Time for our August Calendar - for your family and classes. Enjoy!!
Aug 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
An Easy Snack
We made S'mores Pops! They are delicious and lots of fun to make with kids.
Supplies:
Large Marshmallows
Sucker sticks
Melted Chocolate
Crushed Graham Crackers
Dip the sucker sticks in the melted chocolate and then stick one in a flat side of each marshmallow. Once all of the marshmallows have sticks in them, let them sit for a few minutes to set up. Now dip the marshmallows in the melted chocolate and then sprinkle all of the sides with the crushed graham crackers. Sit them on wax paper to set up. It is a bit hot and humid around here so I actually ended up sitting ours in the refrigerator to finish setting up.
Those are very addictive! Enjoy.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
A Science Experiment
When I picked up my son from daycare a few days ago I noticed that there were lots of pine cones that had fallen from the trees surrounding the parking lot. I decided to pick up a few of those pine cones for us to use in a little experiment. Notice how wide open the pine cones are in the picture above.
We put the pine cones in Ziploc bags with about 1/2 inch of water and sealed them up. We laid them on the counter overnight. We talked about what we thought would happen to the pine cones and the water. He first said they would take a nap and then he was hoping for lots of bugs, I was not.
The next morning we checked our pine cones to discover that they had completely closed up. We pulled them out of the bags and discussed what had caused that effect on the pine cone. Why did it close? Would it open back up? Why do plants need water? Do plants need light too?
I kept one pine cone out to use as a sample of how the pines cones looked when we started the experiment, it is on the left and the one that was in the water overnight is on the right.
The second half of the experiment was to place the pine cones on the deck in the sun. After a bit, the pine cones opened right back up.
He was impressed with this experiment as it was quite visual and he only had to focus in small bursts. It is best to keep your child's age and attention span in mind when picking out a science experiment to try. My son is only 3 three so this was perfect for him.
Check out some more great experiments on Science Sunday at Adventures of Mommydom.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday Teachings - The Letter G
Another Tuesday, another letter. This week we bring you the letter G!
G
Some words that start with the letter G:
Gold, Green, Grass, Ghost, Glow, Glass, Gap, Gas, Glitter, Gum, Guppy, Guitar
We decided to focus on Grass and Green.
For our first picture, we painted grass. I thought about going outside and pulling some grass/weeds to glue down but then I thought of a better way. We took a fork and laid the tines in green paint and then put the tines on the paper, ta-da you have painted grass!
For the next picture, I wanted to stress to my son that there are different degrees of green. We took a lime green paint, Kelly green paint, and a couple of different green markers to work on the art project.
Once that was completed, we made our own green with blue and yellow paints.
I ran out of time but another thing we had planned was to "pan for gold". I painted some little landscaping rocks with yellow paint and we were going to bury them in pots and then dig them out. The problem is that we are in the middle of a heat wave and it has been too hot to do much outside and we are not bringing in pots of dirt.
You can print out the letter G and put it in a clear sheet protector/report cover or laminate it and give the child a dry erase marker to practice writing the letter G.
You can write the letter G on a chalkboard and give the kid a small amount of water with a paint brush. They can dip the brush in the water and use it to erase/trace your letter.
Find the letter G. Give a child a marker and an old magazine or newspaper. Ask them to go through a few pages and circle the letter G.
Lacing Cards - Print out the letter G and laminate it. Punch a hole every inch or so and let the child lace yarn or a shoestring.
Paint Bag - Squirt some tempura paint of shaving cream in a zipper style bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. For safety and cleanliness sake, tape the bag closed also. Now put the bag on the desk and allow the child to trace the G.
All crafts that are easy to save, please hold onto those and put them all in a Alphabet Binder for the child. To make the binders I will put the pictures in sheet protectors and then put them in a 3 ring binder.
For our snack, we made our own Granola Mix. Some other foods that start with the letter G:
Garbanzo beans, Goat cheese, Guava, Grapes, Garlic, Gingerbread, Green Beans, Grilled Cheese, Gumbo, Gummy Bears, Guacamole and Gatorade.
For our Granola Mix, we picked out a couple of pre-made granola that we had in the house, Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate and mixed those with some dried cranberries, extra raisins and dried blueberries. We did not include nuts in our strictly because this will be his breakfast at daycare and there is a no nut rule at daycare. Feel free to add nuts or any other dried fruits to your own mix though.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed the letter G with us. Have a GREAT week.
G
Some words that start with the letter G:
Gold, Green, Grass, Ghost, Glow, Glass, Gap, Gas, Glitter, Gum, Guppy, Guitar
We decided to focus on Grass and Green.
For our first picture, we painted grass. I thought about going outside and pulling some grass/weeds to glue down but then I thought of a better way. We took a fork and laid the tines in green paint and then put the tines on the paper, ta-da you have painted grass!
