Find it Jars
This activity is simple and creative, and it allows you to access your competitive side! This find it jar only requires a few supplies, most of which could be found around the house. After making your jars, you can race to see who can find all of the objects the fastest! Each time you play, try to beat your previous time and see how quickly your mind can work. This activity aids in the development of focus and fine motor skills. Let’s get started!
Supplies:
2 Jars
Rice (sand may be used as a substitute)
Superglue
Pencil
Paper
Timer
Paper towel
Funnel
Whatever objects you would like to include- be creative!
Examples: Dinosaurs, action figures, paper clips, crayons, erasers, rubber bands, marbles, etc.
Step one: First, search for things that you would like to put in your jar. Try to pick a lot of different objects with different colors! Remember that these objects will need to be small enough to fit inside of your jar, and you should ask an adult to make sure that you can use these things! Remember that you should also never put any of these things in your mouth. For my jar, I chose dinosaurs, a minion, crayons, a rubber band, a marble, and a paperclip!
Step two: Now that you have collected all of your objects, let’s make a checklist! This will be used later for the game. Find a piece of paper and a pencil and write down everything that you will be putting in your jar! If you want to make it more challenging, include colors of objects to find as well. For example, you could write “something yellow” or “something green.”
Step three: Once you have picked out all of your objects and made a checklist, you are ready to start building your jar. Take the lid off of your jar, and begin to pour the rice inside. Do this slowly so you don’t make a mess! If this is tricky, you can use a funnel to avoid spilling. Stop once you have filled your jar to the halfway point. If any rice managed to fall onto the table or floor, you can pick it up and put it into the trash.
Step four: Great job pouring the rice! Next, you are ready to start adding your special objects! Choose your first object and push it down into the rice. Do this with all of your objects.
Step five: Once everything is inside, begin slowly adding more rice until the objects are covered. Make sure that you only fill your jar ¾ of the way full! There should be some empty space at the top.
Step six: For this step, you may need to ask an adult for help. We are going to glue your lid onto the jar. You will want to place a paper towel on the table just in case the glue drips. Open your superglue and squeeze a few drops onto the inside of your lid. The glue should go on the outer edge of the lid only. Make sure to not get any on your fingers!
Step seven: Then, put the lid on your jar and secure it tightly. This will keep your rice from spilling out. If you got any glue on your fingers, wash your hands with soap and water right away.
Your find it jar is complete, great job! You can repeat these steps to make a second jar. Now you are ready to play the game!
Game Instructions
Step one: Find a friend to play with! Each of you should have your own jar.
Step two: Each player needs to find their checklist from before. This will be the checklist of everything you will need to find in the jar during the game. Each player should have the same number of objects on their list.
Step three: Make sure that you shake up your jars before starting, and find an adult to get a stopwatch ready.
Step four: When the adult helper says go, each player will begin looking for the first object on their list. They cannot move on until that object is found. Some objects may be trickier to find, so you will have to move your jar in different ways!
Step five: When the first object is found, you may begin searching for the next.
Step six: Find all of your objects the fastest to win the game!
Thanks for making these find it jars with me! I hope you have a fun time as you race to find your objects!