Super Fun Mama

Kindergarten Quarter Learning

2011-12-13T15:03:00.002-06:00

Super Fun Mama is getting ready to have a revamp. My daughter is now in kindergarten and we have been doing evening lessons for enrichment. The following is what we have been working on as well as our plans:
Monday Math Day:
*Math Stories using numbers (3 little pigs, story of the six swans, story of the seven ravens
*Pracice writing numbers
*Learning Roman Numerals
* Montessori Math on the Computer
*#Verses Waldorf Style
*Waldorf Math Gnomes
*Montesori Math Counting Game
*playdoh numbers
*beanbag number fun
*Even/odd
Reading/Writing
*letter art
*Nonmenclature
*Copy work
Sciencje
*studying mammals
studying sun movement
making a sun clock
studying mushrooms
Handwork
*waldorf drawing
wet felting
fingerknitting
knot baby
wet on welt watercoloring
Stories Zhana came up with

Teach Children Independence

2011-01-22T23:16:00.003-06:00

This is just a copy from another blog I visit but I found it so exciting that I had to share! I believe teaching children to be independent is extremely important. This site has tasks for children to learn ages 3-18 to teach them to become more independent. I love this!!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/47284584/Teaching-your-Children-Independance
For some reason I can't get the link to work but copy and paste above and it will take you there.

The TomTen

2011-01-22T21:17:00.004-06:00

We have been following We Folk Art Winter Curriculum a bit and they mention the book the Tomten. I don't have the book and didn't want to get out in the snow to go to the library. Good old Youtube has a reading of the book. We really liked it. It's a great book for Winter. So grab the kiddos on your lap and sit back for this wonderful little tale.

Snow Painting

2011-01-22T21:10:00.008-06:00

A couple of days ago we had a snow day and decided to do snow painting. It is simple! Print out a picture. We like nature pictures. Have the child paint the picture using water colors. Then take salt and sprinkle all over. When it dries it looks like snow.

I'm BACK! Yeah this is exciting!

2011-01-22T21:00:00.002-06:00

It is pretty unlikely that I have any of my readers left since I've only posted a couple of times in the past year. Anyone out there? chirp chirp

Well...if there are any of my old readers out there that is fantastic! For the past year I have been working a lot and haven't had time to blog. I have missed my blog SO MUCH. I haven't stopped doing learning activities with my daughter it just sometimes takes a lot of time to do photos, upload, write, and etc. I will probably never be able to post every day again. Maybe once a week...If I have time to facebook game then I have time to get back to something I absolutely LOVED doing. I think it is sad that my daughter's time was so chronicled up to about the age of 4...and her year four is kinda lost but I'm back and ready to go. Getting back to my blog is my New Years Resolution. When I think back to my blog days they were some of my favorite. Sure a lot of it was because I was staying at home with my daughter but a big part was chronicling all the fun stuff we were doing. I may not be able to stay at home but that doesn't mean we can't continue to do fun stuff. After all, I started the blog to keep a journal of all we were doing. I'm excited to be back!

Catching Fireflies (Not the fantastic catalog that I drool all over)

2010-06-11T22:56:00.001-05:00

We had great fun catching fireflies (lightening bugs) and learning about them. I can't believe how good my daughter is at catching them!

Nothing says childhood summers like catching fireflies.

Having a child is amazing because it gives adults an excuse to catch fireflies and not feel silly about it.

We spent quite a bit of time observing them closely.

My daughter took this picture and it is one of my favorites. Is it a close up of the tail or something else?

We were lucky enough to have the neighborhood kids join us in catching fireflies. Such fun in simple simplicity.

We read a our nighttime story with the fireflies close. I told my daughter that if you let the fireflies go at the end of the night then the firefly fairy will reward you with a coin. She was happy to let them go and I’m excited that I came up with an excuse to pretend a fairy visited her without having to wait for a tooth to fall out.

Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers

2010-03-08T20:01:00.001-06:00

Looking for an Easter gift for your preschooler that delivers a message about Jesus instead of the Easter Bunny? I found these little books a few months ago but waited to review them until closer to Easter. They are the most unique christian books for little one’s that I’ve come across.

Have you guys heard about the wonderful little series called Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers? This series teaches little children ages four to eight about the Bible. It isn’t just Bible stories but fundamental teachings that preschoolers can understand. No kidding, I think I learned a few things! The illustrations are a big hit with little kids. I like that each page is based on scripture but reworded in a way that kids understand and are intrigued by. I do think that elementary age children may like these books a bit more than preschoolers because some of this is some pretty heavy stuff. What I like to do and recommend you do as well is introduce one page at a time, rather than try to read the entire book. I will say that there are parts that bother my little girl. It reads: “Everyone in the world has the same problem: we are all separated from God and deserve to die because of our sin.” This might be a little heavy for three year olds.

The Trinity book explains to children that there is one God in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I have to say that the Trinity is a hard concept to understand even as an adult. This book explains, “There is only one God, but God is three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are all different from each other, but each one is God. This is called the Trinity.”

The Scripture teaches children that the word of God is true. It helps little ones to understand that the Bibl comes from a heavenly source, that Christ is the center, and that the Holy Spirit is needed to properly interpret the Bible. It helps children to know that God speaks to them through the Bible. It helps children to understand the difference between the Old Testament and New Testament. This is my favorite of the little books.

The Mission is about sharing Jesus with other people. A favorite part of the book is “so many people need Jesus but there are not many messengers. God wants to use you to tell other people about Jesus and invite them to the party in heaven. You can be one of God’s messengers! Isn’t it fun to help your mom bake a cake or help your dad fix the car? You can help God tell people the good news about Jesus.” The book goes on to tell little ones how to be part of the mission such as using talents to show people how great God is, get kids to tell their friends about Jesus, pray for those who haven’t heard of Jesus, learning about missionaries, and so on. It’s a great book to introduce mission work to little ones.

The Gospel is about salvation. Gracie talks directly to your child throughout the book and addresses fundamentals about God's unending love, how our sins separate us from God and how Jesus took the punishment for our sins so we can be reconciled with God.

If you want to learn more click here. They retail for $5.99 a book.

Sunday Savings

2010-01-31T11:45:00.002-06:00

Here's a coupon for anyone wanting to make some special gifts for Valentine's Day.

Click here and save on items for Home Depot such as a coupon for a free plant and more.

This Week’s Montessori Activities

2010-01-26T10:46:00.001-06:00

Cutting: Here is another instance where the actual Montessori directions are too complicated, in my opinion. I just have the scissors and cutting strips in a basket. The strips have lines drawn on them-zigzag, curves, and straight. I showed her to cut correctly. She practices cutting and then carries the strips to the trashcan. She’s a huge fan of this exercise.

Color Box: See my original post at this link. She’s gotten bored with this and thinks it is too easy.

Mystery Bag: I put 10 objects in a bag-rocks, pennies, shapes, and etc. She reaches in, feels the objects, and describes how it feels. See my original post on this here.

Sorting Exercises: I mixed white and brown rice together. She used tweezers to lift and separate them.

Folding: I have found that burp cloths work really well for folding. They already have the lines sewn in to practice folding. For some reason, she really likes folding.

Geometric Solids: I brought out some solid wooden geometric shapes. I showed her how to feel the shapes. Next, we put a scarf over the solids, she felt them underneath, and would announce with shape she was feeling.

Smell Jars: I put different spices in small bottles, put a blindfold on her, and had her match the smells together.

Tasting Bottles: I have two salt water, 2 sugar water, 2 tonic water, and 2 lemon waters sitting out. She basically tastes and matches them on taste.

Washing Table: My daughter puts on her apron. She fills a jug with water and puts half of it into a basin. You are supposed to use a brush to clean the table but I always forget to use one so we just use a wash cloth. She makes medium circular movements left to right starting at the top left corner of the table. She wets the sponge. She wipes soapsuds top to bottom, left to right. She then picks up a dray cloth and uses the same movements to dry it. Then she returns all items back to their spot. In Montessori, the child is supposed to place the items back each step but we don’t do this. I think the main points still occur-she learns to independently wash a table, control of the hand, and sequence of actions.

Setting a Table:I have a placemat made with outlines of objects to remind her of placement. She does this three times a day.

Sweeping: For my original post about sweeping please see here.

Sandpaper Letters: We have been doing sandpaper letters.

Insert Work: I made my own “metal” inserts. If you do a search on my blog, you should be able to find them.

Dressing Frames: I have an earlier post on how to make and use dressing frames if you do a search on my blog.

Mopping: Zhana did a little mopping work. I simply showed her where to put her left hand around the handle with her thumb on top and her right hand under the left. Then she mops left to right and then back to left. She LOVES mopping.

A lot of the steps are missing in this post. In most of the pictures we aren’t doing things perfectly. I’m a mom with no Montessori training-who works out of the home-trying to supplement my daughter’s learning. It works for us! If you are a mom who feels intimidated by all the required tools, steps, and perfections that it seems Montessori would demand, these posts are for you! Your child will still love it and learn from the exercises without all the perfection…

**My daughter has the same outfit on the last three posts. I took pictures of activities for the last three posts all on the same day. I just felt the need to point that out, lol***

Twister, Spatial Learning, and Manners

2010-01-26T10:05:00.001-06:00

Gross Motor:

We played Twister (we have hop scotch twister game if it looks strange, lol).

Reading:

Letter N: Draw a line down and then add one hump.
- Tune: “Farmer in the Dell”
  1. N says /n/ N says /n/ 12 were the number of men N says /n/
- Traced letter in name with finger.

Math:

Number 9: Make a hoop and then a line, That’s the way to make a 9.
Focused on high, low, up, down, above, below, near, far
- Sang the I’m in right, outright, upright, downright song
  - "in-right" -- point to chest
  - "out-right" -- point out
  - "up-right" -- point up
  - "down-right" -- point down
  - "happy" -- put fingers on either side of mouth and pull up into a smile
  - "Jesus Christ" -- raise hands and look up toward Heaven
  - "came in" -- point to chest with both hands
  - "cleansed" -- use hand to "wash" chest
We played a game where I gave my daughter a scarf and she’d either wave it up high or down low depending on what I said. Scarf play always makes learning more fun!
Played a game where I hid a toy and she had to try and find it based on clues “higher, lower, near, or far”.
Pattern blocks: Need some without buying?Here is a link to some great ones.

Manners Work:

So, uh…you should look at some of my old posts bragging about my daughter’s manners. I was so proud that she said thank you, your welcome, and excuse me so early. Why did no one tell me what happens to a 3 1/2 year old child’s manners,lol? She really likes to talk about body functions…I’d love some advice on how to get her off this topic. Seriously, I am down on my knees begging…for real,lol. She talks about body functions at least every ~~hour,~~ ~~30 minutes~~, ~~20 minutes,~~ 10 minutes. I never thought I’d use the word “fart” on my blog but I’m just going to do it. If it was a cute word it wouldn’t be so bad…but it isn’t. For the time being, I don’t want to take her anywhere!!! I have started using the manners song more. It is by Cathy Bollinger. To order the song click here.

What do you say when you need drink?
Please, may I?
What do you say when I've poured your milk?
Thank you very much.
What do you say when you don't want seconds?
No, thank you.
And when you've finished eating you say?
May I be excused?
Chorus:
We're talking 'bout manners, nice manners,
Manners make you feel good
Manners, nice manners.
Manners make you feel so good,
They make you feel so good.
They make you feel so good.
What do you say if you bump someone?
Excuse me.
What do you do if you have to sneeze?
Use a tissue please.
What do you say if I say thank you?
You're welcome.
And if you've got a mouthful of food?
Don't talk with your mouth full.
Chorus
What if I'm talking to someone else and you've got something to say?
You say "Excuse me."

I hope everyone is having a great day!

If You Love Me You Will Obey What I Command

2010-01-24T23:18:00.001-06:00

Bible Verse: John 14:15-If you love me, you will obey what I command. To learn this, we sang the song shown in the video below. Yes, that is a pancake mold. When she heard the word ‘love’ she ran to the kitchen and found it because it is a heart shape, to go along with the song…..

If you love me, If you love me,

You will obey

what I command

John 14:15

You will obey

what I command

Bible Song: Fishers of Men (Traditional)

The second song we sang was “Fishers of Men”. Below is a youtube video that has the tune and a few of the words…

I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men (pretend to cast fishing pole)

I will make you fishers of men if you follow me (move hand over opposite shoulder)

If you follow me, if you follow me

I will make you fishers of men if you follow me.

Hear Christ calling “Come unto me”, “Come unto me”, “Come unto me” (Listen to ear, move hand over opposite shoulder)

Hear Christ calling “Come unto me. I will give you rest” (put hands to ear and “sleep”)

I will give you rest, I will give you rest.

Hear Christ calling “come unto me. I will give you rest”

Read you Bible, pray every day, pray every day, pray every day (make book, prayer hands)

Read you Bible, pray every day, then you’ll grow, grow, grow (bend down and get taller)

Then you’ll grow, grow, grow. Then you’ll grow, grow, grow

Read you Bible, pray every day, then you’ll grow, grow, grow.

Neglect your bible, forget to pray, forget to pray, forget to pray

(make a book, prayer hands and shake head ‘no’)

Neglect your Bible, forget to pray then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink (stand tall and “shrink down)

Then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink. Then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.

Neglect your Bible, forget to pray, Then you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.

Fishing For Letters

To go along with the fishing theme, we played fishing for letters. I have a longer post about how to make and play this game here.

Ideas from abcjesuslovesme.com

Perfect Pitch

2010-01-11T12:08:00.002-06:00

One area that right brainers focus on is perfect pitch. Linguists have found that children copy tone and pitch before they ever produce words. Restak (2003) discovered that perfect pitch can be acquired by average children between three and five years of age when given appropriate training. Structural brain changes occur along with the development of perfect pitch and continue as musical talent matures (Restak 2003).

Rightbrainkids.com recommends the following activities with your children:

1. Introduce your child to the musical notes on the scale.
2. Use a perfectly tuned instrument (tuning forks work best).
3. Expose your child to many forms of classical music.

The Eguchi Method is used in Japan to teach perfect pitch to children. Information about this method is taken from the geneveith here:

1. Play the three-note C major chord on a piano, and the child is instructed to raise a red flag. Do a few times daily.

2. After a couple of weeks, a second chord and flag are added.

3. Keep adding until all white cords have a color associated with them.

4. Later, the child calls out the individual notes that make up the chord like red, do-mi-so.

There are many different music learning programs out there. Soon, I plan to present some information about the Suzuki method.

Having “perfect pitch” isn’t really the point, for myself. Otherwise it would just be a neat little trick. I’m more concerned with helping her to develop relative pitch in the process. She naturally matches pitches quite well and I just want to encourage it a bit in her. So what I do is (and plan to add)…

1. Listening to a lot of classical music. We already do this.

2. Suzuki CD’s to listen to.

3. Games that use rhythm using this online metronome-

4. Play this music game

5. We sing the scale-Do, re, mi….

6. Plan to purchase Piano for Preschoolers

If this topic interests you, you might find this link interesting. I think it explains the importance of music and the link to learning better than most websites.

I would adore comments on this post. In the past, I read quite a bit about the Suzuki and Yahama methods, but since my daughter was younger filed it away mentally as something to look at as she got older. Preschool is a time, many start using these methods. I’d love some good links and additional information about this subject. There aren’t Suzuki instructors close by and even if there was, we can’t afford it at this time. I’d like to try and teach her at home. Again, would LOVE comments.

