Rudolph Hands and Feet

Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose...

What you'll need...

• light colored construction paper
• brown washable paint
• googly eyes
• red pom-poms, buttons, or anything else you can make a nose with
• brown crayon or marker (if you're making the one on the right)

Lay out a piece of construction paper.  Paint your child's foot with brown paint and press onto paper.  If they're really wiggly then just do the foot (as pictured on right).  If they're a little older and will spread their fingers out, do the hands next (as pictured on left).

Glue on googly eyes and add antlers if you need 'em. 

The inspiration for this art project showed the nose with small red pom-poms.  Obviously, we only had one very large one and a large red button.  Sometimes you gotta get creative with what you have.  You could also make a red nose with tissue paper...we've all got some of that lying around!

 

Snowman Footprints

Holiday Cheer is Here!

We're on break again...holiday break!  This time of year has craft-making written ALL over it!  We're going to periodically post some holiday fun for your smartypants, and hope you'll join along!

Snowman Footprints

I found a similar project like this on our FAVORITE website, www.pinterest.com, and just tweaked a few things...because my boys were sick and I had to come up with things that were readily available in the craft closet. :)

Materials: 

What you'll need...

• large piece of card stock- any color you'd like!
• white paint
• googly eyes
• orange paper for the nose
• black sharpie
• pom poms, chenille stems, ribbon, etc. to decorate your snowman
• glue

Directions:
What you'll do:
Help your little smartypants paint their foot with white paint, and make a footprint onto the card stock.  I let each print dry before moving on to the next little footsie.  After all the feet have been made and dried, help them paint the snowflakes, and snowfall on the ground.  When the snow has dried, the decorations begin!  I just whipped out everything from my craft closet and started having my little smartypants pick out their snowman's attire and glueing it on.  Use a black sharpie to draw in their arms and smile.  Use orange construction paper to cut out a triangle for the nose. Done! I think they look dashing. ;)

Christmas Countdown!

22 days, 11 hours, and 8 minutes...

Thankful Tree

Thankful Tree

Materials:

• 5 wine corks
• green, red, orange, yellow, and brown paint
• brown construction paper 
• black sharpie and pencil
• paintbrush
• stickers
• glue

Directions:

This was one of those "grab whatever from the craft cupboard" and make something cute for the teacher! :) Dip wine corks into fall-inspired colors for tree.  Cut out the trunk using  brown construction paper. We then grabbed some stickers, painted YOU and traced helping me grow, etc. parts.

Turkey Handprints

Turkey Handprints

Materials:

• green, yellow, brown, orange, red, (fall color) paint
• beige paper for base of picture
• light brown construction paper- circle for face
• dark brown construction paper- slightly larger- circle for body
• googly eyes
• orange construction paper for legs, feet, and beak 
• red construction paper for wattle

Directions:

• Prepare the circle for the head and body with the light and dark brown paper, the feet/legs and beak with the orange, and the wattle using the red paper.  Help your smartypants glue the circles, feet/legs, eyes, wattle, and beak onto the beige paper. Paint your little's hand with green, yellow, red, etc., until you have what you like for the feathers.

Letter "Kk" Week

Kick up your kicks: It's letter "K"!


Kitten:
Sorry no picture- camera decided to not work (or user error...) Shall I KICK it to the curb, let a KANGAROO pounce on it, or a KITTEN eat it? ;)

What you'll need: 

• black paper plates
• black and pink construction paper
• white yarn
• googly eyes 
• nontoxic glue

Prep: Cut the black construction in large triangles and the pink construction paper into smaller triangles for ears. Also cut the pink construction paper into oval for noses. Cut the yarn in four inch pieces.

Instructions: Give each smartypant a paper plate, two black triangles, two pink triangles, one pink oval, two googly eyes, and six pieces of yarn. Instruct your "little" to glue the pink triangles onto the black triangles and then the black triangles onto the back of the paper plate to make the ears. Glue the pink oval and the eyes onto the front of the paper plate. Then glue the pieces of yarn near the nose to form the whiskers. Make sure to talk about the different shapes (circles, triangles, ovals, lines) of the different pieces of the kitten. Meow!

Kettle Corn

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Directions: Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.

Letter Hunt: Your letter bucket is filled with kittens, kangaroos, kites, koalas, kings, etc.


