Play and Learn with Sticky Sticks

Make your own sticky sticks to play and learn all kinds of concepts in a fun way!

When I’m in the shops, I always look for things we can use in teaching and making the learning fun. So the other day I saw these craft foam sticks in a local shop, and I bought them. I did not use them immediately, only a few weeks later when I got this idea of making bendable sticky sticks. (I was not sure what to call it, but my school kids called it sticky sticks, so sticky sticks it is!)

My daughter helped to make them: sticking the Velcro dots to the ends of the sticks. (I got these dots from a friend in Canada, I must still find a supplier here in SA). As easy as that!

We played at home first, identifying the hard velcro dot to the soft ones, discussing why the same type does not stick to each other, and why the opposite ones do. (An experiment by itself)
We linked them together(requiring fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination), and made a long string using patterning.

We sorted colors.

And then made a visual comparison of which colors are the most, the least by linking them together and counting them too, practicing mathematical concepts hands-on.

We made shapes and letters too.

Such great fun learning with sticky sticks!