Friday, February 14, 2014
Coming Soon!
Two new weeks worth of activities are coming soon. Check back Monday for Cookies, Cookies, Cookies and Milk and then another set of fun plans all about Penguins! I appreciate all the visits to my blog and hope that you are finding fun ideas here to share with the little ones in your life. Leave a comment if it strikes you. Feedback is always fantastic!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day!
This week will be full or the color red, heart shapes and love! Remember that in addition to books and songs, fingerplays and crafts, you will need to add lots of hugs and snuggles too!
Day 1
Book:
Valentine Friends: A Holiday Counting Book by Janet Schulman
Activity:
For today's activity, you will need a box or two of conversation hearts. I got mine 3/$1.
Directions: Cut out 5 large hearts from construction paper, about as big as your hand. You will need pink, blue, yellow, purple and green (but check your box first to make sure those are the colors you have). When you have the hearts cut out, empty the conversation hearts onto a tray and let your child separate the candy hearts into the correct colors and put them on the paper hearts, which is a good sorting skill. Next, you may want to count each color of candy hearts. Then, using a dot of glue for each, let your child glue the candy hearts onto the colored hearts in a design of their choice. You will cover colors, numbers, shapes and sorting all in one activity!
Song:
Do your song first, before your craft activity, and you can use your paper hearts for this song. If you have a felt board, just add a quarter size piece of felt on the back of each paper heart and they will stick to your felt board. Use the names of your family members or pets in the song.
Five Pretty Valentines Fingerplay added 8-7-97 Original Author Unknown
Five Pretty Valentines waiting at the store.
(name) bought one and then there were four.
Four pretty Valentines shaped like a "V"
(name) bought one and then there were three.
Three pretty Valentines said "I love you"
(name) bought one then there were two.
Two pretty Valentines, this was so much fun.
(name) Bought one and then there was one.
One pretty Valentine sitting on the shelf.
I felt sorry for it, So I bought it for myself
Five Pretty Valentines waiting at the store.
(name) bought one and then there were four.
Four pretty Valentines shaped like a "V"
(name) bought one and then there were three.
Three pretty Valentines said "I love you"
(name) bought one then there were two.
Two pretty Valentines, this was so much fun.
(name) Bought one and then there was one.
One pretty Valentine sitting on the shelf.
I felt sorry for it, So I bought it for myself
Day 2
Book:
Valentine's Day at the Zoo by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Activity:
Heart Elephant
It's amazing what you can make with just a few hearts. This heart elephant is just the ticket if you're looking for an alternative to the same old Valentin's day crafts,
Materials:
Directions:
Materials:
- 3 medium sized hearts from purple construction paper
- 1 "j" shaped trunk piece from purple construction paper
- 3 small heart stickers or pink hearts for the inner ears and end of the trunk
- 2 google eyes
- purple pen
- glue
Directions:
- Cut out all pieces beforehand.
- Glue together the three hearts as shown, then add the trunk piece on the back.
- Glue on eyes and little pink hearts.
- write message on the trunk with purple marker.
Song:
This one was a favorite of all four of my children, from way back when the almost 29 year old was in preK!
Skidamarink Lyrics and Actions
♫ Skidamarink a dink a dink. [Put your right elbow in your left hand and wiggle your fingers.]
Skidamarink a doo. [Put your left elbow in your right hand and wiggle your fingers.]
I love you. [Point to yourself, hug yourself, and point to the other people in your group.]
Skidamarink a doo. [Put your left elbow in your right hand and wiggle your fingers.]
I love you. [Point to yourself, hug yourself, and point to the other people in your group.]
Skidamarink a dink a dink.
Skidamarink a doo.
I love you.
Skidamarink a doo.
I love you.
I love you in the morning. [Make a big circle over your head with your arms, like the sun. Bend over to one side.]
And in the afternoon. [Stand up straight with your arms above you.]
I love you in the evening. [Bend over to the other side.]
And underneath the moon. [Make a small circle in front of your chest with your hands and move it over your head.]
And in the afternoon. [Stand up straight with your arms above you.]
I love you in the evening. [Bend over to the other side.]
And underneath the moon. [Make a small circle in front of your chest with your hands and move it over your head.]
Skidamarink a dink a dink.
Skidamarink a doo.
I love you.
Skidamarink a doo.
I love you.
(Repeat) ♫
Day 3
BooK:
Clifford's First Valentine's Day by Norman Bridwell
Activity:
Clifford's Red Ears and Coloring Page
Print out the template on this page on red construction paper or let your child color them with markers. Cut them out, assemble on a premeasured strip of red construction paper that fits around your child's head with a little left over to tape together and you have ears! Print out the coloring page and they can wear their ears while they color and listen to Clifford's theme song and watch an episode of the show. You can find all of this on the main website at Scholastic.com/clifford/.
Song:
If you Love me and you know it added 8-7-97 Original Author Unknown
Sung to: "If your happy and you know it"
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you love me and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
If you love me and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you love me and you know it, Clap your hands.
Other Verses:
Say "I Love you"
Blow me a kiss
Give me a hug
Say "I Love you"
Blow me a kiss
Give me a hug
Day 4
Book:
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Activity 1:
Cardboard Tube Heart Painting
http://tinkerlab.com/cardboard-roll-heart-stamp/
This activity is super easy! Use a toilet paper roll that you can crease to look like a heart and make a shallow well of pink and red paint and let the kids go at it! I found that hanging the paper up on an easel made this project easier for the little ones.
Notice our Clifford ears from earlier in the week!
