When Life Throws You Apples...

 ...Make Applesauce

What You'll Need:
Apples
Cutter
Cutting Board
Pot for boiling
Sugar
Cinnamon

I really love making food and memories with these kiddos. We were in charge of applesauce for our Thanksgiving. We made our own. Kids love to make the side, and eat it. Adults will have to skin the apples (older kids can use a finger friendly knife to skin). We used an apple core/cutter to do both the coring out and cutting up apples. We used butter knives to cut into smaller pieces for boiling. Place into the pot and add a cup of water to cover about 1/4 of the apples (to keep it chunky). Allow to simmer. Add in 1 TB of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of sugar. Allow to boil and use masher to mash apples. We allowed to cool and kids mashed. Don't mash too much or it will be runny.

Warm before eating.
Great first recipe, cooking project at home. Great way to introduce measuring utensils, and fine motor skills of cutting, pealing, etc.

Sink Or Swim

 Sink or Float

What you'll need:
Tupperware/
Clear container to hold water and be able to see what items are on top of the water and which sink to the bottom.
Cups
Area that can get wet-sensory games are wonderful!
Items to sink, float, soak


This sensory station is very popular. Toddlers plus water just equal immediate entertainment. Sometimes sensory activities are hard for parents to allow in the house, because of the mess. But, mess is great for stimulation for toddlers sensory. You can play this outside as well, or in the bathtub too.

Stuck To You

Stuck On You

What You'll Need:
Wax Paper
Elmer's Glue
Glitter
Yarn


Before starting this project you can draw or print our heart shapes to trace. Place images under wax paper and tape to table to stay in place. We taped to cookie sheet for easy moving to an area to dry. Trace the shapes of the heart with elmers glue. Squeezing the glue bottles are great skills for little hands. While glue is settling, sprinkle with glitter, generously.

Use the glue to connect a glue circle to the top for the yarn to pass through when dried.

Allow to completely dry (24 hours), slowly peal from the wax paper.

Sting yarn through and hang to display.

Could also use for: Different holidays, shape recognition.

Leprechaun Hunt

 Lucky Leprechaun Hunt

What You'll Need:
Gold Coins
Green Container
(Awesome Glittered Shamrock Glasses Optional)

I'm a sucker to celebrate anything fun with my kids. I mean I try to go all out. But, when you're on a budget, you have to find frugal fun ways.

This Leprechaun Hunt was so fun. We first read a library book about catching a leprechaun. The kids were so pumped, they set up traps to catch this little guy-and for mom to trip on. I found clovers for sale at Trader Joe's during the festive season, which were really a hit!
I found an old green bandana to accent as our table cloth, made green chocolate chip cookies, and wrapped up small mint m&m's with kids names on it.
Each child had a small take out box from the party store, and found a bulk bag of gold coins to hide around the house. The kids loved running around checking our traps and find coin trails to pick up and collect.

(The beer tie is not age appropriate but was a dug up old costume from days of ol)

Heart "Felt" Tree

Our Heart Felt Tree
What You'll Need:
Foam Tree
Color Felt
Yarn, Sting
Small pins, Velcro, or use strong craft glue to glue down felt to tree form.

Using a large sheet, or buy roll of green felt to wrap the tree form. We used glue to start, graduated to Velcro. Using tracing shaped cardboard, allows children to create "ornaments" and "stars", trace onto felt. Using scissors (child safe scissors did work), cut shapes. Using the yarn, criss-cross "lights" along your tree (yarn would just stick onto the felt for little ones).Using the cut out shapes, decorate the tree. We made two trees, they sat on the floor and kids decorated and redecorated the tree. Would also be fun for shape recognition, learning to tie, numbers, patterns learning.

Biddy Pedi

Biddy Pedi

What you'll need:
2 nail polish colors
Toothpicks

Valentine's Day Prep. Tiny little details go along way. We used a dark base color and used a brighter color to just make tiny "V" shapes onto the biddy nails. The valentine flare was a hit.

Snow Cream

 Now This is "Natural" Ice Cream (Kinda)

What you'll need:
Fresh Snow
Sugar
Milk
Vanilla Syrup
Hand Mixer

Ok, so we've lost it. We are covered in snow, it's too cold to play outside, but we're suffering staring at the white stuff! So...we ate it. Yep. I found this recipe and had to try. It was actually super delicious.

First parent supervised, grab some snow-at least two cups. (You know the rule, steer clear from any other color snow than what falls). Add 1/2 cup milk, slowly while blending. Add 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 TB of vanilla. Blend until smooth and creamy. It really works. It's frightening how great this was. We had to add chocolate...as well as wear a tank top that day in our cozy home.