For the next picture, I wanted to stress to my son that there are different degrees of green. We took a lime green paint, Kelly green paint, and a couple of different green markers to work on the art project.
Once that was completed, we made our own green with blue and yellow paints.
I ran out of time but another thing we had planned was to "pan for gold". I painted some little landscaping rocks with yellow paint and we were going to bury them in pots and then dig them out. The problem is that we are in the middle of a heat wave and it has been too hot to do much outside and we are not bringing in pots of dirt.
You can print out the letter G and put it in a clear sheet protector/report cover or laminate it and give the child a dry erase marker to practice writing the letter G.
You can write the letter G on a chalkboard and give the kid a small amount of water with a paint brush. They can dip the brush in the water and use it to erase/trace your letter.
Find the letter G. Give a child a marker and an old magazine or newspaper. Ask them to go through a few pages and circle the letter G.
Lacing Cards - Print out the letter G and laminate it. Punch a hole every inch or so and let the child lace yarn or a shoestring.
Paint Bag - Squirt some tempura paint of shaving cream in a zipper style bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. For safety and cleanliness sake, tape the bag closed also. Now put the bag on the desk and allow the child to trace the G.
All crafts that are easy to save, please hold onto those and put them all in a Alphabet Binder for the child. To make the binders I will put the pictures in sheet protectors and then put them in a 3 ring binder.
For our snack, we made our own Granola Mix. Some other foods that start with the letter G:
Garbanzo beans, Goat cheese, Guava, Grapes, Garlic, Gingerbread, Green Beans, Grilled Cheese, Gumbo, Gummy Bears, Guacamole and Gatorade.
For our Granola Mix, we picked out a couple of pre-made granola that we had in the house, Oatmeal Raisin and Chocolate and mixed those with some dried cranberries, extra raisins and dried blueberries. We did not include nuts in our strictly because this will be his breakfast at daycare and there is a no nut rule at daycare. Feel free to add nuts or any other dried fruits to your own mix though.
Well, I hope you have enjoyed the letter G with us. Have a GREAT week.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday Meanderings - School Lunch Plans
Well we are almost through the month of July and most schools will be going back into session early to mid August so I thought this would be a great time to provide you with some links to recipes and information for fixing your kid's lunch.
I am also planning on doing a few other blog posts with recipes and lunch ideas in the weeks to follow.
As we all know, Jamie Oliver is on a mission to clean up our menus and the Child Care Council of Kentucky supports his cause. For too long schools have relied on processed food with no true nutritional value. Support Jamie's Revolution and visit his website for some great recipes.
On Family Education there is a wealth of recipes. As most other websites, some are healthier than others but most that I looked at sounded very healthy and delicious. I think the bean burrito recipe sounds very tasty.
Kitchen Stewardship has some very tasty ideas along with a list of things that they say you should never include in a kid's lunchbox.
Lunch in a Box is an amazing blog. I have tried numerous recipes and ideas from her site and have never been disappointed. During school she prepares a daily bento box for her pre-schooler. She does it quickly and efficiently and always passes on her speed bento tips.
Adventures in Bento Making is another great blog. She has some of the prettiest food but lots of her lunches are time consuming which is not always reasonable for a daily lunch for kids. It is still fun to look at and great for a special occasion.
I hope this helps you come up with some new ideas for lunch. If it is boring and the child has no say in the lunch, it will probably go uneaten or be traded. Let them help you pack the lunch and spice it up a little bit to keep their interest.
I am also planning on doing a few other blog posts with recipes and lunch ideas in the weeks to follow.
As we all know, Jamie Oliver is on a mission to clean up our menus and the Child Care Council of Kentucky supports his cause. For too long schools have relied on processed food with no true nutritional value. Support Jamie's Revolution and visit his website for some great recipes.
On Family Education there is a wealth of recipes. As most other websites, some are healthier than others but most that I looked at sounded very healthy and delicious. I think the bean burrito recipe sounds very tasty.
Kitchen Stewardship has some very tasty ideas along with a list of things that they say you should never include in a kid's lunchbox.
Lunch in a Box is an amazing blog. I have tried numerous recipes and ideas from her site and have never been disappointed. During school she prepares a daily bento box for her pre-schooler. She does it quickly and efficiently and always passes on her speed bento tips.
Adventures in Bento Making is another great blog. She has some of the prettiest food but lots of her lunches are time consuming which is not always reasonable for a daily lunch for kids. It is still fun to look at and great for a special occasion.
I hope this helps you come up with some new ideas for lunch. If it is boring and the child has no say in the lunch, it will probably go uneaten or be traded. Let them help you pack the lunch and spice it up a little bit to keep their interest.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Homemade Ink/Paint Roller
We decided to try a new craft at our house today. I have seen this in lots of magazines and blogs but I changed ours up just a little to accommodate the supplies that we had on hand.