Activity 2:
Be Mine Painted Hands
https://www.google.com/search?q=valentines+day+crafts+for+boys&newwindow=1&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=KWj7UqrcEIjI0wGTvIGgCA&ved=0CCcQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=620
If you are on Pinterest, you can find this easy craft on the wonderful page above, along with many others. If not, you can take a look at the one my granddaughter did below, although she wouldn't line her hands up exactly the way I wanted them to be.....she's two. Need I say more? Just paint the child's hands and let them touch their thumbs and pointer fingers together, making a heart in the middle and stamp their hands to the paper. Write something sweet inside the heart made by their little fingers. Easy as that! Grandmom will love a homemade Valentine!
Day 5
Books:
I Love You So Much by Carl Norac
Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse
Activity:
Heart Butterfly
This one is from a Crayons and Checkbooks blog, but even though it's linked there, I couldn't actually find the craft.
Cut construction paper to wrap around the tube, 2 heart wings, curly antenna (wrap tops around a pen), 2 smaller hearts (or more) in contrasting color for wings, draw a face or add googly eyes and sticker kisses, as we did. This works better with mom adding tape instead of trying to glue stick them.
I hope your kids enjoyed Valentine's Week as much as we have. We actually squeezed everything into three days because we are expecting a big snow and I most likely won't have my 2 year olds again until next week. Stay safe and warm and hug the ones you love!
Groundhog Day
www.dltk-kids.com
Here are a few fun ideas to go with your Groundhog Day lessons for your little ones. I am sorry I didn't get these out in time, but they will be here to come back to next year or go ahead and teach them in the coming weeks. Your preschooler doesn't know that it's already past and these activities will engage them and help them to create a memory to draw from when the holiday rolls around again next winter.
Books To Enjoy:
Ten Grouchy Groundhogs by Kathryn Heling
Go To Sleep Groundhog! by Judy Cox
Double Trouble Groundhog Day by Bethany Roberts
Songs:
Shadow Time
(to the tune of "The Itsy-bitsy Spider")
The furry little groundhog
Goes in his hole to sleep,
Through the cold winter's
Snow and ice so deep,
In February
He stretches to and fro,
Does the furry little groundhog
Get scared by his shadow?
Goes in his hole to sleep,
Through the cold winter's
Snow and ice so deep,
In February
He stretches to and fro,
Does the furry little groundhog
Get scared by his shadow?
Little Groundhog
(to the tune of "Little White Duck")
There's a little groundhog
Who lives in the ground,
A little groundhog
Who likes to look around.
She comes outside on Groundhog's Day
If she sees her shadow, then she runs away.
There's a little groundhog,
Who loves to stay and play
When spring's on its way.
Who lives in the ground,
A little groundhog
Who likes to look around.
She comes outside on Groundhog's Day
If she sees her shadow, then she runs away.
There's a little groundhog,
Who loves to stay and play
When spring's on its way.
Nine Little Groundhogs
(to the tune of "Ten Little Indians")
One little, two little,
Three little groundhogs, Four little, five little, Six little groundhogs, Seven little, eight little, Nine little groundhogs, Sleeping down under the ground. |
Activities:
These all come from www.dltk-kids.com, which is an excellent site for moms of young children. You will find easy activities of all sorts here for most anything.
Groundhog Day paint dauber fun!
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/happy_groundhog-dauber.htm
If you want to purchase paint daubers, go to Party City or a place where you can buy bingo markers. That's all these are! They are fabulous for toddlers and preschoolers who love to "dot, dot, dot" the paint and for parents, who love that the paint is controlled and doesn't spill!
Five Little Groundhogs felt board or stick puppet pieces - let the children color or print on brown construction paper. If you want to mount these on large popsicle sticks, use a glue stick to put them on tagboard first then cut out so that they are sturdier. Tape on the popsicle sticks.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/m-fivelittlegroundhogs.htm
Pop Up Groundhog!
This is a particularly popular one with the younger children. Again, let the little ones color or print on construction paper and just let your child assemble one or two. If you only have regular size popsicle sticks, use an unsharpened pencil.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mgroundhogpop.html
Find Your Shadow
If the weather is cooperating, take your child outside on a sunny day and find your shadows. Wave to it, dance, let your child stand still and use a piece of chalk to trace his shadow on the sidewalk. Then your child can trace yours or decorate with a face.
These all come from www.dltk-kids.com, which is an excellent site for moms of young children. You will find easy activities of all sorts here for most anything.
Groundhog Day paint dauber fun!
http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/happy_groundhog-dauber.htm
If you want to purchase paint daubers, go to Party City or a place where you can buy bingo markers. That's all these are! They are fabulous for toddlers and preschoolers who love to "dot, dot, dot" the paint and for parents, who love that the paint is controlled and doesn't spill!
Five Little Groundhogs felt board or stick puppet pieces - let the children color or print on brown construction paper. If you want to mount these on large popsicle sticks, use a glue stick to put them on tagboard first then cut out so that they are sturdier. Tape on the popsicle sticks.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/m-fivelittlegroundhogs.htm
Pop Up Groundhog!
This is a particularly popular one with the younger children. Again, let the little ones color or print on construction paper and just let your child assemble one or two. If you only have regular size popsicle sticks, use an unsharpened pencil.
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mgroundhogpop.html
Find Your Shadow
If the weather is cooperating, take your child outside on a sunny day and find your shadows. Wave to it, dance, let your child stand still and use a piece of chalk to trace his shadow on the sidewalk. Then your child can trace yours or decorate with a face.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Patience Please!
I have not forgotten about this blog, but life got in the way! Look for a new Valentine's Week blog coming this weekend and a few Groundhog Day activities later today!
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