Thrift Shop Find: Fisher Price Animal 2x2 Game

Another great find at the local Thrift Shop.

I just saw the blue Fisher Price case and knew that something great was in it because it was the same case that Barnyard Bingo is in.

So when I got home and opened it up, I was thrilled to find what was inside.  A Matching / Animals / Memory / Tic Tac Toe game!  Perfect for our family.

So the game comes with 24 "coins", each of which are half of a whole.  They match up by animal (turtle, zebra, bumble bee), and then they fit together to make a whole coin.  At that point, you can also look at the shape on the coin that matches to the slot on the top of the ark.  It then drops into the ark like Connect 4.

This is such a great game for any child, but especially for a Special Needs kid.
Fine Motor:  not only does it take good coordination to put them into the ark, but matching them up is tricky too, and then keeping them together while putting them in is yet another level of skill.
Memory:  you can flip them all face down and play it like a memory game.
Matching:  we put three in a row (eventually four, then five, and so on) and have the boys match the one we hand them to the choices in the row.  We could also turn the choices over so they can start to learn to remember where the match is or isn't.
Colors/Shapes:  once the animals are matched, you need to talk about colors and shapes to get them into the ark.
Manding:  so easy to have a child mand for the coins simply by "coin" (or use the sign for it), by animal name (or sound!), or by shape name or color.
OT: make it a sensory activity!  Put the ark on one side of the room and hide the coins in the rice table on the other side of the room.  Dig for a coin, run it across the room and put it in the ark.  Or roll across the room.  Or pull yourself across on a scooter board.  Or put them in a bag and have the child reach in and pull them out one at a time.  Or put them in a baby wipes box and have the child reach in through the slot in the top to pull them out (Huggies wipes have a great rubbery slot that little hands reach into nicely and easily but also provide good resistance.)

So, while I hate it when other people post about great thrift shop finds that I will never have a hope in finding, I've discovered that you just never know what you might find, if you just open your eyes a little bit.

Family Time - Lowe's Build and Grow Clinics

Be sure to gather up the family and head to Lowe's by 10 am Saturday morning (October 24th).

This week's project is the Frankenstring Magic Trick.

If you haven't been to a Lowe's workshop before, they are a lot of fun!  Each child is given safety goggles and a mini Lowe's Apron to wear - and keep!  The projects are packed up in kits, all ready to assemble.  They say that the age is from 6-12, but we've been taking Dew1 for a few months now and while he clearly can't build them by himself, he's getting really good at hammering, and he enjoys putting on the stickers - both good Fine Motor skills for him to be developing.

It's a great project for he and DaddyDew to do together, and over time he'll get some good building skills.

When the project is complete, each child receives a certificate and a Badge - that is specific to each project - to sew on their apron.  It's so cute!

So far, Dew2 has just been an observer, although he is quite interested in the hammer and steals it whenever he can.  However, the next project is a NASCAR Car and Garage, so I've signed them both up - there is no way that it's fair for Dew2 to watch his brother make and play with something as neat as a car and garage, and not have one for himself!  Looks like both MommyDew and DaddyDew will be building that day - and, if this is any indication, every day from there on out.

You need to register online - Here - and then print and sign a waiver to take with you.  That's it!  They are every other weekend.

Have fun!

By the way - Home Depot does a similar kid's workshop once a month.  I'll let you know when that is coming up!

Fine Motor - A Bottle and Clothes Pegs

It doesn't get any easier than this - and the boys love it. Dew2 more than Dew1, but it has held both of their attention for lengths of time.

I'm not sure where I first saw this idea. Possibly on a blog somewhere (if it was you, please let me know so I can give credit where due!) It might have been in a book.

But it's easy. A 2 Liter soda bottle. A knife or scissors to cut a window in the side towards the bottom. Some masking tape to make it safe. Some clothes pegs.



Ok, at this point, you can make it pretty, if you like. I have a motto in my home and in my life ...

Done is better than Perfect.

If I wait until I can make it perfect, it will never get done. And the boys don't give a hoot how pretty it is.

They love to drop the pegs in the top, reach in and pull them out, put them in the side, line them up side by side or end to end ... chew on them *hee hee*. And, of course, it's easier to put them in 'head' side down, but Dew2 likes the challenge of putting the split end in first.

Enjoy!