Where I’ve Been

2009-12-14T20:33:00.002-06:00

Many recent changed have come to Super Fun Mama. As you may have noticed, I have not been as active in writing my blog. I have started working full time again, therefore my schedule doesn’t always allow for frequent posts. I hope to have my time management down soon and perhaps I can post more frequently. I started this blog as a place to journal and keep record of my times with my daughter. Therefore, I will keep my blog and who knows-maybe I’ll be a daily poster again soon! Until then, please stay tuned!

MY BODY BELONGS TO ME: Talking with Preschoolers about Sexual Abuse

2009-11-12T10:53:00.002-06:00

For those of you who do not know, I am a therapist. Many of the clients I see have been sexually abused. As parents, we think that such a horrible offense could never happen to our children. The fact is that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys experience sexual abuse. Think for a minute about your child’s playgroup…statistics tell us that a child in that playgroup is being sexually abused. That adds a whole new perspective to it doesn’t it? Ninety-three percent of the abusers are not strangers but in the child’s “circle of trust”. I can tell you that from the individuals I have counseled, many of them started being abused when they were preschool age. You can not wait to talk to your children about sexual abuse-the time must be now.

I have found a wonderful little book that will aide you in talking to your children about sexual abuse called “My Body Belongs To Me”, written by Jill Starishevsky and illustrated by Sara Muller. I personally own about 10 different books about sexual abuse, but this has quickly become my favorite.

The writing is perfect for little ones with rhyming such as “Mom and Dad once told me I was their little gem, and if someone hurt me to always come to them.” The illustrations feature an adorable child that looks to be about preschool age, making the story more appealing to the younger audience. The child is gender neutral in the way they look, so this book can appeal to either a boy or girl. What I like most about this book is that it doesn’t address sexual abuse metaphorically or hint around it-it just straight out says that someone tries to touch the child: “My uncle’s friend came over and sat down next to me, and touched me in that place that no one else can see.” It also addresses that many sexual abusers attempt to keep their victim quiet, telling them it is a secret. The child runs to her parents who tell them they are proud of her for telling and how brave she is. Children need to hear this because many keep the secret out of fear parental reaction.

I see most parents telling their children the names of their body parts…but so often that conversation doesn’t expand to telling the children that they have private parts that belong to them. How is it that our children are taught their colors, alphabet, and how to read…but not how to protect themselves? So often, I’ve asked the parents of abused children if they talked to their children about sexual abuse and their responses are sometimes “I thought he was too young”, “I was a stay-at-home mom so I didn’t think there would be an opportunity for it to happen to her”, “I didn’t think she’d understand”, or “I was going to—I thought he needed to be a little older”. PLEASE realize that your children could be at risk. The abuser could be the person who watches your children in the church nursery, the neighbor who is always so friendly, the wonderful teacher, or another child on the playground. Child abusers are groomers and manipulators-they know EXACTLY what to do to make your children trust them. I urge you to prepare your little ones.

Talking to young children about sexual abuse without a book or some kind of age appropriate tool is very difficult. This book gives the perfect message you want to get across-your child has private parts, no one has the right to touch these areas, the abuser may ask to child to keep a secret, the child should run and tell a trusted adult, the parents will think the child is brave for telling, and the child will feel good about telling.

If you plan on purchasing a book for your child soon…perhaps you can hold off on another book about ABC’s, princesses, or trains…and get a book they need to hear.

You can order this book for $14.95 at http://mybodybelongstome.com/cart/.

To view sample pages, please click here.

Plan for This Week

2009-11-09T15:49:00.003-06:00

*Much of plan based on abcjesuslovesme.com

Tuesday

Sandpaper number 5: trace number to sandpaper. Cut out the number and glue to green board.
Sandpaper letter G: trace a capital and lowercase letter onto the back of sandpaper. Cut the letters out and glue them to foam which has been glued to cardboard. Generally, consonants are mounted on pink cards and the vowels on blue ones.
Play tangram game at http://www.apples4theteacher.com/tangrams.html or http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap4/4.4/#applet
Henry Mattise type collage
Smell unplugged project

Wednesday

Make a “G” poster. Paint with green, grey, or gold. Glue on items that start with G.
Bible Story: 12 Spies in Canaan-Numbers 13-14: Comprehension Questions:
Why were Caleb and Joshua not scared to go back to the Promised Land?
Why were the other spies so scared to go back?
What things frighten you?
What can you do when you get frightened? (sing song, say memory verse, pray)
Bible Song: God Loves Kids
Tune: “Three Blind Mice”
God loves kids (repeat 4x)
He loves me more than I can know (cross arms over chest, point to self, point to head)
I don’t know why He loves me so (shake head and shrug)
I guess I’ll never, ever know (cross hands in front)
Why God loves kids. (point up for God, cross arms over chest, point to self)
Handprint tree and then glue on real leaves
Waldorf Martinmass stuff at http://naturenest.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/martinmas-links-info-lanterns-poems-songs-stories/

Thursday

Make a number 5 poster-Number: 5
Put on a hat. Then take a dive. Make a big round tummy. Now that’s a five!
Fine Motor Skill:Hide little beads in a large piece of Play Doh or putty. Using their index finger, have your child find the beads. Using their thumb is "cheating" and not working the weaker muscles.
Character education poster-Thankful
Indian dolls at http://jennwa.blogspot.com/2008/11/indian-dolls.html

·Friday song

Tune: Farmer in the Dell
G says /g/
G says /g/
God gave them great big grapes
G says /g/
Put letters of name in order with extra letters added
Make Leaf people
Laura Numeroff activities
Set up Autumn nature table

Saturday:

Make Thanksgiving Lapbook (See 1+1+1=1)
Felt turkey pattern sequencing like at Chasing Cherrios
Felt slippers with a lot of mom’s help like at - http://rayreynolds.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/felt-slippers/

Have you Tickled Tut’s Toes or Caught Picasso’s Rooster?

2009-11-07T23:35:00.002-06:00

Recently, I found two wonderful books that I am in love with. They are both part of “Touch the Art” series by Julie Appel and Amy Guglielmo.

The first, “Catch Picasso’s Rooster” features pictures of animals from the World’s Greatest Artists. Some of the paintings included are The Rooster by Picasso, The Tabby by Rousseau, and Two Rats by Vincent van Gogh.

I am a huge fan of young children being exposed to great artists. Exposure to art fosters imagination, creativity, and appreciation for beauty. I believe imagination is one of the greatest gifts any person can be granted. Thus, when I find books that expose children to masters of art, I get a wee bit excited.

Now, having art books for children is a great idea…but children need a way to jump into the painting. This book features touchable art such as stroking fur, tickling whiskers, or blowing feathers. There is also a scratch and sniff page (so very cool to me)!

When I asked my 3 year old to give her thoughts about Catch Picasso’s Rooster she said, “Yes, this is a good book. It is fun and funny.” Indeed, she giggled throughout the book.

At the end of the book there is a section entitled Artifacts that give facts about the paintings and artists. I have learned so much from these pages. It’s great to have a children’s book that both preschoolers and their parents can learn from.

Tickle Tut’s Toes is about historical art from Ancient Egypt such as wall paintings from tombs, mummy coffins, pyramids, and more. Like the book reviewed above all of the art is touchable such as Nefertiti’s jewels, the gauze on a mummy, and ridged cardboard on a pyramid. I don’t think Ancient Art could possibly have been introduced to preschoolers in a better way. This book also has the artifacts section where parents and children can learn about the art featured in the book. For example, did you know Tilapia were the symbol of rebirth, that Egyptians placed model boats inside coffins to carry the soul to the afterlife, or that crocodiles used to be mummified because they were considered holy? I didn’t but a book for preschoolers taught me. Yeah!

Both of these books are wonderfully sturdy board books that can easily handle rough care by a preschooler or even a few chews by a puppy, as we recently found out.

The recommended age is 4-6, but my three year old loves them. Most board books are too babyish for my daughter now, but I miss the sturdiness they brought. I believe she would have enjoyed these books from at least age 2 (if not earlier) and will still be enjoying them for a few years to come.

The books are sold in many stores or you can buy them online at Amazon.com.

Er-u-di-tion

2009-11-01T22:42:00.002-06:00

I am so pleased to tell you all about a wonderful game called Er-u-di-tion. It helps preschoolers-school aged children learn to read. Children learn the letters of the alphabet and eventually 284 sight words while moving through literacy land. For every correct identification, they earn a bonus roll. The first player to reach the library wins.

The game cards comprise up to 90% of beginner level reading material and over 50% of all English text. Er-u-di-tion helps children recognize these high frequency words, recognize phonetically irregular words, your children will learn definitions of the words, and most of all is actually fun!

Learning games have to look fun and appeal visually to children and this fun game does just that. It reminds me a bit of candy land, which all children love! This game isn’t just for readers, but preschoolers learning the letters of the alphabet as well. There are different sets of cards for the varying reading levels, meaning the whole family can play together.

This is the perfect activity to teach little ones to read because it has easy set up, is fun, and does produce results. I couldn’t be happier with this wonderful game. I’m not the only one who loves this game as it has won several awards including Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year, Teacher’s Choice Award for the Classroom, National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, and Parent’s Choice Award.

This is is definite hit at my house. I’m so pleased to hear my daughter begging for “just one more game” of er-u-di-tion, because I know it is helping her learn how to read.

If you want to get your own game, it is $24.99 at http://www.sightwordsgame.com/

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T21:49:00.002-06:00

Super girl takes a ride on a horse to start the evening festivities.

Digs through hay for candy

and had a great night gathering treats. She’s a brave little superhero. Whenever she saw scary costumes, she wasn’t fazed at all. At one point there was someone dressed as a werewolf, who tried to scare her. I screamed…but my little superhero simply asked, “Wolf, what is your name?” At houses with scary music and costumes, she told people, “I like your face paint”. What a brave little superhero I have.

Spicy Chicken Soup Recipe

2009-10-29T12:02:00.002-05:00

Recently, on my Annual Fall-To-Do List, I said that I wanted to find wonderful soup recipes. Here is a great one I found. Yum!!

Catherine's Spicy Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 quarts water
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon onion powder
5 cubes chicken bouillon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (16 ounce) jar chunky salsa
2 (14.5 ounce) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans, undrained
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, combine water, chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, onion powder and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, or until chicken juices run clear. Remove chicken, reserve broth. Shred chicken.
In a large pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Stir in salsa, diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, tomato soup, chili powder, corn, chili beans, sour cream, shredded chicken and 5 cups broth. Simmer 30 minutes.

This makes ALOT of soup. My husband isn’t really a soup person but even he said it tastes really, really good.

Superheroes and A Clown

2009-10-29T11:45:00.002-05:00

My little girl loves superheroes. She is constantly saying she is a superhero. She wears blankets as capes around the house, often.

So for Halloween, she is being supergirl! She’s very excited and has played dress up with her costume several times already.

For our church trunk-or-treat, I threw together a costume in 5 minutes-quite literally 5 minutes before it was to start. I rummaged through my daughter’s dress-up trunk and found she had some green clown-like hair. In the hair I added feathers, bows, and put a cat hat she has to top it off. Then, I took a shiny banner and tied it into a bow. I have a tie-die dress and safety pinned pom-poms to it. I added a shirt that clashed with the dress. Then, I wore a pair of my husband’s shoes. He wears a size 13, so they looked like clown shoes on me. Then, I added a bit of makeup. I was doing it fast and didn’t have time to outline it. I was trying to look funny but some of the kids seemed scared of me…

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Pumpkin Rocks

2009-10-29T11:35:00.002-05:00

On my Annual Fall T0-Do List one of the things I wanted to do was to paint pumpkin rocks. This is so easy to do and your kids will love it! Simply find some round rocks in your yard, paint them orange, and then add green tops!

Very Good Apple Pie Recipe and Pumpkin Latte Recipe

2009-10-18T19:53:00.002-05:00

For those of you that follow my blog, recently I had my Annual Fall To-Do List. Two items that I wanted to accomplish on my list were to make pumpkin latte and to find a really good apple pie recipe. I accomplished both of these items last night.

Here is a picture of Zhana trying the pumpkin pie latte. I don’t make a habit of giving my child caffeine, but did let her have this little special treat. I got this recipe from A Year of Slowcooking.

Pumpkin Pie Latte Recipe

--2 cups milk

--2 T canned pumpkin
--2 T white sugar
--2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
--1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
--1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
--garnish with whipped cream (optional)
This recipe only makes enough for two people. I tripled the recipe.
Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.
Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon. This is a keeper for sure and will become a family tradition at my house.

Next, was my task to find the perfect apple pie recipe. I am pretty sure I did. This recipe is from allrecipes and is called Apple Pie by Grandma Ople. Here is the recipe for the most part, but I did change a couple of things.

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
Place the bottom crust in your pan. Mix apples with the sauce. Take a cookie cutter and cut out shapes. Add these to the top of the pie.
Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.
Five minutes before cooking is finished, make a mixture using karo syrup and hot water. Brush this onto the pie. Sprinkle white sugar onto the pie.

I hope you are all enjoying the Autumn!

What We Are Working On This Week

2009-10-17T15:03:00.002-05:00

Lately, I haven’t been posting a lot about our toddler learning. Honestly, I have been so busy and its been more spur of the moment learning rather than planned out. She’s getting bored…so here is another attempt to be more organized.

Bible Story: Moses and The Ten Commandments

Child Story Online

Another version online

Bible Verse: “If you love me, you will obey what I command”

Bible Song: 10 Commandments Boogie by Go Fish

Other 10 Commandments activities:

Online Coloring

10 Commandments Online

mini book

Coloring Pages

Rhyme: One, Two Buckle My Shoe

Letter: General F Activities We Did

Finger Paint Fish

Freeze Dancing

Fan to Print

Feather F’s

F sandpaper letters

F THEME: F is For Feelings and Friends ( In Weeks To Come We’ll Be Focusing a Lot on Feelings)

Feelings/Emotion Game: Draw emotion cards on cardstock. Look through magazines and have child match emotion cards to the pictures.

Feelings Play With Puppets

Make Feelings Masks

Feelings Book Similiar to Here

Letter F Worksheets

First School Letter F activities

DLTK Letter F Crafts

Enchanted Learning Letter F activities

Letter F words to color and practice writing letter F

Connect Words that Start With F

Itsy Bitsy F Book

Letter F Poem and Circle Letter F's

Hidden Letter F worksheet

Many Letter F activities

Letter F Song: 5 Little Speckled Frogs

Number: 11

I mostly just having counting activities planned. If anyone has number 11 activities, I’d appreciate it.

Math: Putting numbers in correct order

Fine motor: Pumpkin Carving

Gross Motor: Beanbag Toss Game

Daddy Long Legs Blues

2009-10-17T12:22:00.002-05:00

I despise bugs. I can’t convince myself to like them even in the pursuit of teaching Zhana about science. They make me queasy to be around. We once saw a display of hissing cockroaches and I couldn’t eat for the rest of the day. I mean I really, really hate bugs. Well, there are a few exceptions. I don’t mind cute little lady bugs, butterflies, walking sticks…actually come to think of it there are several that I don’t mind. I don’t mind Daddy Long Legs. Even if I did mind Daddy Long Legs, I think I’d still like this book.

This book reads to a rhythm that resembles a blues melody. When you read it, you can’t help but take on a deep voice like someone in a dark blues club. Here’s a sample-“He can’t spin a web like those fancy spiders do. His daddy was a wanderer and his momma was, too. He hatched from an egg his momma laid in a crack just before she got squashed in the back of a shack. He has the blues. The Daddy Longlegs Blues. Try not to channel you inner blues persona, I dare you to try!

