It's been quite awhile since I've made playdough, but this Spring we had wee visitors at our house... so, I dug deep in the recipe box to find an oldie, but a goodie.
Cook over medium heat (stirring constantly) until it thickens. Remove from heat (and divide into parts if you want more than one color). Work in food coloring. Store in air-tight container.
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Here's the catchy tune that helps preschoolers learn the days of the week. That's my youngest boy singing - when he first learned the song. Here he is today: I know he'll lose his little boy voice soon -
I'm glad to capture it while I can. Here’s an oldie but a goodie: Etch-A-Sketch!  My youngest got this item from Santa this year.
I’m happy that the man in red is as eager for my son to practice his fine-motor skills as I am. Grandma introduced us to this fun and easy bubble/foam blower. It's great for hot summer days! Thanks Grammy! Thanks to Kevin MacLeod for 'Open Those Bright Eyes' To make your own bubble blower follow these directions..... Items needed: Empty, plastic water or juice bottles An old wash cloth or towel Rubber bands Scissors/Xacto knife Liquid soap Small plate Directions: 1) Cut the bottom off the plastic bottles. 2) Cover the newly made openings with a scrap of towel and secure tightly with a rubber band. 3) Dampen the towel with a little water 4) Pour soap onto the plate and dip the cloth-covered bottle-end into the soap. 5) Blow gently into the top of the bottle.   What do good readers do? Good readers....
1) Predict / Guess 2) Demand Meaning 3) Read Again 4) Skip and Go On 5) Think 6) Use Picture Clues 7) Self Correct 8) Sound Out This information is good for teachers, parents, AND students. Talk to your beginning reader about these strategies. Point out that ‘sounding out words’ is at the very bottom of the list. Phonics gets us started, but it is not the tool we use for everyday reading. Demanding meaning from a text is what leads us to understanding. Fluency (reading at a steady pace) is what allows us to follow the story-line. And although it’s not on the list: children who enjoy books and who have had positive experiences with reading & listening to books will enter the game a step ahead of the rest. A sample creation: Why it’s great: Does Grandma live 1,000 miles away from that sweet voice you hear each day? Kiddos have no patience for writing long thank you notes? This tool allows you to capture and send a visual AND audio moment-of-joy to share with anyone in the world. How to use it: Details:
Share via Facebook, Twitter, email or embed the 'foto' in your blog/website. Be sure to set your profile settings to “Make my Fotobabbles private by default.”  Flipping channels the other day I came upon an infomercial for the Baby Bullet. The actresses paid to market this product proclaim that this product will bring the joy, ease, and savings of homemade baby food to each and every mommy for the low price of 4 payments of $19.99 (Plus shipping and handling). Thinking back to the days when my two sons began to eat their first solid foods, I agree that baby food made at home is healthier, fresher, and ultimately easier than jarred food from the grocery store. There are lot of items on the market that say they can help you, but Mommies (and Daddies) don't need to swipe their credit cards just yet --- everything you need to make your own baby food is already in your cupboards (or can be purchased at Goodwill for less than $10).  Here are the essentials: 1) A blender (or food processor) 2) Ice trays 3) Freezer bags (or containers) Babies up to 6 month need one thing - breast milk. This liquid gold is amazingly efficient at doing its job, means zero extra dishes to wash, and doesn't cost an additional cent. Once that sweet baby of yours is ready for solids, rule of thumb usually brings on the rice cereal. Once that is going well (and your little guy kicks and squeals in delight when placed in the highchair and given a spoon) you can introduce other solids one by one- starting first with fruits & veggies and slowly moving to proteins.That's where the $80 Baby Bullet OR my cheap-and-easy essential kitchen tools come into play. To make your own fruit or vegetable baby food, all you need to do is lightly cook said items (carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, local-organic-in-season-produce, etc...) and drop them in your blender for a good spinning. Too thick? Just add water. In seconds you'll have fresh baby food. Pour the puree into ice cube trays and freeze for 12 to 24 hours. Then pop out those perfect-portion sized cubes and store them in an airtight container in the freezer (for up to a month). When your babe is ready to eat, just take out the needed cubes and thaw them in the fridge (30 minutes) or in the microwave (10 seconds). You can easily make enough baby food in one hour to last you a three week period.  Non-cooks may ask: How exactly do you 'lightly cook?'" Well, I'm glad you asked. Sweet potatoes can be baked in the oven and scraped from their skins. Everything else, I steam in a handy-dandy steamer basket that sits in my saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water. Fill the steamer with veggies. In less than ten minutes, you have perfectly steamed food. Foods should be a bright color and still holding their original shape. Just say NO to bland, wilting, vitamin-less food.
