Hands-On Learning!: More Than 1000 Activities for Young Children Using Everyday Objects

Hands-On Learning by Gwen Snyder Kaltman is packed with over 1000 activities and practical, useful guidance on how to use just about any object to create activities in a wide variety of developmental areas. Taking a new approach to a theme-based lesson plan, Kaltman suggests that instead of choosing a theme, the teacher choose an object or material, then create activities around it. This approach tends to be more hands-on and engaging for the child, thus more effective than standard themes. Kaltman says, "What should determine the time spent on a theme is the children's interest level."She shows teachers how they can repeat many activities and how, just by changing the object used, it makes it new to the children. For example, counting (the activity) can be done with a variety of objects: animals, beads, blocks, etc. Patterns can be found by using ribbons, colored spoons or cotton balls. By changing the object used, the activity becomes new and interesting again to the child.The book is very easy to use, each chapter focuses on a specific object. Then, in each chapter, Kaltman lists activities in each developmental area that can be done using that object. The chapter on Shoes is very creative and has new, and interesting, activities that even the seasoned teacher will find inspiring.The book also contains a Parent Letter to give to the parents in order to explain this new approach to learning.The book holds enough new ideas and activities to keep every teacher's lesson plan filled with fun and learning for months to come!Book Review by:Patricia DischlerAuthor, "Teaching the 3 Cs: Creativity, Curiosity & Courtesy"

This book is not user friendly. The book is written more like a novel than an activies book. The objects used in these activities are not as everyday nor as readily available as the website lead me to believe. Further, the activities require a lot of pre-planning.