Telling time

Mikey has trouble telling time, partially because I haven't worked with him much, partially because he just doesn't get it. So for a little practice we headed outside today.

What you need: sidewalk or driveway, sidewalk chalk, something to be hour and minute hands (I used foam, but sticks would work great.)
First I had the kids tell me what time they wanted it to be, and then I told them where to lay. You will notice the list of times down the right side of the picture. I wrote those out before hand and when I was done "reviewing" with Mikey we started working on the list. Haley had a short, fat piece of foam for the hour hand, and I had a long skinny piece of foam for the minute hand. Using the list on the side, Mikey told us where to put the hands. When he got it correct, he crossed that one off the list with the chalk.



Then he wrote down some times, and Haley and I had to place the hands on the clock, while he "checked our work."

Project rating:

Supplies: minimal, on hand

Execution: beyond easy

Mess factor: some chalk on hands and clothes

Fun factor: enjoyed by all!!

Did it teach the lesson: YES!! Mikey does have trouble but he loved the hands-on portion of this game, and it totally reinforced the concepts.

Side notes/learned by experience: They had more fun with the foam hands than they did laying on the concrete "being" the hands. You could easily do this on the sidewalk with multiple, mini-clocks.