Love to Laugh and Learn

Fun and interesting learning activities to do with the children in your life

Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes

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Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes

It’s time for some fun learning activities with triangles. What type of triangles do you see around you? Maybe mom or dad cut your toast into triangles this morning. Do you have any toys that are triangle shaped? Take a walk down the street and count how many triangles you see. Do some of the roofs on the houses form a triangle shape? Have lots of fun with triangles today. Please stop by my facebook page, Love to Laugh and Learn, and share pictures of the triangle you see and create.

Content:

Toys
Craft:
Triangle Fish Craft
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

Trying to think of triangle shaped toys is a little hard. Maybe you can help me out. What type of triangle shaped toys do you have around your house? Please leave a comment and help me out.

You may have a shape sorter with a triangle shape in it. I would recommend the Discovery Toys: Playful Patterns (just use the triangle shapes today). There is a game called Tri*ominos that uses triangle shaped pieces. The “home bases” on Chinese checkers are triangle shaped. If you are into music you can play with a musical triangle today. I look forward to any suggestions you have.

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Craft

Create a cute fish while learning about triangles.
Create a cute fish while learning about triangles.

Triangle Fish Craft
Adapted from DLTK Crafts for Kids

Materials Needed:

Materials for Triangle Fish Craft
Materials for Triangle Fish Craft

Triangle Fish Template
Colored paper, crayons, markers or paints
Scissors
Glue Stick
White Glue
Wiggly Eyes

Instructions:

1. Print Triangle Fish Template
2. You can either use the template as a pattern to cut the triangles out of colored paper or have your child color or paint the pieces and then cut them out.
3. Use glue stick to glue the middle size triangle to the back of the large triangle for the tail.
4. Use glue stick to glue the small triangle to the big triangle as the fin.
5. Use white glue to glue on a wiggly eye (I love wiggly eyes) or draw an eye.
6. Draw a mouth.

Now you have a beautiful triangle fish!

Triangle Fish Craft
Triangle Fish Craft

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Foods for snack or meal time

A sandwich cut from corner to corner, some tortilla chips are triangle shaped, cut watermelon into triangle shapes, cut cheese in triangle shapes, Triscuit Thin Crisps

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Story Time

I See Triangles (All about Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will learn about triangles. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of everyday items. The text is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

Triangles (Shapes) by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Reading Level: Birth – 4yrs old
A cute introduction to triangles. The rhyming storyline leads you through bright illustrations of a kitten and puppy as they explore triangles. They encourage your child to search out, count and have fun with triangles.

Triangles (The Shape of the World) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
Dana Meachen Rau has a great series of little books about shapes. In this book you will see several different triangles. You might find some right in your own house. The simple text and bright pictures will give you and your child a lot to talk about. This is a great little book for introducing triangles to your child.

What Is a Triangle? (Harper Growing Tree) by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
You will find many different triangle shapes throughout this book. It is an easy read for young children with a lot of bright pictures. A few of the items are actually cones rather than triangles but I guess if you are just introducing your child to triangles that won’t really matter a lot. It’s written in rhyme, which I always love. The funniest part to me was that is says a triangle (the musical instrument) is a triangle.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
The Lessons – Overview
Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
Colors – Overview

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A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apples

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A is for Apple: You Can Learn More Than Your ABC’s from Apples





I thought I would start out sharing different concepts such as colors or shapes but the fall season has lead me in another direction. I have decided to take an object from the season; apples. I will show you several different learning concepts you can share with your child just by using the simple apple.

Learning Concepts: colors, senses, seasons, math, science, history, reading

Colors, Sorting & Matching (math skills):

Purchase several apples of different colors. Mix them together and place them in one big bowl or basket. Have your child sort and match the apples by their colors.

Colors, Craft/Art:
Apple Print by my 2 yr old Great-Niece
Apple Print by my 2 yr old Great-Niece

Supplies: red, yellow and green apple, red, yellow and green paint, white construction paper, plates to pour paint on

Cut the apples in half, from top to bottom. Pat cut surface dry with paper towel and let air dry, cut side up, for approximately 30 minutes. If the apple surface is too wet the paint won’t stick to them.

Get three small plates. Pour red paint on one, yellow paint on another and green paint on the last one. Have your child match the color of the apple skin to the paint.

Pick the apple up by the skin side and press the cut side into the paint. Pick up the apple and press it on the paper several times. You are using the apple like a rubber stamp. Repeat this process with each of the different colors. Now you have a beautiful fall collage of apples.

