Gracyn and I played Scrabble Junior. Using colorful pictures we matched the letter tiles to the words and grid. I also used the tiles for some math problems.
Together, Ethan and I worked on a puzzle called One Tough Puzzle. This puzzle only has nine pieces but over 300,000 wrong ways to assemble them and only one right way. It is a great brainteaser, fostering problem solving, memory and other important learning skills. Ethan was also introduced to the game of Sudoku, which is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. We started with an easy puzzle with the numbers 1-4 but quickly moved to a 1-6 puzzle.
Bobby enjoyed playing a game called Instructures which has won many awards including the National Competition for the Mensa Select and the Academics Choice Award. This educational game helps players strengthen their problem solving skills, encourages critical thinking, and improves understanding of spatial relationships. Bobby and I took turns pulling cards from a deck which showed a picture of a building to build using wooden shapes. We had to either be the builder or the foreman. The foreman looks at the card and has to give only verbal instructions to the builder. Bobby was surprised at how challenging but fun the game was.
Danny and I worked together building tessellation puzzles. We used small foam sea animals, squids, rays, and turtles to make puzzle patterns. These different pieces fit together without gaps to make an endless variety of patterns. Danny had great concentration and focus while building his fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. We finished the lesson with a book called Turtle Splash, Countdown at the Pond.
Today, Danny loved playing a game called Instructures which has won many awards including the National Competition for the Mensa Select and the Academics Choice Award. This educational game helps players strengthen their problem solving skills, encourages critical thinking, and improves understanding of spatial relationships. Danny had to pull a card from a deck which showed a picture for him to build using wooden shapes. He was very focused and able to complete all of the buildings that he attempted. As he built, I talked about the shapes being used. We spent the last few minutes reading Ten Little Dinosaurs by Pattie Schnetzier.
Gracyn and I cut out squares from a construction paper. I asked her to choose five consonant letters and one vowel. With these letters she has to figure out as many words as possible using the consonants on her squares and the vowel. I gave her a small notebook that she can write down all the words that she got. She had so much fun doing this activity.
