CHRISTMAS TREE 🎄 DECORATING WITH Q-TIPS: AN UNEXPECTED LESSON IN PUSH VS. PULL

I had a perfect @ikeausa box lying around that was itching to be used for this activity that I envisioned being a one and done. But not at all; it exceeded all of my expectations!

I’d like to mention that cutting Q-tips in half, collecting several as they flew across the room, and then coloring the tip with washable marker was by no means a low prep or no prep activity. Please keep this in mind if you decide to try it. I also went a little crazy poking holes with the screwdriver for the Q-tips to be inserted 🙈, so if you make less than 60 holes, this will take far less time to prep.

Honestly, I expected this to be a simple and fun fine motor activity. Period. What I didn’t expect was for B to begin discerning between light and dark shades of the same color, for it to turn into a math activity by counting how many holes and Q-tips we had left, or to turn into a science activity by discussing concepts such as push vs. pull. The latter came about when we opened the box to see the back side of the  Christmas tree 🎄, which B found absolutely fascinating (see 4th picture). So much so, that she decorated the tree at least 3 times in one sitting. 😳She then asked to store the Q-tips in the box so she could play with the activity again later. 🙌🏻 Suddenly, this was worth all the prep time.

Inspired by @hellokidsstudio