The illustrations are great! They are bright, fun, and will definitely keep your little one amused. The pictures are hip! The art is described by the publisher as “witty art features plenty of fun details and an urban, bohemian flair; her sunglasses-wearing title character seems to come straight out of the Beat generation.”

At the back of the book is a Glossary of Blues Terms such as Muddy Waters: “The famous blues musician dubbed ‘King of Chicago Blues,’ Muddy Waters is credited for shifting the rural acoustic blues to the urban blues in the late 1940s.” There is also a glossary for musical instruments played by Daddy Longlegs. It was pretty exciting to learn a few things from a children’s book.

This book is deemed appropriate for ages 4 and up BUT my 3 year old loves it immensely. If this book doesn’t win some kind of award this year, I’ll be singing the blues myself.

This wonderful book is available online and in stores for $14.95.

Annual Fall To-Do List

2009-10-11T22:02:00.002-05:00

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. -Albert Camus

I had already done this post…but sadly didn’t save it in Live Writer, so when my computer froze up…it vanished. So, I can’t say that I’ve spent the same amount of time on this one, but hopefully it still helps to get your family in a fall mood with some activity ideas and helps me to work on doing everything on my list…

Make caramel corn; Anyone care to share their favorite recipe for this?

~~Drink a pumpkin-spice latte. You can buy these from Starbucks OR people I just found a recipe for making it at home. Any other fall nuts jumping for joy like I am?~~ See http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-pumpkin-spice-latte-recipe.html; Done
~~Go on a hay ride. Done!~~ See Post from last week.
~~Visit a pumpkin patch~~. Done! See post from last week.

~~Visit a corn maze. Done!~~ See post from last week.
Boo A Family. Here is a link if you don’t know what that is.
Make caramel apples

Pumpkin carving of course. Do you all carve or paint your pumpkins. I’ve been debating which of these Zhana would like to do more.

~~Make pumpkin rocks: Basically, just paint some rocks orange!~~ Done!

*Go to an orchard and pick apples. Clicking here will take you to a listing of a nearby apple orchard.

Pumpkin pancakes at IHOP or make my own using this recipe.
*Buy gourds to paint. There is A LOT of information about painting gourds for birdhouses here.
*Watch Charlie Brown It’s the Great Pumpkin. I haven’t found when it is on yet this year. If anyone knows, please let me know.
~~Watch 2 scary movies a week starting the first week of October. Anyone know of any good new releases? Your favorite horror movie?~~ Done!
Make pumpkin poop for friends. See
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/poop-gifts/pumpkin-poop

Go to Spooktacular. Check and see if your local zoo has any special events going on for Halloween.
~~Go on a woodland walk. During this time, collect acorns for crafts. There are SO many cute crafts to do with acorn caps.~~ BTW, I found this site that tells about the fall foliage state by state. Done!

For a year now, I’ve wanted to learn felting. Make some fall felted projects.
Do a color themed picture scavenger hunt-looking for colors of red, brown, orange, yellow
Make a velvet pumpkin (see tutorial at http://gingerbreadcrumbsandcompany.blogspot.com/2009/09/pumpkin-tutorialwell-sort-of.html)

Make a Halloween Garland; I like the tutorial Make and Takes has at http://www.makeandtakes.com/mod-podge-halloween-banner or Roots and Wings: http://rootsandwingsco.blogspot.com/2009/09/fall-pumpkin-and-leaf-garland.html

~~Find a fabulous apple pie recipe. I’d love all of your apple pie recipes or favorite fall foods. I might try this one~~ ~~here. Done.~~

Play Bobbing for Apples as a family
Go to a football game.
Make a fall themed scrabble necklace.
Have pumpkin shake or concrete
~~Find fabulous soup recipes.~~ Again- would LOVE recommendations. Done!
Taking a thermos or cocoa and cider and drinking it in the middle of the forest.
~~Find a wonderful sweater in fall colors that will make me smile when I drag it out year after year. Not just a sweater. A special sweater that screams autumn.~~ Done!

Seriously, you guys if Autumn was a drug, I’d be an addict. I’m basically in love with the season. When I sense fall is near, I can almost feel in physically! I become so very, very happy. I want to soak up every second of it. If you all have more ideas-please send them my way! I’ll love you for it!

Vanished Post

2009-10-11T02:31:00.001-05:00

I’m so sad…I just spent like 2 hours on a post…I didn’t save the post at all…my computer froze…and poof! All the hard work is gone.

Fall is Here!

2009-10-07T10:58:00.002-05:00

Welcome Fall! A visit to the pumpkin patch is always one of my highlights of the fall season.

Pounding golf tees into a pumpkin.

Here is Miss Zhana building her very first scarecrow.

Who doesn’t love a corn maze?

Going on a horse led hayride.

Cider Days on Walnut Street

2009-10-07T10:44:00.002-05:00

Some people had this cute little horse on a leash walking it like a dog. How cute is this?

BTW, let me take this opportunity to introduce everyone to our puppy Maggie. She’s a little bassett hound and oh so sweet!

My little girl found a street musician and dancers and had a blast twisting and twirling with them.

Zhana really enjoyed scarecrow village.

This is another family tradition. I’ve been going to Cider Days since I met my husband, when I was Sophmore in college. I used to live one street up from Walnut Street, where it takes place. I wish I would have taken more pictures. Basically, it is a fall festival with cider, musicians, crafters, and artists. It always signals to me, that Fall is near.

Japanese Garden Festival Days

2009-10-07T10:31:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I’m very behind on posts. I’m going to go ahead and add several today so that I’m not posting things we did over the Summer, when there is snow on the ground, lol! Here are some pictures of our fun day at the Japanese Botanical Garden.

Japanese Festival Day is always the first weekend after Labor Day. We go just about every year going all the way back to our dating days.

There are fun little discoveries all over the Garden.

The walking bridge has always been a favorite of mine.

There is a little Japanese tea room on the property where you can watch tea ceremonies.Throughout the festival are various entertainers. This was the “Magical story teller”. The city flies in performers from Springfield’s sister city in Japan during the festival.

Here is a top performer.

If you live in this area or are traveling through, this is a great activity to bring your family to. This is one of our traditions.

A Visit to The Farm

2009-09-07T13:37:00.002-05:00

This park is the cutest ever! I can’t believe I’m just now discovering it! There is a city park in Springfield called Rutlidge-Wilson Farm that is a working farm park ran by the city! I have this obsession with red barns and white picket fences, so needless to say I was in love with this place.

I also have this thing about haybales. I love them. Anyone else, or just me?

There is a fishing pond where you can fish with a cane pole on the farm.

Lot’s of fun little places to discover.

Farm animals to dicover and pet such as chickens, babydoll lambs, miniature horses, mini goats, cows, and turkeys.

There is this cow that is like a big puppy dog. When you go near her she’ll give you a big lick and loves to have her ears scratched. When the cow licked Zhana, I’ve never seen her so scared, though.

They have saddles set up so the little ones can pretend to be cowgirls. There is also a plastic cow with udders that you can pretend to milk and water comes out.

The farm has flowers and crops growing as well.

Zhana really liked watching the turkeys.

There is a cute little miniature horse that does tricks such as shaking its head yes. So cute! There are haybales to climb.

They also have a farm themed playground. I wish I would have taken a picture of the playground because it is adorable. It looks like a big barn.

All of this for free! What a great city park! We’ll be spending a lot of weekends at this park.

Alphabet Fishing

2009-08-16T15:53:00.002-05:00

Last week, in my favorite links of the week post, I wrote about ABC fishing from the IzzieMacandMe blog. Start by cutting out 26 fish…yes that is right 26. If you google “Alphabet Fish Template” you should be able to find fish with the letters already on them. So this will save you time. Then, you are going to want something metal to attach to the fish. I was out of paperclips so I just stapled each fish. Then lay them upside down onto a blue towel.

Other blogs mention making a rod out of a wooden spoon, yarn, and a magnet. We, however, already had a magnet fishing pole. This is her bathtub magnet fishing pole but it worked wonderful for this activity.

Your little one will fish up a letter and then have to say the letter to keep the fish. If they get the letter wrong, they have to throw it back.

We LOVED this activity.

Ozark Empire Fair Time

2009-08-16T14:06:00.002-05:00

The Ozark Empire Fair was a lot of fun this year. I was very impressed by the kiddie section. Initially, I hadn’t planned on buying an unlimited ride bracelet for my daughter because in the past there hadn’t been many rides for her age group. This year was different, with several rows of kid rides! She definitely got her $25 out of the bracelet. I love everything about county fairs. Going to a carnival has always been one of my very favorite things to do in the summertime. I love seeing the animals in the livestock competitions, eating mouth watering carnival food, looking at the craft submissions, and of course the rides! Summer just wouldn’t be summer without visiting a carnival.

Here is Zhana with a calf.

Zhana drives a school bus.

Zhana rides in a fishy that goes into the air.

She rides her first roller coaster.

She had a lot of fun on this bee.

Scooby, Where Are You?

She got to ride a pony, which she just loved.

When she sees the farris wheel, her jaw drops!

You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince. I wonder how many other little girls remembered this story? At this point….I really wanted some antibacterial wipes.

This lazy river boat ride was her favorite.

Fun Crafts on Clearance at Wal-Mart

2009-08-16T12:49:00.002-05:00

You might check your clearance aisle at Wal-Mart as they have some fun crafts discounted.

This fun little pipecleaner Martha Stewart craft was marked down to $1!

They also have several felt jewelry sets marked down to $1. The sets come with enough supplies for a ring, 3 hair clips, a necklace, and a brooch. We made several!

I love a good deal!

The Last Days of Summer

2009-08-16T12:42:00.002-05:00

Zhana greets her cousin Deryk. She hasn’t seen him in several months.

The sweetest love is that of a grandmother.

Zhana with her Uncle Luke and cousin playing with a remote control car down a road.

Playing badmitton with a cousin.

Wee-one her baby cousin has fun crawling in the grass.

And of course her favorite…swimming!

A Day in the Eyes of a Child

2009-08-16T12:32:00.002-05:00

My little one has really started enjoying taking pictures. I think it is interesting to see what she has chosen to photograph. Thus, here is a day in the eyes and mind of a three year old…

Favorite Posts in my Reader This Week

2009-08-06T18:36:00.002-05:00

Here lately I have been very busy. I have also been very tired. I haven’t had any “me” time. When I have had any time free, I’ve spent it cleaning and doing other chores. Today, I actually sat down and read blogs in my reader. I wanted to share some of my faves today. I hope you’ll excuse the lack of pictures and that the url’s aren’t linked to the pages. Perhaps I’ll get to it this weekend…again…just perhaps.

Favorite Blogland Projects in my Reader this week

ABC and 123 had a GREAT theme this week of parent made books. The blog introduced me to the This Little Project blog and their project for little books. The tutorial is great! I can’t wait to make these little books for all my themes! Love, love, love this project! (Also loved the This Little Project Blog enough to put it into my already overflowing blog reader list).Through the ABC and 123 blog I found a second blog that I just adore called The Home Teacher. It is a FANTASTIC site. Here is the link to The Home Teacher: http://thehometeacher.blogspot.com/search/label/mommymadebook, The Little Project Blog is here http://thislittleproject.blogspot.com/2009/02/how-to-make-book-from-one-piece-of.html, and ABC and 123 is here: http://abcand123learning.blogspot.com/2009/08/kid-and-parent-made-books.html. I also really liked the idea of card books from A Mommy’s Adventure that the ABC and 123 blog mentioned. This blog was already in my reader. Click here to go there: http://amommysadventures.blogspot.com/2009/03/unplugged-project-books.html. I also liked the idea of using plastic bags to make a book. If something has too many steps, like using contact paper on several pages…I usually just skip it! This I can do! After this post, I definitely want to make some more books. I had made some a while back, but my little one didn’t seem to like them as much and they never made it off the bookshelf. I may try again and I’ll post the results of if she grows to like them…
I really like the idea of a Schultüte that is talked about on the Once upon a Holiday blog at http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/08/make_a_schultute_for_your_firs.php
Wee Folk Art has a very cute pattern for a mouse bookmark. I think I’ll make some of these for Christmas. The link is http://weefolkart.com/?q=node/380.
From the Three Plus Two Blog I found out that one can watch Nova Episodes online. See http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/programs/
Thrify Décor Chick reminds me that I’ve been wanting to make something with chalkboard paint. Isn’t this the cutest? See http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/08/my-chalkboard-obsession.html
Chasing Cheerios post reminded me that I’ve been wanting to do painting with bubbles. See http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/2009/07/painting-with-bubbles.html
I LOVE the on the go dollhouse that Chasing Cheerios talks about. She got the idea from here: http://www.cookiemag.com/magazine/blogs/nesting/2008/02/diy-dollhouse.html

