Pipe Cleaner Fireworks!

Fireworks!
This week's activities are reposts from last year!

Day 3 of our Week - Our theme this week is the 4th of July! Our letter of the week is the letter A, and the number of the week is the number 10.

Lauren and Connor with their Fireworks!

Making the fireworks

Project - Pipe Cleaner Fireworks. I found this project in the July 2009 issue of Parents Magazine. First, I cut the pipe cleaner or chenille stems in half. You will need five or six whole stems of the same color to make one firework. Then I dumped, red, blue, and silver glitter into separate bowls, and I squeezed white craft glue into a shallow, small container. Connor and Lauren then dipped the ends (about a 1/2 inch) of the pipe cleaners into the glue, and then dipped the glue covered ends into the glitter color of their choice. I set the finished pipe cleaners on a thick box ( I just happened to have an empty resealable bags box handy, the magazine calls for a thick sponge). After the glittered pipe cleaners were dry, I gathered all of the pipe cleaners together except for one and twisted the remaining pipe cleaner around the others. Then, Connor and Lauren bent and twisted the pipe cleaners to form a firework! Then I tied fishing line on to make the firework a hanging craft!!

Materials Needed - Red, white or blue pipe cleaners (chenille stems), scissors, craft or Elmers glue, Red, silver and blue glitter, shallow bowls for the glitter and glue, thick box or sponge, clear thread, or fishing line (optional)

The glittered pipe cleaners, drying

The finished Fireworks!!

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart).
Today's activities
1. The numbers 9 and 10 - counting objects, following directions 2. The concepts big and small. Color identification with big and small
3. The letter A, a - Identifying the letter A, a, recognizing objects that begin with the A sound. 4. Shape - Squares - Identifying and recognizing squares I always do letter/number reviews and they always write their names.