Busy Bag Swap {Part 3}: The Activities

Are you wondering what this Busy Bag Swap is all about?!  You can catch up by reading Part 1 and Part 2!

Whether you are looking to host a Swap of your own or just create some activities for your young one, the following is a list of 21 activities to choose from!  We completed 20 of the activities for our Swap. 

 

If applicable, the link to the original site where we found the idea is under the title of the activity.  If you follow those links, you will find a multitude of other ideas for activities! 

There is also a brief description on the project and a list of what materials you need to complete the activity.  If you choose to do a Swap, this is everything already laid out for you!  All you need to do is email your moms with a link to this post for them to choose their activity and they have details, links, and printables ready for them to use! 

You will also notice that some of the materials have a asterisk next to them.  When getting our Swap together we thought it best to make an Amazon Wish List for the moms to order the supplies needed to help the process move along smoothly.  For some materials, there is more than one option.  It was not mandatory that our moms ordered from our list; it was just intended to help save our mom's some time in locating the materials that they needed.  You can find our Busy Bag Wish List HERE!  Feel free to share with your moms if needed!

1.        Popsicle Stick Puzzle:  Make a puzzle out of a picture and Popsicle sticks.  Modpodge your picture to your sticks, then cut them apart.  You can also label the sticks with numbers to help with number recognition/order.                      

      

       a.      Any 4x6 image.   You can print the image on the above link or print any picture. 

                   b.      Popsicle sticks* (The jumbo size sticks are a great size; 10 per puzzle!!)
                   c.       Mod podge*
                   d.      Exacto knife/box cutter
                   e.      Foam brush


2.      Alphabet Match w/Plastic Eggs:    Letter recognition.  Capital Letter "A" on the top, lowercase "a" on the bottom.  10-12 letters to include the 5 vowels.      

a.     Plastic eggs* (We recommend using the same colored eggs in your bag, so your child learns to recognize the letters and is not color matching.)

                  b.      Permanent Marker
                   c.  Optional: For storage you can use an egg carton vs a Ziploc bag


3.      Number Match w/Plastic Eggs:  Number Recognition/Counting.  The number "3" on top, and 3 dots on the bottom.  10-12 eggs total.

                  a.     Plastic eggs*
                   b.    Permanent Marker
                   c.  Optional:  For storage use an egg carton vs a Ziploc bag

 

4.   Block Patterns:  Draw, color, and laminate cards with assorted patterns and numbers (could also be done on Word, then printed out).  Leave some patterns completed, just to be copied, and some, with a mystery block to complete the pattern.  10 different patterns.
                  

                   a.    Color Printer (Printable found HERE)
                   b.      Laminator
                   c.       Snap Cubes* or Duplo Blocks (enough to make patterns possible). 


5.      I Can Spell:  Words printed on paper and laminated with foam or plastic letter for the kids to match up.  In the bag I received I have the words....cat, how, is, pie, and, the, bus, box, run, two.        

                  a.      Printer
                   b.      laminator
                   c.       Foam Letters*


6.      Rigatoni Stringing:  Just an activity to work on a child's motor skills, or to help him learn his/her colors.  Colored noodles that your child strings onto a piece of yarn.     

                   a.      Rigatoni noodles
                   b.      A way to color/dye them:  link can be found HERE.
                                        i.      Rubbing alcohol
                                         ii.      Food coloring
                                        iii.      Ziploc bags
                    c.       Yarn
                    d.    Pipe cleaners*.  (Our mom genius-ly tied a small piece of a pipe cleaner onto the end of the yarn to make it easy to thread the yarn through the noodle!)


7.      Brown Bear, Brown Bear Matching Puzzles:  Pictures of different animals cut in half and laminated for the kids to match together.

a.      Color Printer (Printable on the above link on pages 14-16)

                  b.      Laminator
                   c.   Scissors
                  
 
8.     Pouring:  An activity to practice motor skills.                    

a.      Funnel

                   b.      Beans or beads  (make sure they feed through the funnel easily)
                   c.       2 Cups.  We used Specimen Cups*.
                   d.   Plastic spoon

*Mom might want to add a small plastic container  to this bag to help contain any loose beans during play time.


9.       Transferring :  Another activity to practice motor skills.                  

a.      Tongs*

                   b.      Ice cube tray or egg carton

c.       Pom poms*

                

10.   Felt Rainbow:  Have your child make a rainbow while learning their colors.                

a.      Printer  (Printable found here.)

                   b.      Laminator
                   c.       Felt
                   d.    Optional: Velcrow*.  It might help to put velcro pieces on each side of the "bow" and at the top to help keep them in place. 


