AUTUMN CONKER ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

I'm still here! How is it November already, and how is the big 'C' just around the corner? Needless to say, Big Bee's first half-term of school has absolutely flown by, but it's certainly taken some adjusting for us to settle into a new way of life and routine. However, Big Bee is doing us proud and she’s settling in well at school. I really hope that all the other little ones who started this September are taking their new chapter in their stride and enjoying their school journey.

Anyway, onto things all conker related. As usual, we have gone bonkers for conkers this year, and we went on a little adventure in pursuit of these shiny brown balls. If you also went conker collecting then you may find this blog comes in handy for some extra ideas of what to do with your stash for the rest of autumn.

• Treasure Hunt – Using an acrylic pen draw some autumnal objects onto conkers and then hide them in the house or garden (weather dependent) for them to find and tick off a crib sheet.

• Counting – Do some learning through play with conkers and numbers. Two examples are:

- Draw a tree and for the number that was rolled on the die (or dice) add the corresponding number of conkers to the tree.

- Draw a caterpillars head on a piece of paper and pick a number from a tub and then add the corresponding number of conkers to create the caterpillars body.

• Necklace/Bracelets - Use a screwdriver or drill to make holes in the conkers and then get your little ones to thread the conkers onto some string (we like using pipe cleaners for the bracelets) to convert into jewellery.

• Caterpillar/Worm – Prep the conkers again by making a hole through them and then thread them onto a pipe cleaner. Stick some goggly eyes on the head and then you could decorate them with some acrylic pens. You could even make a little caterpillar or worm family!

• Alphabet – To help reinforce letter recognition draw some letters on paper, or mark out on the floor using masking tape, and then using the conkers create the letter shape.

• Emotions – Use the conkers to create faces expressing different emotions, and then use it as an opportunity to discuss each emotion.

• Pairs – We found a lot of flat conkers this year and so naturally a game of pairs was the perfect way to use them. Draw some matching pair images on the flat side of each conker, turn them over, mix them up, and let the matching commence.

• Colours – If your child is learning colours add some colour dot stickers or acrylic pen marks to your conkers. Then either draw a picture for them to match up, or for them to sort into coloured pots, or onto coloured pieces of paper. If you have some empty bottles like milk cartons you could mark them with a coloured pen and then get them to post them into the matching bottle colour.

• Ramps/Tunnels – Roll the conkers down a ramp or down a cardboard tube. If you don’t have a long one then you could use smaller kitchen rolls and tape them to either a big piece of cardboard, or another appropriate surface like a kitchen cabinet.

• Mud Kitchen/Water Play – Add the conkers to a water play or mud kitchen set-up for them to scoop, pour and plop around.

• Decorate – Use some acrylic paint pens and decorate your conkers.

• Magnetic Tiles – Build different houses out of magnetic tiles for the conkers, ramps for them to roll down or magnetic vehicles for them to go into.

• Rice Play – Add the conkers to your rice play and move them around with construction vehicles or perhaps make conker and rice cupcakes – delicious!

• Play-Doh – Incorporate the conkers in your Play-Doh play to make different structures, snails, caterpillars, etc.

• Small World Play – Include them in your small world play. We found them to be a perfect addition to our fairy house set-up.

• Painting – Find a cardboard box or tray and place a piece of paper in it and some different dots of paint. Add your conkers and roll them around to create your masterpiece.