Fine Motor: KEEP it in the cube:
Have your smartypants put the poms in- let them color-coordinate too!

Coloring Page: Print off the Kk is for coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp

Books: Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones. You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• The Kite by Harry Behn
• The Kitten At Play by William Wordsworth
• Does a Kangaroo Have a Mother, Too? by Eric Carle
• Kipper by Mick Inkpen
• The Frog Who Would Be King by Kate Walker

"Little" Tip of the Week: There are so many fun activities to do this week!  Weather permitting, flying a kite would be the perfect day for your fun, little one!  Is it raining, or (gasp) snowing and you're stuck indoors?  How about pretending to by kittens, kangaroos, kings, and/or koalas.  Talk about the sounds they make, imitate the way they move, what they eat, etc. If they don't already know how, teach your smartypants how to blow kisses.  Who doesn't want to catch a kiss from your kiddo? 

Letter "Jj" Week

Well, jumpin' jelly beans, if it ain't the letter Jj week!


Jellyfish

What you'll need...

• paper plate
• paint (watered down with water on your brush)
• googly eyes
• tissue paper cut into strips or streamers
• tape
• glue

Cut half of the paper plate like shown in the picture.  Add a little water to your paint (or use watercolors) and paint your little jellyfish.  Add some eyes and tape on strips of tissue paper or streamers to the back of the plate. 

Jelly Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raspberry preserves
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheets.
2. Cream the butter with the white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder together. Stir in the flour mixture into the butter mixture and combine.
4. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet. Make an indentation in each cookie and fill with jelly. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.               

Letter Hunt:  Your letter bucket is filled with jellyfish, jets, jellybeans, jaguars, and jack-o'-lanterns.

Fine Motor: Playdough Jj's
Let your little one fine tune their fine motor skills by shaping and molding the letter J with playdough.

Coloring Page: Print off the Jj is for Jet coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp


Books: Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones. You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• Jack in the Beanstalk
• Jack and Jill
• Joey and Jet by James Yang
• Just A Little Bit by Ann Tompert

"Little" Tip of the Week:
When you're reading to your smartypants, point to the words from left to right as you say them.  Make sure you're not blocking their view though!

Letter "Ii" Week

Insane...it's letter "Ii" Week!
Normally we would just introduce the short vowel sound (i as in igloo).  There aren't a lot of words that start with the short vowel sound so we will also learn i as in ice cream.


I Wanna Iguana (minus the tail that got eaten by little brother)

What you'll need...

• green foam
• red foam
• googly eyes

Cut out the letter "I" with your green foam paper.  Add a tail, red tongue, and googly eyes. 

Make an Instrument

I made these several years ago, so they're a little beat up.  They make fun instruments and great baby rattles, too!  What you'll need...

• empty water bottles
• noodles
• food coloring
• rubbing alcohol
• glue

Color your dry noodles by mixing food coloring and rubbing alcohol.  I don't measure, I just kinda "eye it" until I get the color I want.  Mix in a large bowl or bag and lay out on old towels with newspaper underneath and let dry overnight. 

After you put the noodles in the bottles, make sure and glue them shut to prevent choking.

Ice Cream in a Bag

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 sandwich ziploc bag
• 1 gallon ziploc bag
• 3 cups crushed ice
• 1/3 cup rock salt

1. Put first 3 ingredients in the smaller Ziplock bag and seal bag (Make sure it is tightly closed!). Put ice and rock salt in the larger bag and then add the filled small bag. Seal the large bag. 
2. Squeeze bag until ice cream is thickened, about 10-15 minutes. 
3. Remove small bag, unseal, and it's done!
4. Add sprinkles and enjoy!
   
   http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-ice-cream-in-a-bag-34257#ixzz1bhxYiNkM

Letter Hunt:  Your letter bucket is filled with insects, ice cream, iguanas, igloos, instruments, inchworms, etc.

Fine Motor: Letter "I" Laces
Make the letter "I" with construction paper and punch some holes\.  Let your little one lace up the holes with a piece of yarn or shoelace.

Coloring Page: Print off the Ii is for ICE CREAM coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp


Books: Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones.  You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• The Igloo by Charlotte and David Yue
• Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
• Inspector Hopper by Doug Cushman
• It's a Good Thing There are Insects by Allan Fowler

"Little" Tip of the Week: 
Use notecards to write different items around the house for your smartypants to begin learning sight words.

