While I busy battling it out with a batch of divinity, I dumped a bunch of green and yellow milk caps on the table, to keep the younger children, who wanted to be with me in the room, occupied with something of their own.
With six children, we to through a lot of milk. After we moved, I noticed that at our local store green caps are 1%, yellows are 2%, and reds are for whole milk. Being perfect Christmas craft colors, I started setting them aside, instead of tossing them with the empty jugs.
My thinking was some kind of glue and decorate craft, but yesterday, I wanted the children working on their own , so instead of a craft, I suggested a balancing game...
...where the children built a Christmas tree, by taking turns...
...alternately stacking branches (green caps), and lights (yellow caps)...
...until the tree collapsed (making the child who placed the last successful level - the winner)...
...or they ran out of caps (for a completed tree, and a tie game).
When they tired of that game, they started playing on their own...
...building different sorts of stacks...
...pyramids...
...and designs...
...playing not only with structure and balance...
...but with patterns of color, as well.
I'm so glad I didn't throw away those milk caps. They turned out to be a wealth of fun, even without glue or glitter added.
What colorful caps!!! Ours are boring blue for all types. We love caps at our house as well, we use extreme amounts of bottled water, so those are the ones we use :)
ReplyDeletehttp://michellescharmworld.blogspot.com/2014/11/diy-learning-games.html
This is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteCool and easy, I love it!
ReplyDeleteSo many fun designs here!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea and easy learning too. You have the whole unschooling worked out so cleverly.
ReplyDeleteI swear, every day I come here I learn something new! From now on the milk caps do not go into our recycling bin. :)
ReplyDeleteAt one point I was going to save caps like that, and then Jeff found the stash and threw them out. Now I save empty soup cans.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had caps like this. Ours are red, pink and yellow :)
ReplyDeleteBrilliant!
ReplyDelete