~an overview~Here's a closer look at what's inside this unit:
Lacing (Practical Life). These tiny vehicle buttons have little loops in the back. James can make a sequencing game out of this or he can sort the buttons by type of vehicle and place them on the corresponding pipe cleaner (i.e. white for air, green for land, blue for water). Or he can just practice his fine motor skills. :)
Mini Sensory Tub (Sensorial/Practical Life/Geography/Language). A scaled down version of our large transportation tub.
License Plate Matching (Geography). Also from our sensory tub.
Skip Counting (Math). I created some blank numbered cards and placed some transportation stickers on them for an added point of interest.
Tweezing (Practical Life). I found some transportation themed Bandz (stretchy plastic bracelets shaped into various things) and I thought they'd be great for a transferring activity since they're so thin.
Worksheets (Math/Language/Art). Most of these sheets came from Homeschool Creation's Transportation Pack, others - like the coloring pages - came from searches on Google Images.
Parts Of Vehicles (Science/Language). I printed these booklets from Montessori Print Shop...
and hunted through James' vehicle collection to find an airplane and a car that had all the parts indicated in the booklet.
Build A Car (Science/Language). These are Automobloxs and we LOVE them! Like the "parts of" activity, this one is also good for learning the names of the parts of a car and the science of how one is constructed.
Fine Motor (Practical Life/Art). These teeny tiny purler beads require some real concentration and a steady hand. James can create various patterns or designs on the pegboards and then when he's finished we'll "cook them" which makes the beads fuse together to create a mat. You can find the kit here.
Vehicle Puzzles (Just For Fun!). James still enjoys working with puzzles and as I've mentioned here, we have quite a stash of them.
Sorting/Lacing (Sensorial/Practical Life). I found these black beads here and they kind of remind me of boulders or tires or tar, so I thought they'd fit right in with our theme.
Books (Language). Cars by Patricia Hubbell, Sailaway Home by Bruce Degen, Thomas The Train by Rev. W. Awdry, and a couple of books from our Kindermusik class. I recommend the Cars book, but the others are just ok in my opinion. They're all I could find at the thrift shop and on our bookcase.
Sorting by Land/Air/Sea (Science). I simply gathered several of each kind of vehicle from James' toy box and created category labels. I think it's so much more enjoyable to sort actual objects, rather than photos of those objects.
Identifying Quantities (Math). I've noticed lately that James is a bit overconfident when it comes to determining quantities visually. He can easily declare small quantities, but when it comes to larger amounts he tends to just blurt out a number instead of taking the time to count it. I think these cards, from HC's preschool pack, will help. And the little clothespins (found at our local dollar store) will be fun for him to work with.
Rub-Ons (Art). I purchased these online and I think they'll be a big hit. Included in the package is a popsicle stick which James will use to transfer the images onto paper. The activity requires some focus and patience because you need to make sure the sheet has been kept still during the rubbing process and that the entire image has been worked in order for it to transfer properly.
Grow Capsules (Science). These are such fun! You simply put the capsule in warm water and watch it expand into a small sponge. These sponges are shaped into various vehicles. I found them at a local store, but you can buy them online here.
All packed and ready to explore!~Click the button below to view more of our mini units.~
~Thank you for your comments!~
