Back to Basics

Blocks and balls... Does it get any more basic than that?

We have a great set of wooden blocks (and a super cute pail to store them in!) that don't get used nearly enough. Tonight, during Sophie's catnap, I decided since Will's had a sudden leap in alphabet (and number!) knowledge, we'd come up with some activities for playing with blocks.
First, I want to preface this next group of pictures by saying that I just got those L.L. Bean sandals for Will for the summer. They have velcro straps and he wanted to try them on himself. Aaaaand then he just left them on for the rest of the night. They're a little too big yet and definitely not meant to be worn with socks. Drr!

So anyway... we began by sorting the numbers and symbols from the letters.

Next, we lined them up in alphabetical order. He did have to ask me "which one comes next?" most of the time, but we went through the song to help him figure it out and he always found the correct letter.

We have never discussed the difference/relationship between upper and lowercase letters before. He recognizes all the letters by uppercase only. But the blocks show both on opposite sides, so tonight was the perfect opportunity to explain this to him. After we had them all in a row, we flipped each one over one at a time and said "big A, little A, big B, little B". Eventually I'll call them upper and lowercase, but for now, big and little seems the most basic. And I think he likes this new concept!

Next, he sorted the blocks by color.

And each time he picked two up, he had to bang them together before placing them in their appropriate locations.

Haha - those sandals are so funny with jeans and socks.

In the mail on Thursday, I received a Puzzle Buzz advertisement from Highlights magazine. A lot of the stuff is still too advanced for him (ages 4-7) so I think we'll hold off on a subscription just yet, but he liked the sticker game and hidden pictures in this advertisement. Here, he's concentrating on removing the sticker piece.

They look like puzzle pieces and you have to find the appropriate location for them on the layout.

Pretty cute!

Okay, onto Soph. After bath, I took the three, rubber balls that Uncle Wes won for Will from one of those crane/prize vending machines (that we normally keep in the bath tub) and hid them under a set of my Tupperware nesting bowls. A good lesson in object permanence ("the object still exists even when I can't see it") and cause-and-effect.

I pushed this one up to her first. Hmm... what's underneath there Sophia? (She loves those balls.)

Oooh!

Also a good lesson on sizing and what fits in what.

And, of course, what does this bowl taste like? :)

Next up, the medium bowl!

Whoa! Another ball... imagine that.

A hat?

Will, fresh from his own activity time, wants to "help" Sophie lift up the biggest bowl.

Does her new pink ball from Lisa fit in the medium bowl?

Mix and match.

She loves the texture, and I think she also loves that she can palm it like a basketball. :)

If this post seems boring to you, you may be disappointed to know that there are likely going to be MANY similar posts to follow in the future. I have a new fascination! A friend recently shared a link to a fun food website and, after visiting and browsing around, I found some links to other sites and blogs with what seems to be a huge, new, popular concept: combining child play with early learning skills. Okay, so it's not really a new concept but it's a lot broader than I thought and it's sooooooo cool! I'll explain later in another post. Right now I'm researching and practicing a handful of ideas with Will. Yeah! I'm excited!