I Wonder Box

The I Wonder Workbox

Here is an idea to use the workbox system to foster some wonder and creativity in your children (you might just want to make one for yourself as well). So much of leadership has to do with creative thinking and using the workbox system can be a great means through which creativity and leadership development can take place. The training that happens in the home will eventually spill out into the adult world and finding ways to develop creative thinking is important for adult success.

I have developed a site to help spark some of this creativity (it serves as a kind of virtual workbox) and I invite you to come and participate in what I am calling the I Wonder Chronicles. My intention is to help children enjoy and begin to love learning, reading, and writing.

Here's my suggestion on how to begin the I Wonder Workbox:
First, find a box...make it wonderful - let your child decide what that will entail. Invite creativity by supplying an assortment of mediums for them to use to decorate their box (give helpful boundaries as that sometimes fosters more creative thinking). Let them name their box or turn it into a creature of some sort - whatever, just make it really fun. (Also, let me know what they create so I can congratulate them).
Start filling the box with wonderful things - i.e. items they discover, magazine clippings, favorite stones, shark's teeth, bits of yarn, figurines, whatever...
Each week (or however often you choose) open the box and create an "I Wonder..." prompt for your child to interact with...have them respond to the prompt with a story, poem, drawing, painting, etc. (see my site for how I have done it with my kids)
Possibly use one of the prompts I have already created and posted on my site (make sure you send me their work so I can showcase it in the slideshows on the site!)
Have your children start their own I Wonder Chronicles and delight in the opportunity to create new worlds and stories.
Come and visit the I Wonder Chronicles site here:
http://dthaase-lines.blogspot.com/p/wonder.html

Check out the contact tab for my email or sign up for the monthly email updates and be notified when new stuff arrives. Here's to the wondering...

Dan Haase
Gatherer of Wonder

Math Ideas Work Box

What goes in yours?

I know some use curriculum with their own maniplulatives and some have none, but what about adding to it, or other types of Math Work Box ideas. Get creative, think about what is around your house.

Pom-Poms- Counters, Sorting, Graphing

Popsicle Sticks and Beans- To make base 10 blocks and hundred blocks

Measuring Cups in many shapes and sizes- Provide many different things to measure like, water, colored water, rice, beans, flour, corn starch, and other items. You can provide paper and graph the differences between the materials.

Measuring Spoons- Same as above.

Measuring Bowls - Same as above.

Refrigerator magnets from businesses (Cut them up and glue them to manipulatives.)

Different sized boxes

AAA has free maps available at the end of the year.

Buttons in different sizes and shapes.

A loop of thread stretched over two pencils (or a pencil and a toothpick) becomes a compass.

Nature's manipulatives - including twigs, leaves, nuts, berries

Toothpicks

Beans in different colors and shapes.

Plus many, many more.. go look add them to the Math Work Box see what your child comes up with.

Here are a couple of ideas to get those Math gears moving:

Geometry dominoes would also be a great idea. Make domino cards. Begin by listing all kinds of geometry words and have pictures to match each one. Examples: one half could be a square, the other half could have the word rectangle, one half could be a picture of a cone, the other half could be the word rectangular prism. Be sure your words match your pictures.

You could also make dominoes for fractions. The fraction would be on one half of the card, and a picture would be on the other half. The pictures could be different shapes that are shaded to match the fractions you are using...circles, squares, rectangles, pentagons, etc.

Math Math file folder games and centers, add them to your Math Box

Here are some fun things to put into and sites to use with your Math Boxes

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/homemadegames/a/blfcmathgm.htm

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/valentinesday/a/HeartCountingGame.htm

http://www.ilovethatteachingidea.com/ideas/subj_math.htm

http://mathforum.org/workshops/sum98/participants/sanders/

http://mathforum.org/teachers/high/lessons-individual.html

http://mathforum.org/teachers/middle/lessons-collections.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_6194516_make-math-fun-home.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_2244164_math-fun-through-inexpensive-games.html

http://www.mathcats.com/mathtoolbox/index.html

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/106914_using-household-materials-as-math-manipulatives

So The Work Box Community wants to know what goes into your math Work Box? If your leaving a link, please write a small blurb of what the content is about. Ideas welcome for all grade levels and abilities and anything Math related. Please no ads of your selling a product.