Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Language work - the object basket


Object basket

Materials:

* a beautiful basket, filled with around 20 miscellaneous small objects from around the house. Miniatures of any kind are always a very welcome addition. Try to avoid plastic if you can... you can also use stuff collected during walks - a nice rock, a feather, a shell, a pine cone, you get the idea... Objects should be rotated periodically, to keep interest in the material.

* a mat

* (for + 4) strips of paper, a pencil

Activity for + 3:
Take one object at the time, and ask the child to name it. You can do a 3 period lesson with any object your child cannot name. Arrange it on the mat tidily.
To make it a game, you can place the objects he/she can name on a column on the right of the mat, and the ones he cannot on the left. (after naming them yourself). Then you can count how many he got, and placed them all back in the basket to start again. This helps them try to learn the new names, and it's fun! Go on as long as the child is interested.

Activity for +4. (language + reading and writing activity)
Arrange the first row of your objects, and ask the child to set the rest on the mat. Then, ask him to name them. When he can do all the objects confidently, then you can add a writing activity.
Tell him you are going to write down the name of an object you are thinking of. That will be his clue. Then he can tell you what it is. Write down the object's name in a piece of paper, let him study it and tell you what it is, by placing it under the object.

You can take turns, so that next time he has to write. (This is particularly useful for children, like my own, that do not necessarily enjoy writing for practice's sake. )

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