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Bear loves everything garbage trucks! When they come thundering up the street, he goes tearing off to the window to catch a glimpse of them. So what better theme than garbage trucks for me to plan learning activities around?
For a garbage truck literacy activity, I got out some of our easy word flashcards with pictures on them and our alphabet milk caps. Using a Little People garbage man and a toy garbage truck, we set to work. Bear’s “job” was to help “Mario” {the trash man} to load up the letters that matched the word on the card into the trash truck.
I set out the milk caps needed to spell the word along with a few others. And he set to work finding the correct letters. After he had laid them out in order, I helped him sound out the words.
We also used this same up to do a garbage truck math activity to practice counting. We used wooden number pieces from a puzzles, colored craft pom poms, and tongs. This is an extended idea from our math with tongs activity. Bear chose a number, then dropped the corresponding number of pom poms into the “trash can” {empty fruit cup}. After he had done that, he helped “Mario” dump it in the back of the garbage truck.
The next activity was a garbage truck color and size sorting activity. I originally saw this idea on No Time for Flashcards done as a recycling center. To correspond to our garbage truck theme, Bear pretended that his Matchbox flatbed was a sanitation truck that delivered trash cans. All of the various sizes and colors of legos were put off to the side. Then I pretended to call him and tell him what color houses needed whatever sizes. He then found the correct color and appropriate size (big, medium, or little) and “delivered” it to the corresponding house.
We also did a garbage bag windsock using a drawstring trash bag. I laid it out flat and Bear drew on it with permanent markers. He asked me to draw with him, so we ended up working together. To turn it into a windsock, I cut the seam on the bottom so it was open. Then I sliced strips up towards the top. I think that it turned out really cute!
You can also check out our garbage truck montage video on our new YouTube channel here or here
Oh I love this! Miss Daisy also runs to the front window to see the garbage truck each week – I love that you've used it to promote engaging learning! 🙂 Will have to give this a try with some of our Little People! 🙂
I love the garbage truck video! that is lots of fun!
Great Post from another mom who's boys love Garbage trucks!
http://www.littlegarbagecollectors.com
This is so great – I love all of the activities you did, especially the recycling/color matching. Every activity is so clever and such a fun way to learn. Glad to finally see the garbage trucks in action!
Fun idea! I featured you today! Thanks for sharing at mom’s library!
http://chickenbabies.blogspot.com/2013/02/moms-library-linky-11.html