Fairy Dust Writing Tray

Lesson Plan:

Activity:

Lesson plan developed by Ms. Erika Geelhoed, BA Ed

Age Group:

Preschool

* Lesson plan objective and assessment can be adapted to use this activity with school-age children.

Objectives:

Children will:

practice writing letters.

CDA Competency Standard:

II.6.2b

Activities promote language development
- b) Activities advance the development of language acquisition and writing skills

Materials:

salt
food coloring
Ziploc bag
tray
glitter
toy wand
card stock

Procedure:

Create the “fairy dust” by scooping a few cups of salt into the Ziploc bag.
Add a few drops of food coloring.
Shake!
Pour the dust onto a tray and allow to dry overnight.
Create cards for the letters and/or words you are currently working on.
Put them in a small plastic baggie with the tray.
Place the wand and any fairy accessories on the tray.
Place the tray in the writing area.
Encourage children to practice writing the different letters or words using the wand

Assessment:

Take anecdotal notes on the children’s writing skills. What letters or words did they form correctly? What ones did they struggle with? You can use this information when planning for small groups.

Online Early Childhood Education

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Common Elements of Fairy Tales:

While not all of these elements will be present in every fairy tale, they are common motifs that you and your students will see.

Familiar beginning and ending phrases - Such as “Once upon a time”, “and they lived happily ever after”, etc.

Good and evil characters – It is usually quite obvious to the reader or listener who is on what side.

Royalty – Princes, princesses, kings and queens are often present.

Reoccurring patterns or numbers – Things or events tend to happen in 3’s or 7’s (i.e. Goldilocks, Three Little Pigs, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs).

Magic – Just about every fairy tale includes some sort of magic or supernatural force.

Talking animals or objects –The main character is often able to communicate with these characters.

Nature – Forests or woods are common settings.

Moral – These tales just about always teach a lesson to the reader. Some scholars argue that this was the reason they were invented in the first place.

Journey or quest – The main character goes on an adventure, solves the problem at hand, and ends up coming back changed.