Category Archives: Tools

Max Found Two Sticks, by Brian Pinkney

Materials

  • Objects made from plastic, wood, and metal of various sizes and shapes. These will be used to hit with a stick and listen to the different sounds that the materials make. Think tin cans, shoe box, wood block, cubbie, empty paper towel tube, jewelry box, etc..
  • A timer that makes a ticking sound
  • Working stethoscope
  • 2 paint sticks per person or 2 pencils (paint sticks are free wherever you buy house paint)
  • More paint sticks for art
  • Bring in a basket of natural materials such as sticks of various barks, acorns, corn husks, stones both smooth and rough, leaves with strong ridges.
  • Pre-writing page per child

Vocabulary

  • Stripes (a long narrow band or strip, typically of the same width throughout its length, differing in color or texture from the surface on either side of it).

Before Reading the Story

Explain to the children that today you are going to read a story that uses your sense of hearing. Do the children know what the five senses are? Do they know that you use your ears for hearing? Talk about some sounds that you like (my cat purring, when my brother laughs, music) and some sounds you do not like (when my Mom yells at me, when the timer says turn off the tv, I get scared when I hear the siren). Explain that in the story today a boy named Max makes sounds with two sticks. Let’s find out what kinds of sounds he can make.

Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Reading the Story

When you get to the pages where Max plays his sticks and makes various patterns (pat…pat, tat. pat…pat, tat. pat…pat,tat. or Putter-putter…pat tat, putter-putter pat tat). Stop and have the children try to repeat these also. Expect it to take at least three tries. Say them slowly so they make patterns with sound.

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, ande extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

After Reading the Story

Remind the children that in the story Max did not want to talk that day. It was just a listening day. Ask the children to sit very quietly and just listen. After a moment ask them to name some of the sounds they heard. Explain that when it is very quiet, you can hear many more sounds with your ears. Did any of the sounds the children hear make a pattern? Help them repeat it. (Yes Francois, the clock said tik,tik,tik,tik,tik.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Have the children cover their eyes while you hide the timer. Make sure to turn it on so that it is ticking. The children uncover their eyes and listen carefully and then point to the center/area where they are hearing the ticking coming from.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Discovery

Give the children rhythm sticks or pencils. Have them hit them on a variety of objects to make different sounds. Talk about the various sounds. Which item makes the loudest sound, which sound do you like best, which item makes the softest sound?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Show the children how to tap out patterns by counting 1-2-3 or 1-2-1-2, etc.

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, ande extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Music and Movement

Give the children sticks, pencils, or even blocks and tap to the Hap Palmer song, Put Your Sticks in the Air.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8lK7cvJWME. Or try, Tap Your Sticks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLfEW3SwpdI

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, ande extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Pull out your musical instruments today and let the children tap along to songs of their choice. When you finish one song, have the children pass their instrument to the right. This allows children to experiment with several different instruments during a music setting.

Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of musical instruments.

Make Music Cubes. On one write the name of six familiar songs. On the other write six actions (IE jump and turn, stomp your foot, clap your hands). Let the children take turns rolling the dice and then as a class do the actions to the song that was rolled.

Literacy/Early Writing; develops understanding that writing is a way of communicating for a variety of purposes. AND Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; develops increasing abilities to give and take in interactions; to take turns in games and using materials; and to interact without being overly submissive or directive.

Blocks

Any type of pattern play that you have.

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, ande extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Art

Give each child a paint stick. Add paint into small containers or egg cartons. Have the children use watercolor brushes (they are smaller and so will be able to produce more details). Tell them that today we are going to make stripes. Show them how to make stripes across the paint stick. One day one, paint one side and on the next day paint the other. When dry, hang these from the ceiling. (My children especially liked when we hung them over the lunch table).

Creative Arts/Art; begins to understand and share opinions about artistic products and experiences. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and ,multiple-step directions.

Library and Writing

Give each child a pre-writing page and markers to follow the lines.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.

Sand and Water

Add damp sand to the center today. Bring in a basket of natural materials such as sticks of various barks, acorns, corn husks, stones both smooth and rough, leaves with strong ridges. Let the children mash these into play dough to see the patterns that they make.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple experiments to observe and discuss common properties, differences and comparisons among objects and materials.