Toilet Paper Pumpkin

What you'll need...

• roll of toilet paper (with the TP still on!)
• two pages of scrapbook paper 
• small piece of brown construction paper
• glue or tape
• ribbon

Take your roll of toilet paper and have your smartypants squish, step, mush, bend- until it starts to get a little "plump" like a pumpkin.  Speaking from experience, I don't recommend sitting on it.  Tear one to two inch strips of scrapbook paper and crinkle to make it look worn and rustic.  Place the strips of paper in the top and bottom of the toilet paper roll, overlapping each piece so the TP doesn't show.  You may want to use some glue or tape to help it stay put.  Roll a small piece of brown construction paper to make the stem and glue into the top.  Add a snazzy bow to beautify your TP pumpkin!  Super easy, super fun!  

Handprint Bat

What you'll need...

• white and black construction paper
• white paint
• toilet paper roll

Wrap toilet paper roll with black paper.  Cut out eye shapes with white paper and glue on to the toilet paper roll.  Handprints with white paint and then cut around to form the wings.  Glue on to the back of the toilet paper roll.

One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater

I know, I know.  It looks more like a one-eyed purple bat with a horn.  A baticorn, if you will.  Either way, it's still Halloweenish.

What you'll need...

• paper plate
• construction paper
• googly eye
• white foam paper
• purple tissue paper

Paint paper plate purple (say that fast 10 times) and set aside to dry.  Cut out wings and horn out of construction paper and cover with tissue paper squares crumbled up.  Add the face and your spooky (whatever the heck this is) is done. ;)

Letter Review

Here's a link for some printable letter searches to review the letters A through H!  Hope you're all having an Oh-mazing October!

http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/index-color1.htm

Tissue Paper Candy Corn

You'll need...

• construction paper
• white, orange, and yellow tissue paper
• glue and scissors

Cut out candy corn shape with the construction paper.  Cut out squares of the tissue, crumble, and glue onto paper. 

Angry Jack

What you'll need:

• orange paint
• paintbrush
• green and black construction paper
• scissors
• glue

Let your child create their own "artwork" by giving them some orange paint and a paintbrush.  After they're through making a terrible mess creating a masterpiece, let them add the face and stem.  My little pumpkin decided he wanted to be an angry pumpkin.  It was morning when we did this. I really don't blame him.

Hit The Road Jack and Don't You Come Back...

Jack Skellington Cupcakes

What you'll need...

• white cupcakes (boxed, of course)
• vanilla frosting
• Wilton Black Decorating Icing
• round icing tip (Wilton sells ones that attach right to the decorating icing tube)
• white cupcake liners

We're a little obsessed with Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, so why not make some fun cupcakes of the main character, Jack Skellington.  If you search his name on web images, it's easy to just draw on the face with the black decorating icing.  FUN, EASY, AND OH SO YUMMY IN THE TUMMY! WARNING: May cause a sugar high ;)

HALLOWEEN MADNESS HAS BEGUN!

Boo!

Ghost Footprints

What you'll need...

• black and orange cardstock
• white and black paint
• white puffy paint
• glue

We've seen a lot of variations of the ghosts.  You may decide to do just one footprint, and/or use construction paper or canvas.  Cardstock is sturdy and holds the test of time, as well as allowing us to do this craft year after year.  We can watch our ghosts grow next year!  Paint the bottom of your smartypant's feet white, and gently place onto the black cardstock.  Once it dries, assist in painting two small dots for the eyes.  Use white puffy paint to write the year, names, etc. Mount onto orange cardstock, and BAM, you're done! 

Here's a link to some EASY Halloween word searches: http://printables.kaboose.com/halloween-word-search-very-easy.html

Spider Hand Print

Spider Hand Print

What you'll need...

• black washable paint
• paintbrush
• small googly eyes
• white foam paper or construction paper
• additional scrapbook paper if you want to back it onto something prettier. :)  Oh, and I would add a little bow to the spider it was for a girl.

Paint hands with black paint, leaving the thumbs out...remember, spider's have 8 legs, not 10!  Press each hand to make the spider, add the eyes and back with paper if you want!  Have fun!!

