Monday, August 18, 2014

If You Give A Kid A Cookie...You Might Have to Let Them Play!

I hope you are not reading this post hungry...because it is filled with delicious cookie fun!

Today I am linking up with Kelly and Kim's Kindergarten Kreations for Monday Markdown with one of my newest products...

Just click the picture above to find it in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
It will be on sale for just $3 this week!

Even if you do not have or plan on using a sensory tub/table you can still use all of the components of this pack in a 'regular' center!

This pack makes a perfect companion to the popular children's book:
But you don't need to read it to use all the components of the pack!

The pack will cover A to Z and 1-10, as well as story retelling!

Take a peek at some of what you can do....

To get started I printed the cookies on scrapbook paper.  I had 12x12 paper already so I used that (cut it to 8.5x11) but you can purchase 'letter size' scrapbook paper in craft stores!

 I printed and laminated them...

And here are the backs!

So now when you use them for a 'Memory'-style game no one can peek through!


And it also helps make your sensory table look more colorful and vibrant if you decide to use them in a tub/table!

Next is to decide what do use them for first!

Maybe you want to practice letter writing....
Put the letters in the tub (or lay them out on the table is going w/o a tub) [I also added some mice & blank cookies in there to make it more fun!] and have students reach in a pull one out.  They can write the capital letter they see...
 or write its lowercase 'companion!'

They can also find the letter and its matching cookie (initial sound) or a 'story element' picture that starts with the letters!

They can even match what they find to the 'recording sheets!'

And the recording sheets can be used to match letter to letter or picture to letter!

Maybe you want to use it for math...
Fill the tub (or table) with the number cookies and some mice and cookies!

Have them pick a number and then count out that many mice...

or cookies!

  They can match number cookies to 'number of objects' cookies!

They can even use the recording sheet to match number to number or number of objects to number!

You can even use it later on in the year for building CVC and/or sight words!

The pack also has story element cards that you can use for identifying objects in the story and/or retelling!
Fill the tub with all the things the mouse asks for!
They even stand up nicely in rice, beans and/or pasts! 

There are recording sheets to use.  Students can find objects 'hiding' in the tub and then mark them off on their recording sheet
 or match them to the sheet
You can even fill your tub/bin/table with 'real' story elements you find around your home/classroom!

 If using it for re-telling, use the strips provided in the pack.  You can just cut them apart as seen here, or you can glue the strips to oaktag, laminate and put velcro on the backs for a re-useable retelling board!
       

Now with all this cookie fun, it is time to make something 'SCENT-sational!'
So we whipped up some cookie playdoh!

I found 2 recipes...
The first one comes from No Twiddle Twaddle and is called a 'skin therapy' playdough recipe because it uses oats, coconut oil and no salt!  You can find the recipe by clicking the hyperlink! 
 We mixed all the dry ingredients and then added the wet ingredients until we got this sticky mix!
 then added the cocoa powder
 and kneaded it into a dough

For the second recipe I used a combination of the 4-ingredient No-Cook recipe from Imagination Tree and an experimental mix of 'cookie' ingredients to come up with this one I REALLY liked!

I mixed 2 1/4c flour with 1/2 c salt,  2 T cream of tartar and 1/4 c cocoa powder

I then added 2T veggie oil, 1T vanilla extract and 1/2 T coconut extract

I then added 2c boiling water

and mixed it until I got 'dough' that resembled 'dough!'

throw a bit of flour on a cutting board/the counter and knead it!

But what would a cookie be without chips?
So I hole punched black (I was out of dark brown) foam for the chocolate chips

and also did some for 'rainbow candy' chips from rainbow colored foam!

Look how fun they are- or at least tell that to my hand!!!

 Simply add the chips to the dough- either knead it in or press on top!  They work great either way!
And use the dough to practice numbers and counting with these number playdough mats!
 
Have parents donate 'lost socks' in the beginning of the year- they make great dry erase board/laminated center erasers!

 Practice forming letters, writing letters and identifying pictures that begin with that letter with these fun A to Z Playdough mats!

There is also a 'blank mat' that you can use for name building and writing:

 or for math- maybe sorting by small/large cookies, number or chips 
and then later on in the year turn it into an addition and/or subtraction work mat!
 I found that recipe #2 worked the best for the playdough mats because it was the most 'pliable'.  Here are a few things we did with recipe 1:



 In any case- recipe 1 or recipe 2, mats or not, we surely had a lot of yummy hands-on fun!

You can find the playdough mats here:
   

or bundled together for added savings:

Each pack includes the cookie playdough recipe 'cards' (can send it home with some of the dough you make in school!), the work mats and the blank mat!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Monday Markdown deals here:

And incase you haven't heard...
TPT is having ANOTHER Back To School Sale!
All of my products will be 20% off Tuesday 8/19 through Thursday 8/21
BUT on Wednesday 8/20 if you use the code 'BOOST' you will get an extra 10% off!

Gearing up for my last week of summer fun...next week I will be in my classroom and the week after it is BACK TO SCHOOL for me!
Wishing you a wonderfully delicious week!
Until next post,
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