A Book, a Song, and a Craft

A book, a song, and a craft. That is my recipe for a great “school-time” session with my children. The Ant Bug loves to do arts and crafts but it can be difficult to come up with something to do everyday.

Tiger!

Thankfully, No Time for Flashcards has been a life saver and it has now made the list of my daily must-read blogs. Allie is an experienced childhood educator and she posts daily activities for young children that promote play, discovery, and learning. Most of her projects are relatively simple and can be tailored to meet the interests and abilities of many children. She always includes a few book suggestions that correspond with the project, and she quite often includes a song (with a video clip so you can learn the tune). The two new favorites we’ve added to our musical repertoire are A Slippery Fish and Fried Ham.

Alligator A

One thing I really appreciate about the site is that the majority of her projects require only the basic art supplies I am likely to have in my cupboard (construction paper, paint, glue, scissors, markers, crayons, pipe cleaners, etc). Check out her recommended master list of craft supplies here.

Spotty Spider

Every few weeks the Ant Bug and I go through the site and make a list of the projects that we would like to do. Then I put the recommended books on hold at the library. Whenever the urge to do a craft project strikes our fancy, the Ant Bug just chooses one of the current library books on our shelf and we pull out our craft supplies.

Rabbit R

Great projects that don’t require a lot of planning. Perfect for busy mamas!

Peacock (really, it’s a peacock, not a turkey). It goes with Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear?

So the next time you and your little one’s are in need of some arts and crafts, be sure to check out No Time for Flashcards.