Spooktastic!

We interrupt our alphabet to bring you.....HALLOWEEN!!!  We just get too giddy about the holidays that it only seems fair to take a little time out for some fun and festive crafts. Keep checking in as we periodically post some Halloween FUN!

Halloween Clothes Pin Magnets

What you'll need...

• black, orange, and purple paint (or any colors you choose)
• halloween stickers
• magnet strips
• clothes pins
• ribbon

Help your little smartpants paint the clothes pins in the colors you choose.  Let dry and add stickers and ribbon.  We used hot glue to secure the magnet strips to the back of the clothes pins.  Done and done.  So cute.  So easy.  And now you have your spooky little magnets to hang all your halloween crafts on the fridge!

Letter "Hh" Week

Let's HOP right into letter Hh!


Happy Hippo

Happy Hippo Trail Mix

There's really no right or wrong way to make this snack.  Just toss in a little of this and little of that and you'll have a happy, happy toddler!  Here's what we did...

• Honey Nut Cheerios
• M&M's
• Raisins
• Banana Chips
• Pretzels

Letter Hunt:  Your letter bucket is filled with a toy horse, house, helicopter, hippo, hog, hamburger, hat, etc.

Fine Motor: a "HOLE" lot of fun!

Use an old puffs container, or something similar, and punch holes in the lid.  Decorate it however you wish! Place hole reinforcers around the holes, and color with markers.  Place the lid on, and have your smartypants put the matching color of stem into the corresponding hole.

Coloring Page: Print off the Hh is for HOUSE coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp


Books: Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones.  You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• Greedy Grumpy Hippo by Stuart Trotter 
• The Hiccuping Hippo by Keith Faulkner
• The Happy Hedgehog Band by Jill Barton

"Little" Tip of the Week: 
One of our favorite things to do is use sidewalk chalk to make HOPSCOTCH.  It's a great activity to incorporate the letter "Hh", and includes number recognition, gross motor development, and, of course, PATIENCE, as you wait your turn to HOP!  Have some fun at the end of the week, and have a "Happy Hair Day".  Let your smartypants get creative with their hair!

Hope you had a hopping good time!

Letter "Gg" Week

Golly Gee, it's Letter Gg!


Toilet Roll Goat

What you'll need...

1. toilet paper roll
2. brown construction paper
3. brown paint
4. cotton balls
5. googly eyes
6. black marker or crayon

Paint toilet paper roll brown.  Let dry and then glue on eyes, ear shapes and horns from from construction paper.  Glue cottons balls on the top and bottom of the toilet paper roll.  Draw on face with a black marker or crayon.
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Graham Cracker S'mores Bars

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Ingredients:

• 1 10 oz. bag mini marshmallows
• 1 12 oz. package semi sweet chocolate chips
• 5 tbsp. butter
• 8 cups Golden Graham cereal (one 12 oz. box)
• 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)

Directions:
Place package of chocolate chips in the freezer to chill. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan, set aside.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add in 5 cups of marshmallows and stir until almost completely melted. Stir in vanilla if desired. Remove from heat and transfer butter mixture to a large mixing bowl and add cereal, stirring to coat. Once cereal is coated, remove chocolate chips from freezer and add to cereal mixture. Also add in the remaining cup of marshmallows. Gently stir until evenly distributed.
Press cereal mixture into prepared baking pan. Cover and refrigerate until set. Turn out onto cutting board and cut into squares. Keep stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
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Letter Hunt:  Your letter bucket is filled with anything green, gorillas, grasshoppers, goldfish, goats, etc. 

Fine Motor: 
Fill a bucket full of different items and let your child pick out only the green items.  Easy, fun, and did we say easy?!

Coloring Page: Print off the Gg is for grasshopper coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp


Books: Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones.  You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Ratthmann
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

"Little" Tip of the Week: 
Find activities that correlate with the letter of the week.  For example, this week you could go golfing in your backyard.  For "Ff" week you can go fishing, etc.  If you let your creativity flow, you can really think of some great ways to add activities into your letter learning!  Go, go, go! 

Letter "Ff" Week

Let's have some FUN with the letter "Ff"...

Frog

You’ll need...

