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Ready for the ultimate sensory math experience? Penguins on Ice™ is a highly engaging math activity set that integrates hands-on fun with a multitude of math skills. Teach counting, sorting, problem-solving, computation skills, making 10, place value, and base 10 concepts using these perky penguins and the cool blue ice bars. Keep little hands and busy brains working hard for hours of creative work and play!
Here is what you'll need:
- Penguins on Ice
- Water
- Sensory Bin
- Baking Soda
Add some water to the ice bars and freeze! Then, add some water to baking soda until packable and refrigerate while the ice freezes. Add penguins to the snow and have children work on patterning skills by finishing the pattern on the ice bars. Younger kids can work on counting and sorting by colors.
Explore and More:
- Let children explore and play independently with the penguins and ice bars. Show them how to fit the penguins on the pegs of the ice bars. Demonstrate how the ice bars can hook together both vertically and horizontally. Let the students discover different ways to use this activity set.
- Play "What's Missing?" with a small group. Place five different-colored penguins on an ice bar. Have students carefully study the penguins, and then close their eyes while you remove one penguin. Ask children to open their eyes and guess which color penguin is missing. Repeat this activity. You may also want to switch roles, so you guess which penguin is missing.
Math Skills and Concepts:
- Sorting and Classification -- Sort the penguins into color sets. For younger children, limit the number and color of penguins to be sorted. Gradually increase the numbers and colors as the child becomes more confident.
- Counting -- For basic counting skill development, call out a number and have children place that number of penguins on an ice bar. Have them check and compare with others. Be sure to reinforce one-to-one correspondence when counting (that is, saying each number as you count and touch a penguin.)
Ready for the ultimate sensory math experience? Penguins on Ice™ is a highly engaging math activity set that integrates hands-on fun with a multitude of math skills. Teach counting, sorting, problem-solving, computation skills, making 10, place value, and base 10 concepts using these perky penguins and the cool blue ice bars. Keep little hands and busy brains working hard for hours of creative work and play!
Here is what you'll need:
- Penguins on Ice
- Water
- Sensory Bin
- Baking Soda
Add some water to the ice bars and freeze! Then, add some water to baking soda until packable and refrigerate while the ice freezes. Add penguins to the snow and have children work on patterning skills by finishing the pattern on the ice bars. Younger kids can work on counting and sorting by colors.
Explore and More:
- Let children explore and play independently with the penguins and ice bars. Show them how to fit the penguins on the pegs of the ice bars. Demonstrate how the ice bars can hook together both vertically and horizontally. Let the students discover different ways to use this activity set.
- Play "What's Missing?" with a small group. Place five different-colored penguins on an ice bar. Have students carefully study the penguins, and then close their eyes while you remove one penguin. Ask children to open their eyes and guess which color penguin is missing. Repeat this activity. You may also want to switch roles, so you guess which penguin is missing.
Math Skills and Concepts:
- Sorting and Classification -- Sort the penguins into color sets. For younger children, limit the number and color of penguins to be sorted. Gradually increase the numbers and colors as the child becomes more confident.
- Counting -- For basic counting skill development, call out a number and have children place that number of penguins on an ice bar. Have them check and compare with others. Be sure to reinforce one-to-one correspondence when counting (that is, saying each number as you count and touch a penguin.)
Learning Resources® has a new pretend food playset, and it sure is a good one! My kids have always enjoyed the imaginative food-based play, and one of their favorite weekend treats is a trip to the diner. Therefore, it was no surprise that the Rise & Shine Diner Set was a huge hit and led to over an hour of role-playing the first time we used it.
What's Included?
I have several of the Learning Resources pretend play food products, and they always get a lot of use both at home and in my preschool classroom. The quality is awesome, with each piece being well-designed and durable. The food pieces are also always pretty realistic, which my kids appreciate. In this particular set, you get an excellent range of food pieces and beverages, as well as some fun accessories. You get plates, bowls, cutlery, a frying pan, a spatula, and a menu. There is also a dry-erase activity placemat and order ticket, which helps to extend the play and learning. The ultimate surprise came when my little one flipped over the activity pad to discover that it doubled up as a pretend stovetop!