11.  MagnetFaces:  Just a fun activity.  Two blank faces and lots of facial pieces to choose from for your child to create a face!

a.      Printer.  Printable for faces and facial pieces.  (Love, yours truly.)

                   b.      Laminator
                   c.       Magnets*
                   d.   Optional:  Magnetic Sheet* or Tin. 

*You can print the faces/facial pieces directly onto the sheets and then cut them out.  It wasn't in my budget to do this for all 10 moms, so I bought small adhesive magnets to go on the back of all the facial pieces.  I added two small magnets to each bag for the mom to attach to the back of each face, if they choose to.  The faces can be placed on the refrigerator or on a cookie sheet for play time.  To make this activity travel friendly the mom has the option of printing the faces onto a magnetic sheet after the fact.  In the original post there were no faces...the creator placed all the pieces in a small round tin for storage and play time.

 
 

12.  HomemadeFishing Game:  A magnetized fishing game.  (This has been a huge hit with our boys!)

                      

a.      Construction paper or foam*

                  b.      Laminator (if you use construction paper)
                   c.    Optional:  Safety Pins
                   c.       Magnets*
                   d.      Yarn
                   e.      Dowl rod

*Our mom choose to use a type of safety pin and stick it through the fish's mouth; only using one large magnet on the end of the fishing pole. 


13.  Button Snake:  Approximately 20 small rectangle felt pieces with a small slit cut in the middle.  One piece of felt sewn to the end of a piece of ribbon (about 8" long), with a button sewn to the other end of the ribbon.  The kids are just supposed to sew the button through all the felt pieces. 

                 a.  felt
                 b.  ribbon
                 c.  button
                 d.  scissors
                 e.  needle and thread (Optional: sewing machine)

 

14.   Hot Glue Rubbing Plates:  5 pieces of cardboard with different designs on them made with hot glue.  The kids then take paper and crayon and rub over the design. 

                  a. cardboard
                  b.  Optional: Spray Paint
                  c. glue gun
                  d. crayons
                  e. paper (will need to be replaced by mom as needed)
                 
*Our mom choose to spray paint the cardboard pieces different colors and she put designs on both the front and back of the cardboard. 


15. MeasureIt: An activity for measuring different pictures with different items.

                   a.  Printer.  Printable found here.
                   b. various pieces of string, twine, ribbon, straws, etc

 

16.   Spin and Spell:  A spelling game for beginners.  Each nut contains a different set of letters and the child spins them around till a word can be made.  Word cards can be printed out for those learning so they can match up the letters on the nuts with the letters on the cards.

a.      large bolt

                   b.      1 screw on nut
                   c.       3 larger nuts that will spin around bolt

d.      Stick on letters*, or a label maker
1st nut: FLMNRS
2nd nut: AEIUO
3rd nut: DGPTS

                  e.     please print off cards with possible word combinations  (printable HERE)

*If you can't purchase enough stickers for all the bolts, a label maker is a great alternative!  A permanent marker won't work.  :(

     17.   EyeSpy Bottle:  A small plastic bottle with small items for the child to find hidden in the rice.  Include a list or pictures of the items the child should be looking for.

 

                   a.  Small plastic bottle with the label removed - maybe a mini Gatorade bottle since they have wide mouths, but depending on what you add inside a water bottle would probably work
                    b.  glue gun or gorilla glue to glue the cap on
                    c.  rice
                    d.  small items that will fit in your bottle.
                    e.  Optional:  Camera, printer, & laminator to take pictures of the items going in the bottle.

 

18.  Lacing Cards:  Different shapes cut out of craft foam with holes punched evenly all around the sides.  Yarn or shoe laces for the child to lace the shapes with.

                    a. Craft foam*
                    b. Shoe laces, string
                    c. Printable from link, or just general shapes

19.  Pattern:  Different pattern sequences.  Extra pieces for the child to finish the pattern.  Minimum of 5 different cards/patterns with enough extra pieces to continue patterns.

                     a.  Printer (Printable found HERE.)
                     b.  Laminator
                     c.  Velcro dots to attach the extra pieces*
                   

20.   Cube Counting Tray:  An ice cube tray with each cube numbered and a bag of small items like beads or beans.  The child would put the corresponding number of beads into the ice cube trays.

            a.  Ice cube tray or egg carton
            b.  Magic Marker or label maker
            c.  Beans or beads*
 

 21.  Pipe Cleaner Beading:  Different colored pipe cleaners and beads.  Child is then supposed to thread the colored beads onto the same colored pipe cleaners.  If your child is too young for color recognition it’s great for motor skills.  You can also add number learning to this activity by specifying how many beads you want him/her to put on each pipe cleaner.

a.       Pipe Cleaners*

             b.      Beads*

  Whether you are choosing to do a Swap or just make some activities of your own, hopefully these posts will help to make it all easier.  :)  Let me know if you have any questions!!!

