Category: Fun and Learning

Preschool Lesson Plan: R is for Rainbows

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I had a lot of fun hosting the Sweet Bee’s preschool class today. March is the perfect time to  talk about rainbows, and we spent a few hours this morning full of color!

Play Time/Free Time Downstairs

Circle Time
Welcome Song—Here We Are Together
Pledge of Allegiance
Calendar—Talk about the day, the month, and the date.
Weather –look out the window and discuss the weather

All About Rainbows

Group activity: Build a rainbow out of feltI made this simple rainbow out of colored felt, to introduce our rainbow theme. Each child picked a color, and then we stacked the pieces on top of each other to form a rainbow arc.

Read: A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman

I just discovered this book and it is delightful, and the 4 year olds in our group were all pretty interested in it.

Science experiment: Food color mixing in water cupsThanks to Make and Takes for the inspiration!

Creative Crafts: R is for Rainbow–use pom pom, beads, feathers, and more to decorate a rainbow.

Free Play

Snack: Rainbow fruit kabobs

I wasn’t able to get all the colors of the rainbow, but our kabobs were pretty colorful with red strawberries, orange cantaloupe, yellow pineapple and green kiwi. A delicious healthy snack I need to remember to make on a regular day, too!

Alphabet Time: Letter R

ABC song-Sing while doing something silly like jumping up and down, clapping hands, swimming our arms, etc.

Introduce letter R. Use letter block, foam letter, magnet letter, puzzle letter, stamper—pull out of a bag.

Read: Duckie’s Rainbow

I read the book out loud once, and then I read it again and we all acted it.  (“She hopped under the orange bridge…” so we all hopped around the room).

Play: Roll and color a rainbow

Thanks to Criss-Cross Applesauce for the game template

Play: Musical Chairs (in color)

Instead of using chairs, we used colored pieces of felt for the children to step on.

Bubbles!

End the day by blowing bubbles outside and looking for rainbows.

Be sure to check out my Shamrocks and Rainbows post for a few more ideas!

Spreading love in February

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This little mailbox is a new addition to our family’s annual February festivities. When I found it in the dollar aisle at Target I picked it up without hesitation. The mailbox is our “love box”: anyone who would like to can leave message inside for another family member. The girls get pretty excited when they notice the raised flag and know that there is a message inside. In the picture you can see some of the messages that have been sent (and received).

Writing a note just takes a minute, but it is a nice way that we are showing love in our family. I was also inspired by the idea of a 14 Acts of Love countdown to Valentine’s Day, shared at Make and Takes. We haven’t been able to do it every day, but it has helped us to have a more service/other oriented mindset.

I have found so many great ideas online this year for Valentine’s Day. Thank you, Pinterest, for keeping it all organized for me! You can view the ideas that have sparked my interest on my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board. I also have a great set of links that I shared last year.

Activities for Groundhog Day

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Every year Groundhog Day sneaks up on me, but this year we are actually doing something to recognize it! I hosted the Sweet Bee’s preschool group today and we had some groundhog themed fun.

After our usual introductory stuff (some free-play time, welcome song, talk about the calendar and the weather) we read Animals in Winter.The book details, briefly, what various animals do to survive the winter: migrate, hibernate, or adapt. I previously found images online of each animal mentioned in the book, and as we read the book we added the animal picture to the appropriate poster. This book was a really great way to bring a little science into our lesson, and the activity as we went along kept the attention of the children.

Then it was time to focus in on the groundhog (aka the woodchuck). The children colored a groundhog and decorated a cave (toilet paper roll) for it to pop out of. Snack time: Edible Groundhogs!I originally found the idea for this groundhog here and I thought it was so cute. I modified the instructions slightly based on the amount of supplies I was willing to purchase (I left out the cookie frosting and just used chocolate pudding to stick it all together). Here is the breakdown:

-chocolate pudding for the body

-vanilla wafer for the head

-edible eyeballs (I found some at Walmart in the cake decorating aisle–the kids thought they were the coolest thing ever!)