Exploring the Materials
It's always exciting when you first open up the box and tip out all of the contents. My four-year-old was listing off all of the food items she could see, as well as getting very excited about the frying pan and maple syrup bottle. Of course, she needed to give that maple syrup bottle a good squirt into her mouth straight away to get an energy boost! She explored all of the items, sorted them on the plates, and set up her little diner space, ready to open for business.
Placemat Activity Fun
Before the diner could open, though, she needed a little time because she loved that the placemat had activities on it, and she couldn't wait to do them. This was just like the placemat she gets given at our local diner, so she was super excited! She used a dry-erase marker to complete the maze, play a tic-tac-toe game, and do the dot-to-dot fruit drawings. I love that she was engaged in a mark-making activity even though the product is more of a pretend play toy. So great for helping her fine motor skills!
Open for Business
It was finally time for the Rise and Shine Diner to open up for business officially. My preschooler had all of the produce ready, as well as the menu easily accessible. She was the perfect hostess and even put on a funny, deep voice as she showed me to my seat and gave me the menu. She used the order ticket to write down what I wanted (I helped her with the writing while telling me some of the numbers on the prices). I love that she was being exposed to so much numeracy and literacy without even realizing it!
It made me laugh that she took on her role as a waitress with such seriousness and maturity. She would tell me what was 'in season' and what she wouldn't recommend because it had gone moldy! I think secretly; she didn't want me having any of the 'good stuff' (i.e., the pancakes, waffles, and cinnamon bun were all out of service!).
Once she had the full order, she got to work serving up my yogurt and fruit. She then cooked my hot items using the frying pan and the stovetop. She had a whole explanation for why she had to cook my bagel in a frying pan. The toaster broke at her diner, and she hadn't made enough money to replace it with a new one… I think she was angling for a big tip! I was, however, in luck because she let me have a small drizzle of maple syrup on my eggs. She told me that it was the special of the day.
I love how this Learning Resources pretend play set brought out so many different play and learning elements. There was so much more happening than just making a pretend diner. There was numeracy, literacy, fine motor development, role play, problem-solving, imagination, collaboration, and even a healthy dose of fun! This set will most definitely be a feature in our playroom over the coming months.
Writer's Bio
Lucy Baker is a Mom of two (4 & 8 years old) passionate about creative play and hands-on learning. She firmly believes in providing children with the opportunity to learn through play and being part of their play journey as a parent. See more of her creative play ideas and process art projects on Instagram @findthelittlemind, and over on her blog, Find the Little Mind
Learning Resources® has a new pretend food playset, and it sure is a good one! My kids have always enjoyed the imaginative food-based play, and one of their favorite weekend treats is a trip to the diner. Therefore, it was no surprise that the Rise & Shine Diner Set was a huge hit and led to over an hour of role-playing the first time we used it.
What's Included?
I have several of the Learning Resources pretend play food products, and they always get a lot of use both at home and in my preschool classroom. The quality is awesome, with each piece being well-designed and durable. The food pieces are also always pretty realistic, which my kids appreciate. In this particular set, you get an excellent range of food pieces and beverages, as well as some fun accessories. You get plates, bowls, cutlery, a frying pan, a spatula, and a menu. There is also a dry-erase activity placemat and order ticket, which helps to extend the play and learning. The ultimate surprise came when my little one flipped over the activity pad to discover that it doubled up as a pretend stovetop!
Exploring the Materials
It's always exciting when you first open up the box and tip out all of the contents. My four-year-old was listing off all of the food items she could see, as well as getting very excited about the frying pan and maple syrup bottle. Of course, she needed to give that maple syrup bottle a good squirt into her mouth straight away to get an energy boost! She explored all of the items, sorted them on the plates, and set up her little diner space, ready to open for business.
