ALERT: Kid Activity Cha- Ching!

Another radical RAINY day.
WOO HOO!

I love planners, calendars, and notebooks.
My boys ALWAYS have a homework notebook that they are working in.
So this summer I got them some extra special StarWars notebooks.
In these notebooks we do little homework challenges.

Today our BIG challenge, meaning it required more than mama opening up a workbook or scratching a few addition problems on a paper...

We got out our EASTER eggs.

When I was in the classroom I used these a lot because they always add to the excitement.

Today we worked on counting (pennies) with Henry and counting MONEY with Charley.

1. Earlier I had labeled 10 eggs with the numbers 1-10 and the letters A-J. Charley's were the numbered eggs this time. Henry's were the lettered eggs.

2. I also filled the eggs with coins. In Henry's I just put pennies...ranging in amounts from 1-10. In Charley's I put pennies, nickles, dimes, and one included a quarter. I wrote down the amounts in Charley's on a post it note so I had the correct answers on hand.

3. The boys requested I hide the eggs. I wasn't going to but they thought that would be fun...and heck on a rainy day it adds about 10 minutes to the activity, makes it exciting, and gets them moving around the house (or yard..if it wasn't raining).

4. The boys hunted and sorted the eggs so they each had their 10 eggs.

5. Each boy cracked open their eggs and counted their loot. Charley announced his amount and wrote it in his STARWARS homework notebook. Henry just announced it. (Hint on helping kids count money...always have them start with the coins that are valued at the largest money...so start with counting the dimes, then add the nickles, and always finishing with the pennies).

6. Then they excitedly plopped it back into the bank.

There was much excitement. Lots of concentration. And everyone felt like they were working hard... Since Henry was pretty much doing the same thing Charley was doing!

Other ways you could enjoy these eggs...

You can put words cut up and have the kids CRACK open the eggs and UNSCRAMBLE the words...using sight words for early readers and spelling words for older readers.

You can put math facts.

You can put colored objects and have your littlest sort them once they open the eggs.

You can put other items in and have them try and sink or float.

You can put one letter in each spelling out the outing you have decided to do that day...or the snack you have for them that day...and they have to find them and then unscramble them.

I could go on and on....once again...my ass booty! Sometimes I wish it would find 10 fun ways to unload the dishwasher.