DIY: LAND AND WATER GLOBE

Saya mencoba membuat globe daratan dan lautan sendiri dengan mengikuti langkah-langkah dari blog ini.

Bahan:
globe (bisa mneggunakan globe bekas)
cat akrilik warna biru dan coklat
lem pvc
3 kuas untuk cat biru, coklat dan lem
nampan
pasir laut (bisa dibeli di toko akuarium)
cat semprot bening

Langkah-langkah:
1. cat semua permukaan laut dengan warna biru, biarkan kering selama satu hari
2. ulangi sebanyak dua atau tiga kali
3. letakkan globe di atas nampan berisi pasir laut
4. oleskan lem pada permukaan daratan
5. taburkan pasir pada globe yang sudah dilumuri lem, biarkan kering
6. oleskan lem dan taburkan pasir pada daratan sekali lagi
7. bersihkan sisa-sisa pasir pada permukaan laut dengan kuas bersih
8. semprot dengan cat semprot bening, biarkan kering

Hasilnya sangat memuaskan. Kita bisa menjelaskan tentang konsep daratan dan lautan dengan three-period lesson'. Saya berencana mengecat bagian daratan dengan warna-warna benua sesuai dengan standar montessori jika anak saya sudah benar-benar mengerti tentang konsep daratan dan lautan. Jadi saya tidak perlu membuat dua globe karena saya menggunakannya untuk keperluan homeschool Arya.

Anak-anak juga bisa membantu dalam proses pembuatan globe ini. Tidak usah khawatir akan berantakan, toh masih bisa disapu. Mereka pasti bangga dengan hasil karyanya dan dapat melatih motorik halus mereka.

Selamat mencoba. Informasi lain tentang globe daratan dan lautan dapat dilihat disini.

Planet Mobile

Materials:
A used-mobile
8 stereofoam balls in different sizes
1 ball for the star
Poster colours
String
Toothpicks
Wire

Steps:
1. Insert the toothpicks through the diameter of the stereofoam balls.
2. Paint the balls based on the colour of each planet. The toothpick functions as the handle when painting.
3. Dry the planets.
4. Take off the toothpicks.
5. Insert the wire through the diameter of the planets and the sun.
6. Bend the wire on each end.
7. Tie a piece of string on each planet and sun.
8. Replace the hanging ornaments on the mobile with the planets.
9. Hang the sun on the mobile center.
10. Hang the mobile on the bedside.

My son (26 months old) helped me painting the stereofoam balls. He did it only for 5 minutes but enjoyed an activity he created himself. He mixed some watercolours in the bucket in the bathroom. He ran back and forth to pinch the watercolour in the living room and dipped it in the water to see the colour changing. He reported what colour he was having at that time.
I let him do it while I painted the rest. I finished making the planet mobile myself for two weeks. If you have older children, they will be great help and this activity can be their art project.

Extension activities
1. Ask the child to point out the planet based on our questions: Which is Mars? Which is Earth?
2. Ask them to touch each planet while saying its name.
3. Sing planet song.
4. Give additional information: Mars is the red planet. Jupiter is the biggest planet. Saturn has a ring. We life on Earth. The first planet is Mercury, etc.
5. Asking some information: what is the biggest planet? Why is Mars red? What planet do we live in?

The older your children are, the more complex information you can give.

Photo will be uploaded soon.

Land and Water Forms Activities

Here are some Land and Water Forms activities. I gave a pair trays everyday so that he will remember them easily.

LAKE AND ISLAND

He was working on his den. We talked about the differences between land and water and what animals live there. He filled the tray with waterbeads in the water area.  He somehow insisted on putting the hippo, tiger and lion in the water. He said they were having a bath.

HUMAN ANATOMY

I actually kept a human anatomy model for Ar when he is a bit older but he always dragged the box out of the closet. Therefore, I made the human organs sensory bin to satisfy his curiosity.

First, he pinched and squeezed the water beads. He is not interested in the organ models. Second, he made as if the large intestine is a maze for the water beads. Third, he took the organ I called out. Fourth, he he ran through his pool and threw the organ I mentioned in the pool.

ORGANS
I introduced human organs through three-period lesson and we continued doing racing game. I call out an organ, he took it, ran to his pool and throw the organ there. we did it until all of the organs were thrown to the pool. i downloaded the cards from suzie's blog.

To make it more dramatic, I poured some jelly into the human torso model and let it cool. Ar was ready to do an autopsy towards that body. let's call it autopsy because he might not return the organs on the right place as it is in a surgery.

 He cut open the 'flesh' and carefully took the organs one by one. He named them and asked what certain organs were for. We had serious discussion and he repeated the functions as if he was explaining to someone who hasn't known the functions yet.

Tweezers are great tool in this activity. They can strengthen the fingers and hand muscles so that children are ready to write. 

In the end, sprinkle some glitters onto the bowl of jelly to create a magical sensory play. Ar squeezed the jelly and he said it was wiggly and wobbly. Another thirty minutes were spent well.

SKELETON
Since he likes 'Skeleton Dance' song by Super Simple Song lately, I made a skeleton puppet and introduced parts of the skeleton. I haven't discussed about the scientific terms of the skeletons yet. As long as he knows that the bones are connected to each other, that's enough for me.

Follow-up activities: pasting parts of the skeleton. 

I cut parts of the skeleton, Arya glued and pasted them on a piece of paper. He could placed them in the right position though he still had difficulties in coordinating his hands when putting them on the paper. This activity is good for hand-eye coodination. Older children can cut the skeleton themselves.