Here is another activity for kids:
Distinguishing between things that are Living and Non Living
It is actually quite amazing how quickly kids catch on to this! Talk to them about characteristics of things that are alive.
Living things obtain and use energy. (they eat or absorb from sun)
Living things grow and develop. (they get bigger usually)
Living things reproduce. (they have babies, eggs or seeds)
Living things respond to their environment. (they find shelter or close up when it is cold for example)
Living things adapt to their environment (They change so they can live in their environment)
Kids will best understand the eating, growing and having babies but you can talk about the others if you like it is always surprising what they can understand.
Next go on a walk (the weather is warming up so it is perfect to spend more time outdoors). It is always better to use real concrete objects to explain something before you use fake objects or pictures. And you should usually go in that order if possible ( Real object like turtle at the zoo, small symbolic object like a small plastic turtle, then a picture like a magazine picture of a turtle) It does not seem like a big difference to us as adults, and pictures are so much easier than finding the real thing at times, but it makes a huge difference to children to have a real concrete object first!!
Go on a walk and try to find things that are living and non-living. A bird, a fence, grass, a tree, the road, cars, houses, flowers, a cat etc.
Next if you can get some small plastic objects that are living and non-living you can try the craft store they have these great things from Safari LTD called Toobs http://www.safariltd.com/ they can get kinda pricey though so you should probably try the dollar store or Walmart first for something similar. Mix the living and non-living objects together (make sure to have the same amount of living as non-living) show your child how to sort them in two columns. If they understand the concept then let them do it themselves if not then give them some help the first few times. They will do this again and again usually, long after we think something is boring kids will continue to think it is absolutely fascinating (just think how many times you have seen your child's favorite movie!)
Last use pictures, you could try an art project, get a piece of posterboard and find pictures of living and non-living things in magazines (you can get old National Geographics for free at the DI if they have any so check your local DI or thrift store if not in Utah) Make a column for living and one for non-living. Help your child start the project and if they can let them finish it. This can be an ongoing project, put the poster on the wall and every time they find something new (an hour from now or weeks from now) they can cut it out and go glue it to their poster in a collage. You can also try Flashcards at this point. You can make your own or buy actual flashcards ( you can find these at walmart, bookstores or online) I just found pictures on the internet of living and non-living things (email me if you want my flashcards, I think they are on publisher so you need to have Microsoft publisher to open them). Once again you need to have the same number of each, this is important so your child can tell if they did it correctly or not. Show your child how to lay the cards out in 2 columns, one for living and one for non-living, just like the objects your child will probably love this activity and do it many times. You can always make it interesting and challenging again by changing out some of the photos or objects for new ones!
My email is smilesincamo@hotmail.com please email any great ideas you have that you would like me to post, or any comments about the activities I have posted :)
Well I guess i better get to studying my Spanish Toodeloo
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