• Paper plate
• green paint
• red construction paper
• googly eyes

Paint the backside of a paper plate green.  Once dry, fold in half and tape, glue, or staple.  Handprint green painted hands on white construction paper.  Cut out and glue to the plate.  Glue some eyes, make a face, and attach a red tongue made with red construction paper. 

Letter Hunt

Find a bucket, basket or bowl and let your child “hunt” for items around the house that begin with the letter “Ff”. Will they find a frog, firefighter, fish, flower, or a fairy? You can repeat this several times throughout the week! When they find an item, make sure you’re reinforcing what letter the item begins with.

We like to find "Ff" items the night before and hide around the house.  They think it's fun when they wake up in the morning!

Fish Pond Cookies

What you'll need:

• swedish fish
• frosting
• blue food coloring
• cookies

*If you're feeling extra chef-like, make your own cookies to decorate.  Sometimes life is busy, and that's when I'm thankful for a can of already-made frosting and cookie dough. ;)

Directions: Color your frosting blue and spread on the pond.  Let your smartypants place the fish in the pond.  A fun, frosting-topped reward at the end of the week is FABULOUS!

FINE MOTOR SKILLS: Fishy "Fs": Fill a bowl with goldfish and let your smartypants form the letter "Ff".  If you have colored goldfish, you can talk about patterns and colors too! 

Funny Feet (extra fun!):

What you'll need:

• shoes that you don't mind making "funny"
• pennies
• glue gun
• googly eyes
• anything you can find to make your feet funny!

Glue your funny face on your funny feet!  Have FUN!  Glue pennies on the bottom so your smartypants can get their funnies out with a little tap dancing!

BOOKS: Below you will find a few suggested books for your little one. You should be able to find these at home or your local library.  

• Frogs by Gail Gibbons
• The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner
• The Icky Sticky Frog by Dawn Bentley

COLORING PAGE: Print off the Ff is for Frog coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link below and it will take you to your destination: 

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp

“LITTLE” TIP OF THE WEEK: After reading an "Ff"-focused book, have your smartypants flip through the pages and point out all the letter Fs to encourage letter recognition.  

Isn't the Letter "Ff" fantastic?!

Letter "Ee" Week

Entering letter "E"...


Elmo

What you'll need...

1. red or white construction paper
2. red and orange tissue paper
3. black construction paper
4. google eyes

Cut an Elmo shape with your red and white construction paper.  Cut red and orange tissue into squares.  Scrunch up and glue on red tissue around entire face.  Glue eyes at the top, and make nose out of orange tissue.  Cut black paper into a mouth shape and glue on. 

Quick Elephant Ears

These a fun, very quick and easy take on the elephant ears you get at the fair.  Surprisingly very tasty!  Well, they're fried...so of course they're tasty.

What you'll need...

1. 1 1/2 cups sugar
2. 2 tsp. cinnamon
3. oil for frying
4. 10 (7 inch) flour tortillas 

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a large plate; set aside. In a skillet, heat 1/2 in of oil. Place one tortilla at a time in skillet, Cook for 5 seconds; turn and cook 10 seconds longer or until browned. Place in sugar mixture and turn to coat. Serve immediately.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/quick-elephant-ears/detail.aspx

Letter Hunt:  Your letter bucket is filled with eggs, elephants, Elmo, engines, elves, etc.

Fine Motor:  Easy Shaving Cream E's

Let your smartypants develop their fine motor skills by practicing the letter "E" and other letters with shaving cream. Just wipe your counter down with paper towels or a dry rag, and you'll have a shiny table top that smells like Dad. :)

Coloring Page: Print off the Ee is for elephant coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link: http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp


Books: Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones.  You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• The Little Engine That Could by Watter Piper and Lauren Davis
• Emma's Eggs by Margriet Ruurs
• My Elephant by Petr Horacek 

"Little" Tip of the Week: Always encourage with positive words.  I know, it can be frustrating with a "little" temper tantrum now and then, but they THRIVE off of positive reinforcement while learning.  PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE your little smartypants!  "E" is for EXCELLENT! 

Letter "Dd" Week

We're ready to dig into letter D, so come on!

