Robot Mania

 ROBOT MANIA

Hello and welcome to our fun Robot theme.  These two weeks will prove to keep you busy with a lot of fun activities.  Remember to email us with any questions.  

We will not be adding the detailed explanation or goal of a particular skill if it has already been explained or covered in prior weeks. 

* Food products include: Rice Chex, pretzel sticks, MnMs and Honey Nut Cheerios.  Gloves were used when handling food items.

Warning: there are small parts to this bag and some items may have pointed ends.  So, it might be best to observe the building process and keep toddler siblings away from small objects.

Math

1.  Build a Robot with Play-dough

(This activity has a big punch offering many mathematical concepts:  counting, 1 to 1 correspondence, number recognition, number quantity, set recognition, spatial relations, more/less/equal concept, following directions.  It also offers fine motor and language skills.)

Directions:

You will need the grey play-dough that arrived in the bag.  Have your child work with the play-dough, kneading it between their hands.  Discuss the different shapes your child is familiar with: circle, square, rectangle and triangle.  Ask them what shape they would like to make their robot.  Mom and Dad may need to help in flattening the play-dough.  After your child creates the base of the robot, use the various "Build A Robot" cards as the "recipe" to make their creation.  There will also be a zip lock bag containing all of the ingredients to create the various robots.  Using reference cards is a great skill and they will see this again.  It will force your child to use their working memory to identify the need and then apply it.

Enrichment:  Let your child be creative and create their own robot.  Ask them to tell you the number of items used.  Have them sort the items as well.  Feel free to use items around your house.

*You can put the "Build a Robot" cards in the plastic sleeve from the dino bag, so it doesn't get dirty with the play-dough.

2.  Robot Race to 10 or 20

Directions:

Using the dice that was given in the Dino Bag, this game can be played with a partner.  Each player receives either 10 or 20 of the same markers depending if you are playing with the first tens frame or the double tens frames.  The first player rolls the die and then moves from left to right in the tens frame.  They then place that many markers covering the spots (roll a 5 use 5 markers) Then the next player rolls and puts their marker on the same squares (there should be room for both markers in each square.  The first one to 10 (or 20)wins.

A question to ask, "How many more do you need to get to 10?" 

For those who need a little more challenge, roll to reach 20.

3.  Graphing Robots

Practice graphing skills with this fun roll and graph game.

Directions:

Using the fun wooden robot dice and the graph, have your child roll the dice.  Whatever robot it lands on, your child will color or somehow mark the correct square starting with #1 spot.  Have your child continue to roll and graph on the correct robot until one of the robots reach #10.  Encourage your child to slow down and make sure they are marking the correct robot's graph.  Feel free to use the clear sheet and dry wipe marker that came in the Dino Bag, if you would like to play this multiple times. 

4.  Robot Sorting

                                                                      Example: Sort by Color

Sort by Antenna 

(Most pre-k students can sort items into set categories, but a more difficult skill is matching the same items in to a variety of different categories.  This activity gives your child a pile of robots that can be sorted based on 4 different attributes (color, antennas, shape, number of legs and arms).

Directions:

Ask you child which attribute they would like to begin with: color, antennas, shape, number of legs/arms.

Place the attribute card on the table and remove the rest.  Give your child the stack of cards and let them sort away.  Some robots may be questionable but that is good. (For example: your child may say this robot is mixed color but it has more red so I am putting it with the red robots; or I don't think antennas come out of the neck so I am putting this robot with the no antenna pile.)  This skill is teaching your child to defend their answers and improves critical thinking skills.  

Literacy

1.  Matching  Beginning Letter Sounds

(Matching the beginning sounds of words is an important pre-literacy skill.) 

Directions:

For some children we detached the robots because we know they are already identifying the letters.  For others, we left the heads attached in case your child needs a bit of a review of the pictures with corresponding beginning sound of each picture.  After reviewing, you can cut the heads off the robot bodies and begin the activity.

A.  If your child is still learning the sounds letters make, divide this activity into smaller sections.  Giving your child all the robot heads and bodies together could become overwhelming.  You can mix up the sections and include a few of the known sounds with a few unknown.  This will help your child start to learn more letter sounds.

B.  If your child knows all their letter sounds, try to give them the entire activity at once.  Organizing the heads on one side and the bodies on the other will help with the process.  Encourage your child to do the ones they know first if frustration sets in.  Divide the activity in half is an option as well.  Remember, this is basically a matching game. Take it to the next level and play it like a memory game.

