Confetti Fish

I love all the fun ways you can decorate fish.  We read A Fishy Shape Story by Joanne & David Wylie, which teaches all the shapes.  Each fish in the book is made from a different shape.  The last page is a picture of a "confetti" fish which is made up of all the shapes.

I cut out a shape of a fish (you can let your child cut out if age-appropriate).  I had a pile of small shapes cut out from different colors of construction paper. The kids glued the shapes on the fish.  When they were done we added stripes of tissue paper on the tail. 
The kids had fun "swimming" their colorful confetti fish around the room.  The kids acted out the adorable story Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood as I read it aloud.  This is a great story for rhyming, counting and great illustrations!

When you hang the confetti fish up in your house it is a great way to continue to review the names of shapes.  Have your child point out a circle or triangle on the fish.  Ask them, "Do you have more squares or stars on your fish?" etc...
It is a fun, simple, and educational way to have fun with art!
Unfortunately I was unable to find, A Fishy Shape Story on Amazon.  It must be out of print!  Thanks mom for holding onto this book all these years!

Ease Those First Day Jitters

Excitement and anxiety are only a few emotions that are present when you and your child prepare for their FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
I will be offering a two hour workshop for children entering Kindergarten and First Grade to help ease those first day jitters!

Kindergarten Countdown:  August 24, 9:00-11:00
We will be reading stories, like Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, playing games that encourage name recognition, letters, sounds, and numbers.  We will be discussing what to expect and get excited about starting their first day of Kindergarten and learning!

First Grade Countdown: August 24, 1:00-3:00
We will be playing games to review Kindergarten skills such as sight words, letters, sounds, numbers and basic addition and subtraction.  We will be talking about what to expect and reading stories to get them excited about their FIRST day of First Grade!

*Location: Talega Swim and Athletic Club
*Cost: $30

*Registration forms can be picked up at the Talega Swim and Athletic Club or emailed to you directly at dcodaniels@gmail.com

Rainbow Fish

 

We have been reading and enjoying the many Rainbow Fish and Friends stories by Marcus Pfister.  Today my boys decorated their own rainbow fish.  I cut out a fish shape and they used Do-A-Dot Art markers to color the fish.  If you have not used these markers, they are fun and easy to use.   I got them at Lakeshore Teaching Supply or can be ordered online.  These markers are perfect for children to "dot" out letters, numbers or shapes.  It is a great way to practice pre-writing skills.