Recommended Age: 3 to 5 years
Level of Parent Involvement: Medium, the parent must facilitate the initial exercise, then low once the child has been shown and works independently with the cards
Prerequisites
- None
Materials
- Garden tool cards
- Small box or basket to keep the cards
- Scissors
- Laminator
- Laminating sheets
- Real garden tools to make the link
Preparation
- Cut only the cards with the label (leave the picture card and separate labels for an extension, the child may work with them as 3-part cards)
- Laminate and cut the cards
- Place the cards in a small box, basket
Steps
- Invite the child letting them know that today they will be learning about garden tools
- Show the child the box/basket of prepared cards, the child may bring the cards to the table
- Sit to the right of the child, the child may take the cards out of the box/basket
- Place the cards into a pile, place the pile picture side down
- Turn over the first card, asking the child “do you know what this is?”
- Repeat for the remaining cards, sorting the cards into 2 piles (one pile consists of the cards the child knows, the other pile consists of the cards the child doesn’t know)
- From here do a 3-period lesson with 3 of the cards, 2 cards which the child doesn’t know one cards which the child does know
- Once you have finished the 3-period lesson, let the child know that you are going to go to the shed/garage to see if you can find any tools
- Take the child to the shed or garage and explore the garden tools which you have at home, noticing with the child the ones which are the same as the cards
- Invite the child to choose one of the tools (for example a hammer, a screw driver or a trowel) to bring inside
- Show the child how to trace around the tool, the child may then colour the tool in and label using the card from the garden tool set as a guide
- Once finished you may go with the child to return the tool and choose with the child another appropriate tool to draw around
- The child may staple the papers together to make a book of tools
- On another day present another 3 garden tool cards to the child in the form of a 3 period lesson
Variations
- The child may use all cards (3-part cards)
- Continue presenting 3 period lessons, 3 cards at a time until the child has memorized all leaf shape cards
- The child may make tool shadow art (see toy shadows in ART folder)
