How Genius!: Creating Little Genius Bags

This weekend, I stepped into my attic and shuddered at the cumbersome clutter of lesson plan boxes. It looked like a scholarly train wreck that needed a major overhaul. With the end of the year drawing near and a garbage bag in tow, I tackled that lesson plan overload with abandon. After I was finished for the day, I was left with a much scaled down array of lessons.

The rest of the clutter will have to wait until next weekend, but for some of the items in the boxes I decided to develop Little Genius Bags.

I call these Little Genius Bags because they are subject specific such as math concepts, science language arts, etc. and can be used during circle time, for transitioning, assessments and to help tutor a child who needs a little one-on-one teaching. They can simply be made by placing everyday learning activities within labeled plastic bags.

Items within my Math Little Genius Bag include:

• Shape Identification and Recognition Flashcards
• Color Identification and Recognition Flashcards featuring firetrucks 
• Foam Dice and Penguin-shaped math mats to be used for one-to-correspondence/counting activities
• Sorting Activities 
• Number Sequencing 
• Car Positional Awareness
• Dry Erase Markers

Isn't it wonderful that my downsizing journey came to be quite a positive and educational trek? So go ahead and create your very own Little Genius Bags too!