Christmas Poster Center Idea

I got a new gadget last week and I have to admit I am a bit obsessed.  I LOVE my new Martha Stewart Circle Cutter.

It is the best!  I got it for a advent calender I am working on for Christian but now I am a circle cutting fool!  I had some leftover Christmas scrapbook paper and Tyler was looking at it yesterday and commented that it would make nice ornaments.  I was inspired to make us a new center for December. 

I took a green posterboard and cut out a Christmas tree and glued it on to a blue posterboard.  I cut some holes with an Exacto knife and put paper bards through the holes.  I opened the bards only far enough for them not to pull through the holes and taped them on the back.  They need to poke through on the front so that you can hang the ornaments on them.

This is what each bard should look like at the back.

This is the front of the poster with the bards in.

 

I then took me scrap paper and my handy little circle cutter and cut 4 3" circles from each pattern of paper.  I glued ribbon on the back of each with the glue gun.

I am going to use half of the ornaments for Christian to match the patterns and to hang them up with the white side of the ornaments showing to play memory.  For Tyler I am going to use the other half of the ornaments.  I wrote a writing prompt on the back of each  of his and will hang them up and let him pick a prompt.

We will store all our ornaments on 3M hooks by the posters.

It only took me about a half hour to make this.  The longest part was gluing on the ribbons.  You could also put math problems on half of the ornaments and the answers on the other ornaments and have them match them or sight words on half and the matching pictures on the others.  I am sure there could be lots of variations.  I think it will also be fun just for Christian to play with and put the ornaments on too! 

Apple Tree Poster Centers

I have been wanting to incorporate more learning centers into our workbox schedule this year.  The problem is that with only two children and both being so different that after they are done using a center they are not used again unless I can find someone to give them to. I have been trying to think of some ideas for centers that can be changed around and reused by each child in different ways.  I made an apple tree poster center for each of my boys this weekend and I am excited about them because I think they can be used longer than some things I have created in the past.

Tyler's Apple Tree

For Tyler's apple tree I took a blue poster board.  I then cut out a tree out of a brown and a green poster board and attached them to the blue board.  My wonderful teachers assistant (my husband) took it to the local teacher supply store and had it laminated because I only have a small laminator.  I then used diecut apples and wrote one side of some of the equivalent mesurement problems he has been working on in math.  I laminated them and attached them to the tree with velcro.

After that I used Microsoft word to create a template for the flash cards that go with the poster.  Each card has an equal sign on it and I wrote the other side of an equivalency to go with the apples.  I then laminated the flash cards and attached a small strip of velcro to the side of the equation on wich the apple will go.  I holepunched the cards and put them together with a book ring.  They are hanging by the poster on a small hook.

His job at this center is to look at each card and find the matching apple and attach it to the card.

These cards and apples are for linear measurements but I hope to make some for liquid measurement, vocabulary words, Bible verse and reference matching, and a lot more. It took me awhile to make this but with a template saved on Word for the cards it will be simple for me to make a lot more sets.  Tyler was interested in the new poster and asked if he will be doing it tomorrow.  He likes anything that gives him an opportunity to get out of his seat and do something hands on.  I think this will be a favorite.

Christian's Apple Tree

Christian's apple tree started in exactly the same way as Tyler's.  His activities will obviously be a lot simpler.  It is important when trying something new with him that his initial experience be very positive and easily accomplished.  I made this a very simple two color sorting activity.  I first printed an apple pattern on to both green and red cardstock. I then laminated them and velcroed them on to the tree.  I used to Jello boxes for the sorting pockets.  I covered them with white cardstock and glued on a matching apple.

I also used velcro to attach the boxes to the poster so in the future I could use other boxes for different activities.

I forsee also using this poster for a variety of activities.  I will start with matching activities and then hopefully move on to classifying.  I hung this on the wall this afternoon and he took me over to check it out.  He completed it with me and so I think he will enjoy his poster a lot!