The Writing Sensory Box

There are a lot of different methods to help kids learn how to spell. One common way is the have kids write in sand or other powder material like coffee grounds, salt, sugar, or even dirt.  Put different types of paper underneath like foil, waxed paper, saran wrap or sticky paper to add more sensory enjoyment.

Mrs. ricca kingergarten creates sight word seashells and lets kids practice writing with their finger in the sand box.  Fist she hides the seashells in the sand and as the kids find them they get to write them out.

Get the instructions here:
http://mrsriccaskindergarten.blogspot.com/2013/05/down-by-sea-math-literacy-centers.html 

Learning for kids places colorful construction paper under salt to make colorful surprises as the kids write words and numbers.

Get the instructions here:
http://www.learning4kids.net/2012/06/05/rainbow-salt-tray/

Cut Up Poetry

One fun way to have kids just learning how to read is to take magazines and cut up some of the more simple sight words and then turn them into poems.  Have the kids go through old magazines and cut out the words they can read.  Then have them work on their skills further by putting the words together to make poems that are either non-sense or fun-sense.

Sound Guessing Sensory Box

One great way to use left over plastic eggs is placing small noisy items within them matching 2 sounds for each egg and placing them all in a bin for an auditory sensory box.  Kids will need to guess which sounds match and will have fun finding out if they're right.  Items to try include:

- Coins
- Beans
- Water
- Rice
- Beads

Currency Critters

Spoonful has a really cute way of getting kids to count coins making bugs out of them.  All you ed to do is draw some legs and feet.  See how long your critters can get.

Good for ages 6 and up.

Get the instructions here:
http://spoonful.com/family-fun/coin-critters

Sensory Sorting Box

One way to mix up the sensory bin experience is to provide an action to go with the experience such as sorting the contents of the bin.  Kids can sort by color, object type, size, texture, or think of their own ways to sort. 

Guess Who Gets Educational

Board game geek has a very cleaver way of turning the Guess Who game into a study aid for kids learning about the US Presidents.  You would really need to know about them to play this game.  Another idea is using site words.

Class grenadine uses numbers in their version and includes rules to keep kids actively trying.