Penguins on Ice - Math Activity Set

Penguins on Ice - 100 cute penguins will help you learn colors, counting, patterning.

Learning Resources is a name that I have come to associate with quality and fun products, and Penguins on Ice fits that description. Brightly colored penguins, well made, and found in many classrooms I'm sure. However, if I hadn't stumbled onto this game second-hand, I probably wouldn't have given it a second look because it's called a math activity set, and as an OT I don't typically look for math activities. So when I opened the box and found all the colorful penguin manipulatives inside, I was pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, because I did buy it second-hand, the activity guide is missing. And I'm sure it was loaded with many great ideas.

The penguins are made from a smooth rubbery-type material and each of them has a hole in the bottom so that it can sit on a peg on an ice bar. You can see the 10 penguin colors on the image above.

The ice bars are plastic and have ten peg-type protrusions each. It does not take any appreciable hand strength to stand or remove the penguins from the ice bar, and because of the rubbery material they stay in place. The 10 ice bars can be connected horizontally, so you can make one long line of up to 100 penguins, or vertically, so you can make a grid (large ice floe), up to 10 X 10. 

 A fun activity for learning colors, sorting, patterning, and counting.

Try this:

• Sort by color, 10 of one color on each ice bar. Start by differentiating between two colors and add more into the mix as the individual learns.  Start with very different colors, such as orange and white. Later move to more similar colors, such as orange and pink.
• Repeat the color name as you place each penguin on the ice bar to reinforce.
• Place one penguin at a time in the individual's palm and ask him to bring it to the fingertips and turn to position for placement. If the individual has difficulty bringing it out of the palm, then start by placing it at the base of the fingers and gradually move it back toward the palm as the individual's skill increases.
• Work on patterning - AB (red, white, red, white), AAB (red, red, white, red, red, white), ABC (red, white, blue, red, white, blue), etc. Connect the ice bars vertically so that you can use all the penguins (2 bars for an AB pattern, 3 bars for an ABC pattern, etc.)
• Place a pile of penguins on the table and an ice bar in front of the individual. Call out one color at a time for the individual to find and place on the bar.
• Place 10 penguins, random colors, on an ice bar. Place it in front of the individual and give him an empty ice bar. Ask him to make his bar look just like yours.
• Pile the penguins on the table. Ask the individual to pick them up one at a time, rotate in-hand, and stand on the table. Make up your own fun story about the assembly of penguins.
• Pick up the penguins one at a time and squirrel in the palm without dropping. Then put them back in the box by the handfuls to put away.
• Put the penguins away by first asking the individual to cup one hand. If he has difficulty, place a small ball (tennis ball) in the palm and wrap the fingers around it. Remove the ball as he keeps his hand in that shape. Drop the penguins in the palm one at a time and count as you go. How many can he hold? Now cup both hands. Drop them in one at a time and see how many more he can hold. Drop them back into the box by handfuls as you go. Go again and try for one more.
• Place several penguins on a bar. Show the individual and ask him to look at it to remember the colors and order. Practice saying the colors out loud several times. Remove the ice bar from sight and ask the individual to make an ice bar just like it. Bring the bar back and compare the results. Start with two penguins, then move to three, then four, etc.
• Put the penguins back into the box by color when you are done.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual memory, figure ground, spatial relations, eye-hand coordination, manual dexterity, in-hand manipulation, palmar arch development, coordinated use of both hands, executive functioning skills, process skills, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 10 ice bars (12" X 1"), 100 penguins in 10 different colors

If you are interested in purchasing this item or just want more information, click on the image below. 

