This space is to share fun preschool ideas and activities. I am also passionate about children exploring their outdoor surroundings. Thanks for stopping by to see the latest Adventure with the Kerr's!
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Friday, April 9

T for tapping toes


I was excited about making tap shoes all week! We had to make a trip to Lowe's to buy a few 5/8 washers and I already had elastic at home, so making the "tappers" was really cheap. We got 8 washers for $1.50.

These are the materials we used.....


2 washers for each shoe, shoes, and elastic about 3-5 inches long



The washers... the top row are the smaller washers (5/8 I think) 
and were a little thicker
                         the bottom row were a little bigger (more surface area) 
but were thinner
sorry I don't know the exact measurements but make sure you 
don't buy the Galvanized ones

**We also did a few counting problems and simple addition and subtraction 
with these great new toys**


The elastic was about 3-5 inches long... I halved it and put it through the loop



Then made a half hitch on each side making sure the elastic was lying as flat as possible



  Make sure you tie the washer onto the shoe very tight! 
The elastic has some give, so be sure it is on tight.



 I put the smaller washer on the heal and the larger washer on the ball of the shoe. 



 He went outside and began to "T-t-t", tap his toes.
(He is holding a yarn stick he found.)


Notes:
Once River started to tap it was apparent that my idea of having 2 washers on the ball and heal of the shoe wasn't going to work, they began to come off. The smaller/thicker washer worked much better than the larger/thinner one. You only need to put one washer on per shoe. The sound of the washer hitting the pavement wasn't as loud as a real tap shoe would be but it was sufficient. River loved stomping around but had no desire for me to show him some basic tap dance steps. So was it worth a dollar, you bet!

9 comments:

Jacki said...

This looks like the cutest most annoying thing ever. I bet Holden would love it. You are so stinkin' creative Vanessa!

Valerie @ Inner Child Fun said...

What a GREAT idea!! We have a bunch of large washers like those on-hand too. Can't wait to give it a try! :-)

Haley and Lance (but probably just Haley) said...

Wait, when you say "show him some basic tap dance steps" do you mean to tell me that you know how to tap dance? You are so freakin' full of surprises.

jennwa said...

Super cute idea.

Mama to 5 said...

What an awesome idea! :) 1st time visiting you blog! I invite you to come visit back! :)

Miller Moments said...

How fun is that! What a great idea.

GreenHeartMom said...

I'm going to go out to the tool box this afternoon. The kids will love them.

Jennifer said...

Cute idea, we might have to try that. We have a little brother who is always trying to get at big sister's tap shoes.

Jenn @ Delicious Ambiguity said...

Hi! I love your website. What a fantastic idea! I MUST do this with my son. I host a link up party called TOT TUESDAYS every Tuesday where people share their recipes, crafts and activities for toddlers. I’ve also currently got a giveaway for a Mother Earth scarf at the moment. I hope you’ll stop by:

http://www.mydeliciousambiguity.com/

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