Shapes and Theraputty!

We spent this past week introducing 2-D shapes in our kindergarten classroom!  While planning with our team, one team member (aka colleague, friend, teacher) stumbled upon a unit plan with several links to these super fun songs by Have Fun Teaching.  I am sure many of you have already discovered these fun and super addictive songs but just in case, I just had to share!

 

THE CIRCLE SONG

 

                                                                THE SQUARE SONG

                                                              THE TRIANGLE SONG

                                                            THE RECTANGLE SONG

SHAPE SONG- GREAT AFTER INTRODUCING EACH SHAPE ON IT'S OWN.  

SUPER FUN AND CATCHY!

 

Now on a totally different note I also stumbled upon something else that can best be described as magic!  Okay, so I might be exaggerating slightly since this product (or something very similar) has been around for ages but in my house and in the mind of my four old who is struggling with fine motor skills...it's magic!  My little guy is in preschool this year and is (always has been) developmentally delayed with his fine and gross motor skills so we are doing everything we can at home to help.  While googling for answers this week I found out about this stuff called theraputty.  It is fragrance free, it doesn't flake or stick in your carpet (like play dough) and it comes in several different resistance's.  We got our first container of it in the mail yesterday and my little man has bee playing with it NON-STOP!  This particular container is the firmest of the three that we ordered and let me tell you...it's firm!  Tough even for my hands but he absolutely loves it and has been twisting it and pulling it apart for hours.

So how can this be used in the classroom?  The possibilities are endless!  I don't know about you, but in my K classroom there are about 4 students who are in need of this kind of occupational therapy as much as my little guy is.  I can't wait to share this product with my students. I am particularly anxious to see how it will be helpful with a student I have from China.  He speaks no English and he is very delayed with his fine motor skills.  I am bringing some of the theraputty to the classroom on Monday and will see if it will keep him as occupied as I hope it will.  If it works, it's a win-win for everyone.  I ordered mine through Amazon and googled "theraputty exercises", here are the links to the things I found:

click on this image for a direct link to great theraputty exercises! 

http://www.amazon.com/Occupational-Therapy-Theraputty-Oz-pack/dp/B001763OS6