New Materials

I've been working on a few new materials while we are on a short break from school.  Next week we'll start up again for a month or so, and then we'll really get into things in August.  E's friend, our neighbor across the street, will be joining us a couple of days a week, starting next Thursday!  E is excited to have a friend for school time, and I'm excited to work with two children, instead of just one.

E loves butterflies.  And since she got over her fear of ants, she pretty much likes all kinds of bugs.  She is fascinated by them, as are most children.  I put together this felt board to teach the different parts of a butterfly.  The only thing missing are the legs, I thought she'd just loose 6 tiny felt legs. 

Even though E can't read, I have labels for each part.  She enjoys placing the labels on the picture.  She usually says the right body part, but doesn't have the correct label.

The other new material I have made recently is the sound cylinders.  I made these out of baby food jars.  I gave them a good spray painting, and filled them with different items from my pantry.  I have 6 different pairs.  Inside are things like cornmeal, dried beans, oats, and rice.  I measured them so the amount in each is the same.  E loves this work, and gets so excited when she finds a matching pair.

Next up on my list of things to make are the metal insets.  I'm planning on tracing our geometric cabinet shapes and making the insets out of cardboard.  E has been interested in tracing things recently, so I think it's time to start!