We are going to be filling this week with “animal” activities. I love Charles Harper’s masterpieces! They are perfect for a game of “I Spy.” You can get the print for your wall or use our instructions to make a mini-whiteboard, one side white and the other with the print.
Learning activities with a mini-whiteboard:
- Circle the animals in one color, plants in another… or circle a specific animal. He found the walrus!!!
- Practice differentiation as you count the number of animals with wings or the ones with four legs, warm blooded vs. cold blooded animals, mammals vs marsupials, etc.
- Make the sounds of the animals as you “find” them, have your child pick one for you to pretend to be, then swap and pick one for your child to mimic
- The opportunities for learning fun are seemingly endless.
Supplies to make a mini-whiteboard:
- An empty CD case
- Scissors
- glue stick
- Dry Erase Markers
- Dried out diaper wipe (for cleaning – they last a long time and store inside the case)
- White paper – Cardstock is best, or patterned paper – we printed the print from the official Harper Site.
Instructions for your Animal I-Spy Board:
Take apart the CD case. We made our case white on one side and patterned on the other. Cut your paper to fit. Lightly edge your paper in clear glue to help it adhere to the case. The glue is not necessary, but it helps your mini-whiteboard live a little longer. If your kids are like mine, their favorite part of this activity will be wiping their writing, opening and closing the case between wipes. Reassemble the CD case and have fun writing! This is a great thing for every toddler diaper bag, great for entertaining and keeping kiddos quiet in a pinch. The Dry Erase markers will stain clothes, the carpet at the Dr. office, etc., so I like to take wipe-able crayons with me when we are out. Have fun playing “I Spy” and learning with your mini-whiteboard.
Purchasing the full sized prints makes the game of “I Spy” even better. Here is the official Harper Site.
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I cannot find the site for the full sized prints?
What an awesome idea. My kids are a little to old for this now, but I have a niece who’s just the right age. She’ll get a kick out of this!
very creative idea. my kids love doing stuff and are into art. they’d definitely love this. will show your post to them when they arrive from school 🙂
Genius! This just gave me another idea for a slightly larger version – they have those glass poster frames at craft stores like Michaels, what about using one of those instead of the CD case?
This is such a great idea. The only thing about white boards is that the ink comes off easily, so, you’d have to put it up out of touching range.
Nice drawing by the way.