All we used were an empty toilet paper tube, some foam stickers, a stamp pad and some paper.
We took the back off of the foam stickers and applied them to the toilet paper tube. As you can see we used Easter stickers as we had a huge stash of them. Once they were all on the tube, we pressed the stickers onto the stamp pad and then rolled the tube along the paper. You could also use paint on a brush to color over teh stickers, just be careful not to get it all over the tube or it will transfer blobs of paint to your picture.
We decorated all of our tube with stickers but I soon learned it was not really necessary. If you just do one side, it is easier to press the stickers onto the stamp pads.
My son thoroughly enjoyed this project and I am sure we will be doing it again and again. The next time we do it I hope we have an empty masking tape tube handy so he can actually put his hand inside the tube to roll it across the paper.
Hope you give this a try soon.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Teaching Compassion
My son's daycare center used to do this little project where they would "feature" a child a month in each class. When you were chosen to be featured, then the child and/or the parents would make a poster to hang beside the classroom door.
I really enjoyed this project. My son spends most of the day with these kids and I know most of their names but that is about all I knew about them. When they were featured and a poster was done it would always have pictures of their life outside of school and pictures of them with their families. It would include their likes and dislikes, their pets and favorite toys or any other thing the parent wanted to include. This was always lots of fun to see what the other kids did and the classes could discuss the posters during the days and maybe even try out some of the favorite foods or activities that were featured on the poster.
We are very fortunate that our daycare center has a diverse background of families. Everyone does not look the same, everyone does not speak the same and everyone certainly has not developed and met milestones the same. This adds a degree of humanity to my child's life that I may not be able to add on my own. I am appreciative of the families that have embraced my child and are bringing knowledge of other cultures to his life.
We use daycare as both my spouse and I work full time but you do not have to use a daycare to find diversity in your child's life. If you are a stay at home parent there are still ways to meet other parents that may not be just like you. Go to story time at the library or local bookstores, go to the children's museum, go to the local playground or even to an indoor playground in the mall or fast food restaurant. Try not to be shy about introducing yourself to other parents but if that is not something you can do then think about joining a local parenting group. In this area there are several groups that get together during the day for play dates and they are almost always looking to add new members. You can go to Google and do a search for playgroups in your city.
It is important for kids to know that not everyone will look like them or have the same amount of money as them. Kids need to learn that being different is not a bad thing. The sooner a child learns humanity and compassion for people that are different than he is, the more likely we can battle playground bullying together. Compassion begins at home and it is one of the most important lessons you can teach your children. They learn by watching you so before you are rude to a cashier or scream at a driver that cut you off, remember that your child is learning how to interact with people by watching you. We all want our kid's lives to be better than our own but in order to achieve this we must first improve our outlook on our own lives.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Tuesday Teachings - The Letter F
A new week means a new letter. We are moving on with the letter F this week.
F
Some words that start with the letter F are:
Fashion, Fork, Flat, Fly, Fast, Feather, Frog, Fish, Flower, Fry, France, Foot, Flour, Fall, Farm, Five
For our presentation this week we focused on Flower, Feathers, Frogs and Fish.
Our first picture we used Foam Flower Stickers to decorate the F page. We also went outside and picked some Fresh Flowers to decorate the dinner table. Sorry for the sideways picture but my son kept turning the page around because he liked it best that way.
For the next activity we glued some Feathers onto the letter F and then we used the left over feathers as a sensory toy and tickled each others face and arms with them.
For the last craft, we used fish stickers to decorate the page but my son was not impressed with using stickers again, he wanted to get dirty. In order to let him get dirty, we then also put green fingerprints on the F and once dried, I used a black pen to turn the fingerprints into frogs. I think they turned out very cute.
You can print out the letter F and put it in a clear sheet protector/report cover or laminate it and give the child a dry erase marker to practice writing the letter F.
You can write the letter F on a chalkboard and give the kid a small amount of water with a paint brush. They can dip the brush in the water and use it to erase/trace your letter.
Find the letter F. Give a child a marker and an old magazine or newspaper. Ask them to go through a few pages and circle the letter F.
Lacing Cards - Print out the letter F and laminate it. Punch a hole every inch or so and let the child lace yarn or a shoestring.
Paint Bag - Squirt some tempura paint of shaving cream in a zipper style bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. For safety and cleanliness sake, tape the bag closed also. Now put the bag on the desk and allow the child to trace the F.
All crafts that are easy to save, please hold onto those and put them all in a Alphabet Binder for the child. To make the binders I will put the pictures in sheet protectors and then put them in a 3 ring binder.