Apple Print by my 2 yr old Great-Niece
Apple Print by my 2 1/2 yr old Great-Niece

10-16-11 I did the above craft with my 2 year old, great-niece today. Although her hands were a little small when it came to trying to pick up half an apple, she really seemed to enjoy it. She made 5 pictures and then asked her mom to make one too.

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Senses:

Buy several apples that have varied tastes, sweet and sour. There is a good explanation of different apples and their flavors on about.com: Apple Varieties.

Cut them into pieces. Have your child taste them and decide if they like sweet or sour better. For older children, you can discuss the parts of the tongue that detect sweet and sour.

Which flavor does your child like the best? Share with your child which one you like best. If your child is younger or is one that really likes to please you, let them share which flavor they like best first because they may just choose whatever you say just to make you happy. Let them know that there is no wrong answer.

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Science:

Discuss the seasons of the apple tree. Talk about how the flowers of spring become the apples of fall. You can talk about bees and pollination.

Here are some good books that I found that talk about the growth and seasons of an apple tree (affiliate links below):

“The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree” by Gail Gibbons
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
This book has a fun way of introducing the seasons. Arnold does several things around his tree during the different season changes. For instance, he builds a tree house in the summer and a snow fort in the fall.

“Apples” by Gail Gibbons
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Also a great book with colorful illustrations. It is a little more technical than “The Seasons of Arnold’s Apple Tree” but still quite enjoyable.

How Do Apples Grow? by Betsy Maestro
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
This book has the same reading level as the previous ones but I would recommend it for the upper age limit suggested. This would be a great book for any child that likes to ask a lot of questions as to how things grow and where apples come from.

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History:

This is a good time of the year to learn about Johnny Appleseed, whose real name was Johnny Chapman. Read books about Johnny Appleseed and how he introduced apple trees to Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. After learning about Johnny Appleseed, plan a trip to an apple orchard. Maybe your child will want to dress as Johnny Appleseed for Halloween. What could be easier than a big well worn shirt, pants and a pot for a hat?

Here is a cute book:

Johnny Appleseed by Jane Kurtz
A Ready-To-Read, Level 1 book
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
This is not only a good book, for younger children to learn about Johnny Appleseed, but it is also a good early reader book.

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Other fun books about apples:

Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins
Reading Level: Baby-Preschool
Not only is this a book about apples but it would also be good when talking about the color red, counting or farm animals. My two year old niece loved the book. After we were done reading it the first time she wanted to go back and count the apples again and talk about the farm animals.

  Picking Apples by Margaret McNamara  (A Ready-to-Read, Level 1 book)
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
This is a really cute story about a field trip to an apple orchard. If your last name is Smith, you child will have a special surprise at the end of the book. I thought it was cute even though my last name isn’t Smith. This is a good early reader book.

Picking Apples by Gail Saunders-Smith
Reading Level: Ages 2-6 yrs old
Are you planning a trip to the apple orchard with your young child? This book is a great way to introduce your child to the apple orchard and picking apples. If you live in the city, your child may only know that apples come from the store. This book will give them some insight on how the apples get to the store. The text is simple and the illustrations are actual pictures of people working in the apple orchard. We read this to our 2 year old great-nephew before our first trip to the apple orchard with him.

Up, Up. Up! It’s Apple-Picking Time by Jody Fickes Shapiro
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
This is a fun little book about a trip to Grandpa and Grandma’s to help pick and sell apples.

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Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes with Free Printable

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Circles: Learning Activities for Shapes
with free printables

Are you ready to have fun with shapes? We are going to start out by having fun with learning activities for circles. There are so many circles all around you. The buttons on your shirt or coat may be circles. The wheels on the car or your bike are circles. What other circles do you see? Maybe you are eating something for dinner or a snack that is a circle shape. Have fun with theses activities and stories that are about circles.

Content:
Toys
Craft:
Circle Pizza
Snacks
Story Time
Music
Related Posts
Toys
What type of circle shaped toys can you find to play with today? Do you have some balls, a hula hoop, a slinky or a game of ring toss? You could play with marbles or a yo-yo (if your child is a little older). Look for circles on some of your other toys, like the wheels on your cars and trucks. A toy that I liked using with my children and with my preschool classes was Playful Patterns by Discovery Toys. When learning about circles I would just use the circles and the pictures that used circles for the children to play with. It is also a good toy for learning colors and sorting activities.

Craft
Circle Pizza Craft

Circle Pizza Craft

Materials Needed:

Materials Needed for Circle Pizza Craft
Materials Needed for Circle Pizza Craft

Circle Pizza craft page
Pepperoni craft page
White Paper
Light brown crayon
Brown crayon
Reddish brown crayon
Red paint
Paint brush or foam applicator
Hole punch
Scissors
White glue
Basil and oregano seasonings

Instructions:

1.  On white copy paper, print the circle pizza craft page and the pepperoni craft page. I printed the pizza on cardstock so it would hold up better with the paint and glue.