Placemat Activity Fun
Before the diner could open, though, she needed a little time because she loved that the placemat had activities on it, and she couldn't wait to do them. This was just like the placemat she gets given at our local diner, so she was super excited! She used a dry-erase marker to complete the maze, play a tic-tac-toe game, and do the dot-to-dot fruit drawings. I love that she was engaged in a mark-making activity even though the product is more of a pretend play toy. So great for helping her fine motor skills!
Open for Business
It was finally time for the Rise and Shine Diner to open up for business officially. My preschooler had all of the produce ready, as well as the menu easily accessible. She was the perfect hostess and even put on a funny, deep voice as she showed me to my seat and gave me the menu. She used the order ticket to write down what I wanted (I helped her with the writing while telling me some of the numbers on the prices). I love that she was being exposed to so much numeracy and literacy without even realizing it!
It made me laugh that she took on her role as a waitress with such seriousness and maturity. She would tell me what was 'in season' and what she wouldn't recommend because it had gone moldy! I think secretly; she didn't want me having any of the 'good stuff' (i.e., the pancakes, waffles, and cinnamon bun were all out of service!).
Once she had the full order, she got to work serving up my yogurt and fruit. She then cooked my hot items using the frying pan and the stovetop. She had a whole explanation for why she had to cook my bagel in a frying pan. The toaster broke at her diner, and she hadn't made enough money to replace it with a new one… I think she was angling for a big tip! I was, however, in luck because she let me have a small drizzle of maple syrup on my eggs. She told me that it was the special of the day.
I love how this Learning Resources pretend play set brought out so many different play and learning elements. There was so much more happening than just making a pretend diner. There was numeracy, literacy, fine motor development, role play, problem-solving, imagination, collaboration, and even a healthy dose of fun! This set will most definitely be a feature in our playroom over the coming months.
Writer's Bio
Lucy Baker is a Mom of two (4 & 8 years old) passionate about creative play and hands-on learning. She firmly believes in providing children with the opportunity to learn through play and being part of their play journey as a parent. See more of her creative play ideas and process art projects on Instagram @findthelittlemind, and over on her blog, Find the Little Mind
Ready for a quick and intelligent Thanksgiving-themed activity that can also double as a table decoration? Try out this activity that we like to call, Feed the Turkeys! This can be created with materials around your house and will create hours of open-ended play!
Here is what you'll need:
Plastic or glass jar (whatever you have on hand). If you do decide to use a glass jar, make sure to supervise the play.
Pom-poms
Fine Motor Tool Set
Tape or glue
Construction paper or colored feathers
Googly eyes
These turkeys can be put together in under 5 minutes! All you have to do is cut out the feathers if you decide to use construction paper. Then, glue or tape the feathers, googly eyes, and beak on. BAM! That's it. Your turkeys are ready to go!
Skills Developed with this activity:
Fine motor skills
Hand-eye coordination
Problem-solving
Independent play
Interested in seeing a video of how to put this activity together? Check out our Idea Pin on Pinterest!
Ready for a quick and intelligent Thanksgiving-themed activity that can also double as a table decoration? Try out this activity that we like to call, Feed the Turkeys! This can be created with materials around your house and will create hours of open-ended play!
Here is what you'll need:
Plastic or glass jar (whatever you have on hand). If you do decide to use a glass jar, make sure to supervise the play.
Pom-poms
Fine Motor Tool Set
Tape or glue
Construction paper or colored feathers
Googly eyes
These turkeys can be put together in under 5 minutes! All you have to do is cut out the feathers if you decide to use construction paper. Then, glue or tape the feathers, googly eyes, and beak on. BAM! That's it. Your turkeys are ready to go!
Skills Developed with this activity:
Fine motor skills
Hand-eye coordination
Problem-solving
Independent play
Interested in seeing a video of how to put this activity together? Check out our Idea Pin on Pinterest!
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