Monday, January 28, 2013

Build & Learn Shapes With Velcro Craft Sticks



I wanted to create a new way to play and learn about shapes with my son. Craft sticks are great for making shapes but I wanted to be able to build shapes that stayed together. I went to Michaels craft store and purchased a bag of small, round Velcro stickers to adhere to the craft sticks. These worked out great! Since my son is two, I build shapes for him and we play an I-spy shape game. I simply ask where the shape is and my son picks up the shape and shows me. It has been a great go-to learning activity that he enjoys. We keep the sticks stored in a box that I purchased at Michaels craft store for $1.



This learning activity is especially great for older children that can build shapes on their own. You can provide flash cards (or simply index cards) as an example of how many sides each shape has along with the name of each shape to help them as they build.

Pentagon

Hexagon

Discussing color patterns when making shapes with colorful craft sticks can be another teachable moment during this activity as well.

This activity is another example of how learning can be fun and inexpensive. My son even loves the sound that the Velcro makes when we disassemble the shapes. There is nothing more exciting to spark the love of learning in little explorers than hands on learning activities.

-Deborah


6 comments:

  1. I love this idea! My daughter is a sponge right now so all of these tips and learning toys/tools are coming in really handy. I also want to let you know that I am still unable to find the follow button, so what I did was like you on FB and sent out a message to my friends' list to do the same. So far, I haven't missed one entry so that seems to be working. Keep this coming, this is great!

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  2. Thank you! It's such a wonderful feeling so have such positive feedback. :)

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  3. This is a wonderful idea- and so simple!! I will definitely be making a special trip to Michael's soon!! I love your blog, by the way- I don't see one but is there any way to follow it via e-mail?
    Thanks so much for the inspiration! :)

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  4. Hi Meleakua, Thank you so much for your interest. I have just added a "Follow by email" option to the top of my blog page. Simply input your email address and you should receive blog updates. I appreciate your kind words! :) Have fun creating!

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  5. I made these for my toddler granddaughter. Well, I started too. She jumped in and painted them and I showed her how to affix the Velcro dots and voila'! She was super excited as was I. She loves them! Thanks for all the great ideas!

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  6. Good post! Thanks for sharing this information I appreciate it. God bless!

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