Dramatic Play

Add your doctor kit to the center today. If you have a working stethoscope, add it to the center. Show the children how to use it and quietly listen to each others heartbeat.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Math and Manipulatives

Any kind of pattern type play. (My class really enjoyed parquetry shapes and patterns. Check out this web page for ideas). See Resources for more ideas. https://www.prekinders.com/pattern-blocks/

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, ande extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Outdoor Play

Bring some of your sticks outside for the children to bang on the fence, the ground, the tricycle, wagon, etc.. Making music sounds and patterns.

Mathematics/Pattern & Measurement; enhances abilities to recognize, duplicate, ande extend simple patterns using a variety of materials.

Transitions

Dismiss the children by what is on their clothing. If you are wearing stripes, shapes, letters, numbers, pockets, zipper, buttons, etc..

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Resources

paint stick art
Ideas for pattern play

Take pictures of several block structures and see if the children can copy them using the blocks.

The Handiest Things in the World, Andrew Clements

                  This book shows pictures of children using their hands for a variety of purposes and then the tools that were invented to do the same job.  This is an interesting book to use during a hand study and a useful book to introduce the concept of tools.

Materials

  • Several sets of chopsticks or unsharpened pencils to make chopsticks. See Dramatic Play.
  • Several calculators, the simpler the better.

Vocabulary

  • Tool (something you use to do work or a job easier)

Before Reading the Story

                  Play Put Your Hands on Your… which is like Simon Says. (Put your hands on your elbows, put your hands on your thighs, etc).

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.

Reading the Story

                  As you read the story, make sure to name the different tools on each page.  Give the children the opportunity to discuss the tools as you read.

Language Development/Speaking & Understanding; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes.

After Reading the Story

                  Ask the children if they can think of any other tools that they might use.  Talk about the importance of hands and how we need to take care of them by washing them and not putting them in our mouths.

Approaches to Learning/ Reasoning & problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; builds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules.

Discovery

                  Add magnifying glasses and encourage the children to look closely at their hands. (Do you see the little hairs?, watch the creases when you open and close your fingers slowly).  Help them to name the parts of the hands (palm, wrist, flanges, knuckles, cuticles, finger nails, vein under skin).

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; uses an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary. AND Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge and respect for their bodies and the environment.

Music and Movement

                  Let the children experiment with instruments today.

Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of musical instruments.

Do The Hand Chant.  Have the children do the actions to accompany words.

Wiggle them, wiggle them, wiggle them so.

Wiggle them high, wiggle them low.

Wiggle them fast and wiggle them slow.

Wiggle them wiggle them out of sight.

(Clap them, roll them shake them, snap them)

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multiple-step directions. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; chooses to participate in an increasing variety of tasks and activities.

Blocks

                  Add several rulers to the center today.  As the children build, show them how to measure how tall or how long their structure is.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area of objects.

Art

                  Trace around the childrens hands onto a piece of paper using a black marker. Trace their hands several times so that the hands overlap. Let the children use colored markers to fill in the spaces made by overlapping their hands.  For older children, encourage them to trace around their friends hand.

Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers.

Sand and Water

                  Put out water today and containers to hold it and pour it.

Social & Emotional Development/Self-Control; demonstrates increasing capacity to follow rules and routines and use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully.

Library and Writing

                  Use crayons, markers, and colored pencils to practice writing names today.

Literacy/Early Writing; experiments with a growing variety of writing tools and materials, such as pencils, crayons, and computers. AND Literacy/Early Writing; progresses from using scribbles, shapes, or pictures to represent ideas, to using letter-like symbols, to copying or writing familiar words such as their own name.

Dramatic Play

                  Add some chopsticks to the center.  Try rubber banding the tops about an inch down to make it easier for the children to manipulate. ENcourage the children to try to pick up plastic foods and small items.

Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; develops strength, dexterity, and control needed to use tools such as scissors, paper punch, stapler, and hammer.

Math and Manipulatives

                  Add calculators today and show the children how to punch in different numbers.  Can they punch in the numbers as you recite their phone number?  Can they name the different numbers correctly?

Mathematics/Numbers & Operation; begins to associate number concepts, vocabulary, quantities, and written numerals in meaningful ways. AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills; grows in hand-eye coordination.

Outdoors Play

Put out lots of shovels for digging in the sandbox and also dirt. Give the children rakes to pull the dirt away from the hole. Talk about how shovels and rakes are handy tools. Talk about how by cooperating together the children can dig a really big hole.

Social & Emotional Development/Cooperation; increases abilities to sustain interactions with peers by helping, sharing , and discussion.

Transitions

                  Have the children take turns picking a tool card and then see if they can act it out or tell it’s purpose.