Craft Gossip

Independent craft blog since 2007

Other Glass to Read…

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Patricia Frantz bead

Patricia Frantz bead

I look around and I’m sure you look around the internets for interesting information about glass. Is there anything else? No. So I’m going to give you suggestions of some other blogs you may want to check out to learn about what other glass people are writing about. I’ve done this before with some bead makers…this time it’s across the board glass interests. Let’s start over at Frantz Art Glass. I mentioned them the other day as a supplier that will be at The Best Bead Show in Tucson. They have a blog and they talk about the classes they have scheduled as well as what’s new in their store. A good place to wander over to. Frantz is one of the best suppliers of glass and tools and equipment around.

Next try out Masters Glass Art. This is a fused glass blog on the site of David and Christine Masters. They sell glass products that they make as well as have a newsletter and some tutorials. It’s always good to wander around and see what else is out there. Next we’ll go over to Caligirl Art Glass and check out her blog. Very cute…tell me about any blogs you like to check out.

Have you read?

Learning Numbers for Preschoolers

Learning numbers actually involves a few different skills, from recognizing the shape of the number and knowing the word that goes with it to understanding one to one correspondence for counting and what order the numbers go in. 

A lot of this is learned best through play and activities that get kids counting and tracing and otherwise interacting with numbers. These activities can help. 

I specifically mentioned tracing above because of these number formation rhymes cards from Teaching Mama, which can be used in lots of ways to practice making the shapes of the numbers, including tracing, lining up items on the number shapes (and counting them!), using playdough to shape the numbers and so on. Each number has a little rhyme to help you remember how to make it, which is cute. 

And speaking of playdough, you can find lots of playdough number mats with different themes for kids to use as they learn about numbers. Preschool Play and Learn, for example, has these cute apple themed ones that also teach one to one correspondence as you learn the numbers and count to 10. 

Or use these tree-themed ones from Live Over Cs to form the numbers, count out items on a ten frame and place the correct number of items in the tree to match the number (do this with playdough, little buttons or whatever manipulatives you have on hand). Your little builders will also love these Duplo number mats from Life Over Cs, which allow you to shape the number out of blocks and count out the number of blocks that corresponds to each number.

I also love these mats from The Savvy Sparrow that include the number and the word you can trace with playdough or marker, showing how to count the number on your fingers, a tens frame and a number line.

Finger plays and counting songs are lots of fun for little ones, too, and Childhood 101 has a great collection of songs and rhymes having to do with numbers (as well as printable song cards you can use with them. 

This cardboard roll number chain form Hands On As We Grow would be a fun addition to singing number songs or to use in other play and counting games. And we all love something easy to make with stuff we already have. 

Older kids who already know the order of numbers can also use these connect the dot number printables from Fun Learning for Kids. Or use the shapes for playdough mats or to practice tracing even for kids who don’t know all the numbers in order yet.