Where do you see ABCs?

The letter C found in nature.

Over the past year, as Joey has become more and more familiar with his alphabet, the letters have become more predominant in the world around him.  On our nature walks, he sees an L-shaped rock or Ys running down tree bark.  Sometimes I will ask him if he sees any letters in the landscape, but most of the time, he looks for them on his own. 

A is for acorn.

As Joey more formally learns the ABCs, I have tried to use activities to help him point out letters in a way beyond pencil and paper.  Long yarn pieces and cooked spaghetti noodles make great tools for shaping the curves and lines of letters.  With fun music playing, we dance and use our bodies to shape more than just Y, M, C, and A.  We match objects with initial sounds, not with pencil and paper, but with real candles, combs, cars, and carrots, which are intermixed with a shoe, a button, a pencil, and a star.  Or, if we want to highlight other letters, we choose objects that allow us to do that.  Other times, I display four objects and four small letter cards, then ask Joey to put the letter with the correct object based on the initial sound.  

Right now Joey picks out letters, but before too long, he'll be able to manipulate the letters into words or even phrases.  A lunchtime bowl of alphabet soup is perfect for assessing what he knows, because it allows him to pick out and name letters.  Older children could practice spelling words or creating phrases with letters swimming in a cup of alphabet soup.  Often, a sales flyer or outdated magazine provides a means for circling letters with a marker or cutting out letters for pasting on a collage.  The possibilities really are endless and benefit from a pot of creative simmering.

Stars indicate the letter A.

One activity Joey enjoys uses recyclables and stickers: two things he loves!  Rummaging through the recycling bins, I pick out three or four items for him to use in finding the letter of the day.  For example, when we are talking about A, I give Joey a yogurt top, an aluminum foil holder, and a cookie box.  He uses the stickers to place on all the As, upper and lower case, he can find.  I am always amazed how well he does and he usually runs out of stickers before he can star every letter he finds!  Meanwhile, Ezra (not to be excluded from any activity Joey does) uses stickers to create a Dali-inspired bit of artwork.

Joey finding A on some recyclables.

In what ways does the alphabet creep up in your home learning environment?