I once saw an E-card that said: “Teaching is the only profession where you steal from home and bring them to work”. As a fellow educator, I couldn’t agree more! Every time I am missing something around the house, my first instinct is to check my closet at school. Why? Because I have a classroom full of distracted students who need visual cues, auditory reinforcement, tactile objects, and kinesthetic movement in order to learn. And because I don’t have a lot of money to spend on these objects, we create them using the everyday objects lying around the house! Below are 10 ways I use everyday objects to create a REAL experience for students.
Fidget/Widgets
DIY-ers rejoice! You no longer have to spend your hard earned money on fancy widgets! Seriously, you can easily spend over $50.00 a year equipping your students with these toys (that so easily get broken and lost). You can make your own super cheap (if not free from your junk drawer).
Legos
Not only are Legos super popular with kids (and even adults) but they are everywhere! It doesn’t have to be the expensive fancy kit. Go into your basement, grab a bin and bring it to school. There are so many ways that you can incorporate Legos as a kinesthetic and tactile reinforcement. I am using them to teach math students about area and perimeter. I can’t wait to see what building structures they will come up with for their project assessment!
Games
Extra decks of cards cluttering up your house? Do you have one too many Candyland board games? Bring them to class! One of my favorite games to use in class is Jenga. Students love playing it and it is a quick way to review class content. As students pull out a brick, have them share something they are learning. If you have extra time on your hands, put some masking tape on each brick and write a review question. When students pull out the brick they will read the question out loud and discuss it as a group. You can even interchange the questions by removing or adding more masking tape.
Puzzles
Puzzles with a purpose! Turn a puzzle into a team building activity. Have students relay to put it together. Have students answer questions before they can place a piece in the puzzle. Take a piece out and teach a lesson on disappointment or imperfection. Use puzzles as an incentive reward system. So many possibilities with puzzles!
Craft Sticks
Craft sticks are versatile in many ways. I personally use them as bundles when teaching how to skip count by 10’s. I have also used them to make my fidgets, draw names, make mini catapults, write simple math problems on to solve, name plate, etc. It is always good to have a bundle around!
To read the rest of Sarah’s article and get even more REAL teaching ideas, click here.
Want more information about REAL education? Click here.
Fidget/Widgets
DIY-ers rejoice! You no longer have to spend your hard earned money on fancy widgets! Seriously, you can easily spend over $50.00 a year equipping your students with these toys (that so easily get broken and lost). You can make your own super cheap (if not free from your junk drawer).
- Fill a balloon with flour/sand/or rice
- Nuts & bolts
- Cut a pool noodle into small squeezable stress balls
- Play dough
- Pipe cleaners wrapped around popsicle sticks
Legos
Not only are Legos super popular with kids (and even adults) but they are everywhere! It doesn’t have to be the expensive fancy kit. Go into your basement, grab a bin and bring it to school. There are so many ways that you can incorporate Legos as a kinesthetic and tactile reinforcement. I am using them to teach math students about area and perimeter. I can’t wait to see what building structures they will come up with for their project assessment!
Games
Extra decks of cards cluttering up your house? Do you have one too many Candyland board games? Bring them to class! One of my favorite games to use in class is Jenga. Students love playing it and it is a quick way to review class content. As students pull out a brick, have them share something they are learning. If you have extra time on your hands, put some masking tape on each brick and write a review question. When students pull out the brick they will read the question out loud and discuss it as a group. You can even interchange the questions by removing or adding more masking tape.
Puzzles
Puzzles with a purpose! Turn a puzzle into a team building activity. Have students relay to put it together. Have students answer questions before they can place a piece in the puzzle. Take a piece out and teach a lesson on disappointment or imperfection. Use puzzles as an incentive reward system. So many possibilities with puzzles!
Craft Sticks
Craft sticks are versatile in many ways. I personally use them as bundles when teaching how to skip count by 10’s. I have also used them to make my fidgets, draw names, make mini catapults, write simple math problems on to solve, name plate, etc. It is always good to have a bundle around!
To read the rest of Sarah’s article and get even more REAL teaching ideas, click here.
Want more information about REAL education? Click here.
 | Sarah Kolkman |
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