Friday, January 2, 2015
Making Predictions for a New Year
Labels:
Holiday,
predicting,
Reading
Monday, October 6, 2014
Top 10 Universal Studios Inspired Halloween Costumes for Kids
Image Credit: Costume Works
There are so many adorable options for dressing your little ones up as minions if they are your Despicable Me favorites. This year I am loving the idea of three little ladies dressed up to look like Gru's adorable daughters. This is an especially fun family dress up option.
The Simpsons
Image Credit: Coolest Homemade Costumes
The Simpsons would be another interesting family costume idea. Who can resist this adorable Baby Maggie!
Curious George
Image Credit: The Chirping Mom
Curious George and The Man with the Yellow Hat are dress up classics. The Chriping Moms put together a simple, yet adorable version of this famous duo. If you don't have two little ones to dress opt for the Man with the Yellow Hat and carry a favorite stuffed monkey.
Po
peye
peye
Image Credit: Crafty Bitch
While visiting Universal last summer we were able to introduce our four young children to Popeye and his best gal Olive Oil. This little sailor is the most precious Popeye ever!
Shrek
Image Credit: The Truthful Mom
ET
Image Credit: I Want Some Fun
Older children might not appreciate this Elliot costume for how awesome it is, but it certainly brings back childhood memories for mom and dad. The ET Adventure at Universal Orlando is our kid's favorite ride, making this costume a top contender on my four year old's dress up list.
Hulk
Image Credit: Costume Works
One of the most intimidating attractions at Universal Orlando is The Hulk, yet somehow every little boy is drawn to it - if only to stand beneath it and listen to the roar. I suppose that's pretty true to form for Hulk - loud and intimidating, but irresistible!
Image Credit: Dollar Store Crafts
This construction is seriously amazing. My six year old is scheming to figure out who he could get to create this for him. He is also very curious how this friend got out of the costume when he was done.
What costumes are you lining up for this Halloween?
Does your family try to all dress according to a theme?
Do you focus on book characters? Movie Characters? Animals?
We would love to hear from you!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Ideas for Throwing a Three Billy Goats Gruff Fairy Tale Birthday Party
To decorate the table we created napkin ring goats using paper towel rolls cut into quarters. Other materials include: a quarter of a cotton ball, scraps of brown and black construction paper, glue stick, Sharpie marker, and brown raffia. Since the kids did a lot of the assembly each goat had a look and expression of its own.
Activities
Sweets
There are likely many recipes for melted chocolate bark, but here is a quick and easy run down:
A grassy mountain seemed to be a most appropriate scene from the story to display on the cake. This mountain was built using 2 heart shaped cake pans, chocolate frosting, and a little bit of leftover white chocolate "snow."
If building a mountain cake is too time consuming, stack various sized cupcakes to create mountains and valleys. Our family hosts two separate parties to accommodate two sides of the family. We brainstormed this "mountains and valleys" scene as a quicker option for keeping the dessert thematic for a second celebration. Arrange chocolate cupcakes of various sizes and top them with sprigs of frosting grass and toothpicks to prop the goats in their sweet habitat.
Do you use any Three Billy Goats Gruff activities in your class that could be adapted for use at a birthday party?
Labels:
#ThreeBillyGoatsGruff,
Birthdays,
fairytales,
party
Monday, April 28, 2014
Elephant & Piggie Book Extension Activity
I Am Invited to a Party!
(An Elephant and Piggie Book)
by Mo Willems
Our kids LOVE the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems. The text is easy enough for our youngest reader, but still laughable for our older kids. The character illustrations say so much with very few words and offer plenty of opportunity to practice inferencing.
During our many re-reads of these books our family began to brainstorm ways to bring Elephant and Piggie into our playtime too. In the coming days we hope to share several Mo Willems extension activities for your early childhood kiddos to enjoy.
The Basics:
After reading the book together pull out your dress up collection for some party primping. Print a stack of invites (see below) and brainstorm goofy party possibilities. Begin by handing each child an invite and letting them get creative about their costuming. Once they are getting in to the game let them choose their own cards and have you, or their friends, try to guess what type of party they have been invited to. This simple game brings new life to the costume box and LOTS of giggles!
Tips:
Before filling out the cards you may want to take inventory of your classroom (or home) dress up collection to be sure there are sufficient props to prep for the appropriate parties. Here are a few silly examples of the parties our family was invited to: Kitchen Owl Party, Construction Monkey Party, Clown Doctor Party, Star Wars Dog Party, Pirate Tea Party, Princess Pool Party, Ghost Baseball Party. If is also fun to leave some cards blank. As the kids get into the silliness of inventing wardrobes they will come up with great combinations of their own to add to the blank cards.
Examples:
For more extension activities check out our Mo Willems board on Pinterest!
Labels:
Book Characters,
Books,
Dramatic Play,
Mo Willems
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
The Ultimate Library for Creating & Nurturing a Home that Thrives
Teachers, homeschool families, and parents of young children love a great library. We spend lots of time researching the best resources, reading book reviews, and browsing the aisles in our favorite book stores. In the summer months we spend hours catching up on the newest techniques, tips, and strategies for teaching and learning. Books are kind of our thing.
Today we wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to share an opportunity to build the ultimate library of homemaking resources with our book loving readers. While not every book in this collection may make its way to your classroom, the material included in this library is sure to simplify many other aspects of your busy life.
Here is a small glimpse at some of the titles that are available, by clicking through the picture you can see the titles and descriptions of each book as well as the book's individual value. The books are all listed by category and you will soon discover that the deal seems too good to be true.
I am especial excited to check out 101 Activities for Toddlers and Preschools, The Preschool Jouney, and two different variations on Homeschool Planners. I think it will also be fun to spend some time with Monkey See, Monkey Do: A Guide to Using PicMonkey to make pictures look professional. There are so many amazing titles included in this library.
On top of the fantastic collection of Kindle or PDF titles, this bundle includes over $200 worth of free products and subscriptions for you to sample. We are looking forward to experimenting with the free eco-friendly laundry detergent, which in itself holds the value of this whole bundle.
The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle is available for 5 days only. Check it out today and when summer reading season hits we should meet back here and chat about the tips and tricks you are most excited to add to next year's lessons for life plan!
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Inspiration for Educators: Just Call It Good Teaching
What do you think? What quotes really stood out to you or challenged you?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Tools for Building Vocabulary
On our Pinterest board, titled Vocabulary Building, we have collected links to several other favorite Vocabulary Building Games you may be interested in trying with your students.
Disclosure: None of the links above are sponsored.
Labels:
technology tools,
vocabulary
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