This is one workbox/center activity I've used for both my kids at various ages. It's intended to be on-task independent work for one child while I'm busy with the other.
I give the child an old magazine and an assignment sheet.
This is one of my less professional-looking assignments, but it gives you an idea of the types of things the kids are asked to look for.
I've used the activity to practice many subjects and skills. A few examples:
*math: adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing
*math: measuring, rounding to the nearest__
*language arts: finding words of a certain part of speech
*language arts: finding synonyms and antonyms, finding rhyming words
*geography: finding places mentioned on a map, answering NSEW questions about them
*science: finding creatures which are mammals, reptiles, etc.
*life skills: reading a recipe
*foreign language: cut out and label (in Spanish) at least___pictures
Sometimes answers are written on my assignment page. Other times things will be cut out of the magazine and/or glued.
I haven't used the idea while sitting in a doctor/dental office yet, but I suppose it would work there as well.
We've recently come upon a couple more great ways to practice our Spanish vocabulary.
1. I give the kids a lunch menu with food choices listed only in Spanish. It's a great way to pracice the names for numerous foods. It's also a great way to have them practice asking for things and saying thank you in Spanish. They can ask for cold/hot, big/little foods, and a certain number of foods if they can remember those words in Spanish.
2. In a similar way, I can use Spanish words in center time directions and instructions in other subjects. Useful words here are "write", "read", "draw", the colors, and direction words like "under, above, beside". Examples include instructions to measure the "lapiz rojo", circle the "quinto" square, or find two adjectives on "la página 25".
Grocery Hunt
When my kids join me for grocery shopping, I like to keep them busy. I usually give them a list of things to find with the corresponding price to look for (if it's something that was advertised in the flier). The kids look for the items on their lists while we shop together.
In itself, I think this provides great lessons in economics, healthy foods, and financial literacy.
Whenever I write their lists in Spanish, the trip also lends itself to some extra vocabulary review.
I might send them for:
manzana (apple)
uva (grape)
cheese (queso)
pan (bread)
Or I can send them for a certain number of an item:
apples: seis (6)
grapes: more than veinte (20)
If I was at a department store I could even give them a list with words like lapiz (pencil) and quaderno (notebook).
