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"...

Letter "Bb" Week

Are you ready to buzz into busy "Bb" week?  We are, too! 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!

Toilet Paper Roll Bee

What you'll need...

• black and yellow construction paper or paint or markers or crayons
• wax paper
• toilet paper roll

We used construction paper and cut into strips of yellow and black. You can also paint or color the stripes, too.  Tape or glue them on, add a black triangle with paper for the stinger, and cut out circles for the wings with wax paper. 

Letter Hunt:  Your Letter Hunt bucket should be filled with so many fun things!  Bee, bus, block, baby, bunny, banana, blueberry, bubbles, bear...please no boogers, boys.
Also, why don't you go...

• blow bubbles
• visit the zoo and find the bears
• go on a walk and find butterflies, bees and bugs
• take a bath with lots of bubbles!

MY "Bb" BOOK:

You'll need...

• white construction paper
• marker or crayon
• old magazines
• scissors
• glue or tape
• hole punch and ribbon or stapler

Cut out several pages of white paper to make a book.  You can do any size you want.  Either staple the ends together or hole punch and tie together with yarn or ribbon.  Flip through old magazines and find pictures of things that begin with the letter B.  Cut out and tape or glue onto your book.  Sit down and read your new book together!


Banana Pops

Our mom got us each this really cute recipe book called Silly Snacks, Classroom Treats, and Cookie Dough Fun where we found this tasty treat!

 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 container vanilla yogurt
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup orange juice

Blend ingredients and pour into (5-ounce) paper cups.  Let freeze for about 30 minutes and then stick popsicle sticks in the center of each cup; freeze until firm.  Peel the paper cup off when frozen and enjoy! FYI ~ this is really sweet!  Next time we might try leaving out the condensed milk and adding a little more OJ.  With that being said, the boys devoured those sweet little banana pops!


Fine Motor:  fill a cookie sheet with rice, sugar or sand and let your child draw.  After you're finished with the rice, make stir-fry. ;)

Coloring Page:  Print off the Bb is for butterfly 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 even around your house.

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle
• The Berenstain Bears' Bedtime Battle by Stan and Jan Berenstain
• The Three Little Bears by Byron Barton
• BIG Little by Patricia Patricelli

"LITTLE" TIP OF THE WEEK:  Make a habit of reading books as often as you can.  If you don't already have a bedtime and naptime ritual of reading to your little smartypants, it's not too late!  Reading to your children from birth on, will not only help to create earlier readers, but will have a positive impact on their success in school for the future.  Point out the colors, shapes, and letters and ask questions before, during and after the book.

Now go buzz off, little bees!