GEO Board

An easy DIY Geo Board. Fun, practical and awesome!! Great for early child education mathematics / geometry skills and concepts. Hands on exploration. 

This is the first geo board that I made using an old cork board, colored push pins and rubber bands. The marbles were added later on for some extra gaming fun although they are not necessary - but in fact, go great with this.

 

1. Start with a small cork board. You can get them anywhere from the dollar store to IKEA. Any shape is good to use. I find that rectangular is best but you can choose circular, square or whatever you find available. Sometimes stores have cork board rolls where you can cut up and make your own shapes. Lots of options.

2.Get some colorful pushpins. Any pushpins will do but the colored ones can help with color recognition, patterning and order. Place the pushpins strategically on the cork board. Make rows and column (suggestion).

3. Have different colored and different size rubber bands available for use. Model for a child on how to properly place the rubber bands around some push pins - show by making a small square. Children are smarter than we may think, they will get the hang of it just like THAT! 

4. Let them explore, play and learn! You can draw some shapes and ask them to model the shapes. They can get really creative. It is a great open ended learning experience. 

Take a look here - www.constructivekinder.weebly.com

#loorducation

loorduMedia

Learning is in Everything...

Learning is in everything. It is important to let children have creative expression. It is up to us to tech children to love learning. Learning never ends. It is vital that children engage in everything they do with passion and excitement about what is to come. Hands on, Sensory, dramatic - ALL, EVERYTHING. Learning by Doing. Playing is a child's work. Playing is learning. Encourage it - everywhere.

Blasts from the Past

Awesome!! Learning happens everywhere. Education is in everything. Always capturing the moment. Visit loorducation on www.facebook.com/loorducation and all over social media @loorducation See what we are up to!!!

Paint Me a Picture

One day after school, I had a table set up for JJ. It was covered in newspapers. There were all types of papers to paint on set up. I put out all colors of paint and different styles of paint brushes. It was quite the invitation to paint. As soon as he got off of the bus, he flew to the table. He was very eager to start creating. He expressed how happy and excited he was. He really enjoyed it. This was something that he needed. It was very beneficial. That night he was calm and did a great job with homework.

Take time to paint.

Constructive Learning

Things have been going great at Loorducation. We have been very active. This past week we made many different sensory bags. We also used kinetic sand and cornstarch mixed with water for great sensory fun. These experiences went very well. After all the hand son activities, JJ wanted to play school. Without being prompted, he started to write spelling words and continued to write and draw. This was excellent. The sensory activities calmed him down and worked up his fine motor skills to prepare his hands for writing - willingly. I loved it, we went with it. We played school. He was the teacher. He even had to put his glasses on. He gave me a spelling test and corrected it with a star and happy face. He was so excited. This was great. He was really into it. He loves school and loves to learn. I am very blessed. His writing skills are coming along well. By giving him options and well needed breaks in between homework from the school week, he feels more secure and less pressured. Thus, causing him to be engaged and engrossed in spontaneous learning activities. Which, in turn, will gear him up and ready him for the next week of school academics. When children feel well, they will learn well. That is the bottom line. The well being comes first.



www.facebook.com/loorducation

www.constructivekinder.weebly.com

www.instagram.com/dany_loorducation

www.twitter.com/loorducation

www.pinterest.com/loorducation

PLAY

  Who wants to play? Young children want to play. Play is a child’s work. It is what they do. Play is what a child needs and desires for a healthy development. Playing is learning. Children are very tactile, that is how they learn and explore the world around them. Children are movers. They are sponges absorbing information from everyone and everywhere. In order for optimal learning to take place, a child must have the freedom to move about the learning environment using all of their five senses. Young children are very hands on, so giving them opportunities to express themselves in Kindergarten is ideal and beneficial for their growing minds. This is why a curriculum based on constructivism is necessary.

Constructivism is a philosophy of education that is based on experimental learning through real life experiences and hands on activities that will construct and condition knowledge. During the early years of school, children need to play and make sense of the world around them. It is desirable for children to be in an environment where the philosophy of education is aimed at the ultimate benefit of the child. An early math and literacy curriculum for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, where children are free to learn from hands on experiences is beneficial. Children are natural movers and explorers, and therefore it is only natural to prepare a curriculum for them that is based on their needs, desires and interests. The philosophy of constructivism is a solid foundation for productivity and growth in young children. A Constructive-play based curriculum encourages discovery, hands on, experimental and task based learning. A curriculum that is based on constructivism is something that children naturally depend on in order to succeed in their environment.