Do you remember how Sesame Street always had a letter of the day and a number of the day?
As in: "Today's show was brought to you by the letter I and the number 3."
Each episode would include various skits and creative ways to feature the chosen sponsors, like this classic clip from 1969.
The program's format has undergone many changes, but the featured letter and number sponsors has remained untouched.
The past few days, I actually allowed the girls to watch Sesame Street in its entirety while I caught up on housework or lesson planning. (I use the term "watch" very loosely, because Eva has absolutely zero interest in staring at a television screen.)
And yes, you read that right. I actually permitted a full hour of television. Desperate times call for desperate measures! Besides, it's been too cold to go outside and play!
Anyhow, one morning the girls' playroom was an overwhelming disaster area. It honestly resembled a war zone; nearly every square inch of the floor was covered with some type of plaything. I was not getting much cooperation with my efforts to clean up.
I decided on the spot to create a "Letter of the Day" clean-up game. The rules were simple.
I randomly chose a letter and designated the little pink folding table as our collection area.
Any toy or object that began with the "letter of the day" was to be placed on the table. If it started with any other letter, it went back to its home, be it the toy box, the block box, the bookshelf, etc.
As in: "Today's show was brought to you by the letter I and the number 3."
Each episode would include various skits and creative ways to feature the chosen sponsors, like this classic clip from 1969.
The program's format has undergone many changes, but the featured letter and number sponsors has remained untouched.
The past few days, I actually allowed the girls to watch Sesame Street in its entirety while I caught up on housework or lesson planning. (I use the term "watch" very loosely, because Eva has absolutely zero interest in staring at a television screen.)
And yes, you read that right. I actually permitted a full hour of television. Desperate times call for desperate measures! Besides, it's been too cold to go outside and play!
Anyhow, one morning the girls' playroom was an overwhelming disaster area. It honestly resembled a war zone; nearly every square inch of the floor was covered with some type of plaything. I was not getting much cooperation with my efforts to clean up.
I decided on the spot to create a "Letter of the Day" clean-up game. The rules were simple.
I randomly chose a letter and designated the little pink folding table as our collection area.
Any toy or object that began with the "letter of the day" was to be placed on the table. If it started with any other letter, it went back to its home, be it the toy box, the block box, the bookshelf, etc.
Can you guess what the letter of the day was in this particular photo?All of a sudden, cleaning became fun! We were finished in a flash! Even Eva got into the act.
I tried the same technique the next day, using whatever Sesame Street had chosen as their letter of the day, for extra reinforcement.
I am happy to report that after three days of this, my plan has been 100% successful! The playroom is always clean by the time we sit down to have lunch, and it has cut down tremendously on my frustration over seeing clutter all over the floor.
Now, I realize that we may have some trouble coming up with toys that begin with X or Q, but for now, it's working just fine.
Besides, the fact that I am indirectly reinforcing phonetic awareness while also teaching the importance of cleaning up after one's self is enough to keep me satisfied.
3 comments:
That, my friend, is pure genius. Bravo. I plan on using this with the babies as soon as they learn their letters.
Pure Genius.
That is an awesome idea!!
Brilliant, Carrie...simple brilliant!
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