the other day during one of our recent on-again-off-again rainshowers, i decided to offer the girls a few "special assignments" as they call them. no demands, no requirements, i simply made a few activities available and they took it from there, when they wanted and each at their own pace. it started off in one direction and evolved over the afternoon, resulting in something they can use for years.
the first special assignment involved a pile of foamy uppercase letters we had on hand and a large piece of paper where i wrote out the lowercase alphabet. as they happened upon the kitchen table, they immediately got to work - neither finished right then and there, and i am actually quite happy about that. they worked independently and came back to complete the alphabet in a few sessions, then each went on her merry way.
when they weren't looking, i then cut each of the lines of letters into strips and marked lines between each letter indicating where to cut. i left the letter strips along with a set of scissors at either end of the table with the first two letters cut out as a gentle nudge.
sure enough, they each delighted in a new task and got to work. and heaven knows, littles can always use practice cutting. again, when finished, both scampered off with a smile.
finally, i got out this old sectioned craft box i found under my cutting table a while back. as a guide, in each of the little cells, i put a card - again with the lowercase letters - then filled a treasure box with one set of cut letters along with a treat. i delivered a treasure map (we're big into treasure maps these days) to one of the girls and off she went, meanwhile i read with her sister in the other room so as not to ruin the alphabet mojo of one, or steal the surprise of the other.
delivered another treasure map a bit later, and guess what? we ended up with our very own movable alphabet made by the kiddos using what we had on hand. no it's not wood and not the traditional colors or all lowercase, but it's fantastic nonetheless - and it fits right into where we are in terms of reading and writing development. and the best part was the complete pleasure they took in each of their special assignments - perhaps because everything was so simply presented, perhaps because it allowed them to complete each step at their own pace, or perhaps because of the foamy stickers and tootsie roll. xoxo
Genius! A homemade version of Montessori's moveable alphabet. Too, too cool!
Posted by: SewLiberated | 27 July 2009 at 01:45 PM
Do you guys do Montessori? At a school or home?
Posted by: Sarah | 27 July 2009 at 01:49 PM
What a wonderful way of learning! Great idea!
Posted by: Simone | 27 July 2009 at 01:49 PM
you're a great inspiration, Meg :)
Posted by: JCasa | 27 July 2009 at 01:54 PM
hi sarah,
we're not montessori-based, rather the girls participate in a traditional preschool environment and are both really thriving there. at home, i really do appreciate the "follow the child" concept that Meg (above) explains so well on her blog and am trying more and more to move toward child-centered activities in our home. xoxo
Posted by: JCasa | 27 July 2009 at 02:00 PM
Great idea!!! I love this. It's a great way to teach them the skills they need without them getting frustrated! Love it!
Posted by: Tiff@ThreePeas | 27 July 2009 at 04:28 PM
My word, I love it! (Pun!)
Bookmarkin' ;o)
Posted by: jessica | 27 July 2009 at 05:02 PM
Fantastic way to get the kids learning and busy!
Posted by: AJ | 27 July 2009 at 05:07 PM
I love it. I also love that you tricked them into practicing the same skill more than once. Haha.
Later, this game can evolve into something else-- it will be especially helpful for them to be able to manipulate the alphabet when learning how words change as they use them in different ways (candy --> candies). It's such a great way to connect spelling, pattern, and meaning.
Posted by: jennifer | 27 July 2009 at 07:16 PM
my son loves the moveable alphabet. :)
Posted by: Angela pillowhead | 27 July 2009 at 10:48 PM