Category: Kindergarten

Popsicle stick logic activity

This activity will help children develop visual perceptual skills. Good visual perceptual skills are important for everyday skills such as reading, writing, completing puzzles, cutting, drawing, completing math problems and for dressing.

This activity focuses also on spatial awareness. Spatial awareness is the ability to understand and interact with the environment around you.  Examples of tasks that require spatial awareness are avoiding obstacles when walking, reaching out to grab a pencil or determining left from right.

Copying the shapes and patterns from the cards will help children develop:

• Logic skills
• Reasoning skills
• Problem solving skills
• Fine motor skills
• Pincer grasp

 

For this activity you need:

• Coloured popsicles.

• A printed copy of the puzzle cards found here (you can also draw the cards yourself instead of printing them).
• 2 baskets or 2 plates (one for the popsicles and another one for the printed puzzles, as indicated in the picture).

How to play this game:

• Take a puzzle card and show it to your child.

• Ask your child to take some popsicles. Encourage him/her to pay attention to the colours of the popsicles on the card, and to choose popsicles of the same colour.

• Encourage your child to copy the pattern on the card. (As indicated in the picture).

 

A video showing the activity can be found here. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaIQ2e13r84)

Ms Nikita K 1.9

 

Jelly and Coconuts Cake

Cooking offers the opportunity to enhance language development by linking it to other areas such as Maths and Science. It is important that while you are cooking together with your child you encourage him/her to talk about what s/he is doing. Apart from this, cooking helps children to:

• develop confidence and skill
• be creative
• learn how to follow directions
• develop problem solving skills
• apply Mathematics skills by counting, measuring, and sequencing
• develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

To make this cake you will need:

• 1 cup strawberry or vanilla yogurt,
• 1 cup sugar,
• 1 cup oil,
• 3 cups self-raising flour,
• 3 eggs,
• 1 packet strawberry jelly,
• 1 packet shredded coconut,
• fresh strawberries pieces (optional),
• vanilla essence,
• milk (only if needed)

 

Those who suffer from nut allergies can substitute the coconuts with 100s and 1000’s.

You will also need:

• a mixing bowl,
• a small bowl,
• a spoon,
• a measuring jug,
• a bowl for mixing the jelly in it,
• a whisker,
• a spatula,
• a baking dish,
• cookie cutters,
• a plate or tray.

Method:

• In a bowl whisk the eggs and sugar well until light and fluffy.

• While still whisking add a cup of yogurt and a cup of oil.

 

• Using a spatula fold the 3 cups of self-raising flour into the batter.

• Add a few drops of vanilla essence and some pieces of fresh strawberries (optional).
• Add some milk. (if needed)
• Heat oven to 180C. Then pour the batter into the baking dish and bake the cake for about 25minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

 

• Once the cake is ready let the cake cool down. In the meantime, prepare the jelly following the instructions on the packet. (Do not put the jelly in the fridge)

 

• When the cake has cooled down cut it into slices. You can use cookie cutters to cut the cake in different shapes.

 

• Dip both sides of the cake in the jelly.

• Cover the cake with coconut and enjoy!!

 

 

Ms. Charlene Farrugia

K.1.8

 

 

 

 Exploring Shadows/Light and reflection 

 

What is Shadow Drawing?

Drawing around a shadow is a lovely idea to do while the sun is shining. It is also a great activity to introduce the concept of shapes, shadows and outlines to children.

In this activity the children will observe the shadows of different objects created by the sunlight during the early morning or late afternoon.

Learning objectives

• Learn how to focus
• Expand their imagination and creativity
• Learn about shadows objects make during different times of the day
• Develop their fine motor skills

 

For this activity you need:

• Toys/objects
• Paper
• Marker

Instructions:

This video will help you understand how to do shadow tracing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyyJDXq-7uU

 

• Start this activity by inviting your child to choose any toy/object they like.
• Together with your child find a sunny area outside, or a spot next to a window, to set up your drawing area.
• Lay out some paper on the floor and put the toy/object on the paper.
• Make sure the object is in the sun and is casting a shadow on the paper for your child to trace.
• Using a marker, trace the outline of the object on the paper.
• Remind him/her to never look directly at the sun, but to concentrate on the shadows.
• Leave the toy on the paper for some time. Go back and check if the shadow has moved.

 

You can take the activity a step further and draw the outline of each other’s shadow on a paper.

 

 

Ask open ended questions to children to discuss what they were able to observe.

• Is the shadow larger or smaller than the object and what happens when the object is rotated?
• Did anything change in your tracings?
• What looks different?
• What do you think made the shadows move? How can you explain that?
• Did the Sun move?

 

Invite your child to find different objects such as fruit or vegetables or else draw their own shadow.

 

 

Ms Kimberly

K 1.7