Friday, May 10, 2013

Alphabet boxes



This is one post that that I have been meaning to write for months but didn't get around to it simply because of the time that it would take to click, edit and upload the pictures..but I finally did it today Alhamdulillah. I first saw this idea at Counting Coconuts and then I googled and found this post at Living Montessori Now which got me all eager to create our own set of alphabet boxes for Z. I had a blast collecting the miniatures for these boxes.I was already collecting little objects for the last one year to make I-Spy bags (but couldn't really get myself to putting those pretty little things into a bag and sealing it up :p) so I had a headstart already. When I fell short of objects for certain sounds, I made them myself (envelope, Elmo, igloo, kite, Kaaba, octopus, quilt, question mark, rainbow, rug, underwear, watermelon and yarn) I found the mini-book printable from here and the newspaper printable here. I printed the alphabet cards from a free printable provided by the sweet Ann-Marie over here (scroll down towards the end of the post to get the template)

I got the bins at a local discount store, they're great for storing the objects and stack up nicely in the cupboard.I used the alphabet stickers from a colouring book to label the boxes.


This is what we've been doing for the past few months - Z and I choose a box and take it to the table with the felt mat. If we're taking a box for the first time I lay out the cards at the top, then remove the objects one by one and place them on the mat and name them while placing emphasis on the initial sound each time e.g. a..apple, a...alligator  . Then I put all of the objects and cards back into the box and ask Z to do the same. If it's a box Z has worked with before, she simply starts on her own and takes out the objects while practicing the sound and naming the objects. Once she's mastered all the sounds, we'll take 2 boxes at a time and I'll mix up the objects for her to sort InshaAllah. The Hands-on Alphabet Guidebook found here at Primary Concepts also has some nice activities for practice.

Here are the contents of the boxes A-Z


acrobat, alligator, ambulance, astronaut, apple, anchor, ant


bird, balloon, burger, butterfly, brush, bottle, bulb, bangle, bell, bow, banana, book, bee, bicycle, button, bus


cow, clip, cup, comb, crown, can, crayon, cat, cage, cockroach, carrot, camera, car, coin, card, crayon, clock, capsicum


duck, dog, deer, dolphin, date, dinosaur, dragonfly, dice, diamond


Elmo, elephant, egg, eight, envelope


flower, fish, fire, four, five, frame, feather, feet


grapes, goat, glass, gift, girl, green


house, hat, hand, hen, horse, hexagon, heart, hanger

                                         

igloo, India

                                        

juice, jacket, jug, jewel

                                         

kite, key, Kaaba, kangaroo

                                         

lobster, lemon, leaf, lamp, ladybird, lock, lantern, lips

                                         

marble, mobile phone, money, mirror, magnifying glass, moon, map, milk

                                         

necklace, newspaper, needle, nail clipper, nine, nose

                                         

octopus, ostrich, oyster, orange

                                         

pot, purse, pear, pencil, pomegranate, plate, peacock, panda, parrot, pom pom, pineapple

                                         

question mark, Qur'an, quilt, queen

                                          

rabbit, rose, radio, rocking chair, red, ring, rainbow, racquet, rug

                                        

snake, stamp, saw, scooter, strawberry, spider, soldier, star, six, seal, scissors, slipper, seahorse, sword, spoon

                                         

train, teapot, trolley, two, tray, table, telephone, tiger, torch, turtle, trumpet, teddy

                                          

underwear, umbrella

                                          

vase, vest, violin

                                       

watermelon, whistle, window, wings, wood, watering can

                                         

x-ray

                                        

yarn, yo-yo, yellow

                                        

zero, zebra, zip


Linking up with:

For the Kids Fridays at SunScholars.com Montessori Monday