Fishing letters

Here is a very fun school time activity we did last week.  I really love doing "school" time with Eben and now Jaelyn likes to get involved.  Some days she can take part but on days that its too over her head or she just ruins stuff she enjoys "blanket time" which I will post about later.  

I love how kids learn through games and playing.  They don't have to or shouldn't have to sit down be still and be quite to learn all the time.   I mean I don't learn very well like that so I am glad I have this time to work with him in a fun and interactive way.  Here is our fishing for letters game. 

I put all their magnetic letters into this yellow pail. 

Then we made little fishing rods out of wooden dowels, string and a paper clip.  This was also a good lesson to talk about metal and magnets. 

Then they both went fishing.  Trying to get their paper clip to stick to a letter.  Once they caught a letter they placed it onto this cookie sheet. 

As they pulled more letters out we spelt some words with them. 

Eben really had fun playing this game and even asked to play it when daddy came home and he had it out the next morning fishing again.  

He was very good at it.

I love how he spells his name everywhere these days.  In the mist of all those letters he had spelt out Eben. 

Mama had to help a little to spell out Jaelyn for him. 

Is there any "school" time games you guys do that your kids LOVE?