Författare: Björn Bergvall

Tami’s Tower exists as an iPad app and an web application around constructing stable tower. You can get to think a whole lot around design a physics with this.

Lesson plan: Tami’sTower (PDF, 552 kB)

Go Fish!

Go Fish is a pair-seeking game.

Players each have their own hand of 5 cards.

• Players ask their opponents for a card that pairs with a card in their own hand.
• Basic play begins with making matched pairs.
  • For example, if you have a card with five dots you would ask you opponent for another card with five on it.
  • If your opponent has the card, they give it to you, and then you keep asking for cards until your opponent does not have the card you request and says, “Go Fish!”
  • You get to pick from the pile of face-down cards in the “fishpond.”
  • If you make a match you continue.
  • If not, it is the other player’s turn.
  • The game continues until all the cards are paired up.
  • Players count their pairs, and the player with the most pairs, wins the game.

Match ‘Em/Memory

Match ‘Em or Memory are similar pair-seeking games that allow you to adjust the memory challenge. In both games, cards are arranged in an orderly array on the floor or a table.

In Match ‘Em, the cards are face up; in Memory, the card are face down.

Players take turns finding pairs.

The game is over when all the pairs are matched.

Capture

Capture is a comparison game also known by the traditional name of “War.”

To play, deal the entire deck of cards among the players.

Players show their cards at the same time, and the person with the greatest number wins the round and takes the cards.

When the cards run out, the game is done, and players can count their cards to see who has the most cards.

Things to Consider

While all these games can be played with a standard deck of cards, you will want to give some thought to how you create a deck to match your child’s math skills. Some things to consider:

• Use quantity cards that show a pictorial representation of a number. This helps children develop their visual number sense as well as their computational fluency.
• Start with cards 0-5 for preschoolers; 0-10 for kindergarten
• The size of the deck (number of cards in play) should be appropriate for children’s age and experience. Small hands can only hold a small hand of cards!
• Use small arrays of cards to play Memory at the start such as a 3 x 4 array of 12 cards. Arrange cards face-up or face-down to vary the memory challenge based on children’s age, experience playing, and the math skill they are working on. If it is a new concept, even for older children, face-up may be the way to play the first few times.
• Fewer cards in the deck means faster games that keep children’s attention. When games are quick, they can be played again and again, which eases the disappointment of losing.

YOU WILL NEED: Printable board game, bricks, and a six-sided dice

• Start by printing out a copy of the game. You can laminate it or put it in a page protector sheet for longevity.
• Gather a bunch of basic building bricks such as 2x2s or 2x4s (use whatever works best for you)
• Have the kiddos choose a minifigure as a game piece or build something fun to represent their player on the board
• Determine who will go first by the highest die roll and start the play!
• Whoever has the tallest tower at the end wins. Ideally, everyone should have the opportunity to finish the game.
• Build your tower and count the bricks to determine the winner!
• Play again and again.

Model of the board: LEGO-build-a-tower-game (PDF, 525kB)

Idea from littlebinforlittlehands

In this activity, you explore an image from a newspaper or a cartoon by thinking about how the image sounds.

Tool:

1. magazine (for children)
2. Tools for creating soundscapes: spoons, jars, pens, rattles, etc..

Focus on sound

The teacher asks the group to be very quiet and listen to what sounds can be heard in the room. They also think about the sounds that they hear in the kitchen at home, or out on the playground, or on the street.

Choosing and viewing the image

The group looks for an image in a magazine and creates a sound world for it. Discuss the image together: who or what is in the picture? What is the mood of the picture, is it cheerful, sad, summery? The picture can also be a cartoon.

Design of a soundscape

Think together about what the story might sound like. The teacher gives the children different tools to create sounds and together they experiment to see what sounds they can create. If the selected image is a cartoon, the teacher can re-read it, and now the children can gild the story with sound.

Does the picture smell?

After listening to the audio story, they can think about what smells or smells flow into their nostrils in the kitchen or on the street. What smells or smells can be associated with the selected image or drawing?