As for our snack I wanted something to fun and the only F food that kept popping into my head was Fish. Fish may be tasty, but it did not meet my fun criteria so we made Fairy Wands instead.
I used pretzel braids, white candy coating and colored sugars.
We melted the candy coating in the microwave and then dipped the pretzels in the coating and let the excess drip off some before sprinkling colored sugar on the candy. Then set the wand on wax paper to harden. The colored sugar can be expensive so be sure that you keep a dish under the pretzels to catch any excess when sprinkling it.
F
Some words that start with the letter F are:
Fashion, Fork, Flat, Fly, Fast, Feather, Frog, Fish, Flower, Fry, France, Foot, Flour, Fall, Farm, Five
For our presentation this week we focused on Flower, Feathers, Frogs and Fish.
Our first picture we used Foam Flower Stickers to decorate the F page. We also went outside and picked some Fresh Flowers to decorate the dinner table. Sorry for the sideways picture but my son kept turning the page around because he liked it best that way.
For the next activity we glued some Feathers onto the letter F and then we used the left over feathers as a sensory toy and tickled each others face and arms with them.
For the last craft, we used fish stickers to decorate the page but my son was not impressed with using stickers again, he wanted to get dirty. In order to let him get dirty, we then also put green fingerprints on the F and once dried, I used a black pen to turn the fingerprints into frogs. I think they turned out very cute.
(Close up of the cute frog fingerprints)
You can print out the letter F and put it in a clear sheet protector/report cover or laminate it and give the child a dry erase marker to practice writing the letter F.
You can write the letter F on a chalkboard and give the kid a small amount of water with a paint brush. They can dip the brush in the water and use it to erase/trace your letter.
Find the letter F. Give a child a marker and an old magazine or newspaper. Ask them to go through a few pages and circle the letter F.
Lacing Cards - Print out the letter F and laminate it. Punch a hole every inch or so and let the child lace yarn or a shoestring.
Paint Bag - Squirt some tempura paint of shaving cream in a zipper style bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. For safety and cleanliness sake, tape the bag closed also. Now put the bag on the desk and allow the child to trace the F.
All crafts that are easy to save, please hold onto those and put them all in a Alphabet Binder for the child. To make the binders I will put the pictures in sheet protectors and then put them in a 3 ring binder.
As for our snack I wanted something to fun and the only F food that kept popping into my head was Fish. Fish may be tasty, but it did not meet my fun criteria so we made Fairy Wands instead.
I used pretzel braids, white candy coating and colored sugars.
We melted the candy coating in the microwave and then dipped the pretzels in the coating and let the excess drip off some before sprinkling colored sugar on the candy. Then set the wand on wax paper to harden. The colored sugar can be expensive so be sure that you keep a dish under the pretzels to catch any excess when sprinkling it.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday Meanderings - Water Play
Since the dog days of summer are now upon us the only way to stay cool is with a little water play. I have rounded up some ideas around the web to help you keep the kiddos occupied and cool.
First up is Amazing Moms with lots of great ideas. When I was young we did a variation of the ice ball surprise but instead of balloons we used plastic bowls.
TLC has some great ideas on their website also. I love the idea of the bubble pie.
Last but not least is Blisstree. The Water Balloon Toss with a Twist sounds like an easy way for me to stay cool as the balloon would probably pop every time on me.
When you go out to play in the water with the kids, do not forget the sunscreen. Now get out there and get wet and have fun doing it. Some of these ideas would also be great to use for a summer party, whether it be a birthday party or just a gathering of good friends. Enjoy what is left of summer as Fall and Winter are trying to knock on our doors.
First up is Amazing Moms with lots of great ideas. When I was young we did a variation of the ice ball surprise but instead of balloons we used plastic bowls.
TLC has some great ideas on their website also. I love the idea of the bubble pie.
Last but not least is Blisstree. The Water Balloon Toss with a Twist sounds like an easy way for me to stay cool as the balloon would probably pop every time on me.
When you go out to play in the water with the kids, do not forget the sunscreen. Now get out there and get wet and have fun doing it. Some of these ideas would also be great to use for a summer party, whether it be a birthday party or just a gathering of good friends. Enjoy what is left of summer as Fall and Winter are trying to knock on our doors.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Ideas to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight
Picture compliments of MyPyramid.gov
You've probably read about it or heard about it on the news, reports state that childhood obesity has continued to climb over the last two decades. Type 2 diabetes, which has always been an adult disease has now also become prevalent in childhood. No longer can Type 2 diabetes be called Adult Onset Diabetes. Children are experiencing heart disease caused by high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Asthma and sleep apnea are on the rise. Children are getting more and more unhealthy, it is time for us to take action. As parents, it is our responsibility to offer our children as healthy a lifestyle as we can.