2.  Color the edge of the crust with the light brown crayon. (The Crayola color I used was actually called tan.)

Circle Pizza Craft: Coloring the crust.

3.  Color the pepperoni with the reddish brown crayon then cut them out. (The Crayola color was called Mahogany.)

Circle Pizza Craft: Creating the Pepperoni

4.  There is an empty area on the bottom of the pepperoni page. Use the brown crayon and color that area. Then use the hole punch to punch out sausage crumbles.

Creating Sausage for Circle Pizza Craft

5.  Cut a white piece of paper into very thin strips; to resemble shredded mozzarella cheese.

Assembling the Circle Pizza

6.   Use the paint brush or foam applicator to paint the “tomato sauce” on the pizza.

7.  Lightly sprinkle the basil and oregano and the “shredded cheese” on the wet paint. (I didn’t use glue for this part. The wet paint held everything well. I did use the handle of the foam applicator to push the “mozzarella” into the paint so it would hold better.)

Seasonings and “Cheese” on Circle Pizza

8.  Glue the pepperoni and the sausage on the pizza.

Learn about circles while doing this fun Circle Pizza craft.

9.  Now you have a wonderful Circle Pizza.

* The above craft would also work well for a lesson on the sense of smell.

** You can also use the Grape craft from Learning Activities for the Color Purple or the Blueberry Pie craft from Learning Activities for the Color Blue.

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Foods for snack or meal time

Ritz crackers or any round cracker, cut cheese into circles, sliced banana, Cheerios, make some personal pizzas with English muffins, round cookies or slice an apple through the middle for some circle shaped slices.

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Story Time

(affiliates included)

Circles (The Shape of the World) by Dana Meachen Rau
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
This is a wonderful book to introduce circles to any age. The text is simple and there are great illustrations of circles that we see around us every day.

Circles (Shapes) by Marybeth Lorbiecki
Reading Level: Birth – 4yrs old
A cute introduction to circles. The rhyming storyline leads you through bright illustrations of a kitten’s birthday party. There are many circles on each page to be observed, counted and enjoyed.

I See Circles (All About Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 4 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will find circles in many different places. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of every day items. The text is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

So Many Circles, So Many Squares by Tana Hoban (only covers circles and squares)
Reading Level: Birth to 2nd Grade
There is no storyline to this book. It is just pages and pages of pictures from the world around us. It concentrates on two shapes; circles and squares. This is a great book for introducing shapes to your child. This book could lead into a great game of finding circles right where you are.

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Music & Singing Time

Because of copyright laws I am not going to put links to songs (unless I have permission from the artist). I will give you the names of songs that I like to use and you can find them on a CD, video or YouTube to sing with your child.

Ring Around the Rosie

Mister Sun (Mister Sun, Sun, Mister Golden Sun) I would always have the preschoolers make a big round circle with their arms for the sun.

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Related Posts

Shapes – Overview
Ovals: Learning Activities for Shapes
Squares: Learning Activities for Shapes
Rectangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Triangles: Learning Activities for Shapes
Diamonds: Learning Activities for Shapes
Stars – Learning Activities for Shapes
Hearts: Learning Activities for Shapes
Learning Should Be Fun
When Do Children Start Learning
The Lessons – Overview

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Learning Should Be Fun

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Learning Should Be Fun


 

“A joyful heart is good medicine…”  -Proverbs 17:22

I love exposing children to new learning opportunities. I believe that learning should be fun and hands-on.

Children’s learning activities should be enjoyable and interesting. Repetition of a concept will help secure it in the mind of the learner. I do not suggest repetition as in using flash cards over and over in some sort of old school torture. I mean using the same concepts in several different learning environments.

I share, through this blog, many fun learning opportunities that you can experience with the children in your life. You will find detailed ideas as well as general concepts that you can mix and match in different learning situations.

At first most of my concepts will be for younger children. Although, I did teach 4th, 5th and 6th graders for a couple of summers, most of my expertise comes with young children.

Along with the different learning concepts, I want to research and post different attractions with family friendly activities that are going on in our community.  At first these activities will be centered around Indianapolis because that is where I currently reside but my dream is to expand the resources well past Indiana.  Although I will be posting specific activities that are going on in the Indianapolis area, I will also suggest general activities that make good learning opportunities that you can look for in your area.