Chiberia Snowman

 Frosty the (below freezing temps for what feels like the 100th day in a row) Snowman

 

What You'll Need:

Cookie Sheet

Straws/Sticks

Construction Paper

Yarn

Chocolate Chips

Fresh FREEZING snow

Gloves

Bucket, dish for snow

 

We had a very, veRY, VERY cold winter. We did make plenty of snow angles, and snow men, and snow forts when we were allowed outside. But, there were a few days which school was canceled, not because of snow, but below freezing temps. It hurt to just get this snow into our house. Yes, we're used to this weather. But, it doesn't mean we have to love it.

 

We used a large plastic bowl to bring in a generous amount of snow and stored it in our bathtub. Throw on some gloves, even though you're inside...it's still snow. Using cookie sheets as a protector, we globbed our snow and began to create our indoor snowmen. We made Frosty's hat from construction paper, arms from straws, and buttons/eyes from chocolate chips. We had a overstock of red yarn to easily use for a warm smile.

 

Kids had a ball being able to "play" in the snow. We had an even better time melting the snow in the bathtub. Our Frosty's were displayed on our patio table for the rest of winter...and our one cookie sheet froze to the table!

 

 

Red White and Blue

 RED WHITE & BLUE

What You'll Need:
Fabric Safe Paint
TShirts
Cardboard
Large Paint Brush
Ruler/Pencil

Place cardboard (we used an old cereal box) in the center of the Tshirt. Using a Ruler, make a few lines for kids to later paint as the stripes of the flag. This also allows kids to just dab along the line (which we did). Using Blue paint, paint your child's hand and press firmly to the T shirt. Allow to dry 24-48 hours. Wash once inside out. Paint did not wear off, wash with only painted shirts to be safe.

Happy 4th of July!

Filter It

 Filtered Stains

What You'll Need:
Coffee Filters
Construction Paper
Glue
Markers
Scissors
Sprat Water Bottle

This project is endless.
Our intentions were to make window décor for our home for the holidays. We have a large window that we stare at most the day and with our insane cold winter we needed to warm it up.

First color a few lines onto the coffee filter, no direction, just scribbles. Using a place mat, or cookie sheet, lay the filter flat. Using the water bottle, spray the filter until color begin to bleeds. You don't need to soak the filter, just dampness will allow the color to bleed.


 Using construction and a cardboard cutout trace an outline of the picture, image, etc. I eventually made the tree cut out with the middle cut out for the kids to trace on the paper. This will later allow the filters to be used as a stain glass Christmas Tree. We used a Christmas Tree and Thanksgiving Turkey. The Tree we used as a stain glass. The Turkey we used the filters as feather. You could do this for any season, as a stain glass decorative. As well to compliment theme weeks in preschool, kindergarten for bugs, butterflies, shapes, etc.

Cut Your Name

Cut Your Name Out:

What You'll Need:
Salt Dough
Letter Cutters
Place Mats
Roller
Cookie Trays

More letters please. This could work with salt dough, and regular cookie dough (by cookie dough tends to spread more, so the letters connect).
Make a batch of salt dough.
Roll out flat on place mats-use extra flour to keep dough from sticking.
Using letter cookie cutters, or using a small butter knife to help kids create letters.
We always love our names, so kids decided to make their own letter.
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 200 degrees for 4-5 hours (allowing dough to dry). You can also allow dough to dry on the counter, but this could take up to 3 days.
After letters have cooled, use acrylic paint to decorate.

Hide N Go Seek Letters

Easy Spot in our own backyard

 New Letter Learners

What you'll need:
Camera
Printer

Day Trip! Around the block that is. A fun sunny or rainy day activity, hunting for some letters. Make you're own alphabet board (to be finalized at a later date).

H with a set of dirty feet

Valentine's ... Take Three

What You'll Need:

 

Dad's Clothes

 

Some Sounds Makers-make them laugh, not just smile

 

A Bed Sheet Backdrop

My favorite Photo Shoots are with my own kids...it's true. We just have so much fun, and they really love being in front of the camera.

 

Being a photographer, I love capturing every smile and coming up with new ideas of how to catch them in their age.

 

Dress Up + Sneaking into Dad's closet was super fun, although I managed to pick all his newly pressed shirts. Oops.

 

 

The outtakes were much better as well!

Flattened Sushi

Yummy!

