A Few Pre-Schooler Games

Spring Break went by fast, mostly spent indoors thanks to persistent rains that characterize our region.

Despite nine months of rain each year, scrambling to get dry in the 2 weeks of extra-hot summer, it is a gorgeous haven. Which is why most of us stay and grow the second skin of rain coats and rubber boots, sporting the slick wet-hair look and smiling wide as we towel off the slides at the park and letting the kids finish the rest of the wiping job with their bottoms so they can play in the damp sogginess.

Anyway, since last Winter Break and through this Spring Break, we've been playing a few indoor children's games, some of which have become quite a hit at home, prompting me to record it here. Most of these games, or some version of it at least, has been around for ages and many teachers and parents have used it well and shared their ideas on the web.

The games are more for the pre-schooler, with slight modifications for the kindergartner in residence.

1. Coin Bingo: Bingo is a fun game - I used to know it as "House-Housie" when I was little.
   
   
   
   For Ana, this helped learn her coins and try some math with coin exchange. How many pennies make a nickel? How many nickels for a dime? Can you give me coins to exchange for this quarter? And so on.
   
   For Og, I made up a simple grid. First few rounds were to introduce and reinforce the names of the coins and recognizing them. We only used pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. No half-dollars and dollar coins.
   
   It is a bit confusing that nickel is bigger than dime in size but lower in value, and that dime and pennies are about the same size, but for the distinct color of the pennies. Still, it is what it is and might as well learn it with all its inconsistencies...
   
   The game is simple: Give each child a paper with the coin sizes and values clearly drawn/marked. Give them enough and more of each coins to fill the paper. Call out the coin and have them place the right one in the right spot. Till all spots are filled. Oggie loves to scream "Bingo! I won!" when he is done.
   
   As an optional exercise, Oggie likes to sort and stack up the coins in his pile, naming them as he goes.
   
   
2. Letter Sound Match: I chose the set of consonants (and/or vowels) to focus on in each round and prepared the materials as in the picture: two sheets of paper with identical grid lower-case letters.
   
   We were focusing on letter sounds, for which I like to use the lower-case letters; but, can use this for the initial letter recognition by using all upper-case letters if preferred.
   
   
   
   The little squares of paper (blue bubble print paper from an earlier art exercise) have a piece of masking tape at the back to act as double-sided tape so that they can be easily removed from one spot and pasted on to another.
   
   The little blue squares all start out on one paper. Oggie gets two papers, identically prepared - one filled with the blue square, the other empty to begin with.
   
   As I call out the letter sounds, ("mmm", "sss" etc. no vowel sounds attached), he gets to find that letter on the blue square piece on the original sheet and move it to the correct spot on the empty sheet. We continue, one letter sound at a time till all letter squares have been moved from the first paper to the other.
   
   As an additional exercise, preparatory to reading, now that he has gotten comfortable with the letter sounds, I call out, "What does map begin with?" for the letter "m", rather than calling out the sound, "mmm". And so on.
   
   
   
3. Shapes and Colors Game: One of the versions of this that became a hit at home (even with Ana who is much too old for it) is this coloring game.
   
   
   
   Prepare the shapes - either print or draw. Our printer conked out last Fall and we haven't found it in our budget to get a new one so far, so, I've been preparing most of the materials by hand.
   
   The fun for Og seems to be the challenge of not just recognizing the shape in the paper, but finding the color crayon I call out among the open pile, and then coloring within the outlines.
   
   There are plenty of crayons, multiples of each color, so Ana likes to play along even thought she calls it a "baby game". So, when I announce that we want a "Blue Circle" they grab the nearest blue crayon each at the table and get busy coloring in the circle.
   
   After a while, I started throwing in a banana or apple or clover and such to the mix of shapes as there is only so much of circle, oval, rectangle, square, triangle, diamond, heart, star that Og can handle before getting too bored.
   
   And, as we go along, we learn about various shades and color names like teal, magenta, lime green and so on in addition to light and dark, refining and defining the crayon colors at hand. So that I can call for a "lime green leaf" or "magenta oval" and notice him reaching for the nearest shade he has learnt.
   
