We’re finally back in a good Tot School routine over here after 3 weeks of sick toddler struggles. Over the next few weeks we are focusing on a new shape each week. Madelynn already knows many of her shapes, but its always good to reinforce them more and explore their properties. This week we are exploring Circles!
Here were our plans for the Circle Week:
And here is what we actually did…
Here are the 5 books that we used as our focus each day.
Circles by Yusuke Yonezu
Circles by Jan Kottke
Circles by Sandy Riggs
So many circles, so many squares by Tana Hoban
Circle, square, Moose by Kelly L Bingham
Mixed Media Circle Stamping:
I searched my house for a few circle shaped items that we could use as stampers for painting. I found a sponge paintbrush, a plastic Easter egg, and a large Duplo Lego. It was fun to stamp the different size circles and just let M be creative.
Dot Stamp Circles:
We will be practicing making each shape with dot stampers over the next few weeks. I found the printables for each shape here.
Since the dot markers make circles we also spent some time just making stamps and adding circle dot stickers.
Circle Puzzles:
The next activity we will do with each shape is a puzzle. Madelynn is OBSESSED with puzzles lately so I made these easy printables for each shape. You can grab them here.
Circle Color, Trace and Draw:
We will also work on some beginning writing by coloring, tracing, and drawing each shape. You can grab the printables here. This was quite challenging for M and she had her own idea about how to complete the page.
She really didn’t want to draw circles on the bottom, so we moved to her easel and she practiced away. She did a great job drawing all kinds of circles.
Circle Button Threading:
Our last activity for the week was threading circle buttons. Madelynn has needed a lot of support with threading the past but was determined to do this all by herself. Love the concentration this one takes!
We only got to 2 of the gross motor activities I had planned for the week, but I plan on repeating them for each shape week so you’ll get a peek at the other activities in the next few weeks.
Shape Hopscotch:
I simply drew some shapes on the driveway, and let Madelynn jump from shape to shape. I also called out shapes for her to jump to which she thought was fun.
Shape scavenger Hunt:
For this activity I cut out a bunch of shapes from colored paper and hid them around the house. Madelynn searched for them and named the shapes she found.
Cheerio Counting
Circle snacks weren’t too hard to find this week. We started out with counting Cheerios.
Circle Fruit:
I cut up apples, bananas and grapes for this healthy circle themed snack.
Circle Veggies:
For another healthy treat I cut up cucumbers, carrots and cherry tomatoes.
Fruit Loop Sorting:
We added a little sorting fun to go along with our circle Fruit Loop snack using these colored bowls.
Circle Crackers and Pretzels:
Another easy circle snack, Horizon peanut butter/cracker sandwiches and pretzels.
Size Sorting Sensory Bin:
Included in this bin: black beans, plastic circles big & small, cups, scoops, sorting mat.
Shape Sorting Sensory Bin:
Included in this bin: cotton balls, shape buttons, foam shapes, plastic shapes,tongs, sorting mat.
Play Dough Circles:
We used a few small play dough containers to cut out circles. Easy and no extra tools required!
Color Sorting Sensory Bin:
Included in this bin: popcorn seeds, circle buttons, colored bowls, scoops, and cups.
And that’s it! If you want to catch up on the other tot school posts you can check them out here:
And here is the revised calendar if you want to see what is coming up in the next few weeks:
Just discovered your blog and love your tot school ideas! Where did you find the plastic shapes?
Kate
How old was your daughter when she did these activities? Just wondering if my son is ready for them too, he's almost 2. Where did you get the colored bowls and did you cut the slots in the lids or did they come that way for some reason?
I started just after my daughters second birthday. I say go for it! The bowls are take n' toss bowls from the toddler feeding section of target. I've seen them lots of places though if you look near the sippy cups you should be able to find them. Then I just used a razor blade to cut slots in the lids. Good luck with your little one!
I ordered them online from enasco about 8 years ago for my classroom. I'm not sure if they still have them, but if you search for plastic attribute shapes I'm sure you will find something similar.
Are the lesson plans available for the shape series like the rest of the Tot School themes?
Where are the plans and such for these shapes lessons available?
Hello, thanks so much for reaching out! I started Tot school with my daughter in Jan 2016 then took a bit of a break when our second child was born due to some health issues, moving, etc. So we restarted in the fall of 2016. My original plans can be found here.(This was the last theme that we completed so if you scroll to the bottom of the post you can find links to each week we finished.)
http://www.mrsplemonskindergarten.com/2016/03/tot-school-tuesday-easter.html
The plans we began in fall are more complete and would take you through an entire year. You can start here to find the apple theme plans then click on the links at the bottom of the post for each additional theme:
http://www.mrsplemonskindergarten.com/2016/09/tot-school-tuesday-apples.html
You can also find the printables for each theme here:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Plemons-Kindergarten/Category/-Tot-School-291472
Hope this helps!