I spy with my little eye . . .

This is another super fun game to play with your wee one . . . with a twist from the traditional "I Spy."

Here's what you need: five or six small objects (and a rug or towel to help "focus" where the lesson, ahem, "game" is.)

**Okay, if you really think that you will go along and do some of these fun things I'm writing about at home, then you must start a small objects collection! Let me tell you, you have so much already at home and you will start thinking in "small object" mode when you are out and about. Promise. There will be lots of future posts using these objects, so rummage around and see what you can find! (Here is an example of a place where you can buy them online, but in my opinion it is pricey and you can make your own collection alot cheaper. When I taught, I had some objects from this company and they are SOOO cute, but I had to leave them behind.)

This is how I have my objects organized. This drawer system is found in hardware stores or in the tool department at Wal-Mart and such. I used my handy dandy label maker (I heart the label maker!) to mark each drawer.** (Sadly, I have not gotten out most of my school stuff until now and Lawton is loving it! He was so excited when I pulled out all these objects the other day. Blogging this stuff is helping me to make sure I'm doing it with him!)
Here are shots of two different drawers to give you some ideas. This is L - lab, lantern, lizard, lotion, lady, etc.

This is the P drawer. Praying mantis, poodle, pacifier, pin(bowling and safety), pizza, etc.At Michael's/JoAnn's/Hobby Lobby they have TONS of little objects! There are small wooden pictures (about 25 cents each last time I looked) that you can glue on crafts that are great,doll house miniatures and all kinds of other crafty stuff that is fab. Polly Pocket/Barbie objects, and those tubes of miniature animals work great, too. (Ask a mom that has an elementary age girl if she has anything she wants to get rid of. Chances are she'll have tons to give you because she is tired of Susie not picking all those little bitty objects up.) You'll get addicted . . .

Here's why you should do it: This game helps your child with phonemic awareness. Translation- this will help them LISTEN to the sounds that make words. (I'll try not to get too jargon-y on you!) If they can hear the sounds, then later they will be able to spell the sounds/words and then read the sounds/words. And yep, spell before they can read! Keep tuning in . . .

Here's how you do it:Select five or six objects (or just two or three if they are really young) and name them all, much like this lesson.

Then say, "I spy with my little eye something that starts with the vvvvv sound." (Saying the sound, not the letter)

Vacuum! (Isn't that so cute and fun?) Continue on with the other objects. B, C, M, F, S, T, Z are some of the easier ones to start with and "listen" for.

Want to step it up another notch? "I spy something with my little eye something that ends with the sound llll." This is much harder - especially if they have been listening to the beginning sound for a long time.

Football!

Oh, and what does Carolina do while I am doing all this fun stuff with Lawton? Yeah. Having a ball pulling all the Kleenex out! :) Seriously though- most of the time she is napping!