   Not only does it help colors/shapes recognition, I think it has helped Og practise staying within the lines as seen in the picture. Although he doesn't cover every millimeter of the shape, he does manage to stay within the lines. And the crayons are broken to about an inch or so, which helps his grip and prepares his hand for writing later on.
   
   
   
4. Scavenger Hunt: This is something Ana and Og compete and play with full gusto, with Ana getting mad and frustrated if Og manages to find the item first and stuff it in his bag.
   
   I hang two cloth tote bags in the kitchen, one for each player. Then send them on a scavenger hunt around the house to find the specified item and run back to put it in their bag first. Then, move on to the next item and so on till either they are tired/bored, or the bag is full.
   
   At first, I made it simple for Og. "Find something blue". "Find something that is round". "Find something that is soft". And so on. Then started compounding. "Find something that is green and makes a noise". (They do have a parrot toy that squawks and is green. Plus a green zhu zhu that squeaks cutely. And a few more that match the criteria I call out. So each can find one without fighting over any single item).
   
   "Find something you can wear in winter to stay warm". "Find something that bounces". As I make it more complex for Og, it gives him a chance to figure out and understand things in his world.
   
   This is one of my favorite games to conduct as I can keep them engaged while cooking or doing something else. I simply have to call out the next item and let them scramble to find it and bring it back. And it is even easier when I have a master list of items (pasted in the kitchen, handy) from which I call out a subset each time we play.
   
   Sometimes Ana fills in for me. Of course, she calls out, "Find yucky baby undies" and promptly Og takes off what he is wearing and stuffs it in his bag eliciting unmuffled giggles from Ana.
   
   
5. Mystery Bag: This is a simple game I try to invite D to play along with the kids when he has a few moments to spare.
   
   
   
   First, when kids are busy with something else, I go about the house and collect familiar items of various shapes and textures and put them in a small cloth bag that closes at the top so contents are not revealed easily. And have a blindfold handy for this game.
   
   When ready to play, we sit down in a circle and take turns. Each player wears the blindfold when it is their turn. Then opens the bag and picks out just one item from the bag. Feels it with their fingers. Then guesses what it is. Then, takes off the blindfold to see if they were correct. Then, passes it on to the next player.
   
   Things like pine cone, or a vegetable, or a hair curler, or a toy... each time the bag has different things, most of which are probably familiar to them, some of which might not be. Oggie doesn't keep the blindfold on, of course, and takes it off to "guess" his item.
   
   For some reason, wrong guess brings out peals of laughter. Of course, Ana gets mad if her guess was wrong... But, all in all a nice game to sit down and enjoy. Taking turns, being a gracious winner/loser, following the rules etc. are some of the nice things about this, much like any other game.

The Cold Water Witch

The Cold Water Witch
by Yannick D Murphy
illustrations by Tom Lintern

Ages 4-8

Tricycle Press; 1 edition (August 10, 2010)

Typically, I take a quick look through the books Ana picks up at the library, just in case it has content that I am not thrilled about. When she brought The Cold Water Witch to me the other day for the usual scan-and-approve procedure before checking it out, I made a mental note that it could be a bit scary, but let her bring it home anyway.

I was surprised by how much she likes it. So much so that I had to share it here. It is a simple story, something the author's mom told her when she was little.

In the middle of the night, as a little girl lay in bed, the Cold Water Witch pops in and tries to entice the little girl into following her into the icy cold land.

The girl refuses, naturally, and tries her best to trick the witch. Does she succeed? Indeed she does, or we wouldn't have a story, of course.

It is a picture book with just about 15 pages, an easy 10-minute read for Ana. But, each of the half a dozen times so far, she takes her time looking at the illustrations and pointing out the details she notices in them - like what the cat is doing, the Fish Stix and Soft Pretzels in the fridge, the Ladybug Adventures book (she thought it was the Ladybug magazine she used to enjoy a few years ago, until we moved on to Click from Cricket).

I liked the illustrations. The bluish white and grey tones depicting the icy coldness made me shiver. The earthy orange reds towards the end where they sip tea and play indeed changed the mood to a warm and pleasant one. The witch has a comic edge to her portrayal, and the little girl is shown as brave, almost mad, that she is being pursued by this icy witch.

