When I though of ponds, lakes, and rivers, one of my first thought was of all the fish that live there and how much I loved going fishing as a kid. It also happens that one of T's current favorite words is "fishy" (he gets really excited when he sees one!) - so I knew it would be fun to do some activities surrounding fish and fishing.
Water Table Fishing
Unless I'm really selling his capabilities short, I don't think my toddler is ready for the real deal when it comes to fishing. But he loves picking things up, putting them in containers, counting, and playing with water. So I put them all together and let him "fish" in our water table with a magnetic fishing pole.
I prepared our fish to catch by cutting fish shapes out of kids' craft foam (I wanted them to float!). To make them magnetic, I slipped a metal paper clip over the foam. I then dropped the fish in the water table to float around and gave my toddler a magnetic fishing pole to catch the fish. We happened to have a magnetic fishing pole from a fishing game. But it is also easy to create one with a dowel rod (or anything stick like), some string or yarn, and a magnet.
T was so proud every time he caught a "fish." He would loudly exclaim "fishy!" and we would high five. It was super fun. He's getting really good at counting up to five, so we practiced by placing the fish he'd caught in a container and counting them.
We did this outside in a water table. But it could be done anywhere and with anything. If you want to use water, the bathtub, a kiddie pool, or a storage tote would all work great. But even the water isn't totally necessary - it would be a fun activity to do on the floor too (especially if you made a boat out of a laundry basket!)
T was so proud every time he caught a "fish." He would loudly exclaim "fishy!" and we would high five. It was super fun. He's getting really good at counting up to five, so we practiced by placing the fish he'd caught in a container and counting them.
We did this outside in a water table. But it could be done anywhere and with anything. If you want to use water, the bathtub, a kiddie pool, or a storage tote would all work great. But even the water isn't totally necessary - it would be a fun activity to do on the floor too (especially if you made a boat out of a laundry basket!)
Fishing Songs
Our primary "fishing" song was "Have You Ever Gone a Fishin'." It's quite inexplicable - but for some reason, T finds the part about fish doing the "hootchie kootchie dance" to be beyond hysterical. I've probably sang it 50 times so far this week. And we love to wiggle doing the "hootchie kootchie dance" every. single. time.
We also sang "1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - Once I Caught a Fish Alive" (I apologize, the video is cheesy and gets on my nerves a bit - but it will give you an idea of how the song goes!). It was also a cute song, but it just didn't get the toddler seal of approval quite like doing the hootchie kootchie dance.
We also sang "1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - Once I Caught a Fish Alive" (I apologize, the video is cheesy and gets on my nerves a bit - but it will give you an idea of how the song goes!). It was also a cute song, but it just didn't get the toddler seal of approval quite like doing the hootchie kootchie dance.
Fishing Books
In coordination with our fish/fishing songs and activities, we read too books on the topic as well - Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni and Just Like Daddy by Frank Asch.
As an educator - I love Fish is Fish. It's a great example of the way that students, children, and people in general come into situations with preconceived ideas that are built on their experiences. The book tells the story of a minnow in a pond whose best friend - a tadpole - grows legs and leaves the pond. He comes back to tell the minnow about all the things he has seen on land (cows, birds, and humans), but all the fish can picture is fish! While I love the concept, my toddler loved the colorful illustrations and the fact that it featured his current favorite...fish!
Just Like Daddy was perfect for a toddler because it was very short. It featured simple vocabulary that is familiar to a toddler learning to talk. And the story was cute, with a sweet ending.
As an educator - I love Fish is Fish. It's a great example of the way that students, children, and people in general come into situations with preconceived ideas that are built on their experiences. The book tells the story of a minnow in a pond whose best friend - a tadpole - grows legs and leaves the pond. He comes back to tell the minnow about all the things he has seen on land (cows, birds, and humans), but all the fish can picture is fish! While I love the concept, my toddler loved the colorful illustrations and the fact that it featured his current favorite...fish!
Just Like Daddy was perfect for a toddler because it was very short. It featured simple vocabulary that is familiar to a toddler learning to talk. And the story was cute, with a sweet ending.