Doggie Puppet

1. paper lunch sack (any color)
2. googly eyes
3. glue
4. construction paper (any color)
5. sharpie
6. scissors

Grab a lunch bag, draw the face parts on construction paper- ears, nose, tongue, spots, bowtie, collar, etc.-for your "little" to cut out, glue on the puppy dog face and, doggonit, you're done!  Now you've got yourself a doggie puppet! I'd like to know how much this doggie would sell for in the window? Priceless.

Dalmation Doggie (can you tell we like dogs?)

1. paper plate
2. black and white construction paper
3. black pom pom
4. googly eyes
5. pink and black crayon or marker
6. glue

Cut out ear shapes with white construction paper and tape on back of paper plate.  Cut out black spots and glue on around face and ears.  Glue eyes and pom pom nose, draw your mouth and tongue and you're done! 

Dirt Cups

What you'll need...

1. cool whip
2. chocolate pudding
3. oreo cookies, crushed
4. gummy worms

Mix together cool whip and pudding and layer on top with crushed oreos.  Top with a few worms and DIG in!

Letter Hunt:  Your letter bucket is filled with dogs, ducks, deer, dinosaurs, dragons, dolls, dice, etc.

Fine Motor:  Doughy D's 

Let your smartypants develop their fine motor skills by rolling playdough into the letter D.  What else can they make with the playdough?  A diamond?  Maybe a dinosaur?

Coloring Page: Print off the  Dd is for dinosaur coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link below.http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp

Books: Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones.  You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• Go, Dog. Go!  by P.D. Eastman
• How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
• Danny and the Dinosaur by Sid Hoff

"Little" Tip of the Week: Remember that your child gets excited when you do!  Add excitement with facial expressions, praise, high-fivin', etc.  It's great to see them so giddy about learning! It CAN be fun!

Letter "Cc" Week

We've got our coffee and creamer and we're ready to stop being crabby and get down to "Cc" week business! Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smartypants/184737734925189 and post pictures of what you do!  We'd love to see your smartypants in action!

Crabby Hands

1. red paint
2. googly eyes
3. white construction paper

Paint hands with red paint and press hand firmly onto paper on each side.  Drop some glue and put on your googly eyes.  Done and done!  If you want to back it with paper to make it look even prettier, be our guest.

Cinnamon C's

• 1 roll Pillsbury bread sticks
• butter
• sugar
• cinnamon

Roll out dough and let your smartypants make the letter C.  Brush on melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar.  Bake according to the directions on the roll of bread sticks.

Crayons...Homemade Style!

• broken crayons
• muffin/cupcake pan (don't be shy to get creative with your smartypants...if you have a heart-shaped pan, you can color your heart out!)
• Pam
• toothpicks

Use broken crayons/break whole ones, spray a muffin pan with Pam, place the crayons with different colors your smartypants choose, and bake in the oven @275 degrees for 6-8 minutes. (Depending on the type/size of pan you use, it may alter the cooking time. You want them melted, but not scorching.  If there are a few chunks of crayon in the middle, it's ok- it will dry/mold divinely!) Swirl the colors around with a toothpick to supersize this fun, and freeze the crayons in the tray for about an hour.  They'll pop right out and your child can have a blast creating an art masterpiece with their new crayons! 

Letter Hunt: Your letter bucket is filled with cats, crayons, cards, cotton balls, cars and much, much more!

Fine Motor:  Cotton Ball Pass ~ Let your little one develop their fine motor skills with this cute little activity!  Get two bowls or cups and fill one with cotton balls.  Let your smartypants take the tweezers and pass to the other bowl or cup.

Coloring Page:  Print off the Cc is for car coloring sheet on the Fisher-Price website. Click on the link below.http://www.fisher-price.com/us/ms7/alphabet-coloring-pages.asp

Books:  Below are a few suggested readings for your little ones.  You should be able to find most of these books at your local library or around the house.

• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
• C is for Curious by Woodleigh Hubbard
• The Berenstains' C Book by Stan and Jan Berenstain

"Little" Tip of the Week:  When you're out running errands, this is a great time for learning for your child.  How many school buses do you see?  What color are they?  Do you see any stop signs, flags, garbage trucks?  And when we get to a red light, the boys always sing, "Red means stop, green means go, yellow means wait, even if you're late!" 

Grab your steering wheels, SMARTYPANTS, because we're cruising out of the letter "Cc" and driving into the letter "Dd"...