We recently concluded our First Great Lesson part 3 which is all about the space and the solar system. We were able to reuse our material of Space History Cards which I made years ago because Mavi was asking me all about how did NASA came to be.
Letter D: Dinosaur Unit Activities and {Learn & Play Link Up}
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
The boys are crazy about dinosaurs so this is what we had last week for our letter D sound of the week. I think this is the very first animal Vito recognized because he’s been seeing these dinosaur figures since he was born.
I made use of all Mavi’s dino toys and used it for Vito’s unit. The activities here are so simple and easy to prepare especially if you have dinosaur figures already.
Cleaning dinosaur toy. This was the first activity I could ever think of. Knowing the boys like to play with water, surely they will like this. And they did! They washed and brushed their dinosaurs together outside. Vito mostly played with the water but Mavi was seriously doing the work. So even if Vito didn’t get to really “brush” the dinosaurs, it was a perfect way to expose him to such kind of activity.
Playdough Dino Prints. I wanted Vito to improve his “pressing” skills so I got out our playdough so we can make impressions.
As you can see, he doesn’t really press the dinos in the dough. He would just place them on it. At times he would push them into the playdough using his pointer fingers, not much of the entire hand yet.
Letter D. We started sounding the letter D around the house as we talked about dinosaurs. Aside from my foam letters, which I posted on the wall for Vito to see everyday, I also made him put dots on a letter D. He had fun sticking the dots on the letter. Vito is using more of his left hand these days. Hmmm… I think I might have a leftie!
Now Vito realized he can stick the dots to his face as well. And he had fun doing it!
Matching Dinosaurs. Vito can identify objects now, so I was wondering if he can match objects as well. This activity is more of a presentation rather than Vito matching the dinosaurs. I placed one piece of the dinosaur in the palette tray and the other on the basket. Then I take one dinosaur from the basket and say “let’s look for a match”. So basically, the child will learn objects that match.
Dino Prints using Paints. Another activity that I have to take picture before we do the actual thing. As much as possible I try to involve paints in our unit activities to introduce Vito to arts. This dino prints was not really appreciated by Vito. He couldn’t make a print out of a dinosaur yet, do he was quite frustrated, so he resorted to hand painting instead.
Discovering Dinosaurs in Ice. This was a total hit! I made these ahead of time and once they were ready both boys were so excited to touch and taste the ice!
Integrating learning with sensory activities is so much fun!
Dinosaur Free Play. And of course, how can we not have a free play. I let Vito play with the dinosaurs most of the time. Vito and Mavi played the dino figures indoors (Mavi making stories)…..
… and they also played with it outdoors!
More dinosaur activities!!
Over the years, we’ve done a number of wonderful dinosaur activities. Click on the links below for more ideas!
Dinosaur and the land before time
Dinosaur activities
Digging Dinosaurs
Dinosaur and Worksheets
Preschool Dinosaur Activities
Homemade Dinosaur Fossils
Welcome to the Learn & Play Link Party!
For this week, I’d like to feature simple and easy to prepare activities. These would be best for busy moms like me!
FREE Yoga Poses Nomenclature Cards by Eager Ed
Spell Your Name Busy Bag by Spark and Pook
Beach Crafts for Kids to Make Dinnerware by Hands On As We Grow
A Week in the Life of Unschoolers by Nourishing My Scholar
Now it’s time for this week’s link party! This is a BRAND new link up for all blog posts that include learn and play activities and hands-on education for kids. We are excited to read your blog posts and to see what you have to share! Please link up below and grab our button to display on your blog.
If you are a blogger, share your family friendly posts here. We are looking for things which include:
- Montessori Education
- Homeschool
- Sensory Play
- Tot and Preschool Trays
- Fine and Gross Motor Activities
- Kids in the Kitchen
- Healthy Recipes for Kids
- Arts and Crafts
- Natural Living
- Free Educational Printables
- Family-Oriented Activities
- Healthy Living
Everyone, please meet our link party hosts:
Christian Montessori Blog ~ Please visit our CMN FB group ~ Pinterest
GUIDELINES FOR LINKING
- Please link up 1-3 posts
- Follow each of the hosts on social media
- When you link up, please add our button and place it at the bottom of your shared posts or link back with text link.
