'Today' tray...

J have been singing the Days of the week song for a long time now, so I thought of making an activity to identify 'The Day' everyday.

First I painted dolls pins and clothes pins in rainbow colors to associate with the days, cut rainbow rectangles out of felt and wrote name of the days on colored Popsicle sticks. The reason behind making more than one options, was to give him a variety to choose from. In any case, the clothes pins and dolls pins were sure to help with pincer grip and hand eye co-ordination. The brightly colored felt pieces were very attractive and he enjoys identifying the day from the beginning sound written on the popsicle sticks.

We started with singing the 'Days of the week' song followed by introduction to the popsicle sticks. The obvious confusion was between Saturday & Sunday and Tuesday & Thursday. We talked about 'reading' ahead up to two or three or more letters to identify what it says. His curiosity about words and their formations and instinctive efforts to 'read' at early age, made it possible. When I brought the tray out, he instantly started matching Popsicle sticks and felt pieces and then grab matching cars from his vehicle box (oh! the car lover).

Next day, I brought the clothes pins and used my fingers and thumb in pinching motion to show him how to open and close.Then we sang the 'Days of the week' song in slow motion taking time to associate colors with the days. He grabbed the box of felt pieces and started to clip each with corresponding pin.

The following day we used the dolls pins placing on the sides of a bowl the same way to reinforce days of the week and color connection. By now he could associate them almost correctly. Then I left everything out for him to explore at his will, his way. He has mostly used dolls pins or Popsicle sticks for the tray.

Another part of our 'Today' tray contains,  weather symbols. I cut some simple felt shapes like Sun, Clouds, a Raindrop and Lightening. As it rarely snows in Houston, I haven't created a snow flake that is not going to be used. He checks the weather outside and pulls the weather piece/s out. He loves the cloud cutout, so it's almost everyday cloudy in our 'Today' tray, that goes in combination with sunny or rainy or stormy. I am looking at the ideas to add a single piece windy symbol that does not require gluing or painting. 

  
We also have a season representation in our tray, which has come from our Autumn activity. A planter with two sticks, on which I attached some  fuzzy sticks keeping a long open end. Then I provided J with some hand cut card stock leaves in fall colors to attach to the leaves on fuzzy sticks. He added some acorns at the base and  brought his squirrel finger puppet to eat them. He also asked me to make a bed (with two pillows - he insisted) for the squirrel so she can rest. As we saw the leaves falling off the trees outside our window, he was inspired to take some leaves off our fall tree, making it bare signifying winter. We will then be replacing this planter with little Christmas tree to represent Christmas time. This tree presentation will change with season.

This tray is something he has very actively participated in putting together and loves to  work with every day.