What can you do?
Help your child maintain a healthy weight by balancing the calories your child consumes with the calories that your child uses through physical activity and normal growth. Children and teens should not be placed on a weight reduction diet without the consultation of a health care provider.
Developing healthy eating habits
This is easiest done by example. If you are eating fast food several times a week then so is your child.
- Look for ways to make your favorite meals a little healthier.
- Provide plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It is not enough to just buy them, have them cleaned and ready to make it the easiest thing to grab when food is needed.
- Include low-fat or non-fat milk and dairy products in your home. Reports state that the only people that should be consuming full fat milk products are children under the age of two. They need the additional fat but anyone over two does not need the additional fat.
- Choose lean meats, poultry, fish, lentils, and beans for protein. Prepare these foods with little to know additional oil. It does no good to by healthy fish and then batter and fry it to serve your family.
- Serve reasonably sized portions. Do not use restaurants as an example of a healthy portion of food. Most restaurant portions are enough to feed two to three adults.
- Encourage your family to drink lots of water. If they do not like "plain" water, slice up some fresh fruit to serve in it. Water is delicious with lemons, limes, oranges and a variety of other fruits.
- Limit sugar sweetened beverages, this includes sodas and juices.
- Limit the consumption of sugar and saturated fats.
- Remove calorie rich or salty temptations from your home. Everything can be enjoyed in moderation but these items should be an occasional treat not the norm.
- 1 medium sized apple
- 1 medium sized banana
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 cup grapes (also delicious served frozen)
- 1 cup carrots, broccoli or bell peppers with 2 tbsp hummus
- 10 cashews or 10 almonds
- 3 ounces low-fat cottage cheese and 3 whole-wheat crackers
- 2 large graham cracker squares with 1 teaspoon peanut butter
- 1 small baked potato with 1/2 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons of fat-free sour cream
Children and teens should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days of the week, preferably every day. Some examples of moderate intensity physical activities:
- Brisk Walking - buy pedometers for the family and challenge one another to see who takes the most steps
- Playing tag in the back yard
- Jumping rope
- Playing soccer
- Swimming
- Dancing
- Skating
- Bicycling
- Relay races in the back yard
As you can see, no special equipment is needed other than your determination. Many reports are talking about how parents will soon be outliving their children if the childhood obesity epidemic continues. This is the time for you to stand up and take control. Lead your children to a healthier life and join them on the journey. No one should be sitting on the sidelines watching life play out in front of them. Get out there!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
I have a baby. Now what?
When you come home from the hospital with your little bundle of joy, you see nothing but promise when you look into the eyes of your child. Soon you realize that there is a lot of competition between parents. As you are thrilled that your child starts holding her head up on her own, someone else talks about how their child is already rolling over unassisted.
These conversations can get you down quickly and make you wonder if you are doing all that you can for your child. Rest assured that every child does develop on a different time frame. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a list of guidelines and target ages to meet the guidelines but even they know that just because you are not on "target" does not necessarily mean that there is something wrong.
The most important thing you can do for your child is to encourage them and to see everything as an easy opportunity to teach. Some people have a hard time talking to a small baby that is basically unresponsive but that is when a child is absorbing everything you say. They can not speak yet but they can remember words you say and figure out the meaning of the words. They can pick up on small nuances in your voice and demeanor. If you are stressed or angry, they can pick up on that and re-create the same emotions.
Speak to your baby, sing to her and read books to her. This will assist her in time to learn to speak. It is okay to sing the same songs to her over and over. When my child was small, I completely narrated everything I did to him. As I got him dressed I pointed out his arms, legs, head, fingers and toes. He was one of the first children in his class to recognize these body parts. We never really "worked" on learning these things, we just sang a little tune as we got him dressed each morning and then again when we put his pajamas on at night.
Under no circumstances am I telling you that you must go out and buy every toy you can find that says it is an educational toy in order to further your child. I am also not telling you that you should always point out how great your little Timmy is doing and ask your friend why little Abby is so far behind. I am encouraging you to use your imagination to teach the basics to your child in the first years of his life.
As you put on their shoes, ask for the left foot and then the right foot. They will not always get it right but they will learn that there is a difference. As you tie those same shoes, recite the shoe tying song (sang to the tune of Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush):
This is the way I tie my shoes
Tie my shoes
Tie my shoes
This is the way I tie my shoes
So early in the morning!
By making little bunny ears
Bunny ears
Bunny ears
By making little bunny ears
So early in the morning!
I tie them in a little knot
Little knot
Little knot
I tie them in a little knot
So early in the morning!
As you do things throughout your day, sing about it to your child. You will not immediately see your child carrying on conversations but you will be rewarded later when they begin to develop language skills.
