Ice Cream I !
Who doesn’t love ice cream? This activity can help teach the letter I , but it can also be used as a lesson about shapes and a simple math lesson. We only put on one scoop but you can add as many scoops as you can count!
- Gather your materials. You will need 3 or more pieces of construction paper, crayons, scissors, glue and cotton balls if desired.
- Start by drawing a large I . Don’t cut it out yet.
- Have your child color and decorate the I, let them know that it’s going to be the cone of an ice cream cone. Ask them about the shapes they normally see on a cone, if they tell you a shape ask them to draw it on the cone. If they aren’t quite there yet, don’t push. It’s more important they are enjoying this activity , then us adults trying to cram in 4000 lessons into one. Go with their flow!
- While they are coloring and possibly drawing diamonds or other fun shapes, cut out one or more half circles for the scoops or ice cream. I made my scoop look more like ice cream but if you are using this as shape lesson simply use a perfect half circle.
- Cut everything out and glue together. Glue the I on the backing paper first, then the ice cream.
- Add more scoops if you want, and you can make the ice cream 3D by gluing on a few cotton balls.
- Let dry.
Books!
” Ice Cream , The Full Scoop” by Gail Gibbons is a fascinating book all about, you guessed it, ice cream. It touches on the history of the tasty treat, how it was made in years past and how it is made today. As someone who once called St. Louis home, I was happy to see it also talks about the very first ice cream cone that debut at the 1904 World’s Fair in good old St. Louis! This book is not for toddlers or young preschoolers, it may even be too long for some 5 and 6 year olds. The delivery is fun with a lot of pictures so even if the whole book is too much, bits and pieces in small does much like ice cream is perfect!
” Ice Cream , The Full Scoop” by Gail Gibbons is a fascinating book all about, you guessed it, ice cream. It touches on the history of the tasty treat, how it was made in years past and how it is made today. As someone who once called St. Louis home, I was happy to see it also talks about the very first ice cream cone that debut at the 1904 World’s Fair in good old St. Louis! This book is not for toddlers or young preschoolers, it may even be too long for some 5 and 6 year olds. The delivery is fun with a lot of pictures so even if the whole book is too much, bits and pieces in small does much like ice cream is perfect!
“Manana, Iguana” by Ann Whitford Paul is a great book. It is a re telling of Chicken Little with a fun twist. The sky isn’t falling in this tale, instead Iguana is throwing a fiesta and although her friends say they will help, they all back out. She stands her ground and in the end they learn that you don’t get to have your cake and eat it too! The best part about this book is it’s use of Spanish mixed in with the English text. Small children will pick up on these words quickly and any exposure we as parents can give our children different languages is a benefit to them.
Nicole says
Do you know how many times I leave your site and head straight to my library’s website to put a book on hold? Almost every post! Love your book suggestions–we are really enjoying the Seals on the Bus right now!
Jaci says
Can you tell me how old your son is? I just found your blog and would love to try a lot of your ideas in the future but I don’t know when to start. My son will be 14 months next week.
Thank you!
Jaci
Allie says
My little bald man will be 22 months next week. I started the blog when he was just about 15 months and there are lots of activities you can do with a 1 year old , just be patient and expect it to be short.
Good Luck!
Jaci says
Thanks for responding Allie! Dang, I need to get my butt moving!