LEGO Build Up 40253

Lego Build Up 40253 - 24 small models, just right for a therapy session

If you've read my blog at all, you probably already know what a huge fan I am of Legos. I flipped through their Christmas catalog when it arrived, not intending to buy anything, until I saw this, the Lego Build Up 40253 set. I got a similar set last year and really liked it. However, according to the Lego catalog, this set is not available for purchase. You can get it free with a $99 purchase of other Lego sets. I'm a Lego fan, but I don't buy them in that quantity, so thought I was out of luck this year. However, thanks to third party sellers on Amazon, mine has just arrived. I paid $17 and change and I consider that a bargain for 254 pieces and 24 small models. Like last year, there is a variety of models and many of them can be used other times of the year, not just at Christmas. I could not find an "official" image of the models, so here is a photo from the instruction book and a rundown of what is included in this set:

1. Ship, 18 pieces
2. Peacock, 28 pieces
3. Reindeer, 20 pieces
4. Snowmobile, 10 pieces
5. Windmill, 21 pieces
6. Robot head, 21 pieces
7. Eagle, 11 pieces
8. Igloo, 24 pieces
9. Snowplow, 29 pieces
10. Fireplace, 17 pieces
11. Cabin, 26 pieces
12. Airplane, 11 pieces
13. Snowman head, 15 pieces
14. Lighthouse, 12 pieces
15. Street lamp, 16 pieces
16. Chicken, 27 pieces
17. Wreath, 17 pieces
18. Animal head, 17 pieces
19. Owl, 16 pieces
20. Cup of cocoa, 17 pieces
21. Snow plow, 17 pieces
22. I don't know, 14 pieces
23. Christmas tree, 29 pieces
24. Santa Claus, 34 pieces

Some of these are open to interpretation. The set also includes an orange tool that you can use to remove pieces. I will use this set throughout the month of December and into the new year. BTW - No, it is not an advent calendar, meaning there are enough Legos to make them all at once. You will have to take them apart as you go to build others. 

The instruction book shows which new pieces have been added at the top. This is great for beginners who might not be able to look at the picture alone and decide what has been added. There is one book this year instead of two and it is bound instead of just stapled.

A great activity that lends itself naturally to bilateral integration, in-hand manipulation and a bevy of fine motor and visual perceptual skills without a lot of set-up. 

If you're interested, you can read my post on how Legos stack up, in my opinion, to other construction sets by clicking this link. Building Skills with Construction Toys.

Try this with any LEGO set:

• Give a few minutes to look over the pieces at the beginning so that the person can examine the different shapes and how they snap together.
• Set the piece(s) for each step in front of the beginner until he has gotten used to identifying pieces. 
• Turn pieces on the table so that they can't be picked up by the child in the correct orientation. Ask him to turn each piece in-hand after picking it up.
• Place a piece in the individual's palm, or at the base of the fingers, in the incorrect orientation and ask him to bring it to the fingertips and turn it in-hand for placement.
• Give the beginner one piece at a time while building and point to the piece on the guide to show where it should go.
• Ask the child to pick up the model and hold it in one hand while adding pieces with the other hand so that both hands works together while adding pieces (instead of adding pieces while the model is on the table).
• Show the child how to hold the model with the non-dominant hand while "pinching" the new part on with the dominant hand.
• Place the pieces for each step on the non-dominant side so that the individual will have to cross midline to pick them up. Instruct him not to lean to the side as he reaches across.
• Ask "what is different" at each new step in the instruction guide to focus on where the new parts will go.
• Keep the unused pieces in a pile so that the child will have to search for each needed piece. Turn some of the pieces upside down or half cover them so they will look different from the picture.
• Advise the child to hold the model in the same orientation as the one in the picture to aid in orienting pieces.
• Catch mistakes as they happen, as an incorrectly placed piece may throw off the rest of the project. Tell the individual that his model does not look exactly like the picture and see if he can identify the mistake and correct it on his own before jumping in to help.
• Place the piece for the individual if he is having trouble orienting it on the model. Then take it off and hand it to the individual to place himself.
• Work on visual discrimination, visual closure, visual form constancy, spatial relations/position in space, visual memory, figure ground, eye-hand coordination, in-hand manipulation, manual dexterity, precise fine motor control, hand arch development, separation of sides of hand, using two hands together, finger strength, executive functioning skills, following directions, sequencing, play and leisure exploration and participation

In the box: 254 LEGO pieces, instruction book

If you are interested in purchasing this item, or just want more information, click on the image below.