It is Tools For Learning time and this weeks manipulative is LEGO® or DUPLO®. Despite Daddy buying Lego for Adam since before he was born, we are currently focusing on Duplo play. The pieces are big enough for Adam to easily handle and they come with the added benefit that you can stick labels onto them. I wanted an activity where Adam could sort colours, shapes and numbers using Duplo pieces. As a result, we created a “Feed the Duplo Alien” activity.
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To create four aliens I used Pringle tins. These were an ideal size to fit the Duplo in and, as they had lids on, the bricks could be removed quickly when needed. I used a shark knife to cut out a hole in the Pringle tin which would represent the aliens mouth. As I was short on time I didn’t paint the Pringle tins. Instead I used a variety of laminate and Duck tape. Our four aliens consisted of:
The “Shark Alien” was made from zebra print sticky vinyl
For the “Tongue Alien” I covered it in wood effect self adhesive vinyl
The “Green Alien” was made with British Racing Green Duck Tape
Finally the “Rainbow Alien” was made using rainbow Duck Tape
I added sticky labels to our bricks and used a marker pen to write a shape and a number. Using the four Aliens and Duplo bricks we played three sorting activities:
Colour Sorting
Adam had to sort the colours of the Duplo bricks and place them in the mouth of the Alien which had that colour Wiggly Eye
Shape Sorting
As I wanted the Aliens to be used for many sorting activities over a long period of time I didn’t add any other distinguishable features to them. Instead I wrote on a Post-It Note
Number Sorting
As I didn’t have 10 Aliens for the Duplo to be sorted into I had to group the numbers. This meant Adam had to focus on what number was written on the Aliens tummy. It took him a little while to understand the process as he assumed that each Alien would only eat one type of number.
Adam enjoyed turning each Duplo brick around until he found the label he needed for each activity. I can see our Aliens being used for many future activities.
Check out these other LEGO and DUPLO activities as part of the #toolsforlearning series:
LEGO Addition Mat for Greater Than/Less Than from Life Over C’s
Duplo Lego Geoboard from Still Playing School
Duplo Consonant Blends Activity from Learning 2 Walk
Educational Playtime with Duplo – Sorting, Estimating and Building from Crafty Mama in ME
LEGO DUPLO Sight Word Towers from Mom Inspired Life
Build A Lego Catapult from Powerful Mothering
Geometric Blueprints with LEGO from Handmade Kids Art
Slippery Lego Duplo Fine Motor Practice from Best Toys 4 Toddlers
Penguin Ice Cube Counting With LEGO from Preschool Powol Packets
Word Building with LEGOS from Sugar Aunts
Hands-on Science: Creating a Water Cycle Project using LEGO from Edventures with Kids
Lego Tower Subtraction Race from The Kindergarten Connection
Lego: 5 reasons you should use it with your kids from The Usual Mayhem
Lego Heart Marble Maze from Lemon Lime Adventures
Dumping Lego Colour Match Activity from Teach me Mommy
Feed the Duplo Alien from Adventures of Adam
How To Create A Duplo Block Painting from Raising Little Superheroes
Letter Sequencing with Lego Duplo from School Time Snippets
Lego ordering, days of the week from In The Playroom
Dental Flossing with Duplo from Study at Home Mama
LEGO Math Ten Frame Games from Lalymom
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This looks like so much fun! I now wish we had some pringles tubes to sort colours, shapes and numbers! x
Sounds the perfect excuse to get eating 🙂
What a great idea. And a good excuse to eat pringles too! Always love home made toys and my son is in a real posting/sorting phase so would enjoy this. #letkidsbekids
I love the posting phase and this may detract from the wrong type of posting (ie the keys through the letter box!). Enjoy those Pringles!
What a great idea! We love that you’ve adapted Duplo to make it more educational! #LetKidsBeKids x
There are so many more possibilities to Duplo than just building 🙂
What a great idea! My preschooler will love this – thanks!
Thank you 🙂
What a fun learning idea! I love that you had shapes and numbers!
Adam loved it!
Fantastic idea! I love how versatile Lego/Duplo is. Love your little monsters, such a fun game to learn from.
Thanks for sharing #LetKidsbeKids
There are endless possibilities with Lego and Duplo 🙂
Very creative and I love the idea of using them to sort numbers and shapes too xx #letkidsbekids
Thank you. Do doubt we shall use our Aliens for many future activities.
This is such a cute activity! It makes learning so much more fun
Adam had no idea he was learning 🙂
This a great idea! I must go buy some Pringles to make them. ???? #letkidsbekids
It is certainly a great excuse to buy/eat Pringles 🙂
What a creative learning idea! Great to have made it so educational. Thanks so much for sharing 🙂 #ToddlerApprovedTuesday
Always on the look out for activities that are educational too 🙂
This is such an amazing idea! I’ve been looking at doing a few sorting activities with Luke lately, I’ll definitely pin this and try it with him as soon as possible (i’ll have to use something other than pringle tins as this mumma is on a diet…sobbing in the corner)! Ray xx
Feed The Duplo Toilet Roll Aliens just doesn’t have the same ring to it!
this is such a great idea – will be trying this with my two soon 🙂
#toddlerapprovedtuesday
Hope they enjoy it as much as Adam did.
wahhhhh….I jut threw all our Christmas pringle tubes away! but what an excuse to buy more huh!
Thanks for linking to #ToddlerApprovedTuesday
Oh no! Definitely an excuse to buy/eat more!