Do not just speak to your child though, they need your touch also. Snuggle, cuddle and rock your baby. Every touch stimulates the baby's brain. Do not just do these things when your baby is upset, nurture him when he is happy, alert and quiet also. This will be just as rewarding for you as it is for the baby. This will release some tension for you and will help you to bond with the baby. Your child looks at you with eyes of love and trust when they are happy and rested, relish this time.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday Teachings - The Letter E
As we move our way through the alphabet we are stopping at the letter E this week. Some great E words are: Earth, Evening, Event, Empty, Elm, Employee, Eel and Elbow.
E
Be sure to download the letter E for your activities. I thought and thought about which E activities to do with my child and finally settled on these.
First up is an Elephant from the letter E. My son painted the elephant (I let him choose the paint colors) and then I glued on the trunk and the ear once the paint had dried as he had already gone to bed. He loves to paint more than anything else so he does not mind my finishing up the project.
Next up we glued google Eyes all over a letter E. He really enjoyed shaking the eyes around and seeing then spin.
For the next letter E, I wanted to do something with Eggs. My original thought was to color eggs. This activity would be twofold, coloring the eggs and talking about the letter E and then cracking the shells to glue onto the letter E but alas it was not meant to be in my house this week. Too much else going on so I cut out some paper Eggs from some scrapbook paper I had laying around. You do not have to use scrapbook paper, construction paper would work also but I am never going to scrapbook so I figured I should get some use out of the "fancy paper".
For the next craft, I really love hand print crafts to track my son's growth so I painted his hand gray and once it dried I glued an ear on the palm. I think he is adorable and I know I will keep that forever. Not only is it cute but it is always fun to hear the deep belly laughs of my son as I tickle his hand with the paintbrush when I am doing hand print crafts with him. That is why I prefer paint over a stamp pad, those laughs always brighten my day!
You can print out the letter E and put it in a clear sheet protector/report cover or laminate it and give the child a dry erase marker to practice writing the letter E.
You can write the letter E on a chalkboard and give the kid a small amount of water with a paint brush. They can dip the brush in the water and use it to erase/trace your letter.
Find the letter E. Give a child a marker and an old magazine or newspaper. Ask them to go through a few pages and circle the letter E.
Lacing Cards - Print out the letter E and laminate it. Punch a hole every inch or so and let the child lace yarn or a shoestring.
Paint Bag - Squirt some tempura paint of shaving cream in a zipper style bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. For safety and cleanliness sake, tape the bag closed also. Now put the bag on the desk and allow the child to trace the E.
All crafts that are easy to save, please hold onto those and put them all in a Alphabet Binder for the child. To make the binders I will put the pictures in sheet protectors and then put them in a 3 ring binder.
Some foods that start with the letter E are: Eggplant, Enchilada, Elephant Ears, Elk, Endive and Edamame.
We made another fun snack from the letter E with our "Candied Eggs". We melted white/vanilla candy coating in the microwave in 15 second increments. Once it was all melted I transferred it to a zipper style bag and snipped a small corner with the scissors. I piped the melted white coating onto wax paper in egg shapes then my son laid yellow M & M candys in the white candy to make the egg yolks. We had lots of fun making them and think they look really cute.
Take some time and practice the alphabet with your kids.
E
Be sure to download the letter E for your activities. I thought and thought about which E activities to do with my child and finally settled on these.
First up is an Elephant from the letter E. My son painted the elephant (I let him choose the paint colors) and then I glued on the trunk and the ear once the paint had dried as he had already gone to bed. He loves to paint more than anything else so he does not mind my finishing up the project.
Next up we glued google Eyes all over a letter E. He really enjoyed shaking the eyes around and seeing then spin.
For the next letter E, I wanted to do something with Eggs. My original thought was to color eggs. This activity would be twofold, coloring the eggs and talking about the letter E and then cracking the shells to glue onto the letter E but alas it was not meant to be in my house this week. Too much else going on so I cut out some paper Eggs from some scrapbook paper I had laying around. You do not have to use scrapbook paper, construction paper would work also but I am never going to scrapbook so I figured I should get some use out of the "fancy paper".
For the next craft, I really love hand print crafts to track my son's growth so I painted his hand gray and once it dried I glued an ear on the palm. I think he is adorable and I know I will keep that forever. Not only is it cute but it is always fun to hear the deep belly laughs of my son as I tickle his hand with the paintbrush when I am doing hand print crafts with him. That is why I prefer paint over a stamp pad, those laughs always brighten my day!
You can print out the letter E and put it in a clear sheet protector/report cover or laminate it and give the child a dry erase marker to practice writing the letter E.
You can write the letter E on a chalkboard and give the kid a small amount of water with a paint brush. They can dip the brush in the water and use it to erase/trace your letter.