-butterscotch chip for the nose (or you could use a chocolate chip)

-mini marshmallow for the teeth

-vanilla wafer broken into pieces for the ears and the front paws

The children were very enthralled with this little edible critter!

To conclude our day we ended with a few songs and a game.

(sung to the tune of 10 Little Indians)
One little, two little, three little groundhogs.
Four little, five little, six little groundhogs.
Seven little, eight little, nine little groundhogs.
Sleeping down under the ground.

(sung to the tune of I’m a Little Teapot)
I’m a little groundhog, furry and brown.
When winter comes, I sleep underground.
I’m curled up, as cozy as can be.
When it’s spring please wake me up!

I brought out my laundry basket and the children took turns laying inside, with a blanket thrown over their heads. I would sing the song and the child would pop up when I said “wake me up!” The kids loved it and wanted multiple turns, so I sang a lot! A simple game, but perfect for the 4-year-olds (and the the almost 2-year-old) in our group.

If I have time tomorrow, I plan to make this footprint groundhog with my children.Image courtesy of The Educator’s Spin On It

Here are the other books we are reading in honor of the furry little groundhog:

Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather by Bruce Koscielniak

Gregory’s Shadow by Don Freeman

Happy Groundhog Day!

Winter arts and crafts (and books to read in January)

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The theme of January at our house is always winter and snow. We have yet to have any snow flurries land on our doorstep in Florida, so we have to make our own fun with snow. Now presenting: our collections of snowy projects undertaken in January!Our winter art wall!

These three snowman scenes were inspired by the paper tube stamped snowman shared at Make and Takes. We started with toilet paper rolls and white paint and made circles, then we each added our own embellishments.

These little cuties were made by painting one of Little Boy Z’s fingers. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but they are pretty miniature. I added the details with colored marker after the paint was dry. (Inspiration found here).

Salty snowflakes: Draw a simple snowflake shape, outline with glue, then shake some salt on top. (Sorry! I can’t remember where I saw this idea to give them credit)

The ever popular cottonball snowman.

And the equally popular marshmallow snowman–because marshmallows are perfect imitations of snowballs, and are as much fun for children to craft with as they are to eat!

Since the marshmallows were already in the house, we of course had to do some building and designing with toothpicks.

The Ant Bug pulled out her Model Magic one afternoon and shaped this snowman. If you haven’t tried Model Magic material before it is a nice variation along the theme of playdough.

As is my habit, we are also reading winter books!

Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft & Richard G. Van Gelder

It’s Snowing! It’s Snowing! Winter Poems by Jack Prelutsky

Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch

Stella: Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

For more wintery and snowy ideas, be sure to check out my winter board on Pinterest.

P is for Pilgrim (and books to read in November)

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I was excited to plan and host the Sweet Bee’s weekly preschool group. Last week the theme was turkeys and thankfulness, so today I focused more on the pilgrim side of things. Most of our activities came from this fun tot pack graciously provided by Our Little Monkeys.

I printed and laminated these cards to make a matching game.

Each child put together a puzzle.

The Thanksgiving Tot Pack is full of fun worksheets that take only a minute to do. To save paper, I printed one of each worksheet, and then stuck the worksheet inside a sheet protector. The children then use a dry erase marker to complete the worksheet. Erase the marker with a tissue paper, and then the worksheet can be used over and over again!

We made feather headresses.Look closely at the snack–we had cornucopia’s and apples! The cornucopia’s are Bugle chips, but they do the trick.

A little coloring page to take home.

And because I’ll want to remember this next year, here are some of the books we are reading this month.

The Story of Thanksgiving by Nancy J. Skarmeas

In November by Cynthia Rylant

Arthur’s Thanksgiving by Marc Brown

If you sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern

The Very First Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene

This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed

Thanksgiving on Thursday and Pilgrims: A nonfiction guide by Mary Pope Osborne

 

Thanksgiving: Turkeys and other thoughts

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Allow me to introduce….Tom the Turkey (nicknamed by the Ant Bug).

