A is for aiming

Score the goals. 

This is a great game to play outside. The idea is simple, kids have to hit the goal with a ball or any other object that is good for throwing. We had different size balls, rubber bunny and a dolphin.
Here are the shooting things, there might be more rubber toys which are as good as balls.

The goal may be a basin, a bucket or any other thing like a box or a hoola hoop. We had three goals: a basin, a tyre and a stool turned upside down which caught balls of medium size easily. The mat was put at an optimal distance for a four year old kid to hit the goals.

We had a few rounds before Tasia went exploring the tyre. It turned out to be lots of fun to jump in and out. Or may be we had run out of toys or other funny things to shoot with. Anyway jumping in and out was a fun to practice her gross motor skills.

Another aiming fun we had is easy to set too. It was Bowling. Find five or six plastic bottles and fill them 1/3 with water. One ball could be enough, but it would be better if every player had a ball. The rules are easy: try to knock down all the bottles in one go.

I'll put here some phrases in English that I found useful for those who learn English with their kids. (Sorry, you will not find here phrases for bowling game. I've got to get back to it later).

Take the ball you like. You've chosen the football. - Возьми мяч, который тебе нравится. Ты выбрала футбольный.
Okay, it is hard and heavy. Try to shoot the goal with it. - Так, он жесткий и тяжелый. Попробуй попасть им в цель.
Don't step off the mat.  - Не сходи с коврика.
Don't come closer. It is not fair. - Не подходи ближе. Так нечестно.
Try to aim at the goal from where you are standing. - Постарайся прицеливаться с места, где ты стоишь.
Choose the goal and take aim at it. Look at it, think of it. Make no fuss. Throw. - Выбери мишень и целься. Смотри на неё, думай о ней. Не суетись. Кидай.
You scored! - Попала!
Good shot! Tidy shot! - Точный бросок! Аккуратный бросок!
Try again with another ball. Will it be easier or harder to hit the goal this time? - Попробуй еще другим мячом. Будет легче или труднее на этот раз?
The beach ball is big and soft and it is not as heavy as the football. - Пляжный мяч большой, мягкий и не такой тяжелый, как футбольный.
Which goal do you want to hit? You are aming at the basin. - В какую мишень ты хочешь попасть? Ты целишься в тазик.
Throw! You scored again!  - Кидай! Опять забросила!
Clever hit! - Точное попадание!
Get the next ball and shoot again. -
This ball is smaller. Do you think it will be easier to hit the goal this time?
It must be harder. Oops! You hit the tyre but the ball bounced off.
You did not score.
The ball is out. Try one more time.
It is getting harder to do it with the smaller balls, isn't it?
This ball is small and bumpy. It's easy to grip in one hand. Try to send it well into the goal.
Great! It was a well aimed shot! - Здорово! Это был меткий бросок!
Your aim is very good. - Ты меткий стрелок.
What's next? We've run out of balls. Try to shoot with the bunny. - Что теперь? У нас закончились мячи. Попробуй запустить зайчиком. Shooting bunny sounds funny! - Зайчик для запускания звучит смешно. (Вариант перевода для рифмы: Кончились мячики - в ход идут зайчики!)
Scored! It was even more fun than with a ball! - Попала! Даже интереснее, чем мячом.
Try the dolphin. You grab it by its tail and shoot.  -  Попробуй дельфином. берешь за хвост и кидаешь.
You missed this time. Never mind. It is only a game. - Теперь не попала. Ничего страшного. Это всего лишь игра.
Let's get the balls here and have the second round. - Давай соберем мячи и сыграем второй раунд.
I can outshoot you for proper aim. - Я могу посоревноваться с тобой в меткости.
Because I am bigger than you I must step further away from the goals. Поскольку я больше тебя, я должна отойти подальше от мишеней.
See? I can hit the goals from the larger distance. Do you want to try to shoot from where I am standing? - Видишь? Я могу попасть с большего расстояния. Хочешь попробовать запустить мячь с моего места?

ABC games

I can't wait to share all the activities we are having here at dacha these days: crafts are made, pictures are taken, new things are learned.