Find the letter E. Give a child a marker and an old magazine or newspaper. Ask them to go through a few pages and circle the letter E.
Lacing Cards - Print out the letter E and laminate it. Punch a hole every inch or so and let the child lace yarn or a shoestring.
Paint Bag - Squirt some tempura paint of shaving cream in a zipper style bag. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. For safety and cleanliness sake, tape the bag closed also. Now put the bag on the desk and allow the child to trace the E.
All crafts that are easy to save, please hold onto those and put them all in a Alphabet Binder for the child. To make the binders I will put the pictures in sheet protectors and then put them in a 3 ring binder.
Some foods that start with the letter E are: Eggplant, Enchilada, Elephant Ears, Elk, Endive and Edamame.
We made another fun snack from the letter E with our "Candied Eggs". We melted white/vanilla candy coating in the microwave in 15 second increments. Once it was all melted I transferred it to a zipper style bag and snipped a small corner with the scissors. I piped the melted white coating onto wax paper in egg shapes then my son laid yellow M & M candys in the white candy to make the egg yolks. We had lots of fun making them and think they look really cute.
Take some time and practice the alphabet with your kids.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Monday Meanderings - Homemade Toys
It seems like every time I turn around my child is begging for the latest and greatest new toy or one of his friends is having a birthday and needs the latest and greatest new toy.
In an effort to simplify some, I thought we would look at some good homemade toys this week. Some are easier than others and some are more expensive than others.
First up is Crumbs in my Couch with this very cool construction table. My son would love that! I think we could get quite a bit of usage out of that in our house.
Once he plays with the construction site, he will need a bath so why not make some soap with a toy inside. He will scrub more than usual just to get to the toy. The directions can be found at Mommy D's Kitchen. This can only be a good thing.
Next we have home made tinker toys and it does not get much cheaper than this. A few basic household supplies and you have a whole hour or two to yourself while your child uses her imagination. Thanks to Kitsune for this great reminder.
Last but not least here are some great ideas with the common cardboard box.
In an effort to simplify some, I thought we would look at some good homemade toys this week. Some are easier than others and some are more expensive than others.
First up is Crumbs in my Couch with this very cool construction table. My son would love that! I think we could get quite a bit of usage out of that in our house.
Once he plays with the construction site, he will need a bath so why not make some soap with a toy inside. He will scrub more than usual just to get to the toy. The directions can be found at Mommy D's Kitchen. This can only be a good thing.
Next we have home made tinker toys and it does not get much cheaper than this. A few basic household supplies and you have a whole hour or two to yourself while your child uses her imagination. Thanks to Kitsune for this great reminder.
Last but not least here are some great ideas with the common cardboard box.
A kitchen from Grassroots Modern
A house from Ehow.
And we can not forget the rocket ship from No time for flash cards.
I hope this inspires everyone to find some simple toys to expand the imagination of childhood.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Child Care Assistance Program
The government offers assistance to all qualifying families that can not afford child care. As with any program, there are criteria that must be met in order to qualify. You can check with your local Cabinet for Health and Family Services to get the specific information that is needed to apply. If you are in Kentucky, you can go to this website to get the information for applying.
As with all programs, there are changes and improvements that are frequently made to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). Starting July 1, 2010 in the state of Kentucky there were a number of changes that have occurred. Questions related to these changes should be directed to 1-800-809-7076. A few of the changes are listed below.
- Non Traditional Hours - effective July 1, non-traditional care is defined by child care provided between the hours of 7:00 pm - 5:00 am daily or Friday from 7:00 pm through Monday 5:00 am. Payment will only be made for the child that attends non-traditional hours.
- Holidays - regulated providers can be paid for up to ten (10) holidays during a calendar year. Providers can choose any ten (10) days to code as holidays to be paid. This count will begin January 1, 2011.
- Overpayments - effective July 1 all overpayments will be pursued for collection. This will include overpayments for agency error and intentional program violation. **Disqualification periods will be imposed for no payment.
As you can see, most of the changes that I have highlighted effect the child care providers instead of parents. If you have any questions, feel free to call 800-809-7076 if you live in the state of Kentucky and some one will answer your questions. All children deserve quality child care!
Kids Matter
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Science Time
If you looked at the family calendar for July you would see that we picked tomorrow to be Family Science Night.
Here are some experiments to get you started. As you go about the experiments be sure you are asking the important questions: What, Why, Where and How. This is how kids learn to think independently and analytically. When dealing with science it is always vital that the kids come to a conclusion on their own and this can only be done if you ask them questions. I have put a sampling of questions in italics for each experiment but do not limit yourself to just the questions I thought of. Let your imagination run wild and so will your childs.