If-Then

A few years ago when we moved to Texas I was looking for something to help me in my consistency with discipline, and something with a more Biblical approach.  I had a few ideas, but hadn't put anything together. 

I had managed to make the last few meetings of the MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) group before they took a break for the summer and one of the Mom's on their "Mom Panel" had suggested a very basic If/Then chart.  If you do "this"...Then "this" will happen.

I originally ordered the If-Then chart from Doorposts; the website where the Mom mentioned above had gotten the idea.  It didn't turn out to be exactly what I wanted, but it still gave me the basis and inspiration for making my own.  They have a lot of other great resources as well!

Why a discipline chart, you ask?  Well, here are just some of my arguments for it...

1.  The chart helps me to stay consistent with what consequence is given for each "offense". 

• They say consistency is key in discipline and I believe it is very true not only with what and when, or how often, but that the consequence remains stable.  If I'm just aggravated and spout off whatever punishment I want, one day it might be time out, one day it might be a chore, one day it might be a spanking...there is an uncertainty left for the child to question what Mom's mood might produce.  I've also noticed in the past that if I'm hopping around on the consequence it seems I find myself saying, "Nothing I seem to do is working!"  Normally, because I don't stick with anything long enough to give it a chance to work.
• In our home, we do spankings.  On occassion, the boys will loose a privledge along with a spanking, but we have found the a spanking (done the correct way) produces the best results.

2.  The chart helps Tim and I to stay consistent with each other.

• When this idea first presented itself, I made sure to run it by Tim first.  In all honesty, I think he thought I was a little crazy.  He didn't think it was really needed and argued that our parents didn't need one.  After hearing some of my thoughts on the subject, he agreed to give it a go.  We sat down and reviewed the categories together and came to agreement on what the consequences should be for each child.  Before we began implementing the chart we reviewed it with the boys so that they were well aware of the expectations and the consequences.  The boys know that whether Mom is around, or Dad, that if they lie, the consequence will be the same.  There is no surprise when the consequence is given.

3.  It helps me to not punish or spank out of anger.

• We keep our chart in the bathroom with a spoon.  I can say that 99% of the time if I spank my child right when the offense occurs it is most likely out of anger and frustration and that is a sin on my part.  And in all honesty, sometimes it happens.  I have to seek forgiveness from God and my child over it.  BUT, if I have to stop what I'm doing and go to the bathroom and follow the chart, then it gives myself time to calm down.  The chart is set up to follow a certain order.  Before the consequence comes God's Word.  I don't know about you, but it's hard to be angry after reading His Word.  Therefore, the discipline then becomes what it's meant to be..discipline, not a whiplash of emotions.

4.  It brings us back to the Gospel.

• In Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp it states "The central focus of parenting is the gospel.  You need to direct not simply the behavior of your children, but the attitudes of their hearts.  You need to show them not just the 'what' of their sin and failure, but the 'why'."  Having a scripture linked with the behavior gives us a very clear picture that Christ expects our hearts to be just as pure as our actions and we are given another opportunity to share with our children the importance of His Word. 

5.  It's goal is restoration/reconciliation.

• Again, the chart is set in order.  Just as we don't begin with the consequence, we don't end with it either.  We end with the attitude/behavior that God would like for them to choose the next time the situation might present itself.  We end with an "I love you" and with hugs, and I would like to start ending in prayer as well.  Then if needed, they are to go reconcile themselves with the one that was offended.  Just as God's purpose in disciplining us is to restore ourselves to Himself, our goal in disciplining our children is to bring them back into a right relationship with us and their Creator.  We also hope that in teaching them this idea of reconciliation it will create a habit that will hopefully be instilled in them in childhood that will translate into their relationships as adults. 

• Is this chart "fail-proof"?  No.
• Do we have perfect children?  Of course not!
• As parents, are we well seasoned and have it all figured out? Again, OF COURSE NOT!!
• Do we always follow the chart to a "t"?  No.  We easily get off course.  Many times we have to stop and start over fresh.
• Does this chart cover all discipline issues?   It's not specific, but focuses on the main heart attitudes that we find in our children.  While every situation is different, we believe that most can be "traced-back" to one of these heart issues.  We ask the Lord for discernment and clarity in deciding what the "heart" of the issue is and discipline that.  Again, we aim not to discipline the action, but the attitude!
• Since using this chart have our children stopped having problems with these behaviors/heart issues?  An overwhelming...Of course not!  By disciplining consistently, I do believe that I can see a visible change, but it does not mean that we never have those problems again.  The chart is meant to be used for years and to help with our consistency in parenting.
• Am I claiming this is the best/only way to discipline your child?  No.  I believe that every child is different and that the Lord will grant wisdom in the area of raising them if we ask.  There are TONS of charts and ideas on how to discipline your child.  I just wanted to share something that has helped us.  Keep in mind the chart was orignially created to help ME in staying consitent in my discipline.  It's a tool that I felt I needed. 