Isn’t he cute? I found the no sew tutorial for this adorable bird at Gwenny Penny. Her directions are very clear, and she provides a template for body parts (that red snood can be kinda tricky, you know). The body of her bird is made out of burlap, but I used felt for mine since I have a plethora of felt leftover from last years Christmas projects.

So…hurray for a Thanksgiving decoration! I am  a little lacking in the “Thanksgiving decor” department right now, but I’m sure my girls will have me well supplied in turkey art before the end of the month.

I’ve got a few other Thanksgiving projects on the brain right now. I definitely want to make time for a few handprint turkeys (like this one or this one or this one). I do have to give  a shout out to the Ant Bug who made her first handprint turkey of the season on  November 2nd.

I get to host a Thanksgiving themed preschool next week, so I’ll probably nab some activities from this preschool packet at 1plus1plus1equals1.

Last year we had great fun playing Don’t Eat Tom, a variation of Don’t Eat Pete provided by Prepared Not Scared.The girls were pretty excited to see the game board again this year, and we’ve already played a round.

I haven’t planned the rest of the menu yet, but at least I know what dessert will be on Thanksgiving: Layered Pumpkin Pie Toffee Cheesecake, courtesy of Our Best Bites, of course! A cheesecake and pumpkin combo that is making my mouth water…maybe I should make a test version this weekend…

Are you on Pinterest yet? I’ve been finding lots of fun things there. You can take a look at anything that has intrigued me (Thanksgiving themed or otherwise!) by clicking here or on the link on the right and taking a look at my boards.

What plans do you have for Thanksgiving?

 

Busy Bag Swap

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I just got home from a successful Busy Bag swap. Busy bags are simple activities for toddlers and preschoolers that can be stored in a zip bag for them to take out and stay ‘busy’. The content of each Busy Bag varies, but if you do a quick Google search you can find plenty of ideas. About two months ago a friend sent out an invitation to participate in a swap, and I immediately jumped on the bandwagon. So did 27 other people!

I signed up for the number wheel (see project details here), so I’ve spent my spare moments in the last two weeks coloring, cutting, laminating, and numbering.

Here is my finished product.And here are 27 bags of number wheels and clothespins to share with my friends. Whew!If you would like to make your own number wheel, you can download my template here: number wheel for busy bag.

The hosts of the swap invited everyone for a fun girls night, with food and door prizes and of course, swapping. It was really exciting to see all of the fun activities. My children will be thrilled (and busy)!

Here are just a few of the activities I brought home.Button Snake

Magnetic pom pom tray

Button matching

Pom Pom Stuff it in

Color wheel

Tracing Sheets

If you would like to create your own busy bags, you can find lots of ideas online with a simple Google search. Our group used a lot of ideas from Money Saving Mom.

I can’t wait to try these out with the kids tomorrow!

Books and Fun for October

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October is a great month, full of fall time fun: leaves and pumpkins and Halloween (as well as a birthday for our family!). At our house we enjoy reading books to celebrate the season. Here is a sampling of what we are reading this month:

Dem Bones by Bob Barner: great book that shares interesting “bone facts”, paired with a familiar folk tune.

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler: silly and fun

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White: hmmm, this book makes me want to eat pumpkin pie!

10 Trick-or-Treaters by Janet Schulman: a great counting book on a Halloween theme

Where is Baby’s Pumpkin? by Karen Katz: a fun lift-the-flap book for the little ones.

So…what’s on our activity line-up for the month? Our traditional trip to the pumpkin patch, a ward Trunk-or-Treat party, Boo at the Zoo, carving pumpkins,  and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. But I’m sure we’ll have time for a few fun projects:

This year these adorable thumbprint spiders have caught my eye.

Thanks to Teach Mama, our lunchboxes will contain a laugh in the form of Halloween lunchbox notes.

Teach Mama also shared a lot great ideas for classroom parties, which can also be used at home. I like the Ghost Bingo Game.

Not Just Cute has a great index of preschool activities for fall (and pumpkins!).

