I'm always looking for ways to help the children connect the songs, stories and games that we do in the classroom to real life activities or objects! It's one thing to READ about a gingerbread house...it's another thing to MAKE a gingerbread house! So, before our break, with the children so obsessed with The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, we just HAD to try our hand at miniature...very child created and super simple gingerbread houses!
We started by saving and washing small milk cartons (one for each child). We (a-hem, my teacher associate :) cut a flap on one side of each milk carton to form a "door."
The children used craft sticks to spread frosting on the milk carton and then stuck graham cracker squares directly to the milk carton.
Spreading is a WONDERFUL way to work on those fine motor skills! (If you are looking for other creative ways to work on fine motor skills through play, check THIS out!)
Then the fun part...MORE frosting! We went through almost an entire can of frosting...and, believe it or not, very little was eaten!
After the houses were frosted, the children chose to put marshmallow shapes or cookies on the outside. We chose not to use any candy or small items, as these would pose a choking hazard for many of the children.
Then the BEST part of ALL! The children LOVED, LOVED, LOVED putting a gingerbread baby cookie inside the gingerbread house.
We started by saving and washing small milk cartons (one for each child). We (a-hem, my teacher associate :) cut a flap on one side of each milk carton to form a "door."
The children used craft sticks to spread frosting on the milk carton and then stuck graham cracker squares directly to the milk carton.
Spreading is a WONDERFUL way to work on those fine motor skills! (If you are looking for other creative ways to work on fine motor skills through play, check THIS out!)
Then the fun part...MORE frosting! We went through almost an entire can of frosting...and, believe it or not, very little was eaten!
After the houses were frosted, the children chose to put marshmallow shapes or cookies on the outside. We chose not to use any candy or small items, as these would pose a choking hazard for many of the children.
Then the BEST part of ALL! The children LOVED, LOVED, LOVED putting a gingerbread baby cookie inside the gingerbread house.
I could clearly tell that several of the children were connecting this directly with their beloved Gingerbread Baby book! What a great way to work on those fine motor skills AND create a tiny part of a book we love!
Pam,
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderful.
I like the large shapes rather than tiny candies.
And the connection to a loved story just makes the whole activity such a great experience for your children.
And of course you and the children made gingerbread babies as well, so there was a lot of learning and fun, that went on around this book.
Brenda
Brenda- the whole candy (choking issue) was why I hadn't done this previously with the kids! But they seemed just fine with decorating it with marshmallow shapes and cookies!
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