Letter Mm Week

Make a MOVE to the letter "Mm"... 

Foam Mouse

What you'll need...

• brown and pink foam
• pink puff ball
• googly eyes
• brown pipe cleaners

Cut a heart shape out of the brown foam.  Cut two small hearts out of the pink foam.  Cut three brown pipe cleaners in half.  Make your mouse as show.

Monster Cookies

Read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie beforehand to get excited about making some delicious monster cookies!

Monster cookies were some of our favorites growing up!  Below is Paula Dean's recipe

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. 

Letter Hunt: Your letter bucket is filled with monkeys, mice, muffins, mushrooms, marshmallows, maps,  etc.

Fine Motor: Marshmallow Painting

Stick a popsicle stick into a large marshmallow and let your little have some fun! 

Coloring Page: Print off the Mm is for Monkey 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.

• Matthew's Dream by Leo Lionni
• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie Laura Joffe Numeroff
• If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff
• Little Mouse and the Big Red Apple

"Little" Tip of the Week:

Foster imagination and storytelling by prompting your smartypants to finish the following sentence:

If you give a boy/girl a cookie  ______________________________________________.

Have a MARVELOUS week, Little Smartypants!

Handprint and Thumbprint Valentine Tree

Yet another cute Pinterest find.

What you'll need...



• white and pink construction or cardstock
• pink, purple, and brown washable paint
• Paint hand brown and press onto paper.  Once dry, dip thumbs into pink and purple paint and help them print "hearts".  Back with pretty paper and you've got your tree!

Letter Ll Week

Let's Leap into the letter "Ll"... 

What you'll need...

• paper plate
• orange paint
• googly eyes
• light orange foam

Paint paper plate orange.  Cut around the plate after it dries to make the mane.  Glue orange circle foam, add eyes, and face.

Lollipops Lips & Mustaches 
This crafty treat idea is thanks to our FAVORITE site, www.pinterest.com.  If you're not a member, become one.

What You'll Need:

• lollipops
• foam paper 
• scissors
• pencil/marker

1. Use your pencil/marker to draw a mustache or lips on the foam paper.
2. Cut out shape.
3. Stick the end of the lollipop into the center of your mustache or lips and you have yourself a cute, lil', lollipop treat!

Letter Hunt: Your letter bucket is filled with lions, ladybugs, lizards, lobsters, legos, lanterns, etc.

Fine Motor: Lacing Letter Ll
Let your little one improve their fine motor skills by punching holes in the letter "Ll" and lacing them up.

Coloring Page: Print off the Ll is for Lion  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 Lorax by Dr. Seuss
• The Grouch Ladybug by Eric Carle
• Eli by Bill Peet
• Tawny Scrawny Lion by Kathryn Jackson
• Ladybug, Ladybug by Ruth Brown

"Little" Tip of the Week:
Try different avenues of learning.  Here's a link to a cute story for learning the letter "L":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3J38EgtVc4

Have a LOVELY week, Little Smartypants!

Butterfly Valentine

Butterfly Valentine

What you'll need...

• toilet paper roll
• 2 pink, red, or purple pipe cleaners
• pink, red, or purble paper
• googly eyes
• anything else you want to decorate it with (glitter glue, hearts, stickers, etc.) 

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!!