Triangles....

Our shape of focus is the triangle. I typically pick a single shape to focus on at all times. We just work with it until I am confident Q can recognize the shape (in different sizes and various locations) and has a basic understanding of the shape's properties--number of sides and angles.

For the triangle, I make sure she is exposed to many different types of triangles--I want her to understand that any shape with 3 sides is a triangle. In children's materials they are usually only exposed to right or equilateral triangles, and when shown an obtuse or acute triangle, even my 1st graders wouldn't recignize them to be triangles. So I really work to show Q that triangles can be many different types. The one in this picture is an acute triangle, though it's a little hard to see that.

One activity that helps children understand the form of letters and shapes is to glue objects onto the line. Q chose to glue noodles on the triangle (I offered her the choice of lentils, red beans or noodles). I was impressed with how much she has improved at this activity since the last time we glued objects on a shape! Lots of freeplay with glue, paper and small objects at her art table and of course just some standard development are the cause of her improvement. I am also noticing growth in the amount of time she concentrates on tablework such as glueing!

PS) We used the glue bottle--I let her apply the glue to the lines with just a little bit of my help to keep the bottle moving so as not to create a big glue pool! I try to expose her to different techniques for gluing--gluestick, glue bottle, paintbrush and a cup of glue, toothpicks and glue, etc.