Check this out!
It's called House of Sounds and it is so much fun.
It's made by Lakeshore, one of my favorite companies to get educational materials for my classroom.
Lakeshore asked me to try House of Sounds in my classroom and write a review for it on my blog. Needless to say, House of Sounds quickly became an integral part of my daily routine in my kindergarten classroom.
House of Sounds is exactly that!
A house!
With doors that open and shut!
I am a huge fan of anything children can manipulate because it keeps them engaged and happy.
Here is a view of all 4 sides of this adorable house.
Here is how I use it...
I use House of Sounds during my whole group reading instruction. I have the house sitting on the table and my students are sitting on the carpet. I call one child at a time to open a door, reach inside, and choose an item (without peeking!)
They hold up the item.
Say the the name of it.
Segment the sounds.
And then blend them back together.
For the rhyming door, my students choose an item, say the word and then give a word that rhymes with it. Then, they call on a few other students to supply a rhyming word, as well.
It'a a whole lot of phonemic awareness practice, packed into a very short period of time. I actually have a checklist that I use each day to check off who has had a turn to make sure everyone gets an equal amount of turns. I had to, because they ALL want a turn. Every single day!
Look! The roof even opens for easy access into the house!
There are 30 fun toys inside. You can even add your own items!
House of Sounds has made my daily phonemic practice so much more exciting and engaging for both me and my students.
Click here for a coupon to Lakeshore, good through March 31, 2015.
It's 20% off any single non-sale item.
I highly recommend House of Sounds for your classroom too!