Hands on learning vs worksheets

Make learning fun!

Right now Liam is a mommy snuggler and baby brother kisser, but when she returns to work he is going to be so surprised with this activity board. It cost me $1.00 to make. I picked up the large cardboard which separates stacks of food items at Sam's Club for free. I picked up the foam leaves and golf tees at a garage sale, 50 cents each. I drew a tree and tinted white glue with food coloring to draw the grass and flowers and to outline the tree top and Jack-o-lantern.

Won't my little buddy be surprised to find himself seated on the Jack-o-lantern? I can hear him now when he discovers his very own dogs, Mack and Riley, hiding among the flowers.

The preschool teacher in me comes out at the beginning of a new school year, and I must create.
I will teach him beginning letter sound, matching letters, alphabet recognition, concepts big/bigger/biggest; above, below, and other pre-K concepts.

You can make an activity board at little or no cost. The only problem I encountered was the golf tees are so long they bump the wall. I solved the problem by hot gluing a foam block to each top corner. Now it leans against the wall perfectly.

The other side will be decorated with a large Christmas tree and he will be able to hang A-B-C ornaments in December.

There's a song that goes along with this fall theme:

Leaves, leaves, yellow and brown (flutter fingers above head)
Leaves are falling down to the ground (touch floor/ground)
Leaves leave yellow and red
One leaf landed right on MY HEAD! (Child shouts it)

So, who is going to Sam's, Costco, or another big box store to pick up a piece of cardboard?