Thursday, June 23, 2011

layered ball scavenger hunt...

i'm not really sure what to call this activity...


it's a scavenger hunt of sorts...

definitely a fine motor exercise...

a tactile activity, as well...

and one that kept leo engaged and interested for awhile.

i'm going with "layered ball scavenger hunt."

here's how it works...

start by gathering the following supplies:

  • a few small objects (we went with buttons, a small truck, a quarter, and a rock)
  • a piece of paper
  • pencil/marker (to make the list)
  • crayon (for the little guy to cross off his findings)
and some materials to layer the balls with, such as:
  • aluminum foil
  • yarn
  • wicky sticks
  • masking tape

start by making a written or picture list of the objects that will be wrapped...


then, grab one of the small objects, and start wrapping!  i went with wicky sticks, then aluminum foil, some masking tape...


some more masking tape, yarn, and more wicky sticks to keep it all from unraveling.  repeat with all the objects.


a couple of suggestions...
1) don't wrap too tightly... this should be fun, not frustrating!
2) when using any kind of tape, it's helpful to fold over the ends so the child can find the end easily.  leo had to ask me for help several times to find the start of the tape layers.
3) use various colors, especially when layering similar materials... this gives some visual cues as to which layer is next, and when the layer is completed.

once they're all balled up, gather them up, and let the hunt begin!


leo really was so busy working on these...


working those little fingers...


making piles of mess...


and was so excited to find out what was at the center!  


i couldn't even handle when he was marking off what he found... searching for his crayon under all the mess... and making his little squiggles... aye... adorable!


and proudly showing off his completed work...


have fun!

linked up with...
I Can Teach My Child

9 comments:

  1. that sounds great! i'd love to chat with you more... i'm going to be doing a toddler/preschool class called "mess makers"... a class of sensory exposure, fine motor exercises... all that good stuff! i would love some more ideas :)

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  2. Awesome idea! Plan on sharing this on my Facebook page, pediatric OT's will love this one! Thanks.

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  3. thank you! and thanks for visiting :)

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  4. ooooo... great idea! i'll have to give that one a try, too! thanks for stopping by :)

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  5. KreativeresoursesJuly 5, 2011 at 9:31 PM

    I do this with a variation - I put the objects in those plastic easter eggs first - so they can shake it and try to guess the object inside by the sound it makes! I love that you added the chart - I will do that next time!

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  6. What a great idea - I am going to make some scavenger hunt balls for my nephew!

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  7. Found you from Saturday Show & Tell Link Party and am your newest follower! This idea is fabulous! I can't wait to try it out with my boys! Thanks for sharing!

    Hope you'll stop by to say hello and follow back if you'd like. :)

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  8. @rachel... thanks so much for stopping by! you have a really great blog... love the shark envelope idea!!! i might have to do that with some sort of truck theme... my little guy's quite a truck fan :)

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