ABC and 123 blog had some fantastic ocean themed posts. A post from the IzzieMacandMe blog reminded me that I’ve been wanting to make a fishing game with the rod being made out of a wooden spoon, yarn, and a magnet. Here’s the link: http://izziemacandme.blogspot.com/search/label/Beach%20Theme. My favorite part is making the little one identify the fish letter and if they get it wrong, throwing it back. This activity is a goal of mine for this week. I love arts and crofts ocean theme puzzles and will definitely make this type of puzzle in the future. Here’s the link: http://artsandcrofts.blogspot.com/search/label/Ocean. My little girl saw the fish pattern blocks at http://explorations-in-learning.blogspot.com/2009/04/fish-pattern-blocks.html and insisted doing it immediately! This is another blog that I read on a regular basis. I also really liked the ocean in a bag activity at http://pinkandgreenmama.blogspot.com/2009/07/make-ocean-in-bag.html and it is on my to-do list.
1+1+1=1 posted about another blog at http://iheartfrutopia.blogspot.com/2009/08/craftivities-speaking-of-feelings.html that has a chart of feelings. As a therapist, as you can imagine I LOVE this activity and will be making it immediately.
A Mommy’s Adventure found a great idea on another blog where you use hot gluegun pictures for rubbings. We will probably do this one today!
ABC123 has a big post about boat themes. Some of my favorite contributions include http://www.filefolderfun.com/KindergartenScience.html, which has file folder games. This site http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.php?BenchmarkID=4&DocID=164 has fun sink/float activities. I was excited to find out about Preschool Post, which has free Christian preschool curriculum at http://www.preschoolpost.com/JuneBoats.html.
I think Chasing Cheerio’s Family Reunion is a great idea and will use it at the next get together. Read about it here: http://chasingcheerios.blogspot.com/2009/08/family-reunion-activity.html
Explorations has a great Watermelon seed counting game at http://explorations-in-learning.blogspot.com/2009/07/watermelon-seed-counting-game.html. Her bug racing game also looks so cute and fun! A little homemade bug that rolls down a ramp because it has a marble underneath. Any kid would love this! See http://explorations-in-learning.blogspot.com/2009/07/bug-racers.html. I also liked her numeral writing post a lot. I hadn’t heard about writing numerals in green and purple and love that idea. It makes a lot of sense.
GreenMama’s 28 days of You and Me is such a fantastic idea. She came up with the idea as a way to connect with her daughter before giving birth to another child. My favorites that I read this week included yoga, her goodwill day, making …See http://www.greenmamma.org/blog/2009/08/05/days-of-you-and-me-day-29-yoga/
I enjoyed Let’s Explore personal gift ideas post. See http://www.google.com/reader/view/?hl=en&tab=wy#stream/feed%2Fhttp%3A%2F%2Flets-explore.typepad.com%2Fweblog%2Fatom.xml
I found out Teaching My Little Bookworm is doing Bible Story Sunday’s. We’ll definitely have to join in on this. See her post about Joseph and his Colorful Coat at http://lettersnumbersandbooksohmy.blogspot.com/2009/08/bible-story-sunday-joseph-and-his.html
My Montessori Journey shared some of her Montessori shelves. I really like the screwdriver board and want to figure out how to make it. It also reminds me that I’ve had a pegboard on my wishlist forever and need to remember to get one. Zhana would love it. I love how she has month bins (see http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/2009/08/gettin-goin.html) this would really make my organization easier.
Nature’s Way Learning talks about their caterpillar to butterfly kit. Zhana would love this!! See http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/2009/08/gettin-goin.html.
I adore No Time for Flashcards Nature Jar Idea at http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2008/05/put-lid-on-it.html. Basically go on a nature walk and put the objects in a jar on top of a layer of sand. I also really like her bottle top stamp idea using foam cutouts on a jar lid.
I like the One Little, Two Little Montessori activity of hanging clothes. This would be quick, easy, and fun. See http://onelittletwolittle.wordpress.com/2009/07/24/hanging-clothes/
I found a horse toy pattern I plan to make. I am not a good sewer but I realized Zhana loves horses and stuffed animals, but doesn’t have a stuffed horse. See the pattern here http://simmy.typepad.com/echoesofadream/2007/05/thank_you_so_mu.html. I got the reference to this pattern from the Our Little Nature Nest Blog.
I love all the toys this mother made at Our Little Nature Nest. I want to have her talents! I hadn’t thought about bringing rocks into the playroom and I know Zhana would love them. However, I fear what would happen if she had a tantrum and threw them. Her castle blocks are fantastic!!! She also gives a link to adorable dollhouse size pies made from felt. Cutest little pies ever, ever, ever! See http://whimsy-girl.blogspot.com/2008/09/wee-pie-tutorial.html. Here’s the link to Our Little Nature Nest: http://naturenest.wordpress.com/2009/08/02/little-felt-horse-or-unicorn-pattern/
Ramblings of a Crazy Woman has some adorable crafts as always. My favorite that I read this week is her flip flop flyswatter at http://jennwa.blogspot.com/2009/08/flip-flop-fly-swatter.html,
I love Teaching Handwork blog. I just wish there were preschool handwork items. She breaks down what handwork each grade will be learning at http://teachinghandwork.blogspot.com/2009/07/handwork-curriculum-this-year.html
I really want the book Good Manners discussed at The Magic Onions at http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/08/favourite-book.html. I also want to make the fairy crown she blogged about but alas Zhana is too young to braid. Her nest barrettes are the cutest ever! I hope she offers them in her Etsy store. http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/08/needle-felting-nest-barrettes.html. I’m very excited about her new Nature Table Friday and can’t wait to check out all the links at http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/07/fridays-nature-table_31.html. The acorn and bark men are a really neat idea that we’ll make soon. See http://themagiconions.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-make-acorn-man.html.
The Parenting Passageway has a post Waldorf Kindergarten. I’ll be teaching Zhana the song listed here. She shared a great site-www.mainlesson.com. The Parenting Passageway is at http://theparentingpassageway.com/2009/08/06/start-now/.
Through the Precious Mind Blog I found out about a web site devoted to the Work Box System at http://docs.google.com/View?docID=dwstdgn_447mphsmf8&revision=_latest. The basic structure of the program is that your child has 12 boxes on a rack. Each box holds an item or task to be completed. Your child works through each box and puts the box away as they finish the task or item. This visually allows your child to see how much work they have left to do for the day. There are several workbox ideas on this site. As time permits I’ll definitely be looking at this site more closely.
Tatortots and Jello gives instructions on how to make a Cooke Sheet Calendar. http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/2009/08/tutorial-how-to-make-cookie-sheet.html. Alas, I do not think I have the patience.
The Home Teacher gives a tutorial on turning a crib sheet into a parachute. See http://thehometeacher.blogspot.com/2009/08/activity-taken-from-toddlertoddler.html
This Little Project has such a unique idea-recycling the holed bags that fruit come in to a lacing project. See http://thislittleproject.blogspot.com/2009/08/from-invention-box-recycled-stitching.html; I love her idea of making birdhouses into a village at http://thislittleproject.blogspot.com/2009/07/store-for-village.html.

Wonderful Website for Learning Songs

2009-08-02T00:42:00.002-05:00

I was reading one of the hundreds of blogs I have to catch up on when I found out about a great site I just had to share! The Izzie, Mac, and Me blog mentions the fabulous Songs for Teaching website. I like it so much that I had to post about it at 12:38 am. It looks like a fantastic site with song themes such as mathematics, science songs, social studies, and more! They let you listen to the songs and have the lyrics. Here is an example of a song about manners-

Fun Day at the Wax Museum

2009-08-01T19:40:00.002-05:00

Were we at the playboy mansion?

There may be one person who can scare Donald Trump…Zhana! You Are Fired, Donald!

Sitting at the bus stop with Forrest Gump

Having Fun on the Yellow Brick Road with the Gang

We get groovy, baby, with Austin Powers

I Dream of Jeannie!

My husband is a big Star Trek fan so this was his favorite part

Zhana becomes the 4th of Charlie’s Angels

Little Cowgirl having a bonanza of a time.

Zhana meets the King.

She tried to fix Marilyn Monroe’s dress so that it wouldn’t blow up, lol!

I am a HUGE fan of Lord of the Rings and Gandolf is my favorite character so I just adore this picture.

Yikes!

Even a wax Hannibal Lector is frightening.

I have no idea why, because Zhana has never seen the Matrix, but Trinity was her favorite.

I help keep a preschooler in line…I bet I can handle some aliens!

I tell Simon what I think of him.

Yes, even a wax Johnny Depp is very nice looking.

If you are in Branson, you should check out the Hollywood Wax Museum on the 76 Boulevard. Their Summer hours are 8 am to midnight. The attraction has been in Branson since 1996 but they recently underwent a 5 million dollar renovation. While I was there I found out that this museum is going to be featured on the Travel Channel as being the World’s Best Wax Museum. It really was a lot of fun and if you bring your camera great memories can be made. Also, you have the opportunity to have your picture taken in the hand of a 40 foot king kong!

The tickets are cheaper online at

Adults $ 13.95

Children (4-11) $ 5.95

Seniors (55+) $ 11.95

Children under 4 Free

Stepping Stones Toddlers Can Make

2009-07-11T21:37:00.001-05:00

I suppose my blog is in synchronicity with the season, in that our learning activities have really decreased since we choose to spend most of our time unscheduled and with outside play. I’ve went back to work part time and my daughter is going to preschool two days a week during that time. We are still doing a lot but it tends to be unscheduled and without a camera. Winter is so very long, so I want to take full advantage of being outside. So many Summer activities do not seem to welcome the addition of a camera. Take yesterday, we went swimming at the river, but I worried about the camera getting wet so it was left at home. However, I actually do have a project to post today! This project was supposed to have been completed for Father’s Day but I was really sick around that time so it was put off for a while.

At one point I had the directions on my computer, but they seem to have disappeared so I’m going to post this by memory. The only things you need are some QuickCrete, a bucket, a shovel to stir the concrete, stones to embellish, and some plastic plant saucers.

Going by the directions on the Quickcrete bag, add a little water until the consistency is like brownie batter. Here is where I made a huge mistake. Mixing the concrete was a little more difficult than I’d thought it would be, so I added way too much water. This made it difficult to add the fingerprints.
Once the batter is ready, pour it into the plant saucers. Let it sit for about 30 minutes before adding stones or handprints.
Have your little one set their hands down to make fingerprints. Immediately wash their hands. This is also the time to have your little one add marbles, rocks, shells, or however else they want to decorate the stones.
We still have plenty of Quickcrete to make more stones. Next time, we won’t add so much water and hopefully we can write on the stones.
Let them sit for about 2 days.
I didn’t coat my saucers with Pam but I’ve heard that if you do that you can reuse the saucers. I simply tore mine off.

Great project for your little ones to decorate that costs under $10!

Zhana’s 3rd Birthday

2009-07-04T01:53:00.001-05:00

Well…my baby is no longer my baby. Until she turned 3, I did still think of her as a baby. Now, she’s a little girl! I can’t believe it has been 3 years. Here’s a montage of her day…

Dear Zhana,

Tonight I think about the night you were born. For 9 months, you were a part of me and I knew you before you were born. I can’t explain it but I knew your personality. Throughout my pregnancy, I listened to Enya’s Wild Child. Somehow, I knew you were going to be a little firecracker. I must remember to honor your firecracker spirit and to not get frustrated with you. I honor these qualities about you because I believe they will lend to you a strong will, persistence, and leadership qualities.

So, what are you like as a 3 year old? You want to do everything your self and I do mean everything. If I open a door, you close it so that you can open it yourself. Your favorite food is still meat products, as it has always been. It is a good thing you weren’t born into a vegetarian family! You also adore your chocolate milk. Your favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Mommy tried to limit tv to educational shows but one morning you caught it and immediately fell in love. You also love anything faerie and princess. In fact, it is because of faerie panties that you were finally potty trained! We started potty training before you were even 2, but you weren’t all that interested. You fully understood the concept but would actually say that you didn’t want to stop playing, so you’d just use your pull-up. I bought you some faerie panties and you loved them so much, you stopped wearing a pull up. You love to make people laugh and are a clown most of the time. You are in a stage right now, where you are Bolt (a dog) about 95% of the time. In fact, you are play barking even as a write this. You still sleep with us every night. Your father and I like you there with us, knowing you are safe and being able to cuddle with you. People tell us we need to move you out or you’ll never leave, but none of us are ready for that. In some ways, I treat you like you are older than you are and in other ways I very much baby you. You love to be outside swinging or playing in your sandbox. You very much enjoy our school time together. You tell me that I’m your best friend. I hope you always feel that way, my daughter. Happy Birthday Zhanabear.

Last Minute Independence Day Crafts

2009-07-03T11:12:00.001-05:00

This holiday really came fast for me. This is the first holiday all year that we haven’t had several crafts for. It’s the day before the 4th and not a single craft has been done. Well, we plan to do a couple today. If there are other craft slackers out there, here are some ideas I found online…

Tye Die T Shirts: http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/07/tie_dye_tees_for_the_4th_of_ju.php

Fourth of July Confetti Popper Rockets!: http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/06/make_your_own_fourth_of_july_c.php

Sidewalk chalk stars: http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/06/sidewalk_chalk_stars_1.php

Americana Craft Round Up: http://www.makeandtakes.com/americana-crafty-round-up

Fourth of July Tutu: http://www.joyshope.com/2009/06/all-america-tutu.html

Fourth of July Mobile: http://www.growninmyheart.com/4th-of-july-crafts

Cookie Cutter Star Prints: http://amommysadventures.blogspot.com/2009/07/star-prints.html

Cupcake Liner Fireworks: http://www.teachingtwo.com/2009/06/29/fireworks-happy-4th/

Tear paper flag: http://moremillers.blogspot.com/2009/06/america.html

Window Decoration: http://scottandcrystal.blogspot.com/2009/06/stars-and-flags.html

Patriotic Wreath: http://www.frugalfamilyfunblog.com/2009/05/patriotic-wreath-craft.html

Handprint American Flag: http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/2009/06/kid-craft-handprint-american-flag.html

Food-

Red, White & Blueberry Skewers-http://www.makeandtakes.com/red-white-blueberry-skewers

Edible Rockets and Sparklers-http://thislittleproject.blogspot.com/2009/06/edible-sparklers-and-rockets-for-your.html

Otto Grows Down

2009-07-02T10:51:00.001-05:00

Otto Grows Down is an adorable book written by Michael Sussman, that all children will enjoy. I believe it could be especially beneficial for children hesitant about welcoming a younger sibling into their lives.

The book is about a little boy who goes back in time, all the way to the days he was an infant, after making a birthday wish that his baby sister had never been born. It is so much fun to read and anticipate what will happen as time unwinds. My daughter’s favorite part is when he brings the trash in on trash day, finds going to the bathroom “downright disgusting”, and takes baths that make you dirty. The illustrations by Scott Magoon make it even more enjoyable. The book would also be a good idea when teaching palindromes as all the names used in the book are the same forward and backward-Otto, Anna, Bob, Mom, and Dad.

I have a fondness for the author, because he is trained in psychology, such as myself. While my daughter enjoys it, I also anticipate using it when working with children having difficulty with a new sibling. Actually, it is great to teach all children to be careful with their wishes. So often, books that are useful for working with children in therapy are serious and melancholy. Fortunately, this book has a lot of humor and is upbeat! In our professional circle, there are certain books that all psychotherapists have, such as Freddie the Leaf. I can see Otto Grows Down joining a special place on psychotherapists’ book shelf for years to come. Certainly, you don’t have to be a therapist or have a little one struggling with sibling arrival issues to appreciate and wholeheartedly enjoy this book, however.

You can purchase Otto Grows Down at Target.com for $11.66 or through several online book retailers such as Amazon and Barnes an Noble.

You can also learn more about Otto Grows Down HERE!

What is Bothering Carl?

2009-06-23T17:28:00.001-05:00

Have you guys heard about Story Fort? If you haven’t, you’ve got to go check them out! Story Fort is a website with interactive books for kids. I have the book, “What is Bothering Carl?” and love it!

What is Bothering Carl? is the tale of a young cyclops named Carl whose laid back attitude is disrupted by a single nuisance. Readers will discover Carl’s dilemma and follow along as he tries to solve his problem in this colorful interactive adventure. I think the characters are so cute! You can easily adore this digital book and can’t imagine any child not enjoying this story.

If you click on the objects in the book they come to life with sounds, animations, and more. The book comes with a fun memory game too. My favorite part are the songs. I actually enjoy the music. Click below for an example of a song.

So to summarize…

The book includes:

19 illustrated scenes that come to life with the simple click of a mouse
Full (optional)
audio narration by the author
Highlighted phrases to help your child read along
Illustrated keywords to build vocabulary
Two original songs with animated music videos
Bonus memory game with 3 difficulty levels

Right now, because of the situation of the economy, they have the books on sale for $9.99.

The owner of this company used to be a leading designer for Melissa and Doug and we all know how great that company is!

So go on over to StoryFort today by clicking here. You can download the book and have it immediately.

The Good Times Are Back

2009-06-14T21:56:00.005-05:00

Things are busy, busy, busy here. I realize I haven't given you all an update about how things are going. I want to thank all of you for your prayers. Lately, I've really started to understand the power of prayers and can finally accept the advise of my mother that "everything happens for a reason". Aren't we all blessed to have a God who hears our prayers? As most of you know, my husband had been laid off from his job. We went through a few very hard weeks but you know what I'm proud of how we handled that time. It was a pure illustration of how our marriage has grown and matured. During that time we didn't fight, blame, or draw away from one another like I believe we probably would have during the early years of our relationship. What we did instead was hold each other, talk, and become closer than we ever had. God became a more prominent part of our household and our lives. Anyway, for those of you that read this and are currently suffering, just remember that eventually you will be able to pull yourself out of the bottom of the dark hole and into the light. The world is always balancing itself and sometimes to really appreciate happiness and the good things...you have to also go through the bad. Readers, I'll be back shortly.

Nature Center: Part 2

2009-06-06T00:34:00.001-05:00

Now for the real fun-the actual trails! Grab a glass of sweet tea and enjoy the woods with myself, Zhana, and Teddy. We had a blast today and hope you will to. We hadn’t even planned on doing anything today. I had an appointment cancelled and we made an impromptu visit to the nature center. Don’t you find that the unplanned trips are usually the most fun?

Zhana absolutely loved observing all of the squirrels in nature. Because of her Central Park game she has a real affection for these little guys. Here is one little Mr. Bushytail we watched for quite a while.