 I love that Big Red Dog. I know Clifford is on PBS Kids, but I love that pup just as much as Emily Elizabeth. My adoration stems from two major experiences: 1) While my sons were in preschool, the 30 minutes of Clifford programming on OPB meant I could shower alone. No Clifford meant no privacy: I’d be rinsing shampoo through a chorus of little hands knocking on the glass door, asking for Cheerios, telling on their brother, and asking when I was going to come out and play. However, If I let Clifford and T-Bone entertain my little darlings for 25 minutes I could shampoo, condition AND shave my legs. Mommies know: That’s golden! 2) This Scholastic Clifford computer game is a nice treat for beginning readers. Simple - and deceivingly fun – my kid is practicing letter recognition and basic phonics without ever knowing it. His favorite game is the one that allows players to type in simple three or four letter words. If spelled correctly, a related picture of Clifford is painted across the screen. Can you spell zoo? Cat? Soup? My kid can.  Granted, both these “how do I love thee” praises of Clifford involve screen time – which means they are a sometime activities not an always activities. But.... maybe that makes his Big Red allure all the more powerful.
Question: What is a sign of a good board game? Answer: The fold lines of the board have given way and separate pieces of the board now just lay side-by-side.  That’s the story with our Scrabble Junior board..... This board has been used many, many times and was a perfect way to introduce my boys to the fun. I like how you can use the game for various ages and skill levels.  Versions of play with Scrabble Junior:
1) Preschool – Words are printed on the board and at each turn, players match their chosen letter to the correct matching space. First person to complete a given word earns a point. 2) Kindergarten-1st Grade– Use the same side of the board, but this time players are asked to build words from the very start. First letters must be added first, then second letters, and so on. The person to complete a given word earns a point. 3) 2nd grade and beyond – Flip the game board over and use the ‘normal’ scrabble graphic. Players must spell and locate their very own words on the board. Graphics along the side of the board give examples. Earn a point for every letter of every word played. Paragraph. This summer our family is embarking on a big trip! I mean a BIG trip! This will be our first ever across-the-Atlantic-my-babies-have-passports-please-oh-please-Mr. Volcano-stop-erupting WOWZA of a BIG trip! (Send your prayers!) In an effort to suppress the “How many days until I ride on an airplane? questions (which have already begun), my youngest son and I spent the afternoon making a paper chain to help us with our vacation countdown. Simple, easy, old fashion fun! For those who need a recap, here are the basics:  1) Cut your paper strips. You can use construction paper, old magazine pages, or even cut-up paper bags. I used different colors of copy paper.  2) Number each paper strip (Great time for some extra handwriting & number sense practice. Tee hee!).  3) Staple the rings together to create your chain.  4) Now hang up your creation and take turns tearing off a ring each day until you are down to #1. My son was proud to show the chain to his brother and Dad after dinner and explain the countdown process. This is a great activity for anyone looking forward to a holiday, birthday, or other special event.
It was nice to sit with my son and talk about our upcoming trip while working on this project. It gets me even more excited for the adventure ahead. Now if I can just explain to my husband that we don't begin packing on the day we get down to chain #1, but instead get an early start - we'll be golden! |
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