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?!