We watched this dragonfly as well…

Like most kids, she is particularly drawn to moss.

We walked, walked, and walked some more.

This was a great opportunity to discuss the difference between light and dark.

We didn’t build any fairy houses today but we still imagined places they would probably like to live. We decided that they would adore living beneath this tree. Zhana also liked this tree and decided she was going to climb it. As you can tell by her face, she wasn’t too happy when she discovered it might be a bit too difficult for her to climb.

Do you see her? Are you looking closely? There is a deer in the picture but it might take you a while to find her. It was Zhana who discovered her to my shock and delight. I was messing with something when Zhana ever so calmly said, “Look mama at the deer.” Sure enough, she was probably about 8 feet away from us. Before I could take a clear picture she had already went back into the woods, but she spent a long time watching us.

We came across more deer during our walk but unfortunately my camera battery went dead. I did have my cell phone with me to take some pics but the quality isn’t very good. The deer were very close to us at one point and didn’t seem to mind us at all. We also saw 3 turkeys.

Do you see the 3 turkeys?

Ah…definitely her mother’s daughter. We both can’t resist getting off the trail a little bit.

Here comes the boardwalk. The boardwalk takes you through a prairie like area, marsh, and finally to a little creek. I like the exposure to the different environments all within a few minutes of each other.

Zhana loved, loved, loved looking at flowers. I would not be surprised if she grew up to be a florist as much joy as she gets from flowers, lol. I was also happy to see the daisies as they are one of my favorite flowers.

The Nature Center has several fun bridges to cross that ignites the imagination in children…

Yes, Zhana and teddy had quite the adventure today!

Here are a few more pictures of the beauty we were able to experience today…

A few more pics thrown in for grandma.

Thanks for enjoying our day with us. We hope you’ll come back for another visit soon. For now…it’s the end of the road for us-

A Wonderful Day in Nature: Part 1

2009-06-05T22:01:00.001-05:00

I was so good about taking pictures of all of our learning activities this week. I think I took at least one picture of every activity and we did a lot! I was proud because I often don’t take pictures of our activities. Today I forgot about those pictures and formatted my memory card…so sadly I lost all of those pictures. I knew I was going to have a busy week, so my plan was to post all of our learning activities in one post rather than several different posts throughout the week. Sadly, they are gone but I do have today’s fun activity at the Nature Center. I will have two posts today because I took many pictures.

The Nature Center is a program by the Missouri Conservation Agency. It is a wonderful piece of nature inside of the city. There are 80 acres of forests, fields and creeks at the Nature Center. It is extremely common to see wildlife such as deer and fox. There are 3 miles of trails to walk, including the boardwalk over the lake marsh. As you’ll see below there are many fun exhibits to explore. Best of all, the center is completely free! Where else can a toddler have so much fun at no cost?

These first pictures show my daughter feeling furs, antlers, and other items found in nature.

Since I was wanting to spend a day in nature, I wasn’t too excited by her extreme love of this play helicopter. The reason I wasn’t too excited is because the helicopter has a video playing on the inside. I was trying to get her away from technology and into nature…She’s like her dad (okay me too..shhh…) with her love for technology. There is this wonderful little area full of animal puppets that she ignored and never did play with because of all the time she spent on her helicopter.

She did spend some time using the interactive activities at the Nature Center to learn about various animals, ecology, and the outdoors.

The Nature Center has a really fun little area where the children can play in trees. When I was a kid, this was one of my favorite places. In the tree is a whole area of puppets. I had looked forward to playing with the puppets but she just wasn’t into puppet play today.

There is an area with of drawers with many different types of rocks, fossils, and minerals to explore.

There is fish in the aquariums to watch…

When I was a little girl, this was also one of my favorite parts of the Nature Center. They have these trees with little displays inside of them. I still think it is neat!

They have a fake cave inside for children to explore. One of my Summer goals is to take her to see a real cave this summer. Missouri has a lot of caves so this shouldn’t be too hard. I really like visiting caves so if you all have some you would recommend visiting near where you live, please let me know!

There is a little bird watching area that I just adore. It has several different types of birds to watch, such as this turkey here. (We did see turkeys in the wild and I have more about that in my second post).

Part 2 will show our actual hike. We saw several deer and turkeys if that peaks your interest…

Do any of you have conservation areas inside of your city like this one?

Invisible Woman

2009-06-03T15:22:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I haven't posted about this video on my blog. It is my favorite video of all time. It is for all of us moms who feel invisible at times. It always makes me cry.

Georgian Wood Toys-A Review

2009-05-30T21:48:00.001-05:00

Recently, I was lucky enough to discover Georgian Wood Toys. When I say lucky, I really mean it. Being able to see, feel, and enjoy the toys this company offers is absolutely an enjoyable experience. Since 2002, this company has been the sole provider of these toys imported from Georgia in North America. The store invites visitors to their website to “come in, become a little child again, and share our enthusiasm.” If you take them up on their offer, you will not be disappointed.

Ooh and I love their mission! Their aim is for their toys to all have meaning, be artistic, and be of quality.

I’ve obviously reviewed several companies that have wooden toys. What I appreciate about this company is that they explain just why wooden toys are so special:

The child touches natural substances receiving the subtle nurturing qualities of warmth vs. the numbing forces of cold received through synthetic substances.
Allows space for the growth of the creative imagination.
Toys of natural substances radiate beauty.
Non-toxic finishes

This wonderful company sent me a family of bendy dolls to review. These are the most precious little dolls ever! The details are so splendid. All the little hand painted details make these not just dolls, but art. Their little handmade clothing makes me so happy. Folks, these aren’t just dolls to be thrown about-they are heirlooms. They are called bendy dolls because the material used to make their hands and legs can be bent and shaped to do all kinds of activities. Below is a picture of Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, little girl, and little boy. They each retail for $18.70.

Here is a pic of the Grandma doll riding one of the turtles they sent. Notice all of grandma’s little details. She has her painted on hair in a bun,glasses, sweet pink little cheeks. I just love her.

Here is a picture of the Dad doll. Because they are handmade there might be slight differences. The top one is the doll I have.

Here is the mama doll. Mine looks a little different from this one but I didn’t have a good enough picture of mine to show you close up.

Here is the grandpa doll. I love his little handmade vest.

Isn’t the little girl sweet? I just love her little hat.

Look at the sweet little boy!

There are so many ways these little dolls can be played with. Every child has a story to tell and these dolls are the perfect tools to tell the stories. Just today, we used the dolls to tell the story of Hansel and Gretel!

The next items I was sent to review are these cute little monkeys. Georgian Toys describes this set as “Mother Monkey teaching her baby how to look for food.” Sells for $11.95 a piece or $28.00 for the family. My daughter loves playing with the monkeys and making them swing from imaginary treetops. The wood is so smooth it provides a delightful sensory experience for your little one.

Next up, we have this family of turtles. Today, we used them to reenact the story of the turtle and the hare.

This is just one of those stores where I have to share as much as possible. So…I’m going to go through each of their categories and show you my favorite picks. However, I encourage you to visit their website yourself to find your own favorite. Several different types are offered under each category.

Biblical Toys:

Wow, I’m so excited about these toys!

Here is the Adam, Eve, tree, and snake toy.

Domestic animals:

Several different animals are offered by my favorite is this set with a dog, doghouse, dish, and bone. Imagine the creative play this could bring!

Wild Animals:

My favorite is this elephant family.

Small Animals:

What cute little squirrels.

Wild Birds:

I love this peacock so much!

Ethnic Toys:

The items are so unique!

House and Furniture:

Have you ever seen a toy well before? I haven’t!

Action Toys:

I just adore this swing for the bendy dolls-

Transportation:

Train set on bridge-

Fairy Tale: This is my favorite of all the categories.

Here are tree people-

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs-

Little Red Riding Hood-

Knights and Warriors:

They also have some wonderful wooden puzzle toys such as these:

They also have felt toys on their website. Here are my faves-

Click here to be taken directly to their website. Here shortly I will be having a giveaway for one of these items. The company was sweet enough to pass these on to me and I plan to pass along the love (though the toy will be oh so hard to part with!) I’d love to hear what you think of them. I’ve noticed that reviews with giveaways get so many more comments than those without giveaways. When I do a review, the companies read the comments. If you appreciate companies offering these types of toys, be sure to leave a comment so the companies know how you feel! When I do have that giveaway, what I’m going to do is give anyone who enters 5 extra entries for commenting on this post! Stay tuned for the giveaway in a few weeks.Comments will be closed on this post in 2 weeks to be fair.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet...

2009-05-27T11:22:00.004-05:00

I had said I wasn't going to use twitter. To be honest, I don't think my life is interesting enough for people to want to know about it. I enjoy it...but I don't know how much people want to read about me doing another load of laundry. However, people keep asking me about my twitter account. When I say I don't have one I get, "Oh gosh. Wow, you are missing out" or something like that. So, I started wondering if I am missing out. After all a year ago I had no idea how much I would love blogging. I don't want to miss out! So I'm going to try it. Probably more to follow than to tweet myself. If you follow I gotta warn you that my days will probably be something like this-
"Put dishes in dishwasher"
"Zhana is in timeout"
"Did second load of laundry today"

When at work as a therapist, I certainly can't tweet. That would be a confidentiality breach. Doesn't it make you wonder if you are being tweeted about when you go somewhere for a service. My hair stylist tweets. Does she tweet about my hair? Okay, a little paranoid...Anyway, I just don't think it would be appropriate, no beyond inappropriate it would be unethical, to tweet "I just met with this psychotic man who thinks he is Mickey Mouse." Not only inappropriate, unethical, but frankly disrespectful. So...when at work no tweets from me. Anyway, don't expect anything too exciting if you follow...Also I don't have unlimited text messaging on my phone because I usually just call and speak to whoever I'm conversing with. I have a smartphone and don't have internet on it or text messaging, can you believe it?

On the other hand, maybe this would be a place to voice the little things I think. Sorta like talking with a friend. For example, when I was watching American Idol my husband doesn't enjoy the show so really didn't get my, "Oh my gosh Adam Lambert is amazing!" So maybe I could use it just to share thoughts...

Also, don't I share enough? Am I not socially connected enough? I have a blog, facebook, myspace, and instant messaging. Do I really need twitter? If I was a 20 year old in college with a hopping social life, I probably would need it. But do I now? Well, we'll see...

Also I like my private time. Most of the time I don't even leave my cell phone on. I don't want to be reached when I'm grocery shopping. So do I really want to tell the world so much about my life?

Lastly, I don't know that I have time...Since I don't text, do I want to log in all the time just to say what I'm doing? Even if I did do cell phone internet, would I want to take the time to tweet? If this many people are tweeting, how much is being done at work?

Anyway, most points direct me toward not tweeting but I don't want to miss out. Also, I have to be honest the twitter bird is so cute. I think I was lured in by the bird. Yet, when I go to the site I don't see that cute little blue bird. Is the cute little cartoon blue bird not really a part of twitter but a design graphically designed by one of the ladies I network with and they all started using? I want the cute blue bird! Also tweeting sounds cute.So here goes...

I'm not even sure how to share my twitter account. I just know I'm under superfunmama...

3 Part Cards and Nomenclature

2009-05-26T00:17:00.002-05:00

3-Part Cards: Mostly for ages 3-6

This will be my first time using the 3-part cards. If a more experienced Montessori mom or someone trained in Montessori has something to add, I totally welcome it! As I understand it this is basically how they are presented-

As I understand it, you put the cards with the picture and label on one side. On the other side randomly put the other picture cards and labels. Pick on master card. Point to it and ask your child what the picture is of. Ask your child to find a picture like the one you are holding it. After it is found, put it next to the master card. While pointing to the label, sound out the word. Then read it clearly. Ask your child to find the word for the picture. The child will put the label below the picture. Go on to the other pictures

The Joy of Learning Blog has a great tutorial at http://www.joymontessori.net/2007/01/pre-reading-exercises.html

I’m thankful to the MyMontessoriJourney for explaining the difference between pink, blue, and green cards at http://mymontessorijourney.typepad.com/my_montessori_journey/2008/07/language--par-2.html

She explains that the "pink" work consists of CVC words, the "blue" work consists of words with consonant blends and short vowel sounds, and the "green" work consists of words with phonograms which include the long vowel pairs as well as the consonant digraphs (i.e. /sh/, /th/, etc).

I was very happy to read on the Montessori Free Fall blog a description of the difference between 3 way cards and nomenclature cards. She explains that they have a different part of the picture. For example, if you are doing plant nomenclature cards the set would include plant, stem, branches, leaves, root, and a blank card.

Here is a great resource for 3-part cards:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojoebi/collections/72157603022772523/; In fact you can find many ideas by simply going to flickr and putting 3 part cards in the search box.

Montessori Mom has several links to 3-part cards here: http://www.montessorimom.com/montessori-free-printouts-downloads/

Montessori Candy has a wonderful tutorial for storing your 3-way-cards. You can read her post about it here: http://www.montessoricandy.com/2009/03/three-part-cards-revisited.html

If you are Catholic, The Bookworm has Rosary 3 way card faithboxes that you can read about here: http://ukbookworm.blogspot.com/2007/09/rosary-three-part-cards.html

She also has stations of the cross here: http://ukbookworm.blogspot.com/2008/02/stations-of-cross-three-part-cards.html.

Here are more:

http://www.maitrilearning.com/

http://homemademontessori.blogspot.com/2008/02/download-3-part-cards.html

http://blog.unitedteaching.com/2009/03/montessori-three-part-cards-body-parts.html

http://members.verizon.net/jbartlet/preschl.htm

http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/Fractions-3-Part-Card-Sets_p_111.html

http://beautifulsunmontessori.blogspot.com/2009/03/3-part-cards.html

http://goodtreemontessori.wordpress.com/support-us/

http://ilovemontessori.com/montessori-parts-of-sea-animals-or-sea-life/

http://www.freewebs.com/homemademontessori/freedownloads.htm

What I plan to do is to look at the different Montessori stores and reproduce what they are selling.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nomenclature cards

This site explains nonmenclature cards so well: http://www.montessoritraining.blogspot.com/2008/05/montessori-nomenclature-cards.html. She gives this explanation: “When making nomenclature cards, you will want to make at least two (and sometimes three) sets of the same material. One set is your control set, with the picture and label attached together. The second is the working set. The picture and label are separated and the child matches them. The third set can be used to make a definition booklet. The booklet is used after the child has mastered the nomenclature cards and is the template for the child to make their own definition booklet which he would color and label before taking it home”

Here are some more resources-

http://www.montessorimaterials.org/science.htm

http://montessorimom.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/01/montessori-3-part-nomenclature-cards.html

http://montessoristory.blogspot.com/2009/02/free-nomenclature-card-downloads.html

http://www.polestarmontessori.com/Science%20Nomenclature%20Cards.html

http://joymontessori.org/2007/05/montessori-pink-reading-nomenclature-cards/

http://blog.montessorimom.com/?p=332

http://blog.montessorimom.com/?p=330

http://www.montessoriforeveryone.com/Plant-Kingdom-Nomenclature-Cards_p_246.html

http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/cardshowall.php?title=farm-animal-nomenclature

http://www.maitrilearning.com/downloads.html

I plan to make 3 part cards and will link to the files in the comment section below. If you have made some 3 part cards or nomenclature cards and would be willing to share, please post in the comments section below. Also, if anyone would be interested in a 3 part cards/nomenclature swap party let me know!

