Popsicle Stick Shapes

Here's a quiet, open-ended activity that requires very minimal preparation and can be pulled out quickly to fill a few minutes of spare time. 

Supplies: popsicle sticks, pages of shapes to copy

I printed the pages of popsicle stick shapes here:

http://www.triedandtrueblog.com/shape-sticks-stocking-stuffer/

...but you could easily draw them, too. 

Monkey decided to make the star first. We counted on the picture how many sticks he would need. Any time you can practice counting with a preschooler, do it! 

Then he wanted to make the tree. Again, we counted how many sticks, this time breaking it down between the trunk and the branches. 

Once the tree was done, Monkey wanted to add ornaments to make it a Christmas tree. We're still a little hung up on Christmas over here, singing carols everyday. Monkey definitely inherited my love of all thing Christmas... So of course I grabbed the wooden squares and he put them on the branches, and he moved the star to the top of the tree, too! 

Next Monkey wanted to build the house. Instead of counting the sticks, this time we talked about the shapes that make up the house. 

Finally, Monkey wanted to try the stairs. I didn't give him much guidance for this one because it wasn't too complicated and I just wanted to watch him work. 

I also printed a page with the alphabet on it in the hopes that maybe Monkey would try to make his name or some letters, but that didn't happen today. Maybe next time!

Mar