Rings and Sticks

Rings and Sticks - 12 pattern included.

Rings And Sticks says it all: 156 pieces of plastic rings, half rings, and sticks of different lengths and sizes. Most of the pieces comes in two sizes, such as a long and a short blue stick and a large and a small yellow circle. 

Eight of the pattern images are full size, such as the person pushing the baby carriage (image below left). By full size I mean that the pieces can be laid directly on the pattern cards, as piece sizes and picture sizes are the same. The other four pattern cards are divided in half, one half with the picture you are building and one half showing the pieces that will be needed (image below right). The pieces can be laid directly on the card side showing only pieces, but cannot be laid on the picture you will build. Since it is only a half card size, the picture is too small. You will need to build next to the card. 

The pictures on the full size cards are car, butterfly, sailboat, truck, train, person pushing baby carriage, bird, flowers. Pictures on half cards are a person carrying buckets, people on teeter totter, airplane, person. Pattern cards make this an activity that kids can grow with but they are not ranked for difficulty. I like this one and so have the kids.

Try this:

• Put the pieces on top of the card to build a picture. Then take the pieces off and make the same picture right next to the card, using the card as a visual guide only. This can be a much harder activity.
• Turn the piece in-hand if you pick it up going in the wrong direction.
• Separate out only the pieces that will be needed before starting a picture if the individual is having trouble judging sizes or finding pieces in a large pile. Add in unrelated pieces a few at a time as his skill increases.
• Choose the correct pieces and hand them to the individual if he is having trouble getting the correct length or you want to concentrate on only one skill, such as orienting the pieces correctly on the picture.
• Use terminology such as too short, too big, too small, or too long to help the individual recognize the different sizes and zero in on the correct size.
• Make copies of the cards that show the pieces needed on the right hand side. Cut this side off all the copies. Line the pictures up on the table. Hand the individual one copy of pieces only. Can he look at the pictures and determine which picture needs those particular pieces?
• Look at one of the large pictures. Ask the individual count the pieces that make up that card. How many yellow pieces, how many red, etc. Can he separate them out?
• Work on visual discrimination, spatial relations, visual closure, eye-hand coordination, figure ground, manual dexterity, separation of two sides of hand, precise fine motor control, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 156 pieces, 8 pattern cards

Ages 3+

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