More Faerie Fun (a really cute apron too)

2009-05-23T21:25:00.002-05:00

Mushrooms for our Fairy Friends

We started by cutting some toilet paper rolls in half length wise. We did this so the stem would be small enough for our tops. You may not have to do this. Next we glued the edges of the toilet paper roll together so the stems were more slender. I hotglued the toilet paper rolls onto a piece of cardboard cut from a soda can carton. Then, we cut some Styrofoam balls in half and glued them on top of our stalks.

Then I let my daughter paint the mushroom stem and add stickers of butterflies and other animals. Finally we added glue to the soda carton and glued on left over pink Easter grass for more of a fantasy element.

Silly Faeries

**This isn’t a tot only activity. Mom you’ll have to help a lot with this project.

Start by having your little one bend a pipe cleaner in half. Help your little one glue on a pom pom or foam ball. Also, glue the pipe cleaner in between two popsicle sticks that have been made into an X.

The next step is to tear apart a bath scrubby. If you cut the rope off it makes a long net tube. Cut pieces of the net and wrap them around the faerie to make a dress. Tie a piece of ribbon around the dress. Take a piece of pipe cleaner and shape it into faerie wings. Wrap the pipe cleaner you already have on your faerie to hold the wings on.

Now add some Google eyes, pink sequins for cheeks, and paint on some pink lips. Glue on some pieces of yarn for hair. Finally find 2 star stickers that match and put a toothpick between them for a wand.

Here are our little faeries with their mushrooms.

We also made a few faerie accessories, such as this leaf table…

Rainy Day Faerie House

We always have a lot of fun making faerie houses outside in nature. However, since it was raining today we decided to make an inside version that isn’t completely made out of natural materials.

We started by taking the rest of that soda can carton we’d used for the mushrooms and cut it in half. Next, we glued a brown paper bad to the outside. We used black paint to make lines so that it resembled bark. We glued craft moss to the top of the little house. On the sides we added stickers of butterflies and lady bugs.

On the inside we added some stickers to the walls. We also made a little sink by gluing a seashell onto a thread spool. You can’t see it very well in this picture but we also made a little bed complete with a strawberry shortcake sheet.

My daughter had a lot of fun playing with her faeries and their friends on the porch today. (BTW if you think the dolls, turtles, and monkeys are cute toys, I’ll be reviewing them on my site this week).

It was a good day!

If you are new to Super Fun Mama, we do more than just faerie play. I thought about it and since I’ve had a few faerie posts lately and my blog has faeries, I started realizing that a new reader might think this is all we do. I just loved faeries as a child and my little girl does too, so we are having a lot of fun with that theme as of late.

The other day at dusk, after a day of playing faeries, we went outside and the way the last of the day’s sun was hitting these bugs, they looked like they were glowing. My little girl was convinced they were faerieis, lol!

Also, I wanted to show you a cute little apron Zhana received from LoLoCraft. A while back, I won it in a giveaway sponsored by 5minutesformom blog party. This apron was in my top 3 prize wishes, so I’m so happy to have won. I think it is just adorable! She describes her etsy shop as “When you want to give homemade, and don't have the time - let me help!” Click here to go to her Etsy Shop. She has really good prices. She sells her aprons for $10-$15.

Protect-A-Bed Review

2009-05-23T01:02:00.002-05:00

When I was contacted by Protect-A-Bed to review a product for them at first I wasn’t going to do it. Unlike other blogs that offer reviews, I’ll only review products related to children or parenting children. I quickly realized that reviewing their crib protector would be more than acceptable…but one little problem…our little girl doesn’t sleep in a crib or toddler bed. However, soon I realized that since we are a family that co-sleeps we need this product even more! Our California King mattress cost a lot more than my daughters little twin mattress did! So, I decided to do the review. I have to tell you that at first I wasn’t extremely excited. After all,reviewing a mattress cover isn’t nearly as exciting as reviewing pretty girlie clothes or fun toys. However, that all changed once I received the mattress pad and actually read about all that it offered! It turns out that I adore this mattress pad and all of its features.

My favorite feature of this product is that it is waterproof. I know ALOT of parents that also sleep with their children and the unused toddler bed has a waterproof pad while the bed that is actually used doesn’t. Isn’t it funny that we buy the beautiful little bed and being prepared parents purchase all the little extras for a bed that ends up only being used to hold stuffed animals, lol. Meanwhile, night after night the little ones crawl into their parents unprotected bed. We are working on potty training but there are certainly still accidents (thank goodness for the California King so her “accident” stays on her side). Until now, we had a mattress cover but it didn’t work very well at being waterproof so we had 3 blankets underneath it as extra protection for our mattress, which led to some very hot nights. I wish I would have had this product all along, that is for sure. I will definitely purchase a twin size Protect-A-Bed once my daughter finally graduates into her own bed.

It has a breathable barrier fabric, which means it isn’t hot at all. I like the thinness of the mattress protector and that you can’t feel it. Having a comfortable bed is a priority for me, in fact one of my number one priorities. A life without good sleep, I can’t imagine is a very good life as it affects every part of your life. So, I was afraid the mattress pad would decrease the comfort level of my bed. Thankfully, this hasn’t been the case at all. If anything I feel more comfortable knowing that I am not covered in dust mites, lol.

It has a dust mite/allergen barrier. Did you know that every single night we humans lose 2 pints of body fluids through our skin pores and mouth? Yuck! Also, we lose millions of skin flakes. Whenever I see a news program I always get grossed out but forget about it in a day or two. I do not have allergies but my husband has them terrible! We’ve been using the protector about a month now…and his allergies do seem less severe. Now, I can’t honestly say that this is due to the mattress protector. The fact is that I have no idea. His decrease in allergy symptoms could be for a number of reasons, but I will say that it might at least play a part in his symptom reduction. Simply search the web and you’ll see that unprotected bedding can be a cause of asthma, eczema, and rhinitis.

The nice folks at Protect-A-Bed provided me with some additional information about their allergen protection features:

Many people don’t realize their mattress is one of the largest sources of allergens in their home, because over time, mattresses collect and absorb dust mites, bacteria, bodily fluids, skin cells, etc. In fact, it’s estimated that more than 2 million dust mites live in unprotected mattresses, and many people are allergic to their feces, which is left behind within mattresses and pillows.
People often believe a simple mattress pad and regular sheet washing is all they need to protect themselves from allergy inducing dust mites, but that’s simply not the case. Allergy suffers will feel effects despite the mattress pad. That’s why they need mattress protectors that seal in all existing allergens and don’t let further allergens into the mattress.
Protect-A-Bed mattress protectors provide an impermeable barrier between you and the dust mites and allergens within your bedding, while remaining breathable and comfortable. The ultra-thin, extra soft and super absorbent mattress protectors will not detract from the comfort of your bedding, and they are easy-to-use and machine washable.

I love that it fits my bed perfectly. I have a California King bed and sometimes products that claim to be the size of my mattress are way too small. I also like that it is easy to wash. Simply throw it in the washer and dry on medium and you are good to go! I’ve washed it since receiving it and it held up perfectly. It is guaranteed against leaks or tears for 10 years or the factory will replace the pad at no cost!

There are several different types of mattress cover types and sizes. The types include Elite, Premium, Plush, and Quiltguard. Sizes go from crib to California King. They also offer pillow protectors and box spring encasements.

So…to sum it up this great product has the following features:

Remarkably helpful in cases of incontinence

Ultra-thin with four-way stretch does not detract from the comfort of the mattress

Can be used on all types of mattresses: visco elastic, inner spring, latex

Expandable skirt ensures mattress protector fits any depth of mattress (8" to 20")

Guaranteed to moderate temperature and enhance sleeping comfort

Waterproof yet breathable - similar to human skin

Effective in preventing bacteria and dust mites from breeding in your pillow & mattress (a major cause of asthma, eczema and rhinitis)

Protects mattresses from stains (accidental spills, perspirations and bodily fluids)

Machine washable and tumble dry on hot

Can be sterilized at 121°C/250°F

Soft and super absorbent

Wash durability rating > 250 washes

Tested for harmful substances according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100

I definitely recommend this product.

I’m so happy to announce that the Protect-A-Bed company is giving away a mattress protector for one lucky reader of my blog. Simply leave me a message letting me know your favorite feature of the Protect-A-Bed mattress cover. Be sure to visit their website by clicking here for more information.

The contest will run from May 23-May 30th at midnight. Good Luck!

Going Through Some Hardship

2009-05-19T19:42:00.001-05:00

Readers, please excuse my absence. I’ve had some bad luck the past few months…and it gotten worse recently. Perhaps in a post in the near future I’ll post about it. It would be more like me to post about it after the experience is over…though it would likely help me more to post about it while going through the experience. If you were to know me in real life—I have a tendency to withdraw a bit when things get rough. Frankly, learning activities have stopped. I’m in survival mode—where basically day to day activities have stopped. Regular activities just do not seem to fit the mood of the house.

After finishing this paragraph I have decided to change my mind. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Many people in the world are going through the exact same thing…and if you aren’t then someone you love likely is. Maybe my words will help someone out there to know that it isn’t only their family in pain and worry. Maybe I’ll be able to connect with someone else out there and feeling less alone will help….

My husband was laid off. I’ve been staying at home with my daughter…so this means no income. Zero. So, since I’m worrying about how to pay next month’s rent, electricity, or gas…sorry, learning has taken a backseat. I hate that. However, it is difficult for me to go on as normal when every second I’m awake I have so many worries competing for my thoughts.

Other hardships have occurred the last few months so we do not have money in savings. There were no signs. My husband went to work one day and 10 minutes before going home he was given the pink slip. It just doesn’t seem fair that companies do not have to give a notice to their employees.

I do have some good news. I found a job working as a therapist. I’m very happy about this. It seems like a great job. My only worry is that like most therapy positions you aren’t paid a set amount. You are paid according to how many referrals you get, thus clients. So…at first it is going to be very slow. Thank God for this job, however! It gives me hope! My husband has sent out well over 300 resumes. The job market is the slowest I’ve ever seen. My husband’s bother manages a store. His company just laid off 20 people and he was getting to lay off 10 more. They aren’t even seeking application and he had to buy a file cabinet just to hold the number of resumes he’s received in one month. One week of resumes was a stack as thick as approximately from fingertip to elbow. So…there is stiff competition out there.

Anyway, I’m scared. I’m embarrassed. I feel helpless. I don’t know what the answer is. I feel alone…until I turn on the tv and know that so many other people are feeling the same way I am. Still, until it happened to me, I felt protected.

Please pray for my family.

Mother’s Day 2009-A Day in Nature

2009-05-12T13:37:00.001-05:00

For Mother’s Day 2009, I wanted to spend the day in nature so we headed down to a creek near our home (about 3 miles away). Watching Zhana play outside makes me so happy.

Here is a pic of the falls where we went. I just love living in Missouri…

The best toy for children-a stick. Zhana said she was fishing.

My daughter had fun climbing into a tree…

My mom came up and spent the day with us too. That made me really happy. She’s such a great grandma and mom.

Nothing beats splashing in a mud puddle…

What a great Mother’s Day! We had some bad news come our way and it could have been a terribly depressing day but it ended up being great because of the love I felt. Love can beat anything. I hope you all had a fantastic Mother’s Day as well.

Fairy Houses

2009-05-08T16:40:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we had a lot of fun playing outside. I think our favorite activity was probably making fairy houses. Our letter of the week is F, so fairy houses fit right in.

Today, we had winds of 80 mph and tornados, but our little fairy house stood up just fine! We made ours spur of the moment, but this was so much fun I might just make an actual planned one!

Making fairy houses is one of my fondest memories of childhood. It felt like I was a part of the realm of magic and whimsy. To this day, just thinking about fairy houses brings me that feeling. It’s a rather rare that anything can bring back the actual feeling of childhood, but fairy houses do just that for me.

found some interesting posts related to building fairy houses as well…(Just click on the title and it will take you to the page).

Family Fun: Basic intro to making fairy houses

My Paradise Cottage: Has kits starting at $10!

Build a Fairy House from a Dollhouse

A Little Shabby Always Chic: More instructions for fairy houses.

Beautiful Art: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FAIRY HOUSES I’VE EVER SEEN!!!!!

Overview of Fairy Houses

Homeschooling in the Rose Garden

Sunny's Little Blog: This is the blog of a 6 year old little girl. How sweet!

As you can tell by the design of my blog-I never get tired of faeries. I suppose I equate faeries with childhood and all the wonder that comes from imagination. Therefore, if you have a fairy post-please share it below. I would LOVE to read about it.

Homemade “Metal” Insets

2009-05-01T21:06:00.002-05:00

A few months ago I posted about metal insets here. I decided to make a different version, using more shapes and hopefully a bit more like it is supposed to be. Mine are not individually removable like they should be but I may actually like this version better as they stay all together.

Here are what the real insets look like.

I started by using a piece of Elmer's foam board, like is used for science fair presentations. Next, I downloaded the shape templates from here and printed them out. Using a utility knife, I traced over the outline of the shapes onto the foam board. After I had the shape pressed into the foam board, I cut the shapes all the way out. After they were cut out, my daughter and I painted the removable pieces and the frames 2 different colors. I then glued small rocks as pulls onto the pieces. This isn’t working well, however, as the rocks keep coming off. I will have to replace these with something that works better. To remind me of the correct steps, I glued some instructions to the other side of the foam board. I like this because it folds up and is easy to store. What I do not like is that the foam board doesn’t allow for as clean lines as wood or metal would. I also am not happy with the pulls. For now, however, it works well. I do have plastic ones of square, circle, and triangle that I will continue to use for now as well.

The frames are in one color and the inset shapes are in another. Colored pencils should be provided. The teacher places the frame exactly over the square of paper, showing the child that no paper can be seen around the edge of the frame. Next, the teacher draws around the shape. She then removes the shape and lets the child see the drawn shape. Next, she uses a different colored pencil and fills in the drawing with light parallel lines from side to side. takes one pencil and draws around the shape. She removes the frame and lets the child look at the drawn shape. She changes for the second pencil. She fills in a small part of the drawing with light straight parallel lines that go exactly from one side of the drawing to the other.

So…what are metal insets for?

As explained by Nienhues Montessori: “Dr. Montessori analyzed the movements which are connected with writing and developed the Metal Insets for directly preparing the child for handwriting.The Metal Insets exercises strengthen the three finger grip and coordinate the necessary wrist movements.The exercises also advance proficiency in lightness of touch and evenness of pressure through drawing activities.”

Here is a video of a child using metal insets-

Montessori Knobbed Cylinders-I Finally Bought Some; Review of ebay seller Brainy Bambini

2009-04-29T14:05:00.002-05:00

**Please note this is my second post today. I also posted how to make your own spindle boxes.

A few months ago I discussed Knobbed Cylinders at a post you can view by clicking here. I usually try to make most of my own Montessori materials to save money, but there are just some tools that can’t be reproduced and need to be purchased. One of these items are the Knobbed Cylinders.

I looked at just about every store out there and even posted on Montessori bulletin boards, trying to find the best deal out there. Finally, I decided to try an ebay seller by the name of Brainy Bambini.

I am happy to report that I am extremely satisfied with my order from this seller. I went with the smaller version of the Knobbed Cylinders, since you get more for your buck. I’ve looked online and haven’t found any reason to choose full size over the smaller version. My order came with FOUR blocks, 5 cylinders each. Here are the details-

Block 1: The cylinders increase in diameter and height.
Block 2: The cylinders increase in diameter. The height remains the same.
Block 3: The cylinders increase in diameter and decrease in height.
Block 4: The cylinders decrease in height and diameter remains the same.

