Sticks and Stones

What better way to approach a problem than with some tools? Sticks & Stones is a great open-ended task in differentiation and creative play. These colorful items leave a lot of room for creative exploration. Create a modern work of art by arranging the items on a blank table canvas. Center the sticks in a pile with a stone border and pretend you are making a rainbow campfire. Try to balance the sticks with stones on top. Match the colors. Line them up in rainbow order, from smallest to biggest – and try again from biggest to smallest. Which one feels the heaviest? Which one weighs the least? Which items is the tallest? Is it easier to balance a stone on the tallest stick or shortest stick? Which size stone balances most easily on a stick? Differentiation skills are important for practical, everyday life; early reading; and are just plain fun to figure out. There are so many open-ended ways to use this set. Tap the sticks on a table creating a musical composition in different tones. Let your little detective investigate the many ways to play and learn with this colorful learning toy.

Each item has been colored with a nontoxic watercolor wash and lightly sealed with beeswax.

The smallest stone measures only 1” in diameter
The largest stone measures 3” in diameter

Each stick is approximately ¾” in diameter and the edges are softly sanded.
The smallest stick measures 3” long
The longest stick measures 8” long

These differentiation puzzles are somewhat self-correcting. If you have them in the proper order, by the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, they are in the correct size order from Smallest → Biggest.

As with all of the toys in the Rainbow Series, this set is not intended for little ones who still mouth things and is not meant to get wet. This set has small pieces and could pose a choking hazard risk. As with all toys, supervision is advised.