Favorite Things: Lids

A couple of years ago I had a periodic blog series of favorite things. (Here's a quick round-up of some of my favorite favorites.) I decided that I need to bring back those periodic posts. And, for the first one, I'll feature something that I have blogged about a lot and use regularly - my bag of lids.

I started saving lids a few years ago with no particular purpose in mind. I have amassed quite a collection. In the past two weeks we have used these lids for--

Making letters

Making groups of ten

In the past we've used them for these and other things.

We used them as a base for an art exploration.

We used them as game pieces.

We used them to build.

We used them to explore shapes.

We count them, sort them, and sometimes ignore them for other things.

I have grown to love my bag of lids.

Others have used lids in interesting ways, too.

• Deborah at Teach Preschool has done lots of learning with lids.
• Crafty Journal made homemade stamps.
• Picklebums made a music stick (instrument).
• Learning4Kids lists 10 quick ideas for lids.

How have you recycled and repurposed lids?

Two Minds

This year in first grade has been like a Dickens novel - it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.... Well, maybe not the worst of times. But I have definitely struggled. It has been hard. I've been tired. But I know I'm in the right place. I hope I've made a difference in the lives of these boys and girls. I know they've made a difference in mine.

Yes, my lids have made it to 1st grade!

In all my previous experiences with teaching young children, I've been very hands on and exploratory. I think that's the way that kids learn naturally and I want to nurture that. But now, in a public school teaching academic stuff, I find myself doing other kinds of things. Telling rather than exploring. Using those sheets in the curriculum to add to the experiences with manipulatives. What I'm finding is that I definitely have two minds about things. And I think that's good.

My university class this semester has helped me begin to merge some of these competing (but not necessarily conflicting) ideas. (And, yes, I'm a student as well as a teacher at this point in my life - a challenge for my middle-aged mind!) Sometimes direct instruction is the "right way" - telling students what they need to know directly. Example: We've been working on time. It's hard to do much discovery to understand "o'clock" and "thirty" for hour and half hour.

Sometimes exploration and student-discover is the "right way." Example: exploring with different shapes and how they relate to one another. I watched a student figure out that 6 small triangles make up a hexagon - without any prompting from me.

Play and exploration and student discover can co-exist with pencil practice and minute math. I'm forging ahead in my adventure of truly becoming a first grade teacher. I see glimmers of brightness. I see times when I outright fail. Just like the kids I teach. As I said recently to one of my friends, "It's okay to make mistakes. We all make mistakes. That helps us learn what to do."

I'm merging my two minds to be the teacher I'm intended to be. I keep telling myself that next year will be so much better. But this year is okay, too. Even when it's not.

Building Letters

Two kids stand in the blocks center, looking at what is on the floor. Cube blocks, our lids, some checkers from an old game, and letters made from tape.

"You can build the letters, putting these things on the tape letters," I said. "Or you can use the materials in another way."

They began to cover the letter shapes, each working on their own letter with their choice of materials.

We've outlined letters before, but this was the first time for this group. They worked on it for quite a while.

After their work, they left to pursue other things, leaving some of the letters covered. A few minutes later another boy came to inspect the materials.

"You can cover the other letters," I said. "Or you can build something else." He began work.

This particular boy likes to work alone. The cube block formed the base of his building but the checkers came in handy, too.

After a while, he knocked down his building. Now it was time to sort the materials, putting them back into their various containers.

Through this activity, kids explored literacy concepts, math concepts, spatial concepts. And, since the word spelled the name of a person in our Bible story - we explored those concepts, too.

Play is so important for kids' development and learning. A classroom should allow kids to experiment, using materials in their own ways.

Angels

Earlier this month I read about peg angels on Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning. I knew we needed to do this sometime.

This week we were talking about the angel announcing the birth of Jesus to Mary and Joseph. I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to make the peg angels. I put out the peg clothespins, chenille stems, coffee filters, lids(!), wall tack, stickers, and fine-line pens.

The kids drew faces and experimented with creating their stand-up angels.

As the kids worked, we discovered that scissors would be a good addition, so they could trim the coffee filters.

The kids' ideas went in directions that I didn't expect (as they usually do). And I think the angels are definitely unique.

Next time I'll probably cut some of the coffee filters ahead of time. And we'll have white glue and brushes instead of glue sticks. But I'll definitely try it again.

"Still Seven"

We were counting groups of seven. We counted cubes, chips, and lids. We tried several different ways to count.

Same object, same color

Different objects, same color

Count and double up

Bunch them all together, making a shape instead of counting

"O" creating his first arrangement of 7.

"O" kept rearranging his cubes on the paper. "How many now?" I would ask. "Still seven," he would say with a smile.

I watched him rearrange and rework and say, "Still seven" several times.

I think this class is the most mathematical I've ever had.

(And I think my lids are going to get a real workout this year!)

Using Our Lids Again

This week we used that collection of lids again. We used tape to create three letters on the floor. The letters related to words that were the focus of our story this week. By the tape letters, we put containers of lids and the cube blocks. We encouraged the kids to outline the letters with the lids and blocks.

I've done this type of activity before. I want to work in letters and literacy whenever I can, using their growing interest in letters and words as an avenue for talking about other concepts. I always encourage choices and let the kids experiment with their own ideas. So I tell the kids that they can outline the letters or they can build something with the materials. Usually the kids build on top of or to the side of the letters, engaging the letters only a little.

This time the kids really took to the letters. First a group of kids put the lids on all the letters.

A three-colored letter

All one color

Can you find the 2 BIG lids?

Then another group of kids took off all the lids and worked on outlining all the letters with the cube blocks.

Even within this activity the kids worked to express their own ideas. And we were able to talk about letters, the words and Bible story, and the concepts. I love incorporating their interests and growing skills in different ways to learn even more.

Both blocks and lids!

And I got to use my collection of lids again!

Lids - Usage #2

My stash of lids found their way in the classroom again this past week. I placed them in a center to be counters - along with some cube blocks, counting chips, and "jewels" from an old board game.

Some kids used the counting boards and items to count out groups of 10. Then this happened.

A building secured the jewels. The lids became part of the security system - only the gold ones were doors into the building; the other ones were decoys.

Security measures increased. An additional wall surrounded the building, making it harder to get inside.

"Traps" appeared around the building. And eventually surrounded it and spread outward.

I love how purchased items, repurposed items, and recycled items mixed easily in the children's play. These lids - and other unusual items - will continue to appear as counters, building items, and multipurpose resources. I can hardly wait to see what happens next with them.

Lids - Usage #1

I've been saving lids for a while. Saving them with no plans for what to do with them. Well, this week I used some of them!

I planned a large board game for the kids to play. I wanted some larger game pieces than I had. And I had some lids to use. I chose lids from Sobe water, since they were larger or wider. I used colored masking tape to cover each one, making four large game pieces.

As you can see, they worked well...a perfect fit for kids' hands.

One of my friends asked, "What is this made of? Is it a lid?"

I really like the way they turned out...and will keep them to use again later. And I was so glad to use some of the lids I've been squirreling away. I hope to use more of them this summer. I'll let you know.