I was able to purchase these for $20 and with a $15 shipping price. I haven’t been compensated or offered any kind of deal from this seller. I was just so happy with this purchase that I wanted to post about it so everyone else can know that there is a good deal for Knobbed Cylinders out there. For comparison, look at some other prices for Knobbed Cylinders-

afok-toys: $150.00

alisonsmontessori: $170.00

Montessori N Such: $170.00

and so on…..

These blocks are beautiful, well made, fit perfectly, shipping was quick. I’m so happy that I found this deal! We’ve had them for a few months now but keep forgetting to post about these. Zhana loves this activity.

Here is a link to Brainy Bambini-Click here

Make your own Montessori Spindle Box/Teaching Zero

2009-04-29T13:05:00.002-05:00

Zhana has mastered being able to visually recognize numbers 1-10 and is able to count to 10. Therefore, the next step for us is counting actual objects. Montessori Spindle Boxes help to teach the meaning of zero and that numbers can represent quantity of objects.

Making a spindle box was really quite easy. I simply used one plastic tub. I chose a tub part of a 3-tier set, as I liked the idea of it having a set place and I plan on using the other 2 tubs for additional Montessori activities. I think I finally figured out a way to store our school learning materials. I have priced the low shelves that wrap around a room and all I’ve seen are several hundred dollars. I think I’ll buy these tubs as needed and stack them on top of each other. At SuperFunMama we do Montessori the poor mans way, lol.

After choosing the tub, I took 2 pieces of foam, cut it down to fit the spindle box and wrote out the numbers 0-9. Next, I cut strips of cardboard to fit the plastic tub. I used strips from a clean Pizza box. Using a hot glue gun, I glued them to the bottom of the plastic tub. Next, I added popsicle sticks to be used as the counters. Mine obviously isn’t as pretty, but it does the job. In my defense, it doesn’t look as bad in person as it does in the photo. I think it has to do with the view I took the photo from.

So…my spindle box was FREE. Even if I hadn’t had any of the materials it would have been very cheap. Online I priced Spindle boxes at $50.00!

Real Montessori Spindle Box vs..

Homemade Montessori Box

Okay, so you’ve made your Spindle Box. Now, we’ll cover how to use the Spindle Box.

Have the compartments empty of the popsicle sticks.
Sit in front of the spindle box with your child.
Point out the number zero to your child and briefly explain it such as "This is zero. This is how we write zero. Zero means 'nothing,' so we do not put anything in this compartment."
As you go through each spindle, ask the child what the number is that you are pointing to. Once you have a correct response, have your child place the correct number of popsicle sticks into the compartments.
Your child should now do the exercise alone. Your child can do this exercise alone and will be able to check their work, according to if they have enough spindles to fill all of the compartments correctly.

Here is a link to a fantastic explanation of how to use Spindle Boxes:

I have found a few extensions of the Spindle Box such as placing the wrong amount in compartments and having your child spot the mistake and feeling/counting spindles with eyes closed.

Once the spindle box is mastered, children can move on to other counting exercises. Remember, never use toys to count in Montessori. If objects are used as both play items and in counting, they are less likely to be seen as a symbol (DeLoache, 2000).

The Zero Game

(See 'Discovery of the Child' Maria Montessori p.269-270)

The parent asks a child to come towards her 'zero' times. If the child comes toward you say, "But I asked you to come 'zero' times…Zero is nothing… you must stay still and do nothing! You must not move. You must not come even once. 'Zero' means no times at all!"

When the child begins to understand, the parent asks the child to do other activities zero times such as blowing kisses. Then the parent teases the child a bit such as saying, “Why are you sitting still? I asked for zero kisses.” The child may explain “Zero means nothing, so I didn’t blow you any kisses.” The adult may then reply, “Oh I see, zero means nothing.”

**I’ll be having 2 posts today.

Another Dandelion Story

2009-04-27T21:01:00.003-05:00

A few days ago we had a dandelion theme. Today, I read a wonderful story that was recommended on another blog that I just had to post! It is originally from http://www.therapeutichomeschooling.org/starchildren.htm.

Star Children Story

Father sun and mother moon had many children, and those children were the stars. Father sun was wise and kind and good. Mother moon and father sun loved their children so. When the star children were old enough they carried yellow lamps to help light the night sky with their mother moon for all those on earth to see.

One evening several stars wanted to play instead of helping their mother light up the earth. They had worked especially hard during those long cold winter nights when the people and animals were sleeping.

One winter night they forgot to twinkle and instead ran off and played in the nighttime sky. They pretended not to hear their mother calling and calling her children to help light up the nighttime sky. The star children hid behind a fluffy cloud.

Suddenly a warm Chinook wind began to blow. The wind blew with huge gusts. The trees groaned as the wind pushed their trunks and limbs. The gusty wind reached the sky and found the star children’s hiding place behind a cloud and all of a sudden those poor star children lost their balance. They tumbled far, far, far down to the earth below. They were blown right out of the nighttime sky.

When they reached the earth below, they looked up at the dark sky. Maybe the sky was darker because they no longer lived in the sky. The star children became frightened, for they were lost. They called out to their father sun and mother moon to ask for help. They wanted to come home to the sky. In the morning, father sun heard his children call. He said he was so sorry, “Once twinkling stars leave the sky, my dear children, they are not able to return”. He promised the children he would think of something.

The poor star children were so lonely; they missed their mother moon and father sun. Mother moon also missed her children but she found a way to comfort all. Every night she sang. “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder where you are…” The earth children must of heard this song because all the children of the earth sang with her.

Finally spring came to the earth. Wise father sun looked down at the brown spring ground. Father sun decided to bring some color to the spring earth. He beamed his golden light down to his star children and gave them into little golden flower lamps to light the earth. The children were happy to hold the little lamps and bring happiness and color to earth. These flowers became known as the dandelion flowers.

Wise father earth found a way that the little star children could visit their mother and father. After the yellow petals of the dandelion fade, littler white hairs form on the flower, which are so light they, blow all the way up to the sky to visit mother moon and father sun when a warm wind blows.

Hasbro Games and Giveaway

2009-04-27T13:49:00.002-05:00

Have you been waiting until your toddler is old enough to enjoy family game night? There is no need to wait. There are several games that your toddler is old enough to play. I think Hasbro makes some great tot games and would like to tell you about some of them-

Hungry, Hungry Hippos: This is a great game for tots because of the simplicity. There isn’t too much explanation required, as the aim is for the hippos to chow down on as many balls as possible. My daughter doesn’t put items into her mouth but if you have a little one that does, they should be supervised as there are many small balls. I’ve played this game with a number of children and it is always a winner, including with special needs children. The only problem I see is that sometimes children can be a bit too aggressive with the game and I can see the game breaking if hit too hard over a period of time. I was initially interested in this game for nothing but pure fun but it actually does have some learning potential. It does help with hand-eye coordination and my daughter always practices counting the number of balls her hippo was able to munch. The game says it is for 4 and up but my 2.5 year old has absolutely no problem playing this game and even winning! I like to play this game when my little one is cranky or getting ready to go into tantrum mode and it really seems to help. Approximate retail for this game is $16.99.

Twister Hopscotch: This is a new way to play hopscotch. Using plastic rings, you can create a variety of shapes to play this hopscotch game and the spinner makes it even more fun by having players do various activities while hopping, such as dancing. I was somewhat disappointed in that I thought it would be more like twister but the only similarity is not stepping on certain colors and doing tasks. I do really like the easy storage for this game, as it comes in a mesh drawstring bag, so it can easily be taken anywhere. This game is great for getting little bodies moving. I have to say that a con of this game is that the circles aren’t very easy to snap in place, so kids almost always need an adult to set the game up for them. I’ve played this with 5 different children ranging in ages from 2-12 and they all needed help setting up this game. I don’t think my daughter is quite ready for this game.She did seem to have fun for a short amount of time, but quickly lost interest. This game retails for $19.99. Again, it says 4 and up but my 2.5 year old plays easily.

Cranium Hullaballoo: I am a HUGE fan of this game and it is definitely my favorite game for toddlers but kids of all ages seem to enjoy it. In fact, I honestly really do enjoy playing this game with my child. I like everything about this terrifically designed game. Playing this game, the whole family will be moving and laughing together. The Hullaballoo console gives directions for the players to bounce, dance, crawl, and do other movements to a category such as “musical instrument”. There is SO much learning potential for this game and I think it helped my daughter to learn her colors and shapes. I love the element of surprise in never knowing what type of pad you’ll be instructed to go to next. Also, nothing beats watching my husband do a “funky dance” as the console instructs. Each round, there is a new winner where the player on the lucky pad gets to take a bow, do a funky dance, or make a victory jump. I really like the listening skills it teaches as well. In a few weeks, I’ll be giving out awards for the products I’ve reviewed the past 6 months. I can already tell you that this one is getting the award for best game. I’ve played this game with several children and every time it has brought high praise from them, laughter, and pleas to play another round. This is an active play game, so it also gets the little bodies and adult movies up and moving. The storage is very simple and the games is highly durable. This game is the only 2 time Toy Industry Association Game of the Year winner in history. Approximate retails is $24.99.

NOODLEBORO Learning to Listen Pizza Palace Game: I love the concept of all the Noodleboro games because they help to learn social skills. Each NOODLEBORO game comes with a storybook and CD so kids can “see, hear, play and then live each NOODLEBORO life lesson.” The book that comes with this game is about when two kids don’t listen and really mess up a Pizzeria. The cd’s that come with these games are wonderful with really catchy tunes. My little one loves to put in the cd and dance and sing along to the Noodleboro theme song, especially. The premise of the game is for players to listen carefully and remember what has been said. Players take pizza orders and must make a pizza with the correct toppings. This game won the 2008 Toy Wishes All Star Award and 2008 iParenting Greatest Toys. When I first played this game with my daughter a few months ago, she just wanted to make a pizza and not play it correctly. However, this week she has been able to play correctly easily and really enjoyed the game. She isn’t always the best listener, so this is a great game for me to help teach her the invaluable lesson of listening skills.

Monopoly Town: This game is a little bit hard for tots, but with a little help can easily be played. Mr. Monopoly’s car talks you through how to play, so there is no reading required. He even counts with your little one as they move and lets them know if they make a mistake. There are many opportunities to practice counting. The track quality isn’t the highest and I do wish it was a little more durable. You have to move the car slowly or it will go off track or count incorrectly. My daughter enjoys moving the car, but doesn’t get the concept very well except for counting. This game retails for $15.99.

Elefun: This is for sure my daughter’s favorite game. What is not to love? A motorized elephant with a seriously long trunk blows butterflies into the air for your toddler to catch with the included butterfly nets. This game helps with coordination as it isn’t as easy to catch the butterflies as you might expect. Also it helps practice paying attention as the butterflies come in spurts so you have to be ready. I do wish there were more butterflies. They are easily lost and game play ends quickly so you have to keep reloading the elephant. My daughter asks to play this game quite often and it is always a huge hit. This game retails for $20.99.

Hi-Ho Cherry O!: This is a classic preschool game that I’m sure most of you know about but may have forgotten about. Cherry-O is the counting game in which players race to be the first to have 10 cherries in their basket. No reading is required so it is is perfect for toddlers. It has really helped my daughter in learning how to play board games, such as taking turns. Also, what better counting practice is out there? She also loves putting the puzzle together! Every preschooler needs this game and since it is around $10 is affordable.

Operation Silly Sounds:I reviewed this game on my blog in late January, so sorry for the repeat! She is still really enjoying it. While this game is an absolute BLAST it is really great for developing fine motor skills. Children use the tweezers to extract strange items from Cavity Sam and this develops muscles required for pencil grasp. With all of our "learning toys" when you stop and think about it...is there anything better than operation for fine motor skills? I have to tell you that I did NOT think of Operation of anything more than a fun game but it is so wonderful for this purpose. Furthermore, it is a great game for toddlers who do not put items in their mouth as reading isn't required for this version, nor do you have to count money. There isn't a lot of strategy of understanding of rules either, other than removing the pieces without the buzzer going off. I like that it can be used for YEARS to come. This version is a little different than the original Operation game in that it is sillier sounds and kids who enjoy body humor are sure to get a laugh out of it. Noodleboro Fun Park Sharing Game: This game is all about sharing and fair play. In this game, kids play together to collect as many sharing stars as they can before the park closes.Each Noodleboro game comes with a storybook and audio CD. The carnival games are a lot of fun but maybe a little too easy to beat. Right now, she likes playing it and I’m glad it isn’t too much of a challenge. However, I don’t know if this is a game a 6 year old would enjoy too much because of the simplicity. I think the manufacturers should figure out a way to keep it simple for the tots but have advanced features as well for the older children as their skills progress. Still, I like its originality. I haven’t seen any other games where the child gets to pretend like they are at a theme park. It has a really high fun factor.

Would you like to win these games for yourself? Simply share a favorite memory of playing games either as a child or with your own children. A second option is to tell me what your favorite HASBRO game is you play with your children.

Extra Entries – Required entry must be done first. Leave a comment for each one done.
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2. Post on your blog about this and link back

*I will be using a random number generator to select the winner.
* Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on May 7, 2009
*Contest open to U.S.residents only due to shipping cost.
*The winner will be announced on my blog (and emailed)to the winner.

Letter Dd Theme: Dandelions and Daisies

2009-04-24T21:33:00.002-05:00

A few days ago I gave my little one a kind of assessment to see which letters she needs to spend more time on. One of those letters was Dd. Therefore, this was the focus of today’s theme.

We made a daisy crown using instructions from the DLTK website. Basically start by printing the template of daisies. Next, cut 3 long pieces from construction paper. Staple these together. This is your crown band. Color the daisies. Glue onto the headband.

We made the letter Dd mini book: http://www.dltk-teach.com/minibooks/d/index.htm
We decorated our big D with small wooden figures that start with the letter D.

They aren’t too neatly cut but I did make her D and d sandpaper letters. I traced a capital and lowercase d onto the back of sandpaper. I cut the letters out and glued them to foam which had been glued to cardboard.

Next, we made playdoh D’s.

We practiced tracing the letter D in moon sand and sugar. Okay, well at least it was my idea for her to trace the letter. I’ve tried this a few times and she never does trace the letter. However, she did spend close to an hour just playing in the sugar. I’m not sure how to get her to trace the letters, except to just keep introducing it to her periodically.

Next we made daisies, using our hands. Paint your child’s fingers with white paint. Make a print on the paper of your child’s fingers. Do this until you have a circle of white finger prints. Paint the palm of your child’s hand yellow along with the white fingers. Place the last print down and you will have a daisy.

I found a few alphabet computer games for download that I’m going to start using at times: http://kidgen.net/downloads/index.htm, http://www.yourchildlearns.com/dirll.htm,http://www.yourchildlearns.com/letters/letter-sounds.htm
We made dandelion seed/flower art.
Have your child paint glue onto a piece of paper... then have the child blow the seeds from a dandelion onto the paper. Then, find yellow dandelions and allow your child to dip in paint and then make a print on the paper.

As far as phonics, I made a little song out of this-

D says /d/ like dinosaur.
D says /d/ /d/ /d/.

Finally, I read a poem to Zhana that I have absolutely fell in love with. I also based the drawing on one that I found online. I’m not an artist, lol, but my little tot still likes it. Click here to be taken to the Our Little Nest Blog where you will see a much cuter blackboard drawing. Here is the poem-

O DANDELION

O Dandelion, yellow as gold, what do you do all day?
“I just wait here in the tall, green grass, ’till the children come to play.”

O Dandelion, yellow as gold, what do you do all night?
“I wait and wait, while the cool dew falls, and my hair grows long and white.”

And what do you do when your hair grows white, and the children come to play?
“They take me in their dimpled hands, and blow my hair away!”

