Activity Name: Going on an O Hunt
In “Runaway O”, the WordFriends™ have to find an “O” that is rolling through WordWorld. Here is a fun activity that you and your child can do to find “O”s in your home and neighborhood.
Related Episode: 101 A. Runaway O.
Age Range: 3-5
Skills: Recognizing the Letter O.
Subjects: Literacy and Language Development.
Materials:
- A piece of sturdy paper or poster board.
- Scissors.
Directions:
- Cut the paper/poster board into the shape of the letter O. (Make one “O” for you and another for your child).
- Glue each “O” to a popsicle stick or hang the “O” on a strong piece of yarn and wear it like a necklace.
-
Now go on a “hunt” to find “O”s in your home and community. Use your “O” necklaces/popsicle sticks to remind your child what the letter O looks like. Here are some ideas of things to do with your child on your hunt:
- Look for things around the house and outside that are shaped like the letter O-Cheerios, donuts, tires, hula-hoops, designs, etc.
- Look for the letter O in common signs in the neighborhood, such as “stop”, “slow”, “school”, “crossing”, “don’t walk”, “open”, “closed”, “on” and “off”, and in posters.
- Look for things in your home that start with “O”, such as “oatmeal”, “olives”, “Oreos”, etc.
- Look for the letter O in books that you read with you child.
Take it Further:
-
“O” Hide and Seek – Make an “O” out of poster board (or other sturdy material). Take turns with your child to hide and find
the “O” in your home. You can also play this game with multiple people, with one person hiding the “O” and the others finding it. When someone finds the “O,” he can say “O, O, I found the O.”
Variation: Try playing this game with other letters of the alphabet. - “O” Concentration Game – On rectangular (card-shaped) pieces of paper, draw or cut out images of things that look like an “O”-donuts, cheerios, tires, etc. Have two images/drawings of each object-for example, two tires, two donuts, etc. Have at least six objects (12 cards). On the back of each card, write the letter O. Mix up the cards and place them upside down (with the “O” face up and the images face down). Then flip over two cards to try to find matching objects. If they match, the player who found them puts them in her pile. If they don’t match, she turns them back over. The game continues until all matches have been found. For an easier version, play with the pictures facing up. Take turns finding pairs.
-
“O” Freeze Dance – Turn on music for everyone to dance/move to. After a little while, stop the music and call out “O!” (You can also hold up a paper with the letter O on it as you say “O.”) Upon hearing “O,” all players have to quickly make an “O” with their hands, arms or other body parts and then freeze in place. When the music starts again, players can continue dancing/moving.
Variation: Try playing this game as an alphabet freeze dance. Every time you stop the music, say another letter. The players then freeze in the shape of that letter.
