Silly Voices Cube

Getting stubborn preschoolers/kindergarteners to do what you want them to, is somewhat akin to people who insist on driving 65 in the fast lane. It drives you crazy and there's nothing on heaven or earth that can induce them to do otherwise.

For school this year, we're doing Classical Conversations and consequently Jamie has a ton of memory work. I think the idea behind the classical method, is that small children naturally repeat everything they hear, but I'd revise that to say mine mostly just repeat everything they're not supposed to. I can recite Latin vocabulary all day, but the only word Jamie remembers at the end is that "sed = but" (which is not nearly as funny as he thinks it is).

So I go through great lengths to try and involve all the five senses and make learning as fun as possible (to balance the times when I want to bash my head against the wall). Someone around here tossed out a delightfully shaped amazon box, that was just begging to be torn apart and reborn into something new. A quick (ahem, not so quick) dance with google images and photoshop, and I proudly bring you this (now) simple means for manipulating children.

The Silly Voices Cube.

Materials:
Box
Knife
Paint
Tape/glue/some other sort of adhesive
Silly Voices Print-out

Directions:

1) Unless you are lucky enough to come across a perfectly square box (like an Einstein bagel box), you'll first have to cut the long sides of your box and re-tape it so that it is perfectly square.

2) Paint it. For optimal success, let children pick the colors and paint it (it doesn't turn out quite as pretty, but it's more fun).



3) Print and cut out this Silly Voices Sheet and be grateful you didn't burn dinner while searching for a DRM-free robot picture.
(note: make sure you save it and print it out as an 8x10 or a fit to margins option)



4) Glue or tape your voices to your cube. I wanted mine to be fairly waterproof (drool proof, throw up proof...whatever), so I laminated mine right onto my cube.



5) Ta-daa. Super easy.

We gave it a practice run by counting by 5's in a monster voice. Too hilarious.



I dare any 5 year old to try and recite the Pledge Of Allegiance in a baby voice without busting a gut laughing.
2 sprinkles of fairy dust:

Very clever!! I'm going to have to remember this!


Yes!!
Last year I used a set of two cubes during review time in our classroom, with things like "Say it like a cowboy" (a favorite for these Texan children!)"Say it while hopping on one foot", "Say it in a mouse voice", "Say it with a friend", etc.
It was certainly one of our most popular review games!
The latin is more difficult this year. There are some fun matching cards on CC connected that you can use in making a matching/memory game. There are pictures on the cards, so that even if a child can't read, they can match the pictures and then say the "matching" latin and english words.
You might also have fun with a song written by the husband of one of the tutors on our campus. It is a catchy tune, and the kids love it. You can find it on his website:
http://rosskingworldtour.blogspot.com/