A straw that doesn't work:
Materials:
Straw
Cup of water
Pin
Put a straw in a cup of water and sip up some of the water to drink. (Was it easy to get the water?) Now use the pin to poke a small hole in the side of the straw (near your mouth). (What do you think will happen now?) Try to sip some water now, you will see that the straw will no longer work, all you can get now is a drink of air. (Why do you think you can no longer sip water through the straw?) A straw works by Air Pressure. When you sip at the straw, you are essentially drawing air out of the straw. This decreases air pressure which was in the straw right above the level of the water. When there is a hole in the straw, this allows the air pressure to build, thus not allowing water to move through the straw. (Do you think there is a way to repair the straw to make it work again?)
Breaking a water drop:
Materials:
Wax Paper
Water
Soap (bar)
Put a medium size drop of water on a piece of wax paper that is sitting on a counter. (What do you think will happen if we put soap in that water?) Rub your finger across a bar of soap and then put the finger in the water drop. Like magic the water drop will separate. (Why do you think the water seperated like that?) The reason for this is that the water has surface tension. The soap is designed to contain both hydrophobic (water repelling) parts and hydrophilic (water attracting) parts. This is what allows the soap to clean.
Pour water with a broom:
Materials:
Cup of water
Broom
Pail
Towels
Hold the broom with the brush/bristle side to you and the end of the handle extended a few inches into the pail. The brush/bristle side will need to be a little higher than the end of the handle. (What do you think the water will do?) Slowly pour some of the water onto the handle near the bristles. Some of the water will fall off of the handle but some of it will travel down the handle and fall into the pail. (How does this work?) Water is sticky and it will stick together and to the broom handle. The same way that it sticks to your hands when you wash your hands.
How can I get enough water?
Materials:
Potato
Spoon
Salt
Find a potato that sits fairly level. Let the parents scoop a hole in the potato, about an inch or two deep. Put a spoonful of salt in the depression and leave it overnight. (What do you think will happen to the salt?)Tomorrow you will see that the depression is now filled with water. The reason for this is that the potato contains lots of water, as do most other fruits and vegetables. (What other vegetables are full of water?) The salt draws the moisture out of the potatoes. This is not an excuse for not drinking water, just a scientific fact to keep in mind.
Here are some experiments to get you started. As you go about the experiments be sure you are asking the important questions: What, Why, Where and How. This is how kids learn to think independently and analytically. When dealing with science it is always vital that the kids come to a conclusion on their own and this can only be done if you ask them questions. I have put a sampling of questions in italics for each experiment but do not limit yourself to just the questions I thought of. Let your imagination run wild and so will your childs.
A straw that doesn't work:
Materials:
Straw
Cup of water
Pin
Put a straw in a cup of water and sip up some of the water to drink. (Was it easy to get the water?) Now use the pin to poke a small hole in the side of the straw (near your mouth). (What do you think will happen now?) Try to sip some water now, you will see that the straw will no longer work, all you can get now is a drink of air. (Why do you think you can no longer sip water through the straw?) A straw works by Air Pressure. When you sip at the straw, you are essentially drawing air out of the straw. This decreases air pressure which was in the straw right above the level of the water. When there is a hole in the straw, this allows the air pressure to build, thus not allowing water to move through the straw. (Do you think there is a way to repair the straw to make it work again?)
Breaking a water drop:
Materials:
Wax Paper
Water
Soap (bar)
Put a medium size drop of water on a piece of wax paper that is sitting on a counter. (What do you think will happen if we put soap in that water?) Rub your finger across a bar of soap and then put the finger in the water drop. Like magic the water drop will separate. (Why do you think the water seperated like that?) The reason for this is that the water has surface tension. The soap is designed to contain both hydrophobic (water repelling) parts and hydrophilic (water attracting) parts. This is what allows the soap to clean.
Pour water with a broom:
Materials:
Cup of water
Broom
Pail
Towels
Hold the broom with the brush/bristle side to you and the end of the handle extended a few inches into the pail. The brush/bristle side will need to be a little higher than the end of the handle. (What do you think the water will do?) Slowly pour some of the water onto the handle near the bristles. Some of the water will fall off of the handle but some of it will travel down the handle and fall into the pail. (How does this work?) Water is sticky and it will stick together and to the broom handle. The same way that it sticks to your hands when you wash your hands.
How can I get enough water?
Materials:
Potato
Spoon
Salt
Find a potato that sits fairly level. Let the parents scoop a hole in the potato, about an inch or two deep. Put a spoonful of salt in the depression and leave it overnight. (What do you think will happen to the salt?)Tomorrow you will see that the depression is now filled with water. The reason for this is that the potato contains lots of water, as do most other fruits and vegetables. (What other vegetables are full of water?) The salt draws the moisture out of the potatoes. This is not an excuse for not drinking water, just a scientific fact to keep in mind.