My real vision for this blog is that it can help families have fun learning together but there will be information that will be interesting to teachers too. I am so excited about having this opportunity to share with you.

Most Sincerely,

Mama Carmody

Related Posts:

When Do Children Start Learning
The Lessons – Overview
Colors – Overview
Shapes – Overview
Fun with Music – Overview

Fun with Music: Voices

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Fun with Music: Voices




This post, “Fun with Music – Sting Instruments”, is written in collaboration with Shannon Wijnker, who used to blog on Mamamusing. Shannon is a music teacher and mother of four.

Shannon writes:
Many parents want to give their children the gift of music, but don’t know where to start. I think that teaching children how to explore their voice and singing is so easy and something that every parent can encourage. And it doesn’t have to cost a cent!

Content:

Playtime
Craft
Musical Outings
Story Time
Games Online
Related Posts

Playtime

More from Shannon:

I wrote a post about Music at an Early Age, and in my post I touch on my philosophy about educating our children to be musical.

It is never too early to start building a foundation that facilitates musical proficiency. Babies and toddlers learn about music by first learning about sound. They experiment with their voices make different sounds of varying volumes. While many parents will recognize this as ‘noise’ it is a great first step. Encourage them to explore various ways to make sounds with their mouths and talk about how to modulate their volume.

A tip: I teach my students to put their fingers against their windpipe. If they whisper they don’t feel a vibration. If they are talking or shouting, then they will feel a vibration. This helps to build the concept of volume.

Also, let them experiment with their voice. Children will naturally do this, so let them feel free to explore. Though some encouragement, they will create their own songs about random subjects. (The other day my daughter sang about how she was sorry for hitting her sister after she was let out of time out).

Visit my blog I mentioned earlier to watch a video of my 18 month old experimenting with her voice in the car.

Children learn best thru example and modeling. That means that you need to show them that you enjoy listening to music and/or singing. If you aren’t prepared to sing with your kids, then make sure to play a CD or two repetitively so they can learn the songs. Children need to hear songs that only have a few notes. Not pop songs! Learning these songs also helps with language acquisition, because they are learning rhyme. Don’t overwhelm them with too many songs. They will only feel comfortable trying to sing, once they know a song inside and out. You cannot play a song too much for a child. If you’re getting sick of it, they are just beginning to memorize/internalize it!

Echo songs are also a great idea. Small pieces of melody are easier to learn, and they foster a musical independence. Many children will only sing with a recording, and they need to be confident with their own voice. (eg. Down By the Bay)

A common complaint by many adults is that they are simply ‘tone deaf’. I disagree. They are not tone deaf, but did not develop the proper muscles to sing in tune. Trying to sing up a scale is very difficult for a child. It is much easier for them to start high and sing down. If you pay attention, many children’s songs have a lot of descending passages because of this. Until the muscles develop (you can work on these muscles by singing, and by starting from a high note and singing to a low note), singing outside of a notes which are naturally comfortable will result in ‘out-of-tune-ness’.

Some exercises:

· Sigh from the top of your voice to the bottom (test how high/low you can go)
· Use sounds such as “mmmm” “zzzz” “vvvv”
· Sing lying on the floor
· Make “siren” noises without straining
· Teach them to match pitch by singing back the note you are singing
· Have them follow your hand up and down with their voice (or draw their name while following the hand with their voice!) – this may take some practice
· Have them hum and get them to recognize that sensation when they sing

Remember that kids learn best by doing, not by being told how to do something. When they lose interest, move on and try again another time. Children learn best by repetition. Also, songs are much more fun with movement and actions. Have fun!

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Craft

Microphone

Love to Laugh and Learn: Materials Needed for Microphone Craft
Love to Laugh and Learn: Materials Needed for Microphone Craft
Materials Needed:

Empty paper towel roll or toilet paper roll
Small styrofoam ball – 2 1/2 inches (63 mm)
Fancy scrapbook paper, construction paper or paint
White craft glue
Decorations (sparkly stickers, foam stickers, markers, etc)

Instructions:

1) Cover the workspace. I used parchment paper because I was able to get it cheap at the Dollar Tree Store. And cover the child. I found an old tee shirt.

2) I cut a ring from a toilet paper roll to set the styrofoam ball on so that it wouldn’t roll away.

3) Paint the styrofoam ball black or silver. I like to use foam applicators for painting large surfaces. The most difficult part of painting the ball was learning that its okay to get your fingers messy.

Love to Laugh and Learn: Microphone Craft - Fun with Music: Voices
Love to Laugh and Learn: Microphone Craft – Fun with Music: Voices

But he got used to it and enjoyed the painting.