Sushi Rolls:

Bread (flattened)

Lettuce

Cheese
Meat

Dipping Sauce
Chopsticks

 

 

 

 

This was not fun to eat, but fun to make. Kids loved just smooshing their bread to a flattened pancake. Using chopsticks (kid friendly) and trying to use the dipping sauce (mustard) was great luncheon entertainment.

Classroom Connection:

This would be fun to do during a unit on different cultures, food, and celebrating diversity.

Road Trip

 Snack Necklace:

Pretzels
Fruit Loops (or similar)
Gummi Lifesavers

Plenty of healthy alternatives.

Sew Much Fun:
Cardstock
Printables
Hole Puncher
Yarn

Melissa & Doug Sew kits

 

Magnet DesignCookie Sheet
Magnets
Vent Cover from Home Depot color and cut into shapes


His Road Traveling Robot Design
Cookie Sheet was used for their mini tables as well.

A Roarin' Good Time

 

 What You'll Need:

 (in our case, an awesome zoo:

Brookfield Zoo Hamil Family Play Zoo)

Plastic Dino's/creatures

Sticks/Mud/Clay

Bins for mud/water

 

 

 

I love our zoo, for too many reasons to count. But, one area is the sheer fact that we can get down and dirty on someone else's turf! Their smocks, their mud, my fun! This would be such a doable project to bring into your own backyard or classroom.

A large bin of wet clay/mud mixture + A large bin of warm water to place the dried up finalized designs into for future use.

My dino lovers, were able to escape the present and really get into creating a 3D model of what the ancient creature lived in. Their created trees, knocking them over, nests for Raptors to destroy, and drinking pools for their family of triceratops.

This was one cool project!

 

Classroom Connection:

27.B.1 Know how images, sounds and movement convey stories about people, places and times.

 

 

 

 Side Note:

 

And can't forget this cutie,

 eating his fossil finding brush, and tossing his TRex to the ground to do so.

My fossil finder, and eater...this does not surprise me, so yes, I took the picture



Keep Your Sanity

Although I love coming up and sharing new projects and ideas, I also need support.
I love these sites, and they are printer friendly.


Preschool Worksheets and Printables

(you need to create a log in to print single sheets, you can also pay minimal fees to access as a teacher and print collections from text)

PBS Kids

Nick Jr.


(both pbs and nickjr sites have great preschool friendly games, as well great printables and craft/recipe ideas)

The Busy Budgeting Mama

(Love~Love~Love this site, great ideas for DIY projects, great links for online classroom gift printables, great recipes, and just overall inspiring mama)

100 Days of Real Food

(Because entertaining, teaching, loving your kids is not enough...you need to feed them too. This site has THE BEST whole chicken slow cooker recipe, and about 1,000 more healthy choice recipes)

Kids Activities (Sent To You)

(Sign up and receive many ages of fun filled activities, great ideas!)

Mr. Roboto

What You'll Need:

 

Any leftover cardboard ANYTHING

Tape

Markers

Pipe Cleaners

Hole Puncher

I have to search to find the final image of our dearly loved robot. This project would be great for all ages. Creating a life form from inanimate objects and working on proportions using toilet paper rolls was quite an experience.

We just added box and roll after roll until we had a somewhat of a "human" like robot. This would be a great experiment for 3D design with students. My favorite part was after completing the actual structure of our robot, my kids made them their own with their details. My son gave his robot a huge heart and LOTS of buttons that do all sorts of cool tricks, like making a hamburger. My daughter wanted yarn to make long hair on top of her robot and gave her face a very sweet smile instead of the robot teeth my son marked on his.

This could be great to study 3D sculptures and create recycled sculptures of different life or architectural forms.

 

Classroom Connection:

26.B.3d Visual Arts: Demonstrate knowledge and skills to create 2- and 3-dimensional works and time arts (e.g., film, animation, video) that are realistic, abstract, functional and decorative.

 

One to Two, is supposed to be hard, but Two to Three...Oh you have NO idea

 

I'm not going to say three is hard or stressful, because as a wise friend has taught me 2 things that I repeat daily,

"It's all relative"  & "Just be good-enough"

But, I will say from  my own point of view, I haven't touched this blog in over a year.

This was my outlet, and one I very much enjoyed.

I finally and I mean FINALLY feel like I may actually have a grip on things.

I would never change a single tiny step of my life, and I am truly grateful for being blessed with not 1 but 3 healthy children.

But, I am a real person, and will tell it as it was for me, this was (and still is) an adjustment.

 

But, this smile, this huge, no teeth smile, makes this day-to-day obstacle race so well worth it.

Real Life Connection:

This is life. We are all handed a different deck. Enjoy playing. Take moments to just breathe and be "just good enough".