Peacock Pals

 

Peacock Pals - 5-peg bird toy

Peacock Pals, by Learning Resources, is a smaller version of Spike the Fine Motor Hedgehog. 

There are 5 peacocks in this set, each with 5 holes and 5 pegs of the same color. There are 5 different peg shapes, and each color has one peg of each shape. Each peg is numbered, 1-5. The birds are hard plastic, like Spike, and the pegs are a firm, but softer plastic. FYI - Like the pegs on Spike, the pegs on this are lightweight enough that they could be chewed through for someone with teeth.

One of the reasons I like Spike is because it is a 2-handed activity. Like the peacocks, Spike is made from a hard plastic and he will easily move around the table as you try to push in the pegs if you don't use one hand to stabilize him. The peacocks can also be a 2-handed activity as you can hold a peacock with one hand while adding the pegs with the other. Below is am image of a child so you can get an idea of how big the pieces are.

 

I was surprised to find that the pegs did not all fit the same. Some of the pegs took little effort to push in while others fit more snugly and took a little strength to push in.

Try this:

• Sort by color. Reinforce the color by saying the color out loud as you push in each peg.
• Place the quills in in any order, picking up one quill in each hand and putting them in at the same time, by 2s.
• Hold the bird in one hand and put the pegs in with the other. Then switch hands and do it again.
  
• Call the pegs to add one at a time, by peg number and color.
• Place one peg, upside-down in the individual's hand. Ask them to turn it in-hand to orient and place in the hedgehog.
• Mix two different colored peg sets on the table. Fill one bird, then the other. Add mores sets of pegs to the pile until you can do all five sets.
  
• Put the pieces away by saying each color out loud as you pull it out to reinforce color names. Try to hold more than one in the same hand as you pull them out. Alternate hands.
• Put the pegs in by design. There are 5 different designs so you can fill each bird with one design (which will be one of each color).
  
• Use the opportunity to talk about the peacock, since it may not be a familiar animal to some kids.
• Pick up 2 pieces in the same hand, then put them one at a time into the peacock without dropping any.
  

In the box: 5 peacocks, 25 pegs