Bookish Play – WonderHouse of Littles https://wonderhouseoflittles.com Tue, 11 Jul 2023 19:12:29 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/cropped-logo-32x32.png Bookish Play – WonderHouse of Littles https://wonderhouseoflittles.com 32 32 Bee Unit Study https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-unit-study/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-unit-study/#respond Wed, 07 Jun 2023 07:44:51 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6329

Bee Unit Study

Around age 3.5, I noticed my daughter was in love with Usborne’s book “Why Do We Need Bees?” so I decided to put together this bee-themed shelf.The book is packed with information about bees and the flaps make it really fun and interactive for children. It was the perfect basis for this shelf.

While we don’t do themed shelves too often, having a unit study for a change gives us an opportunity to delve deeper into a subject that interests the child by combining books and hands-on activities.

In this shelf I included:

  • Usborne’s book “Why Do We Need Bees?”
  • “Parts of a Bee” printable with magnifying glass and bee figurine – Printable by (inspiredmontessorilearning.com)
  • “B” sandpaper letter tracing practice with sand tray
  • Play dough with bee-themed cutters
  • Honey bee life cycle printable with velcro dot matching pieces (printable by inspiredmontessorilearning.com)
  • Plantoys Wooden Beehive Color Sorting Game

 

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

 

A few ideas to bring a bee unit study to life:

  • Teach your child how to act when they see a bee come around.
  • Take them to a bee farm, or, if that’s not an option for you, take them to a local farmer’s market where they can see a real hive and taste the honey.
  • Prepare a recipe at home that contains honey as an ingredient.
  • If you are vegan or are looking to transition to a plant-based diet, why not discover with your child if there are honey alternatives available where you live? Maple syrup, date syrup and coconut nectar are a few alternative options.
  • Together, explore ways to make your garden (if you have one) more bee-friendly.
]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-unit-study/feed/ 0 Bear Family Sensory Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/#respond Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:22:42 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6172

Bear Family Sensory Play

To discuss bears and hibernation patterns during winter I created this little setup using green lentils, a bear family, and the book Green Planet, Life In Our Woods And Forests by Moira Butterfield and Jonathan Woodward. This book has been a favourite in our home for a while.

Sensory setups like these are not typical in Montessori but they work really well for us. My daughter loves pretend play and to play with her hands and feel a variety of textures, all of which sensory play like this offers.

I love how engaged and focused she gets whenever she is doing sensory activities! We can talk about different topics, improving her language development as well as her attention span. It is so impressive to see how much information she can absorb through these activities!

I also love to see how much she is able to take away from these activities and build upon. We talked about bears’ hibernation for the rest of the day and of course she tried to build the bear family a den in different parts of the house. This is how children make sense of the world, of what they are learning – through play.

Did you know that female bears often give birth during winter and they usually have twins? They stay in the dens with their cubs until the beginning of Spring, when the temperatures are not as extreme and their cubs have more fur to protect themselves from the cold.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bear-family-sensory-play/feed/ 0 Bee-themed Playdough and Bookish Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-themed-playdough-and-bookish-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-themed-playdough-and-bookish-play/#respond Mon, 05 Jun 2023 10:01:22 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=6088

Bee-themed Playdough and Bookish Play

To explore a little bit about bees, when my daughter was approaching her 3rd birthday I set up this bee-themed invitation to play with Usborne’s book “Why Do We Need Bees?“. This book is packed with info about bees and fun flaps which A still loves to flip now at 4 years old. On the tray I included wooden bees from our PlanToys Beehive set, playdough scissors, as well as mini rolling pins and a wooden honey dipper. 

Playing with playdough offers a number of benefits. Squishing, rolling, pressing, molding and all other movements children perform when manipulating play dough strengthen the finger muscles that will be used for fine motor movements, such as holding a pencil and using scissors.

If you want to make homemade playdough, we use a very popular recipe.

You will need:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup table salt 
  • 1 tbsp cream of tartar 
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 cup boiling water

Instructions: 

In a bowl combine the flour, salt and cream of tartar. Mix well and add the oil. If you’re using food coloring, mix a few drops into the boiling water and add to the bowl. Mix well until it is no longer sticky.

To store, let the play dough cool completely then wrap it tightly in plastic and store in an airtight container. 

If your little ones are going to participate in making this recipe, be sure to keep them away from the boiling water to avoid burning.

For more bee-themed activity ideas, check out our bee-themed unit study  here!

 

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bee-themed-playdough-and-bookish-play/feed/ 0 ”It Starts With a Seed”- Bookish Play https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/it-starts-with-a-seed-comeca-numa-semente-bookish-play/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/it-starts-with-a-seed-comeca-numa-semente-bookish-play/#respond Mon, 17 Apr 2023 07:59:17 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=1508

It Starts With a Seed – Bookish Play

A is in love with this book by Laura Knowles. 

Beautifully written, the book takes you through the life cycle of a tree (the sycamore tree), following its transformation from a seedling all the way to a mature tree. 

The poem uses rich language and is paired with gorgeous illustrations, both highlighting the essential role the tree plays for the web of life that depends on it – an array of woodland creatures. The book ends with a beautiful fold out page showing a mature tree shedding its seeds to continue the cycle of life. 

I can’t recommend it enough. It’s definitely one for all seasons. 

