Glass Beads on the Light Table

Young children love the color and weight of these beautiful glass beads! (We found them at the dollar store, but you can find large beads like this at any craft store in the floral section.) They are perfect for exploring weight, capacity, patterns, counting, and even letters. Here are a few of the ways that you can use them:

Bead Capacity

How many beads will fit into the small container (also from the dollar store). Can you count the beads?

The students started by filling the little bowls. They talked about how many glass beads fit into each one, and even engaged in a discussion about whether each bowl would hold the same number (5) or if they could get more beads to fit. The bowls were the same size, but the beads varied a little bit. It was so exciting to hear the preschoolers compare the beads and decide which ones would be the best to use. Without directly teaching capacity, our preschoolers were deeply engaged in an exploration of capacity. That, my friends, is playing to learn.

Weight and Balance

Can you stack the containers of beads? Can you balance them and make a tower. What happens when the tower is not balanced?

Of course, when the tower falls down over and over again it makes a terrific crashing sound!

Explore Light and Sound

The students can explore making other sounds with the beads by dropping them onto the table. Thank goodness our light table is so durable!

Measurement

After all ten of the plastic bowls were filled with beads, they decided to stack them like blocks to make a tower. Which tower was the tallest? Which one was the shortest?

Alphabet

Another fun way to use these glass beads is to add transparency sheets with the alphabet written on them (nice and large!). The students used the beads to make each letter.

This is such a great example of easy, child-led play. It required virtually no set-up or time from me, and kept them busy, talking, thinking and engaged for a long while. I’m declaring this center a keeper.