She seems to really understand the letter D and hasn’t confused it with B at all today. I’m really proud of a little conservation we had this morning. I was asking her-

“Does DOLL start with D, like duh?”

“Yes, mom-mom” (Have I ever mentioned my dd calls me mom-mom?)

“Does DOG start with D, like duh?”

“Yes, D.”

“Does COW start with D, like duh?”

“No. Cow goes Cuh”. Not D.”

Wow, wow! What a proud mommy moment. I’ve worked on letter recognition but not so much letter sounds so I’m so happy!

Having a Fairy Magical Day

2009-04-24T02:11:00.002-05:00

What is sweeter than little toes in fresh Spring grass? Who needs a sensory tub when this is available?

The past couple of days our play and learning has all been outside. I hope you are having a “Fairy Magical Day” like we have. This is the first time Zhana has brought dress up outside.

A rustle in the wind reminds us a fairy is near. ~Author Unknown

If we opened our minds to enjoyment, we might find tranquil pleasures spread about us on every side. We might live with the angels that visit us on every sunbeam, and sit with the fairies who wait on every flower. ~Samuel Smiles

[W]hen the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl. ~James Matthew Barrie, Peter Pan

It's easy to believe in magic when you're young. Anything you couldn't explain was magic then. It didn't matter if it was science or a fairy tale. Electricity and elves were both infinitely mysterious and equally possible - elves probably more so. ~Charles de Lint

"Just living is not enough" said the butterfly fairy, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."
Hans Christian Andersen

Now, go out into the world and let the little fairy in you fly!

Earth Day Fun Outside We started Earth Day by planting some flowers. Zhana enjoyed helping to dig in the dirt.

2009-04-23T00:51:00.002-05:00

In the process, she found a worm she named “Mr. Worm”. She had fun watching him.

Next, she had great fun playing with the dandelions in our yard. My little girl picks me a dandelion bouquet every day and it means more to me than roses ever could. Then of course, when they aren’t yellow she loves blowing them.

Oh, and of course there is the ever-fun running from Mommy, through all the neighbors yards. Just picture a little girl giggling really hard as her mother is yelling and trying desperately to catch up.

I hope all of you had a wonderful Earth Day. I am hoping that over the next year I’m able to make some green changes in my life. I had planned to make a garden but haven’t done that. Does anyone know if it is too late? I’m thinking about just doing a container garden because I really don’t enjoy being sweaty and covered in dirt when it is 95 degrees outside, while I pull weeds. I faced reality on that today. Still, I hope to grow at least a tomato plant. I’ve also started using reusable bags at the grocery store or at least paper. I’m hoping to start learning more about more healthy cleaning products. What all are you hoping to change over the next year?

Celebrating Earth Day with a Toddler

2009-04-21T23:09:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, I’ll be back with a post on our Earth Day activities but in case you don’t have a lot of time and need a few quick ideas here are some simple ways to celebrate Earth Day with your little ones.

On the Disney channel you can watch some Earth Day related programs. However, I HIGHLY encourage you actually get outside and enjoy this beautiful world and not let television be your only celebration of Earth Day.
Storytime and More blog has an activity where you cut up green and blue pieces of construction paper to put on a picture of Earth. Click here to read more about it.
Help your little one plant some seeds.
Make a coffee filter Earth like here on the A Mommy’s
Adventures blog.
Make a paper plate Earth like here at Just for Fun.
Make recycled crafts. Make and Takes has links to several. We will be doing the plastic bag parachutes.
here are some Earth Day coloring pages.
Hands of the Earth craft as found here.
We will be painting tin can herb pots as described here.
Go on a trash pick up walk.

My advice is to leave out abstract concepts and go for spending time in nature or keeping trash picked up. I doubt they are going to understand the concept of recycling and etc. I will mostly be concentrating on talking about how beautiful outside is and how we must always keep our trash picked up, so that the Earth doesn’t get sick.

SuperFunMama Living the Dream-LTDCHIX clothing review

2009-04-21T19:13:00.002-05:00

I love being a mommy. Love it to pieces and believe it is the most rewarding experience one can have. However, let’s be honest…it certainly isn’t all glamorous. I think back to my pre-child days and remember fondly having to clean the house only once a week except for maybe a quick pick up that lasted about 10 minutes a day. Now, I have the experience that mothers worldwide can relate to of never getting everything done. Two moms realized this as well and created a humorous line of clothing named LTDchix. My favorite type of comedy is humor directed at everyday experiences most people go through.

Their “living the dream” clothing sums up the experience of never ending work in a humorous way. I have the light blue, short sleeved laundry mom shirt. The shirt has a picture of a mom with a pile of laundry with the saying, “Living the Dream”. This is the perfect shirt for me because my life seems to revolve around laundry. Even though we are only a family of three, I average around 2 loads of laundry per day. Even at this very moment, I have a heap of clothing waited to be folded, another pile ready to be put away, a load in the wash, and a load in the dryer! Of all the chores involved in keeping a household running, laundry is the chore I despise. Still, despite all the chaos in being a mom, I still cherish the experience and all that comes with it.

The picture shown below is my fourth time wearing this tee and it still looks great. I really like the fit of the shirts, in that they aren’t too tight or too loose. I am a plus sized woman and have difficulty finding flattering tee shirts. Either they are too small or too large but this one fit just right. It is 100% cotton, so is quite comfortable. I give them a pat on the back for having plus sized clothing because not all companies feature larger sizes even though the average size for women in the United States is a 14.

I think these shirts would make a wonderful gift for mother’s day for sisters, friends, secret sister at church, or other women in your life with children. This shirt is a wonderful conversation starter when you go out in public. The four times I’ve worn this shirt, women have come up to me chuckling about the shirt and relating their own experience of motherhood.

LTDchix offers fitted tees, loose fitting tees, long sleeved tees, and thermals. Their sizes go from small to 2XL. They have very reasonable prices for their shirts, with a loose fitting tee like mine for $15.00. If interested in reading more about their clothing click here.

Sick Kitty and Kidneys

2009-04-17T00:11:00.002-05:00

I will probably be off my blog for a couple of more days. My cat just came back from the vet after having cancerous tumors removed from her mammary glands. I myself have been feeling terrible due to a chronic kidney infection.

Really, this post is more for me, my daughter, and anyone else that cares to read it.

So…Marcelle. I’ve had Marcelle for ten years. My sister gave her to me during the hardest time of my life, on my 19th birthday. I was going through something pretty bad that I’m not comfortable discussing here…but she was my angel disguised in fur. Through the years, she has been my constant companion. To me, she is much more than just a pet. We were able to get through that time together and go on to new adventures.

My cat is a good judge of character. Over the years I’ve been amazed by her character judgment skills. Generally, if you are a good person she’ll let you in the house. If she doesn’t like you, you are not getting in. Now, some people she just plays with. If you know me in real life and are concerned because she hisses at you when you visit, don’t worry you’ve actually passed her test. If she really doesn’t like you, I doubt you are brave enough to venture a second visit. My cat doesn’t just scratch you. If she doesn’t like you, she crawls up your body and attacks you with biting and scratching at the same time. She doesn’t give up easily and will puncture through your clothing. I’ve never seen ANY cat as vicious as her when she feels she is protecting me.

My little watch cat let me know an ex-landlord was going in my apartment during the day without my consent. Apparently, he’d been using my apartment to show other tenants the floor plan without my consent. After she attacked him and the other prospects, that didn’t happen again. A male neighbor that had befriended me somewhat once came to visit. During the visit, I excused myself to the bathroom. Looking back, he’d said some things that were rather strange. He had no reason whatsoever to be in the hallway headed toward the bathroom where I was. I can’t say he was going to do anything bad like rape me, but I am suspicious of why he was in that part of the house. My cat attacked him worse than she has ever attacked anyone. She literally crawled up his body to his face and was biting at it. Again, it’s likely nothing bad was going to happen…but at the same time I never let him in my house again. My cat seems to feel the same way about people that I do. My husband used to have a friend that I did not like…luckily my cat couldn’t stand him either, so he didn’t come around often. The list goes on. Now, there are other people she is very lovey dovey to. Generally, she will not hurt children. There have been a few mild scratching occasions but generally only after numerous tail pulling. She’s never hurt a child the way she has adults. If you are someone that loves animals and me, she senses that and might even curl up on your lap. This is pretty rare, she’s a bit picky in the people she likes to that level but I have seen it a few times. 99% of people, she likes to have fun with. She’ll stand in a corner, hiss a few times, and may even swat her paw. If you ignore her, she’ll stop and maybe even become your friend. If you act scared, however, she is having a blast!! She loves feeling like a little tiger. Still, most people like to know she’s put up before coming in my house.

Now, with me, it is a different story. Most nights, she sleeps right beside me in bed. Usually, she takes her paw and strokes my face until I fall asleep. With me, she reserves a tenderness that no one else gets to see. However, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t “ordered” me around a bit as well. If her food is coming a little too slowly, I might get a little warning that she is getting impatient.

Several years ago, I was told that she was positive for feline leukemia. My heart sang and I was devastated. My cat has always been a strict inside only cat and I’ve never had her around another cat. I was completely shocked because this is a disease that passes cat to cat. The only explanation the vet could come up with was that either she had been born with it from her mother or another cat has hissed on her through the screen window she used to sit in. What I didn’t know at the time is that 1/3 die quickly, 1/3 after a period of time, and 1/3 show no symptoms. This has been a while now and she hadn’t got sick and every year her blood work was perfect.

A few months ago I found a lump on her tummy. I thought it was an ingrown hair. Finally, I took her to the vet. The diagnosis? Feline mammary cancer. Today, she had 2 of the lumps removed. There is a good chance it will come back but I’m going to be hoping for the best. She’s very sore and has been getting a little extra TLC.

The second reason I’ve been away is my own health reasons. I apparently get chronic kidney infections. I’ve had several over the past year that last months on end. I have no symptoms of kidney infections until I get so tired I can barely do anything at all. It took me 8 hours to clean the kitchen the other day. I told my husband I was 98% sure I probably had another kidney infection and I was right. Sooo….I’ve been extremely tired. All of my energy has been used to chase after a 2 year old and try to pick up somewhat. [Hey do you guys remember before having little ones what it was like to be sick? When you could just lay in bed and whine to yourself? Now, even if you are sick our duties go on.]

So, for this reason please excuse my absence for a bit. The writing of the blog doesn’t take much energy but the activities that go into writing for the blog are a little draining, lol.

Good Friday Activities

2009-04-10T16:44:00.002-05:00

Above, you will see a video of Zhana using plastic Easter eggs as sound cylinders. I’ve read about this several places on the internet and we thought we’d try it today. We didn’t do it perfect Montessori style but Zhana enjoyed it. I used 3 green and 3 orange eggs for this activity. One green and one orange act as a pair. Fill the eggs with items that make sound. I used rice, beans, and sugar. The task is for your little one to listen carefully and match the sounds.

Today, Zhana was playing with play doh. Without any help at all, she told me that she’d made a bunny. Maybe its just that I’m her mama but I can see a bunny with ears! She was so proud! In fact, she asked that I take a picture of her bunny creation.

We made this hanging for Good Friday. I let her glue on the pieces of foam, so if you can’t tell what it is-it is a cross and 2 tulips. I have instructions for you but we did this one in a way that was easy enough for a 2 year old.

He is Risen"
Craft Stick Hanger http://www.makingfriends.com/sticks/stick_risen.htm

You need:

Pattern
Craft sticks
Ten Small Tear Drop pieces of foam-6 yellow and 4 green
Fourteen Small Triangle pieces of foam-7 purple and 7 pink
12" of Yarn or Cord
White, Pink, Purple, Green, Yellow Paint or Paint Marker
Yellow Paper
Tacky Glue

Instructions:

Paint all pieces.

Craft Sticks -- White
Triangle Woodsies -- 7 Purple, 7 Pink
Teardrop Woodsies - 6 Yellow, 4 Green

Using pattern as a guide, assemble and glue painted pieces. Print "He is Risen" on a piece of yellow paper and glue in place. Tie yarn on to both sides of craft stick for hanging.

Tissue Paper Eggs and Baby Food Jar Chick

2009-04-09T13:27:00.002-05:00

Tissue paper eggs:

You’ll need

· Plastic eggs

· Tissue paper

· Decoupage solution

· Foam brush

Have your tot tear up some tissue paper. Next, let them brush the egg with the decoupage solution. Have them place the tissue paper all over the ball. Brush a coat of decoupage solution over the top. Let dry and then you are all done.

Chicky Jar;

You need:

Baby Food Jar
Scraps of craft foam
Glue
Yellow pompoms
Yellow feathers
Wiggle eyes

Instructions:

Clean baby food jar. Fill it with yellow pompoms. Put the lid back on and turn it upside down. Glue on google eyes. Cut beak out of foam and glue in place. Cut a strip of craft foam 1/4" wide and glue around edge of lid. Add some feathers.

We hope all of you are having a lot of fun preparing for Easter day. School time has definitely taken a backseat to Easter crafts! Here’s a pic for your little one of my daughter with the Easter Bunny, taken during our city Easter Egg Hunt.

Easter Crafts We Aren’t Going to Get To

2009-04-09T01:09:00.001-05:00

I have a few more Easter crafts coming your way blog readers but tonight I thought I’d post a few Easter craft ideas that I’ve found but we aren’t going to be able to do because of not having the supplies. I had planned to make them but didn’t get all the supplies but thought I’d pass them on to you all. There is always next year!

Egg Shaped Sidewalk Chalk;

This comes courtesy of Skip to My Lou blog

The items you’ll need are below. Want to be even more frugal? Here is a link for making homemade Plaster of Paris: http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/makeplasterpar_sjhd.htm

Now to make the eggs you’ll need…

Plaster of Paris
Tempera Paint
Petroleum Jelly
plastic Easter eggs
disposable cups
disposable spoons or wooden craft sticks
egg carton

Take your petroleum jelly and coat the inside of the eggs, which you’ll place in the egg carton. Your little tot can do the coating of the eggs and will think it is a blast. Mama, you mix ½ cup of Plaster of Paris with ½ cup water. Stir this up really well. Add in enough tempera paint to get a good color. Pour into egg half's. This will make about 1 ½ eggs. DO NOT THROW ANY EXTRA IN THE TRASH. IT WILL HARDEN. Let harden about 5 minutes and then put the 2 halves together. Hold tight, shake a little, tap on the table. Allow to harden overnight. The next day, use a knife to separate the halves. Honestly, I think most of this project will by done by mama for the little one.

Glitter Eggs:

Not too much of an explanation is needed. Cover eggs in glue and glitter.

Sweet Little Eggs in a Nest-unsure of source; This idea was in my Easter crafts file.

You need:

Twigs

Eggs-real or fake

Yellow poms

Wiggle eyes

Yellow feathers

Orange foam

Collect some small twigs and sticks and arrange randomly in a bowl. Paint some real eggs or add fake ones. Make some little chicks using yellow pompoms, wiggle eyes, feather wings, and orange foam beak.

Bunny Hats-unsure of source
Here's a fun project for spring... make a bunny decoration from a straw hat.

You Need:

· 8” straw hat

· Pipe cleaners

· Wiggle eyes

· Pink and white foam or construction paper2q1

· Glue

· Bow

Cut out bunny ears. Glue to the hat brim. Glue on a bow under the ears. Glue on wiggle eyes and pom poms for nose and cheeks. Put a dab of glue on the ends of the pipe cleaner pieces and push them under the cheeks

Later today, I’ll have pics and instructions up of the Easter crafts we did today.

Have you checked out this week’s giveaway?