Headed for Gold!

Yes, it is true - these lessons have demonstrated magnetic appeal, and the children have been thoroughly enjoying the theme of gold (which you can see more of in THIS POST).  Before sharing our classroom photos from this week, here are some  close ups of additional activities on the Practical Life shelves:

Pincer grasp sorting.

Sorting with a spoon - there were smiles all around when the children discovered this  nesting doll spoon.

And, who could resist this golden egg which houses the play dough?  

And now for some action photos from around the classroom:

This lesson has intrigued the children: Clipping barrettes onto a ribbon - so simple, yet allows  practice of many skills!

I saved this black, divided tray from a box of glue sticks - look how lovely the gold beads are in this transfer lesson with tweezers!

Map tracing continues its flurry of activity - we now have an entire collection adorning our classroom walls.

Some children simply could not resist the weaving activity using these various gold ribbons. 

Pairing verbs and adverbs - the conversations that occur during these types of lessons are just as valuable as the materials themselves.

Writing practice and letter sounds with Sandpaper Letters.

Coffee filter Earth Day craft.  These turned out very beautifully and can be found in our hallway by the cubbies.

As mentioned earlier, the map making frenzy is apparent in our classroom! :-)

Constructive Triangles: Exploring how triangles form new shapes when placed together .

Beautiful, exploratory work with the box of circles...

…likewise with the box of triangles.  I love how this work was being completed side by side, with one student inspiring the other.

A fun tin to practice Opening and Closing - each section contains a golden pom pom .  When added together they equal ten.

Linear and skip counting practice, along with number symbol recognition using the Short Chain of Six.

Sorting the Geometric Solids into groups: one that roll, ones that slide and ones that roll and slide.

Solidifying concepts of quantity with the Spindle Boxes.

A beautiful matching activity - 'Peace' in various languages.

Spelling practice with the Small Moveable Alphabet.

Pairing primary and secondary colors with the Second Color Tablet Box.

Number writing practice with Sandpaper Numbers.

Learning about suffixes.

Reading word family books.

Subtraction Snake Game...

…and checking one's work - all the beads are paired evenly with the ten bars and gray bars.

Learning American Sign Language letters - the child pairs the printed letter to the small, cursive letter on the sign language card (red), then practices signing the letter.