs and levels of difficulty. If you don't want to print it, you could either draw the pictures or use stickers.

Flashcard Style by Learning with Mom

This is another similar activity. Have little learners clip the correct number of clothespins to each card. To make it more exciting visually, you could have objects on the flashcards instead of dots.

Another easy idea I have is to prep number line cards and have students clip the clothespins in numerical order on the number line. (I don't have a picture but I will try to upload one soon!)

Do you have any ideas for using clothespins to learn numbers?

*Warning - The site is in German.

Clothespins - Color Matching

In a world filled with high-speed internet, Ipads, and SMART boards, who knew that clothespins could be the base of so many fun activities?

This week I want to share some ideas for using clothespins with your little learner.

Color Matching from Living Creatively

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This activity is so flexible depending on the age of the learner. You can add more or less colors as needed. For a challenge, you could have older kids match color shades (i.e. light and dark green). You could use mini-clothespins to increase the motor skill practice. See what I mean about it being flexible?

Stay tuned for more clothespin ideas.

SMART Board Wands

I am so excited because I will have access to a SMART Board next year in my classroom. So, I have been busy lately looking for ideas. One thing I noticed right away when playing with it is that my kindergartners might have trouble moving the objects on the screen.

I want to share a great solution I found over at First Grade Factory.

These might be just what I need!

Fun-filled Water Bottles

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When I saw these on Pinterest, I knew they had to be on my "to make" list. There are so many learning applications. Just a few of my ideas...

1. Use oral language and practice using adjectives to play "I Spy" with the bottle.

2. Compare and contrast items in the bottle (i.e. The dice is hard, but the pom-poms are soft.)

3. Make a list of items based on their beginning sounds.

And the best part? Most of the materials are probably scattered around my house and taking up space!

Go to Pink Pistachio for directions on how to make a set of these for your little learners (or better yet, make them together!)

Activities for Early Finishers

In my classroom, students are constantly finishing activities at different speeds. Sometimes I struggle to plan an activity to keep them occupied (yet still learning) while the rest of the class finishes.

Yesterday I stumbled across some great ideas at Babblin-Brooke to solve this problem and develop fine motor skills.

Take any container with a plastic top, add holes to the top, and keep little hands busy sticking pipe cleaners through the holes. I think when I make this I will cut the pipe cleaners small enough to fit inside the container for easy clean up and storage.

Similar idea, but this time with pom-poms.

These got me thinking and I can't wait to spin off these ideas and create other similar activities. Thanks Babblin-Brooke for the big ideas!

DIY Puzzles

As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to save money by making my own games and activities.

Here are some great DIY puzzle ideas to build your little learners thinking and motor skills.

Popsicle Stick Puzzles from FlipChick Designs

Paper Puzzles from the Moffatt Girls

Cereal Box Puzzles

Welcome!

Welcome to Big Ideas for Little Learners.

This blog is intended for anyone who is looking for ideas for the little learners in their life. Teachers, parents, childcare providers, and the list goes on.

I plan to post ideas from my own classroom as well as other ideas I find.

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Thanks for stopping by - I hope you will stay and be able to use the big ideas to have fun with your little learner.