I am not convinced that this book would be as easily accepted and enjoyed by children as Ana did. It does seem chilly in an eerie, creepy kind of way. But, the presentation is rather light and positive, favoring the little girl.

Was it a scary book, Ana?

No, Mama! It is a fun book! The icy witch looks silly, not scary at all.

What was the favorite part of this book for you?

Umm... I think I liked that the witch said we could skate on the icy lake.

What about the little girl in the book? Did you think the witch would get her?

Not really. The little girl didn't look scared of the witch. And she tricked the witch, but she helped her afterwards, and they looked like sisters in the end.

So, there it is. Not a book I would have picked up voluntarily. But, I am not a soon-to-be-six year old.

[image source: Illustrator Tom Lintern's Website]

Celebrating Dr.Seuss

Last year, I had asked my fellow contributors at Saffron Tree to share their favorite Dr.Seuss book, which they did gladly.

March being the birth month of Dr.Seuss, I could not let it go by without mentioning a few of things he has inspired in our house.

1. Early last Summer, a recently-turned-five Ana wrote and illustrated this "poem".
   
   Phonetic spelling and mixed-up grammar notwithstanding, I am sure it is readable, but, here is what she recited/read to me anyway:
   I would not see an octopi, I would not see an octopi
   I would not eat an octopus pie
   I would not greet an octopus
   
   
   
   Looks like the familiar meter that Dr.Seuss employed in most of his works clearly influenced Ana's poem. Not surprisingly, a few more of her poems since then have the same meter/rhythm/ring to them.
   
   
   
2. "Naanaa, you could be Sally and I could be Nick. Do you want to go in fin-gumma-jigga?"
   
   "OK, Og. No, I mean Nick. Let's find Mama. No, I mean Cat In The Hat. MAMA! MAMA! Can you be Cat In The Hat and go with us on the Thingamajigger."
   
   "Yes I can, Honey-pot! I mean, Sally!" I say, as I take the assigned "Driver's Seat" at the front of the chair arrangement. Three of the dining chairs, two kids chairs all arranged in neat rows to simulate a vehicle, with one sole front chair. And off we go flying, then submerging underwater, then on land, discovering various creatures and features along the way... stopping and getting off only when we became too curious about the (pretend) poison dart frog or crocodile or water strider or dragonfly...
   
   
   
3. "Lift up your shirt, Og. Let me see if you have a star belly-button. Ohp. You don't. You are not a star-bellied Sneetch. Too bad. Look at my belly!" (where she sports a star sticker).
   
   "Oh, you are a star-bellied Sneetch, Naanaa. Can I be one too?"
   
   And so they go, back and forth with the star sticker on their bellies, until they decide they both want to be plain belly(-buttoned) Sneetches.
   
   
   
4. "Can you do Camel On The Ceiling for me, Papa?" is Og's invitation to be picked up, held upside down overhead so he can walk like the camel on the ceiling in Dr.Seuss' ABCs, which seem to be his all time favorite Dr.Seuss book so far.
   
   
   
5. "Mama, cloud, loud rhyme! How about laptop and japtop? They rhyme too! Shoe, goo; dish-washer, mish-mosher; button, futton; witch, titch; dinosaur, kinosaur... Step Stool, um? Mama, what rhymes with step stool? how about mep mool? Can mep mool be rhyme with step stool?"
   
   There's a Wocket in my Pocket has clearly influenced this verbal exercise Oggie indulges in these days. Of course the inevitable "fart, cart", "poop, loop" feature more often than some obscure ones like "microwave, bikerowave", but, he sure is rhyming pretty well thanks to Dr.Seuss who made nonsense words acceptable just for the fun of it.
   

Small Hands Can Make Amazing Things

With just enough guidance/direction, and a lot of patience, it is amazing to see what the small hands can do. Every year, Ana's school hosts a fund-raising auction event. One of the primary set of attractions at this auction is the class projects done by the children.

Needless to say, they are priceless. But, some generous parents/grandparents managed to offer quite a considerable sum in exchange for taking these one-of-a-kind works of art home. Thereby helping the non-profit school benefit as many children as possible.

