Fun With Shapes, Mirrors & Microphones!

I had to referee a fight that broke out in the library, read on and I'll tell you why. We recently did a lesson on shapes, and while the girls have had their shapes down for quite awhile, this lesson offered them something different because we compared and contrasted shapes, as well as discussed their properties in detail. 

In order to keep little hands and minds busy so I could organize myself and make some photocopies in peace at the Library, I pulled out a bag of shapes I made in secret and gave it to the girls. They loved it! In fact, they loved it so much, they started- yes, fighting. Once we got the evenly shapes divided between them, everyone was somewhat happy and creative play peacefully ensued.

Keep a bag of these in your purse or car! Shapes I used: Hearts, Circles, Ovals, Rectangles, Trapezoids, Rhombuses, Diamonds, Stars and Triangles, all different sizes and colors, cut out from construction paper and laminated with contact paper.

They created their own little story boards using the shapes to create characters doing fun things, like animals, birds, and they even gave the shapes names like "Little Heart" and she had her own personality. They used a rectangle for a blanket when they put Little Heart to bed, they made a wagon for the characters to ride in and told me a story to go along with what they were doing. I love this sort of open-ended imaginary play, it really gives you a glimpse into their little minds and you get see just what they've learned. 

The best ever: When you hear them impersonating you, acting like little mirrors and microphones and showing you everything you do. All you can hope for is that they picked a snapshot of you on a day when you put your best foot forward;^)