I love these footprint ghosts. I saw this image on pinterest, but I unfortunately can’t find the original source to give credit.

Thanks to the Ant Bug, we’ve got a great start on our Halloween decorations. She spent most of last Saturday working on this poster, and I think she included everything pertinent to Halloween: a haunted mansion, spiders and webs, a witch on her broom, bats, a ghost, and a full moon. I love her creativity!

Be sure to check out my past Halloween posts for lots of great activity ideas to celebrate Halloween.

A Pumpkin Party Weekend (2010)

Halloween Recipes (2010)

Glowing Faces in a Jar (and other Halloween Fun) (2010)

Halloween Craft Fun (2009)

Ghosts in the House (2008)

Lunch box notes and jokes

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My to-do list for the last two weeks has included this item: Make lunchbox notes/jokes

Tonight, I’m finally crossing this item off my list! And then I realized I should share my fun findings with you.

The background behind this post: When the Ant Bug was in Kindergarten last year, we had fun with little lunchbox notes of love. I was thankful for the creative moms who shared their talents (namely The Teach Mama). I printed off a bunch of notes in advance, and then just stuck them in her lunchbox throughout the year. I think (hope!) the Ant Bug enjoyed the notes and was reminded that I love her, but what she enjoyed most of all were the joke notes. So this year I’m going with joke notes as much as possible! Below are some links to creative lunch box notes and jokes (and some free printables). This should get me through a few months!

Lunch Jokes from Kristen Duke Photography

Jokes from Family Fun

The Official Lunch Survey from June Pfaff Daley (not jokes, but a really fun idea)

Lunchbox jokes from The Gunny Sack

Jokes with pictures from Kraft Canada

Lunchbox jokes from Trish Berg

51 Ideas for Smile Inducing Lunch Box Notes and Surprises

Unbirthday Party

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At the beginning of the summer we sat down as a family and made a list of the things that we wanted to be sure and do this summer. We recently crossed off “Host an Unbirthday Party” on our list. Who doesn’t love an excuse to play games and eat cake?!The Ant Bug pretty much planned and carried out the event, with a little guidance from me. We sent a digital invitation to the family that we wanted to invite, and then she wrote out a list of our planned activities for the party.Party Hats

A creative activity is a great way to start off any party, so first on our agenda was decorating party hats. Using a template we found online (like this party hat shown here), each child chose a color for their hat, then decorated it with color and stickers. Staple it together, then punch holes and add yarn to tie it on.Party Games

We planned two games, and our friends planned a few games.

1). Pin the pom pom on the party hat (poster designed by the Ant Bug)2). Musical colors: just like musical chairs, but since we are a little short on chairs at our house we used squares of colorful felt to jump on instead3). Balloon games: relay race to pop your balloon, keep the balloon in the air

4). Silly lips: apply lipstick to another person, while wearing a blindfold (this was especially funny with children who had no experience whatsoever in applying lipstick!)

Eat Cake

The Ant Bug recently read Amelia Bedelia Bakes Off by Herman Parish. In this silly adventure, Amelia Bedelia helps run a bakery and she ends up winning a baking contest with her cake recipe. The book included the recipe, and that was the recipe the Ant Bug selected for our cake.Amelia Bedelia’s Sheet Cake

3 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup cocoa

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. vinegar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups water

Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa directly into an ungreased 9″x13″ pan (we used a large sheet pan instead). Add oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Pour water over all ingredients. Mix with a fork until smooth. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool the cake and ice in the pan with your favorite frosting.

The frosting recipe we used came from the Family Cookbook.

Texas Sheet Cake Frosting

1 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup milk

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 cup nuts, coarsely chopped, optional

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Melt butter, and stir in cocoa. Add milk, and bring butter, milk, and coca to a boil, just until bubbly. Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour over hot cake.The cake was delicious, and it was a great extension activity tied in to some summer reading. Each child picked out a birthday candle and and stuck it in the cake where they wanted to, and then everyone got to blow out their candle. We finished off by reading the book as we ate the cake.