Clothespins and Mason Jars

Sometimes all you need are clothespins and Mason Jars to have some fun...

Earlier this week, we were using clothespins for math and when we were done, I asked Little Britches how many clothespins he though he could drop into a jar. So he made a guess and then I had him lean over his desk and drop them in the Mason Jar. He TOTALLY loved this and would get SO excited whenever he'd get one in. He learned that the old fashioned clothespins (with the knobs) are a lot easier to get in the jar because they "drop down straight!" Little does he realize he's learning about weights, gravity and probability in this simple game.

Then Baby Britches came in and decided HE wanted to play too...and stole the jar and some clothespins and hid under the desk. This did NOT go over well with Little Britches, but I just happened to have another jar (because I knew it would happen) and gave a pile of clothespins to Baby Britches with his own jar. He was in heaven because he's OBSESSED with putting things INTO things and then reaching in and taking them out. And of course he had to try to "drink" the clothespins in the jar too.

Both boys played with their clothespins and jars for about 30 minutes before they got tired of them...

I think I'm going to take some of those clothespins and paint them. Then I'll work some more "games" around them...

I found BOTH types of clothespins at my local Family Dollar/Dollar General stores for $1-$2.00 and I have a lot of Mason Jars in my pantry. This is a super cheap thing to add to your classroom---but it will bring a lot of fun! Especially for those with older and younger kids...