I have made a picture book which is called "I Spy ABC". Soon it will be available for purchasing. Here you can see how we play with the first page.

We have started learning English abc not because it is right time for Taisia to start reading but because this is how I struggle for English in our everyday life. Because this summer does not promise any English environment for my daughter, on the contrary, she has lots of Russian speaking friends and she feels at ease playing wth them, which is good for her Russian.

We have the Usborne Big Phonics Workbook ordered here (vkontakte) and have already passed through few pages. It starts with letters: s, a, t, p. First day was great. Tasia learned how to write S, from top to bottom, not vice versa. She did it with her finger in the air, on a plate with semolina grains and with a pencil in the book. Then she went for 'S' hunt into the kitchen where we marked with S-stikers jars of salt, sugar, semolina, sesame seeds and a shelf of sausepans. I also gave her a bag filled with objects that started with S: scissors, salt shaker, spoon, sea shell, snail (toy). I found this idea with letter bag in the book 'Learn-The-Alphabet. Arts and Crafts'.

You may contact me and I could share this file with you.

Next day letters 'a', 'p' and 't' were learnt. Of course she had known them before, but only capital letters, now she recognises small letters and we are working at proper writing them.
We did not have a letter bag for A (had no chance to pick the objects yet) but for T bag were taken: t-shirt, little towell, torch, toothbrush, scotch tape. P bag collection: pink paint and a paint brush, hair pin, pony, pasta (dry macaroni), pepper shaker. You may see the letter bag and the shadows of the contents in this picture.

She loved ABC movement game so much! This game also comes from the book 'Learn-The-Alphabet. Arts and Crafts' and I strongly recommend this simple idea for all the parents: prepare a set of cards with letters which you want to revise. It may be 3-5 different letters, not more. Show each letter one by one and agree the action you expect your child to do when the letter is shown. When you see A- clap your hands. When you see S - squat down. Uhen you see T - you'll get tickled! When you see P - give me a pinch. Here we go!

Here is the best tip for anyone who works with kids: there should be more movement games than working sheets.

Tasia hunts for treasure

Though any scavenger hunt deserves an independent post, I include it here as there is not much to say. It was a part of abc revising game and at the same time it was a terrain association game.

 It took some time to prepare for the game secretly when she took a nap. There were clues with letters: a, j, p, t, s and Tasia had to guess what these letters standed for, all objects were to be found in the garden (apple tree, jasmin, pear, table tennis, shovel). I  made a map and cut it in two pieces which were hidden apart: one on the pear tree the other under the table tennis. And in the end of the journey she found the hidden shovel and the exact spot where she dug up the threasure chest (tea box). Inside there was a message which said 'for Tasia' and a chocolate coin.

I try to do my best to make learning a great fun for Taisia. And she is lucky. Though I can see she is so immature for first reading lesson. There are first words in the book: sat, pat, tap and she can't get through this part yet. She looks blankly at me when I teach her to put letters together into words. Then I say, look at the page, not at me :) but it does not work. Probably, we need more time just playing with letters. And I've got this set of wooden letters, I love it. You may order it here.

I wish you happy English adventures!

Obstacle course

Obstacle course is a great fun to make for one kid or for a group of kids. They are sure to play over and over again and to think of new variations to challenge themselves. It depends on the age: some may  try to get through the obstacles pulling a toy track along or with a ball in their hands or with a scoop of water without spilling it. Yesterday one girl tried to race with her pet rabbit. For younger age variations may be funnier: to get through with red wellingtone boots on or with a pair of wings attached to one's back. The last two ideas belong to my daughter, who was three and a half last year and who passed through the race successfully :)

When I prepare for the race I try to make obstacles for various skills: jumping, ballancing, running, crawling, getting through, climbing up and down etc. But the most important part is testing the race: it's got to be safe for kids. Bridges should be very steady, all parts should be securely fastened or too hard to move. When testing jumps on my camping mat I found out that it was rather slippery, so I put it where kids were to belly over the obstacle. The safest were garden couch cushions and Tasya seemed to like this part most of all. She passed it alone and with a baby toy - we called it mummy style.

Obstacle courses are great for motor skills and creativity.