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.