So now I've talked all about it you can go here to print the chart that I created to use for our family.  I left a space at the top empty for you to add your child's name, and I left the consequences column empty.  You can print this chart and fill it out by hand and then laminate it to make it a little more durable.  We have a full size 8.5 x 11 page printed that we keep in our bathroom, and I have a small 4x6 that I normally keep in the car or my purse for when we are out and about.  If you would like to be able to edit it yourself, I would be more than happy to email it to you.  Just leave me a comment with your email address!

Learning to Write

With the curriculum that we choose for school this year Ryan has started learning cursive.  Ryan has done exceptionally well with it.  There have been a few times where he just isn't trying and it shows.  When he does try, it's amazing how good it looks.

Here's one of his recent tests.  The first part is traced and the second is on his own.

To help us learn the proper writing/placement of the letters I made a couple of these templates.

It is based on the idea of a house and there being an upstairs, a downstairs, and a basement.  I put two of them back to back and laminated them.  We use them everyday in place of our "chalkboard" work.  With a dry erase marker and some hand sanitizer/acetone, the board wipes clean and we can use it over and over again.


I also made one for Colin.  Before I laminated it I wrote his name on the lines in dots for him to trace.  Even though he isn't ready for it yet, I went ahead and made the "starting" marks for him once he's ready to write his name without all the dots.

 

 

If you click on the link above you can print off the template and use it as you wish.  :)

Pre-K Activites

The last few days I've tried seeking out a few things that will help to keep Colin entertained while helping Ryan with school.  I figured I'd share a few of them with you.  What I love most about these is that the space needed to store these activities is minimal, and, in the very least, all you need is a printer.

 

 

 

 

File Folder Games by Pre-School Printables.  

 

 

My friend came across these and I'm so glad she shared!!  In the yellow box on the left are a list of all the different games.  All you need for these are a printer, some manila folders, a small envelope, and some self-laminating sheet (optional).  Most of these are various matching games.  All you do is print out the pages (you can print out in color or print in black and white and color them yourself), cut out and glue one set to the inside of the folder, and stick the other set inside the envelope that you glue to the front of the manila folder.  Mine look like this.

 

 

 

 

Matching Game by Pre-School Printables. 

 

 

Just like Memory!  I would recommend printing the pieces on card stock or laminating them for long term use.

 

 

 

 

Alphabet Maze by 1+1+1=1 (An AMAZING site by the way!). 

 

 

If you click on the link it has mazes for A-Z.  I printed them off, put two back to back, and laminated them!  I love the idea of the cookie sheet with the pom-poms (that might be a fun activity in itself for Blaine!), but I'm all about making the things I find reusable and to last as long as possible!  Colin did one of them this morning.  It took a little more time in directing him..but I think after doing a few he'll get the idea...it's more of a matter of him choosing to follow the directions.  :)

 

 

 

 

Spring Race to the Top Game by Pre-K Pages. 

 

 

A blank chart that you can pretty much use for anything!  Again, I printed two, put them back to back and laminated them.  I already have the cubes that they show in the pictures, and plan to have Colin use these for shapes, colors, number recognition, etc.  I'm sure there's a way I can use these for Ryan's phonics, spelling words, or math as well. 

 

-If you are interested in the photo blocks you can get them here or here.

-Then you can either make your own inserts or go to Education Cubes pay a ONE TIME fee of $12.00 and get access to over 200 printable inserts for your cubes, with no expiration on your membership!




Which is Different? (Plus many more!!!) by Home Education Resources.

(Sorry the thumbnail was too small for me to show you a preview.)  A lot of these pages are similar to what you would find inside of a all-inclusive Pre-school curriculum book that you could buy at Walmart, or wherever.  Finish the pattern, find the ones that match, etc.  I'm printing a few for now.

They also have some printable games and activities that you can purchase and print for no more than $2.00 a piece!




If you have any great printables your pre-schooler loves, make sure you share!  Next up, is to find some things for Blaine to do!  (I think I'm going to start with those pom-pom magnets.)

Oh, and just in case you are in the market..I recently invested in this laminator and it has been great!  Avery also makes self-adhesive laminating sheets that will work if you don't have a machine.  They aren't quite as thick, and they take a little more time (especially if you need two sides laminated), but it will get the job done.