Planning for next year — looking up file folder games mostly for the little ones, but I think Kieron might like helping me with some of these too.
File Folder Games – collection of links.
Some more from Enchanted Learning.
A book: Instant File Folder Games for Reading.
And for Math Grades 1-3
Oh, remember this “secret squares” game? (pdf) We used to play this on car trips.
But this is what I was looking for — Secret Square Board Game. Aidan played it with the SLP and absolutely LOVED it. The way she did it was to give clues like “It can fly” and then he would look under the airplane (or whatever). It seems to me we could make something similar for home. It was really good for him in making connections between object and description, or function.
I have heard for years about Lapbooks but my boys just aren’t into “products”. (see Apple Stars — The Death of Show Me Work) . But, firstly, Aidan and Paddy seem to be different types from the older set. Plus, a game format might give them something to interact with. Possibly this is what everyone is already doing with these lapbooks, and I am just dense. But anyway, this is something I could really visualize them enjoying.
I realize that maybe I am just not into products myself and am putting this onto my kids. I got into the “show me” trap early in homeschooling. I wanted to be able to measure their learning. Then it brought back lots of horrific moments during my school year when we did some sort of “show me” project and it was extremely anxiety-producing. So maybe I was approaching this from the wrong angle. When I got to do crafts and projects just for the pure fun of it, I did enjoy it.
I can remember making an origami crane mobile, and experimenting with handmade books, and making elaborate home-made clothes for my dolls, sometimes with colored tissue paper! Somehow I have not wanted to “spoil” this delight for my kids by making it into a schooly thing, but perhaps that is just me projecting my feelings onto the experience and not something from them.
