Pay it forward gifts!

Pay it forward gifts are ready - some have been mailed - watch your mail box. If you have not sent me your address do so now!

Comments are now CLOSED!

Here are a couple of examples of what you may get!

Wiggle Worm

We play this game called 'Wiggle Worm' - it's a great game to play for toddlers because we get to wiggle and learn at the same time. Educational and fun! What more could you want in a game!

First I printed off shapes and numbers and a clip art of a worm on to card stock and I laminated them - then cut them to fit on the large craft sticks. I am going to add the ABC's soon - because my tots have this down cold now! I keep them in a plastic container which I simply covered in coloured paper.

To play the game I pull out one stick at a time - hold it up for all to view and the tots shout out what they see on the stick. If the worm pops up the tots get to wiggle and squiggle in their seat. Everyone giggles while skill building!

Now this is NOT my original idea - but I found it over 2 years ago so I cannot link it to anyone - if it's your idea let me know and I will link you! :) All the clips I used I simply searched on google.

Chestnut Streamer Toy

So today I saw this chestnut streamer toy On Red Ted Art's Blog and I thought to myself - this would make a great Fall Fair toy, that I could incorporate into a game! I thought that each child could take a turn tossing the toy towards a pylon and the closest would win a prize. However a paper streamer would not last all morning with 50 or 60 kids using it - so I decided I would make some with ribbon streamers. I sent my son out to pick up some chestnuts while on his evening walk and my husband drilled a hole in each chestnut. I threaded three 1/4 inch ribbons - 24 inches long - through a chestnut - secured it with a bead and put a dab of glue inside to firm it up.

Here is the result!

See the bead in the top.

Hopefully this will work out as a game for our Fall Fair as I envision it. I will test them out tomorrow if it's not raining! I will post pictures of the children using them tomorrow if I have success! :)

Let's play games!

Today during a school meeting we talked about ensuring the children were involved in gross motor activities and making it a part of your everyday curriculum. We often focus on the teaching we do while sitting in the classroom - however the active part of our day opens a pathway to better learning. When we get our blood pumping and get that oxygen flowing - learning becomes augmented. Some of that gross motor activity can come from the simplest of play found in the traditional games we have all participated in as a child. There may also be games we have not been privy to - why not include those in your roster. Even if the game is not gross motor they can exercise the mind. Combining the two can present an adventure in learning!

Paired with today's discussion - I was inspired by this article to post some links on playing games.
endangered-activities

Here are some links on traditional games:
games-section
traditional-childrens-games-use-out-classroom
gameskidsplay
games
japan
55 page pdf   

                                              

Mancala Game

My Garage Sale Find!

I did not write the following - it was in my archives - for the life of me I cannot find where I got it - it was the best discription - so I wanted to include it!

"THE NATIONAL GAME of Africa, known as

"Mancala," has caught on with Americans.

You can join in the fun by making a Mancala

board in your home workshop. All you have to

do is follow the details below.

One of the oldest games in the world, Mancala

is played by two people. The object is to

capture the most counters. Each player places

the same number of counters (coins, marbles,

etc.) in six holes on his side of the board.

You can start with six counters and use more

as you gain proficiency.

To begin the game, the first player picks up all

the counters from any one of his six holes and

distributes them to his right, placing one in each

hole. If the last one lands in his scoring bin, he

gets another turn, but otherwise the turn passes

to his opponent.

If he has enough counters to go beyond his

Get cracking - eat thoses eggs and
make yourself a Mancala Game!

scoring bin, after dropping one there, he proceeds                                        

from right to left along his opponent's side

of the board. When he can go around the other

end (skipping the other player's scoring bin)

and drop the last counter in any empty hole on

his own side of the board, he captures all the

counters in the hole opposite.

The game of Mancala is over when all the

holes on either side of the playing board are

empty. The player with the most counters in

his scoring bin is the winner. Mancala can be

enjoyed by everyone except for the smallest

youngster."

Some links to make your own game:

http://crafts.kaboose.com/mancala-game.html

http://www.sinasohn.com/crafts/mancala.htm

http://www.creativityforkids.com/ASSETS/0AFBBF8D6D1845ECB00DEB73760126EA/Egg%20Carton%20Mancala%20Game.pdf

http://boardgames.about.com/cs/mancala/ht/play_mancala.htm

Who wears those shoes?

This is a little game I came up with in my spare time  - lol!

On one side of the card is a picture of a pair of shoes - on the other side is the person or animal who may wear the shoes. The cards are placed out shoe side up - the children look at the shoes and then decide who may be the person/animal wearing those shoes.

To get the answer flip the card over!

Again, I simply searched the web for the pictures to use!

I Spy Bags

I had a lot of fun making these I Spy Bags - lots of cool trinkets inside to find!

I made the small ones easier to search for younger children.