Fall Fine Motor Fun #5

by Karen on October 30, 2009

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Sand art is a good fine motor activity because children can pinch the sand with their fingers to apply it to their art work. Provide a leaf outline (or have the children draw one), a small bowl of white glue, a small bowl of colored sand, and a “glue brush”. I buy the cheap paintbrushes with stiff bristles that are sold in a package for $1 at dollar stores. These brushes are not a good enough quality for painting, but they make great glue brushes. Children paint the glue on their paper with the brush, pinch some sand with their fingers, and sprinkle it over the glue. Place a pan, tray, or paper plate on the table for children to shake off the excess sand.

Leaf Sand Art 1

Leaf Sand Art 2

Special thanks to abcteach.com for including my site in Sandy’s Sightings! I feel very honored!

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Fall Fine Motor Fun #4

by Karen on October 23, 2009

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One of my readers sent me this great idea for Fall fine motor skills & I liked it so much, I asked her if I could post it here.

This idea comes from Martha Berry. Thanks for sharing this, Martha!

“I went by the local cafeteria and asked for egg crate trays and painted them orange and then added a green paper stem.  The children then filled the crate up with stones using a spoon to dip the stones out of a container – then removed them one at a time.  You could also provide black and orange stones and let them make a face for the pumpkin. (I’ll try to locate two color stones for next year) Thought I would pass it on to you in case you could use one day.  It has been a popular activity.”

Fall Fine Motor 4

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Fall Fine Motor Fun #3

October 22, 2009

url=’http://prekinders.com/2009/10/fall-fine-motor-fun-3/’;If you’re new to this blog, you might want to subscribe to the Email or RSS updates.
When you’re done using your pumpkins for displays in the classroom or other activities, cut them open & let the kids pick out the seeds using tweezers.

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Fall Fine Motor Fun #2

October 14, 2009

url=’http://prekinders.com/2009/10/fall-fine-motor-fun-2/’;If you’re new to this blog, you might want to subscribe to the Email or RSS updates.
Toothpick Punch
To do this activity, cut squares of construction paper (I cut mine 6×6 inches). Draw a simple pumpkin or leaf shape with a Sharpie.
I placed a stack of these papers in the fine motor center, along with toothpicks [...]

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Fall Fine Motor Fun #1

October 12, 2009

url=’http://prekinders.com/2009/10/fall-fine-motor-fun-1/’;If you’re new to this blog, you might want to subscribe to the Email or RSS updates.
I’m planning to add several Fall-themed activities that emphasize fine motor skills in my classroom. Here is the first.
To do this activity, draw a pumpkin or leaf shape on a plain white paper towel using a permanent black marker, [...]

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Getting Ready for October

September 28, 2009

url=’http://prekinders.com/2009/09/getting-ready-for-october/’;If you’re new to this blog, you might want to subscribe to the Email or RSS updates.

~ Here are some of my favorite links for Halloween ~
Thematic Units:
http://www.pre-kpages.com/halloween.html
http://www.thevirtualvine.com/halloween.html
http://www.kinderthemes.com/halloween2.html
http://www.littlegiraffes.com/october.html
http://www.teachingheart.net/halloweenindex.html
http://www.preschoolbystormie.com/ohalloween.html
http://www.kinderteacher.com/HalloweenArt.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/halloween/
http://www.prekinders.com/halloween.htm
Printables:
http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/HalloweenPrintables.htm
http://www.prekfun.com/G-M/Halloween/Halloween_Printables.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojoebi/sets/72157608090688912/
http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/assets/PDF/Life_Cycle_of_a_Pumpkin.pdf
http://play2learnprintables.com/halloween.htm
Music:
http://www.supersimplesongs.com/halloween/songs.html
(These are YouTube videos I plan to play on the computer projector.)
Rhymes:
http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/nursery/muffet.html
http://www.teachersandfamilies.com/nursery/spider.html
(Both of these have sound – turn up the volume!)
Center Activities:
Draw on a Pumpkin
For Kids:
http://www.meddybemps.com/halloweenpage.html
Lots of Links:
http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/zes/halloween/default.htm
If [...]

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Gummy Bear Song

September 18, 2009

url=’http://prekinders.com/2009/09/gummy-bear-song/’;If you’re new to this blog, you might want to subscribe to the Email or RSS updates.

Here is a printable you can use for Dr. Jean’s Gummy Bear Song. My class loves this song. I printed these on cardstock, laminated them, and cut them out. We place the bears in a pocket chart & the [...]

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Grandparents Day

September 8, 2009

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Here’s a little something for Grandparents Day: a printable Happy Grandparents Day card.
I tend to like projects that are simple & something the children can do entirely on their own. I don’t like to micromanage the children’s artwork. I [...]

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Friend Bingo

August 31, 2009

url=’http://prekinders.com/2009/08/friend-bingo/’;
Friend Bingo is an idea I got from a workshop I attended once and it’s a great activity for the beginning of the year. It helps children learn the names of their new friends and teachers. It also serves as a kind of observational assessment because it helps me see which children have not learned [...]

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More Fine Motor Skills

August 24, 2009

url=’http://prekinders.com/2009/08/more-fine-motor-skills/’;The new Fine Motor Skills page is now online, & here are a few new fine motor skill ideas.

Beads in a Paint Palette: A clear cup of multicolored faceted plastic beads was placed in the middle of the tray. The children use their thumb and forefinger to grasp each bead and place it in one [...]

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