Sorting Sprinkles: Valentine's Day Unit for Toddlers Part 2

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Valentine's Day Unit for Toddlers Part 2

Why yes...There is a part 2 to my Valentine's Day Unit for Toddlers! :) Too late for this year indeed but not too early for next Valentine's Day. Besides, some of these activities can be adapted for other times of the year as well...

Valentine's Day Chocolate Box Playdough

Adrian didn't love this activity last year but I thought Zahavah might. She loves anything playdough and has a much easier time modeling it . She quickly filled the tray with my homemade chocolate playdough and proceeded to offer me some. How about a lesson in grace and courtesy now? :)

Making "chocolate truffles" - as delightful as eating them!

Fingerprinting into a do-a-dot sheet

I'm always eager to find new ways to use these do-a-dot sheets. I know my daughter loves them for what they are and loves those round stampers but bringing a bit of novelty with a new assortment of sheets is always nice too I'm sure. For Valentine's Day, I hopped by Gift of Curiosity and to my delight, Katie had prepared this giant printable as well as some smaller dot sheets (pictured below). For the big heart, I chose to provide a stamping pad for fingerprints. I thought she'd go for all red but nope...:)

Math - Early counting with gems

For the smaller do-a-dot sheets (1 big sheet I personally cut in 4), I chose to provide red mosaic glass gems. Zahavah can count but doesn't really seem to recognize the written symbols yet. Can't blame her. We haven't been through those yet. Besides, counting is a better acquisition than number recognition at barely three years old! :) Do-a-dot sheet also from Gift of Curiosity.

Math - 1:1 Correspondence with heart ice tray and ice gems

Sparkly heart shaped gems and an ice-shaped ice tray? If this 1:1 correspondence did not appeal to Zahavah, I couldn't think of anything else that might. Thankfully it did! :)

Practical Life: Making a bracelet with heart beads

While shopping in our local craft store, Zahavah spotted these cute red glass heart shaped beads. Thinking of Valentine's Day ahead, I purchased them knowing they'll last for years as counters, transfer material and much more. For this year, we used them as beads for bracelet making. I stuck a red glittery pipe cleaner in a big styrofoam block so it would straight and strong and Z simply slipped the beads down the pipe cleaner one by one. Easy work and beautiful result!

Practical Life/Language: Squeezing heart shaped sponge

I always underestimate simple practical life activities. Water transfer with a sponge to me is simply clean up time but kids love to play with water and they love seeing a dry sponge puff up with water and change texture doing so. Seeing the water being soaked up adds up to the excitement and so does the power of transferring that water to a different bowl. Zahavah loved this tray and while I did try to make it very attractive to her (lots of pink and a heart shaped sponge), I think she would have taken "the plunge" even with a blue tray and simple sponge...