- By entering a link, you’re giving us permission to feature an image on our blogs. Proper credit & links will ALWAYS be given.
- Please visit a couple of shared posts and leave a comment for them
- Remember that you must link back in order to be featured
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FREE Space Shuttle Nomenclature Cards
Sunday, July 5, 2015
We are learning about space exploration and currently discovering how a space shuttle works! Click the cards for your free copy or the link below.
Download your FREE copy of Space Shuttle 3-part cards! Hope you like it. Enjoy!
Download your FREE copy of Space Shuttle 3-part cards! Hope you like it. Enjoy!
Study of Star Constellation Maps for Kids
Saturday, July 4, 2015
To appreciate the study of stars and outer space, we looked into the star constellation maps and understand how people of long time ago interpreted them. As we all know, constellations were made up by astronomers, travelers, farmers and ancient people to identify stars: basically to tell the directions, seasons and weather. So Mavi and I explored some of the known constellations, learned when and where they appear and identified their brightest star.
Our materials for the study include homemade star constellation maps and Fantacolor pegboard.
The cards are so easy to prepare: black cardstock, silver or gold star stickers and a silver/gold marker.
The Fantacolor pegboard was used by Mavi to recreate each constellation…
…and identify their brightest stars.
Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Polestar (Big Dipper, Small Dipper and Polestar)
Taurus
Cygnus
We are continuously learning about space. Currently, we’re looking at the chronological timeline of space exploration history and how space shuttles work. This has been a very fruitful topic for Mavi, and I am learning a lot as well! More posts about Space Study coming up in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, GooglePlus, Twitter and Pinterest for updates and freebies!
Our materials for the study include homemade star constellation maps and Fantacolor pegboard.
The cards are so easy to prepare: black cardstock, silver or gold star stickers and a silver/gold marker.
The Fantacolor pegboard was used by Mavi to recreate each constellation…
…and identify their brightest stars.
Ursa Major, Ursa Minor and Polestar (Big Dipper, Small Dipper and Polestar)
Scorpius
| Common Name | The Scorpion |
| This constellation contains some of the most spectacular stars, nebulae and star clusters. Closest to Milky Way | |
| Visible from | Worldwide |
| Location | Southern Hemisphere |
| Best time to see | After sunset of April to September |
| Brightest Star | Antares |
Leo
| Common Name | The Lion |
| Lies afar from the band of Milky Way. | |
| Visible from | Worldwide |
| Location | Northern Hemisphere |
| Best time to see | After sunset of February to June |
| Brightest Star | Regulus |
Sagittarius
| Common Name | The Archer |
| This has a vivid constellation and lies in the southern half of the sky. It is rich in star clusters and nebulae. This constellation shines brightly because the middle of the Milky Way lies in its borders. | |
| Visible from | Worldwide |
| Location | Southern Hemisphere |
| Best time to see | After sunset of July to October |
| Brightest Star | Kaus Australis |
Orion
| Common Name | The Hunter |
| This is the brightest and most popular constellations in the entire sky. It is exceptional since it can be seen from both the North and South Poles. | |
| Visible from | Worldwide |
| Location | Mid Latitude |
| Best time to see | After sunset of December to March |
| Brightest Star | Rigel |
| Common Name | The Bull |
| The constellation looks like the front of a mighty bull charging towards the Orion. | |
| Visible from | Worldwide |
| Location | Northern Hemisphere |
| Best time to see | After sunset of November to February |
| Brightest Star | Aldebaran |
| Common Name | The Swan |
| This constellation contains many fascinating stars and nebulae. The pattern creates a distinct cross (known also as the Northern Cross) | |
| Visible from | Worldwide |
| Location | Northern Hemisphere |
| Best time to see | After sunset of July to November |
| Brightest Star | Deneb |
We are continuously learning about space. Currently, we’re looking at the chronological timeline of space exploration history and how space shuttles work. This has been a very fruitful topic for Mavi, and I am learning a lot as well! More posts about Space Study coming up in the next few days. Stay tuned!
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, GooglePlus, Twitter and Pinterest for updates and freebies!
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