My district has decided to start the school year off virtually, and that meant the loss of some of the beginning of year fun hands-on things that we usually do. I decided to put together a set of materials that each student could have to use at home so that they wouldn't miss out on those fun hands-on things even though we couldn't be together. Each child's family picked up a bag of materials that my students have used over and over again while we are learning virtually.
To begin building these virtual learning bags, we had to decide on the right size bag. I ended up choosing a gallon sized baggie and several snack or sandwich sized baggies as well. I added in an alphabet chart that I already had as well as a "whiteboard" which is just a piece of cardstock in a thicker page protector, and added in a dry erase marker so my students could respond to questions I asked them. I use the alphabet chart and whiteboard nearly everyday when we are in person together so I knew my students needed to have them at home as well.
Next, I added in some alphabet beads, alphabet charms, and a pipe cleaner so that my students could spell their names, sight words, and other students' names just like we would when we are together. Students can also use these alphabet beads to sort (curved lines and straight lines), recognize letters, and match to the alphabet chart to help their letter recognition skills. I also later added in these letter tiles (not pictured) so that my students could play some sight word games with me during our small group meetings.
I then focused on what my students would need for math. The first two units of our math work focus on counting and shapes, so we included materials that students could use to explore both those ideas. I included 10 counting and stacking cubes so they were able to count (and use them to measure with later). I added in one die for each student so they could play many of our math games (Roll & Record, How Many, etc.) and so they could also work on number recognition of groups of dots up to 6. To vary the math tools that we use for counting, we included some links, pattern blocks, and some counting cubes. Students can also use these later to make patterns and for sorting by color.
The last items that were included were Crayola Dough and a martian finger. The dough is great for creating letters, numbers, words, shapes, and for using as a fidget during online meeting times. The martian finger helps my beginning readers track print as they are learning to read from left to right.
We scheduled pickup days for families so they could come and pick up their child's bag of materials and wave to us as we handed them each their bag. The items in these bags can come back to school if needed, but we designed them to stay at home permanently and in the event that we are able to open school and need to close again, our students will have most of everything they need to keep participating in activities from home!
One of the other virtual learning materials that has been helpful for me as I am teaching online is this amazing dry erase easel and dry erase pockets! I use the easel in class everyday, especially during my small groups as a way to model what I am asking students to do. I love that it folds up so I can tuck it away when not using it and that the dry erase board is also magnetic which is super helpful for when we are working with magnetic letters! I sent one dry erase pocket home with each student so that they can put practice sheets inside and strengthen their fine motor skills. Students are able to trace their names, different kinds of lines, and the various shapes as we learn them. Anything that is dry erase has become lots more important in this time of virtual learning and allows my students to practice without having to use new pieces of paper each day!
