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Archive for the ‘Celebrations’ Category

Valentine Puppet – Preschool Activity

01 Feb

We had a bunch of cardboard sitting around to recycle one day. My son and I grabbed it and began to draw hearts on it. I decided to continue that activity, pulled out red paint, a brush and red popsicle sticks. Then I searched for some family photos to add a bit more sentiment to the “puppet”. Plus it is a great way for my boys to continue to get to know our family and other people very special to us that live far away.

Super easy. Cardboard. Marker. Draw Hearts.

Cut out the hearts.

Paint the heart. I painted it after I cut it out but I painted the rest of them before cutting out the hearts.

Let dry and glue the popsicle stick onto the back of the heart.

Then go nuts. Add glitter, buttons, pom poms, anything you and your child want to use to decorate.

I used a picture of my brother. I cut it in a circle but go nuts by cutting with fun shapes.

Glue or tape (with double sided tape) the picture onto the dried painted cardboard.

Pretty simple. Holiday fun. A little family heart warming. Perfect.

Thanks for visiting!
Marnie

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Posted in Activities, Art, Celebrations, Emotions, Preschool, Relationships, Seasonal, Toddler

 

Groundhog Day – Toddler & Preschool Activities

28 Jan

I grew up in Maine and Groundhog Day, a US “holiday”, is a big deal. Most Mainers desperately hoping for the groundhog to send the message that spring is on the way. If the groundhog sees his shadow, bad weather is to come and he is to go back into his burrow for six more weeks. If he does not see his shadow (i.e. the weather is cloudy), he is to stay above ground because spring is soon to arrive. Beyond the simple traditions of the “holiday” there are great ways to use this day to teach kids about weather, shadows and the groundhog!

The Groundhog

  • Not a big animal, he ranges from 12-15 pounds
  • Short ears, short tail, short legs
  • Very quick
  • Strong jaw
  • Also called a “Woodchuck”
  • Signature sound is a whistle (sign of spring but also sign of alarm)
  • Baby groundhogs are called kits or cubs
  • One of the few animals that actually hibernates (can you name others? Here are Printables of Hibernating Animals)
  • Here is a “book” you can print for your older child

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Earth Science – Shadows

What a great opportunity to teach kids science! Simply: An object is blocked and a shadow appears. A few ideas:

  • Ask your child how the sun’s position or the size of an object changes a shadow
  • Find pictures of different types of shadows and compare shapes and sizes
  • Go out in nature and seek out shadows
  • Go to the local library and check out a few books on shadows (the following list is for preschoolers)
  • Nothing Sticks Like a Shadow by Ann Tompert
  • Shadows and Reflection by Tana Hoban
  • What Makes a Shadow by Clyde Robert Bulla
  • Lights Out! Shadow Pop-Up and Play by Richard Fowler
  • Guess Whose Shadow by Stephen R. Swinburne
  • My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson

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  • I stumbled upon this shadow puppet print on Pinterest (source: Lyla & Blu by Gillian) and fell in love with it. Shadow puppets. Easy and fun.

Toddler and Preschool Activities

Yup, we love Pinterest, don’t we? Check out this board that captures ideas for Preschool Groundhog Day Activities. My son is 2.5 so we’re a bit limited in what we can attempt on this board but we’re all over it.

Books

So far, our favorite book about Groundhog Day is Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather. Cute story that gets the point across to preschooler and toddlers.

Groundhog Day! By Gail Gibbons is also a good one for preschoolers.

Bloggers

A few great activity resources from blogs I love:

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Have fun! Thanks for visiting!
Marnie

 
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Posted in 7 months +, Activities, Celebrations, Culture, Gross Motor Skills, Homeschool, Preschool, Reading Corner, Science, Seasonal, Toddler

 

Valentines Sensory Love Tub

27 Jan

I love Valentines Day because you get the chance to not only think about those you love so dear in your life but you also have a chance to tell them and reflect on that love. A lovely “holiday”. Like most of my tubs, this one is super easy and quick. Most of the items listed below I grabbed at Target. Michael’s, Amazon and many crafts stores are sure to have ample Valentine Day supplies.

For this tub, we have:

  • pink, red and purple colored rice as the base
  • pink and red bouncy balls
  • small erasers with the word “love” on them

 

  • a super cool red mini mailbox
  • heart shaped (plastic) “slinkies”
  • heart shaped containers for scooping

 

  • Valentine themed cupcake wrappers for scooping
  • my favorite, “table scatter” of X’s and O’s
  • I included a few (the wee ones figure it out fast & can’t resist) traditional Valentine sentiment candy “be mine”, “oh my” , etc

 

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We all had a blast with this tub. Love the colors, the feel and the sentiment. All round goodness.

 
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Posted in Activities, Celebrations, Emotions, Family Wellness, Homeschool, Montessori, Preschool, Relationships, Seasonal, Sensory, Sensory Tub, Toddler

 

Kids Birthday Party Ideas

25 Jan

A few shots from my son’s birthday party. He turned one. So basically the party was for his older brother (2.5) and his buddies. I took a lot of short cuts by outsourcing to a local grocery store for catering and to a local bakery for cupcakes. Loads of fun. I was indeed exhausted at the end of the night (4-7pm party window) but also elated at the excitement and mess. I laughed as I picked up post party. The things that ended up every which way astounded me. Kids are truly amazing to watch in action. I set up a bunch of “activity stations” for the kids to explore and, wow, did they explore in ways I never imagined they would…Here are a few things we did…

Playdough Table

Lemon & Blueberry Playdough

InstaSnow Winter Tub

Water Bead Tub

Colored Pasta and Lacing Tub

Dinosaurs Invading the Island of Sodor Train Table

Light Table

Customized Party Favor Bags from Whimsy Sweet on Etsy

We also had a designated “quiet area” with pillows, books and puzzles. Of course even that room turned a little wild.  I also scattered baskets of cars, legos and sensory discovery bottles and texture boards throughout a few rooms for the children to discover.

We had a blast! You live and you learn when throwing a party. Most importantly, you just gotta let go. For example, the insta-snow and the water beads quickly became one as kids scooped and combined the tubs. It was fascinating to watch. Another point, for my toddler’s next birthday (3), we’re moving out of the house where there is more space for people to move and explore.  Finally, if you are so fortunate to have the luxury of a house cleaner, wait until after the party to have the crew come over to clean (and you should have some help, you deserve it). I almost made the mistake of having them come before the party. That would have been a huge waste as our home turned into a (good kind of) disaster minutes after the first guests arrived….just a little tip.

Thanks for reading…

Marnie

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Posted in Activities, Celebrations, Kindergarten, Preschool, Relationships, Sensory, Sensory Tub, Toddler