I didn't have the camera handy to get a picture of one of the projects - a book "Outer Space" written, illustrated and read aloud by the children. The book was beautifully put-together. The rest of the pictures here speak for themselves.

Help Mercy Corps Help Japan

Good-Night, Owl!

Good-Night, Owl!
by Pat Hutchins

Ages 1 - 4
Publisher: Aladdin

As the dawn breaks, an owl tries to settle in for his sleep.

But, one by one, the creatures stir and call in their own unique voices preparing for the bright and busy day. Can the poor owl get any sleep?

The repetitive animal noises, the addition of one new animal on each page with cumulative calls of these animals, the eye-catching illustrations all seem to have impressed the resident toddler. Rat-a-tat, Rat-a-tat says the woodpecker. Pip-pip says the robin. Caw, Caw says the crow. And so on.

And, in the end, Owl turns the table on these noisy, bothersome creatures: he screeches his loudest as he takes off for his nocturnal hunt, just as the rest of the animals are settling in for a quiet night.

We've been reading about nocturnal creatures on and off over the last year or so. Oggie probably understands that some creatures are awake at night and sleep during daytime, unlike us. Forest Night, Forest Bright (Jennifer Ward) shows this beautifully.

I loved the illustrations by Pat Hutchins, they are full of detail. Well defined shapes with distinctive color, along with the dots and lines and repetitive patterns that add interest make the illustrations quite inspiring.

The simple text that tells a cumulative story along with the attractive art work made this book an enjoyable read for me. And judging by repeat reads at bedtime for over a week, it seems like a favorite with Oggie as well.

[image source: paperbackswap.com]

Happy Birthday, Oggie!

Earth has gone around the sun once more since we marked this day last time.

We shared this day with a simple celebration with his friends in school - the Birthday Walk. His teacher had made a cute blue crown with ocean creatures he likes - esp., Octopus.

And, we had a quiet celebration with family at home. The paste batik birthday flag we made brightened up the room.



With all the hectic work during the week, it so happened that I only had the night before to make the cake that I wanted to. And, with Ana falling sick again the day before, I wasn't sure I should enlist her help with the cake.

Of course, we could always skip the cake or get a store-bought one, he is not going to know the difference, or care.

I would have done exactly that were it not for the determined and persistent ring in my head that was hard to ignore. Blue Car Cake, Blue Car Cake, Blue Car Cake... not just because he loves cars and he loves blue, but also because it makes me happy to create a cake for my kids, no matter how sloppy it turns out.

I had no lofty plans. I know my limitations. A no-nonsense simple white cake. Home-made buttercream frosting. Some store-bought Blue fondant and some old icing to define and finish it.

Close to midnight when the cake was cooled, cut and carved into a rough car shape, crumb-coated with buttercream, and was chilling in the fridge so I can get the fondant rolled out, I was overcome with a feeling of such depth and proportions I had never felt before. Now, it might be crazy, but, I grew up with the belief that children are like gods (or what we idealize in gods).

Watching Og absorb unbelievable amounts of information from his surroundings, surprising me with his understanding of things every day, I could not shake off Dr. Maria Montessori's words that ring often in my head: He learns everything without knowing he is learning it, and in doing so he passes little by little from the unconscious to the conscious, treading always in the paths of joy and love.

At the same time, the realization that here is a being born with such capacity that is impossible to fathom, slowly but surely gets shaped somehow by what influences him in his immediate surroundings during his formative years. A child learns without even knowing what learning is: he absorbs and acquires it somehow.

Made me realize what a huge responsibility parents have and how evolution has programmed us to do it in such a way as to ensure the propagation of the species.

But, I am rambling...

Anyway, the fondant got rolled out and applied somehow. My preoccupied and tired mind was exploring how to be a better person in this lifetime, while my hands went about the motions of "decorating" the cake (poorly) using the half-empty, half-hardened ready-made icing from last year...

When D caught me squeezing the remnants of a small tube trying to drag it across to complete whatever I was trying to draw, he helpfully suggested, "Why don't you quit while you are ahead?" And I did. As far as the cake-decoration went.

After the modest celebration, "This is a fun birthday, Mama!" came out of nowhere and hit D and me like a fluffy sweet thunderbolt.

Happy Birthday, Oggie!