Dear Reader,
This lesson was definitely a learning curve for me! I’m not very familiar with plaster of paris… But I just couldn’t resist the alliteration in “tractor tire tracks!” When I originally came up with this idea I figured we’d do our tractor tracks in sand dough, but it’s just so muddy outside, I decided to be more authentic. I think sand dough would have been less of a learning curve.
Anyway, we did lesson 7 out of 100 Easy Lessons, and worked on Lesson 3 of Learn to Read, then we mixed up the plaster, put on our shoes, and headed outside to the mud!
Then we waited… and waited. The package says half an hour to cure and then 24 hours to dry. So we left it in the mud until the afternoon and then I tried to pry it out of the mud… and may have cracked it…
She definitely learned the /t/ sound making the plaster. and loved the activity… but I couldn’t really see how I was gonna get this letter sound to stay nicely in her book, so I grabbed a tire and some brown paint and painted a t onto some white paper. I mean, if you wanted to, you could just skip to the paint, but she was so excited to do the plaster and the tactile aspect really stuck. I’ll keep the plaster T by her book until she’s done with it or it really breaks, so she can keep tracing it (the whole point).
Anyway, apparently I need more practice with plaster of paris, but it served it’s purpose. “t” says /t!/.
Age Range
Preschool
Prep Required
run to a store
Time Needed
20 mins for lesson
3 mins for activity
1-24 hrs to set or dry
Supervision
10/10