2.  Robot Rhyming

Robots, Robots Everywhere

(Watch Video)

Now that your child has watched this fun rhyming story, it is time to practice some rhyming. 

Directions

Using the rhyming sheets, have your child use the markers/counters (that were used in Robot Race to 10) to place on the correct matching sound. (example: cat: hat). Begin with placing the markers on the robots (example is the first photo).  Have your child identify the first picture (cake).  Then have your child name the other two pictures to the right of the robot (bat, snake).  Ask them to tell you what word rhymes with cake? (bat or snake).  They will then move the marker to the correct rhyming word. 

Another fine motor variation would be to put the sheet into the clear sleeve that came home in a previous bag and use the dry wipe marker to circle the correct answer.

Enrichment:  Ask your child to name another rhyming word.  

(Cake: snake, take, bake, rake)

3.  Robot Matching Game

Directions:

Mix up the robots in the pile. Have your child review the robots by first matching them together.  

To Play the Game: Mix up the robots and place them face down in rows.  Individual Game: Your child can flip two cards over to see if there is a match and place them face down again if there is no match. Partner Game: You can play a game and alternate taking turns to make a match. When one person finds a match, their turn continues.  If a match is not made, it is the next person's turn.

4.  File Folder Fun - Matching Upper and Lowercase Letters

Directions:

This is a great file folder activity that can be used over and over again this summer.  All of the circular uppercase letters are in a plastic pocket on the front of the file folder.  Scatter the uppercase circles that look like "gears" on a surface and ask your child to find their match.  If your child just needs review, have him or her do them all at once.  If your child is still working on identifying the lowercase letters, have them only do one side of the folder at a time and make sure only the correct uppercase letters are available to choose from.

To reinforce learning and visual discrimination, talk with your child on what makes the lowercase letter unique or how they can remember it matches the uppercase letter.

FINE MOTOR

1.  I See Robots Emergent Reader

This is more than just a Fine Motor activity.  This emergent reader also involves math and literacy.  Your child needs to count the robots on each page and then practice writing the number on that page.  Remember to take out the number line that came in the Dino bag. This will help the child with identification and letter formation. When all pages are completed, have your child color a few pages. Use crayons or markers.  

 

TIP:  Remind your child to change colors. One suggestion we sometimes use:"if you are 4, use at least 4 colors; if you are 5 use at least five colors".

Also, remember to use your pincher fingers on your crayon/marker and use just the right amount of pressure.

2.  Robot Rompus

(watch video)

Directions:

A snack baggie titled "Nuts and Bolts" is inside your activity bag.  There are 4 different kinds of snacks inside the baggie (Rice Chex; honey nut cheerios, pretzel sticks and plain MnM's).  Empty the contents onto a paper towel, plate, or cookie sheet.  Have your child sort the snack or make a pattern or simply eat the snack while watching this silly Robot story.  This can be a working snack or simply a fun chill time.  The treat bags are really stuffed to share with siblings : )

Questions:  

Which robot was your favorite?

If you made a special robot; what special job would it do?

What would you have done if robots were going crazy at your home?

3. Boy + Bot

(Watch Video)

  Design A Robot 

Directions:

A. Now it's time for your child to build their own "Bot" using the brown paper bag full of supplies.  There is an aluminum foil covered foam block and bag of bolts and screws and miscellaneous items for your child to create his or her very own unique robot.  Not only does this activity channel their creativity and imagination, it also works their fine motor muscles because they have to push the items into the aluminum covered styrofoam. And let's not forget the motor planning involved in this activity. Feel free to add items you may have around the house as well (toothpicks, straws, sticks, plastic lids).  Not everything needs to push into the robot.  Feel free to glue some items on your robot; just make sure to lay it down flat so that it can dry. You will need glue to attach the eyes.

Enrichment:  We are just showing you an example of a robot that was made with a box, an old cell phone, 4 plastic wheels and other goodies found around the house.   The ideas are endless!

4.  Robot Bead Name Necklace

Directions:

Each bag contains a variety of colored beads as well as beads that spell out your child's name.  To add extra fine motor practice, your child can sort the beads.  Then, your child can organize their beads in the order they would like before they string the beads on to make a necklace. Make sure they spell out their name in order before they begin stringing.

NEXT: YOU SCREAM, I SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!