Fun with Music: Voices - Microphone Craft
Fun with Music: Voices – Microphone Craft

4) We are making two microphones; one from a paper towel roll and one from a toilet paper roll. I couldn’t decide which would be better for a 2 year old so we made both.

5) You can decorate the rolls however you like. You could paint them but I decided to use a fancy piece of scrapbook paper. I cut it to fit each roll.

6) We glued the paper and then applied it to the rolls. Jeremiah used the glue stick and then I added some white craft glue for extra adhesion.

Love to Laugh and Learn: Gluing Paper for Microphone Craft
Love to Laugh and Learn: Gluing Paper for Microphone Craft

7) Jeremiah added some stickers because stickers are fun and they are a great fine motor exercise.

Love to Laugh and Learn: Applying Stickers
Love to Laugh and Learn: Applying Stickers

8) Finally we attached the balls to the top. Make sure to use a thick craft glue. I ended up adding some super glue but super glue should be used with caution and by adults only.

9) Now we can enjoy using our voices by singing into our microphones. The toilet paper size was better for little hands but the paper towel roll was a great size for older kids.

Love to Laugh and Learn: The microphone craft is a hit! Fun with Music: Voices
Love to Laugh and Learn: The microphone craft is a hit! Fun with Music: Voices

This microphone craft was adapted from itmom.

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Musical Outings

Take your children to any place that live music is being played. In Indianapolis, you can find many places that give free outdoor concerts during the summer. Maybe you have the same opportunities in your area. Outdoor concerts are a great way to introduce your children to live music because they can sit in their own lawn chair, on a blanket or even get up and dance around a little. Maybe you have older children or neighbors that participate in a school band. Take your children to see them. Expose your children to many types of music. Take the time to talk about what they are hearing, how it makes them feel and the different instruments they are seeing and hearing.

Shannon from Mamamusing wants you to know: “In London, there are several outdoor concerts and festivals in Victoria Park during the summer. One of the best is Sunfest (beginning of July). You can check out a video of my kids enjoying the multicultural music and dancing byclicking here.”

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Storytime

Freddie the Frog® and the Flying Jazz Kitten – 5th Adventure: Scat Cat Island by Sharon Burch
Reading Level: Ages 4 – 9 yrs old
Freddie the Frog meets the Flying Jazz Kitten and learns about wonderful new ways to use his voice. The Flying Jazz Kitten teaches Freddie the Frog the swingin’ beat and excitement of jazz scat singing. There is also a CD with the dramatized story, sing-along songs and an instrumental blues track to create your own special scat.

The Voice and Singing (Let’s Make Music) by Rita Storey
Reading Level: Ages 6 yrs old and up
Each person carries around a special instrument with them wherever they go; their voice. Your child will enjoy learning about their voice in this cute informational book. In simple descriptions, they will learn how their voice works. They will learn about many different styles of singing and different ways they can enjoy singing. Whether they are listening to others sing or using their own voices, singing is fun.

Voices (Instruments and Music) by Daniel Nunn
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8 yrs old
An instrument that we don’t discuss very often is the voice. This book describes how people use their voices to make music. Sometimes they are accompanied by another instrument or other voices. Sometimes they sing all alone. Share this book with your child and help them learn how their voice is an instrument to enjoy.

Voices and Singing (How the World Makes Music) by Anita Ganeri
Reading Level: Ages 6 and up
This book covers voices as a musical instrument. Your child will learn about many styles of singing from all over the world. The way people use their voices from other parts of the world can sound very different than what we are used to hearing. Along with reading this book take some time to look on the internet and find examples of the different ways people use their voices, such as jazz singing, gospel singing, throat singing and yodeling. How do you and your children use your voices to make music?

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Games Online

Shannon from Mamamusing shares some fun online games:

Now that you have introduced your children to some of the various instrument families in the orchestra, you may want to visit The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. This is a website created by Carnegie Hall which is a wonderfully FREE interactive online game for young children to explore and learn more about the various instruments of the orchestra. You will need to use a computer, because the game requires Adobe Flash, which you can download for free (if you don’t already have this utility installed on your computer).

There is also a wonderful set of books for children ages 4 to 8 years old that helps them learn different musical concepts. Along with the books the author, Sharon Burch, has a website with coloring pages and games for your child to enjoy and enhance their learning experience: Freddie the Frog Games and Coloring Pages

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Related Posts

Music at an Early Age by Shannon at Mamamusing
Fun with Music – Overview
Fun with Music – Percussion Instruments
Fun with Music – Brass Instruments
Fun with Music – Woodwind Instruments
Fun with Music: String Instruments
Fun with Music: Keyboards

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