I paired it with a simple art activity using Q-tips and a printout of a tree (without leaves). A dabbed the Q-tips in the paint and then press them on the paper to “make” the missing leaves.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

Bringing play to life:

  • Have you intentionally observed trees with your little one(s)? You can try to spot their seeds and, why not, even plant a tree as a family!

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support. ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/it-starts-with-a-seed-comeca-numa-semente-bookish-play/feed/ 0 Polar Animals https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/polar-animals/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/polar-animals/#respond Wed, 12 Apr 2023 13:52:39 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=1155

Polar Animals 

I used this super simple setup with sensory snow so we could explore and learn more about polar animals. When it comes to sensory play, the simplest of setups are always a hit with my daughter. She didn’t use any tools, she just wanted to feel the “snow” and play with the animal figurines. 

It was the perfect opportunity to learn about polar animals with the spread in the picture from The Big Book of Animals (from the Big Book Series). She matched the animals to their photos in the book, then we read the facts and discussed which pole they live in (North or South).

To complement it, we also watched a short documentary after. She was fascinated by all the info on it and especially loved to learn that walruses use their tusks to haul themselves out of the water and into the sea ice.

To make the sensory snow you need only two ingredients: baking soda and white conditioner. Star with the baking soda in a bowl and add small amounts of conditioner until you get to the desired consistency. It should be a little “crumbly”.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support. ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/polar-animals/feed/ 0 Story Basket – Amelia Earhart https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/story-basket-amelia-earhart/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/story-basket-amelia-earhart/#respond Wed, 05 Apr 2023 14:11:19 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=744

Story Basket – Amelia Earhart

We are big fans of the Little People, Big Dreams book series and this book in particular is one of my daughter’s favorites.

Amelia Earhart was an American author and pioneer in the field of aviation. Among many other achievements, she was the first female to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. 

To bring her story to life I included a pilot hat, a wooden airplane, little wooden houses and trees, and tiger and giraffe figurines as they appear in the book. I also made a small landing strip using black cardstock paper and white tape for us to practice take off and landing. 

This was so much fun! While I read to her, A enjoyed putting on the hat, flying the airplane around the room, practicing landing and take off, discovering the items in the basket and matching them to the images in the book.

Bookish play is such a lovely way to bring books to life for children and helps instill a love of reading and learning from a young age.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

Bringing play to life:

  • How about bringing your child’s attention to the air traffic where you are? “Look up and tell me: what can you see?”
  • For older children, how about bringing their attention to professions that are, still, male-oriented, such as airplane pilots and bus drivers, for example? It’s a great opportunity to start raising awareness about the fact that women, just like men, are capable of anything!

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support. ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/story-basket-amelia-earhart/feed/ 0 Story Basket – Frida Khalo, Little People, Big Dreams https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/story-basket-frida-khalo-little-people-big-dreams/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/story-basket-frida-khalo-little-people-big-dreams/#respond Wed, 05 Apr 2023 12:11:05 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?post_type=play_learn&p=687

Story Basket – Frida Khalo, Little People, Big Dreams

I had so much fun putting this activity together. I had the chance to visit Mexican artist Frida Khalo and Diego Rivera’s house while in Mexico City a few years ago and I’ve adored her even more ever since. What a powerful female and iconic figure! 

I wanted to highlight Frida’s love of color and painting so I paired this book with two simple activities in this basket: water painting and a color matching DIY activity using pom poms and a color palette (with dot stickers).

For the water painting activity I drew feet on small stones as shown in the book and Frida’s portrait (as illustrated in the book) on a larger grey stone. 

My daughter had so much fun with this basket that she asked to play with it again a few times afterwards. Activities like this one are always very engaging for her. She went back and forth through the pages and the activities and kept exploring different aspects of it. It was so nice to watch.

Bookish play is such a lovely way to bring books to life for children and helps instill a love of reading and learning from a young age. 

Be sure to also check out the story basket we did for Amelia Earhart here.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support. ♡

]]> https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/story-basket-frida-khalo-little-people-big-dreams/feed/ 0 Bookish Play with Forever… by Emma Dodd https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bookish-play-with-forever-by-emma-dodd/ https://wonderhouseoflittles.com/play_learn/bookish-play-with-forever-by-emma-dodd/#respond Fri, 31 Mar 2023 10:05:13 +0000 https://sara.ideatema.com/?p=398

Bookish Play with Forever… by Emma Dodd

This book has been one of my daughter’s favorite books for a long time.

It’s a sweet story about the love a polar bear has for their cub. The polar bear comforts the small cub and lets them know that through life’s ups and downs they will always be there by their side and will love them… forever.

I paired it with white playdough and bear and cub figurines. My daughter loved making footprints on the playdough as we read the book. We flattened the dough a few times and did it all over again.

Bookish play is such a lovely way to bring books to life for children and helps instill a love of reading and learning from a young age. And you can’t go wrong pairing it with play dough!

Playdough is a great pre-writing activity. Squishing, rolling, pressing, molding and all other play dough movements strengthen the finger muscles that will be used for fine motor movements, such as holding a pencil and using scissors. It also allows the child to use imagination and express creativity, while fostering language development as the child is exposed to the different elements on the tray.

Cleaning up is part of the learning process, so make sure to encourage your child to tidy up after they finish playing. Model how to do it until your child feels confident enough to initiate the tidying up process independently.

“And as through all the years to come

We journey on together,

Deep within my heart,

I know

I will love you… forever.”

*** This post may contain affiliate links. That means we may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Thank you for your continued support. ♡

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