Fun Alphabet Songs

I stumbled on this series of alphabet songs on YouTube, and Jay seriously LOVES them!  So I made a playlist from them just for him.  :0)  Check them out! 

And, if you have time, you should absolutely check out their website, Have Fun Teaching!  It is full of all sorts worksheets, tools, and some awesomely fun songs.   

Fun Letter Recognition Game

I bought these little wooden alphabet beads at a craft store back before Christmas for a couple of dollars.  Jay has had lots of fun stringing them, but I really wanted to find a way to take advantage of the alphabet letters on them.  So I made up a fun little game that he has really enjoyed playing! 

Jay loves cars, and knows that you go when the light is green, and stop when the light is red.  So I took advantage of that and made him a string of  ABC beads.  I used green at the start of the alphabet and red at the end of the alphabet.  This helps him know which end to start with when we use the beads to sing our ABC's.  So we sing our ABC's and touch the corresponding letter bead as we sing. 

I also have him look through the loose beads to find all of the letters of the alphabet and place them next to the ones on our ABC string of beads. 

Then to take it a step further, we play a little game with the extra beads.  I use some of the loose beads to spell out a simple word like "JAY" and then Jay looks through the other loose beads to find the letters he needs to make the same word.  We always sound out each letter and locate it on the alphabet string before he starts looking.  If I leave all of the beads for Jay to sort through to find the letters he needs, he gets a little overwhelmed.  So I took a jar lid and I put the letters he needs to spell the word we are working on along with 10 or so extra beads into the jar lid.  This makes it easier for him, and we can play for longer without him getting bored!

Jay just loves playing this game, so I thought I would share it.  You can use beads like I do, scrabble tiles, or even fridge magnets for your letters.  This is a good way to work on letter recognition and to start working towards teaching your kiddo to read basic words!  Just make sure you keep it fun, and don't make it feel like work! 
     

Christmas Kids Crafts

Hooray!!  I can finally start thinking about Christmas crafts and decorations!!!! 

Ha ha in case I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE the holidays!!!  Thanksgiving has its place, but Christmas has my heart!  Our month of December will be packed with Christmas cheer!  We'll be going to tree lightings, listening to Christmas Carols, taking a trip back in time to walk through Bethlehem, taking a train ride to the North Pole, and singing our hearts out at our church's candle light service...just to name a few things.  But in between all of the bigger events, I want to make sure that Jay has lots of fun making crafts and ornaments and helping decorate our home for the holidays! 

I know there are way too many to do them all, but here is a list of links to all sorts of fun crafts that you and your kiddos can check out this year:

-Make a Santa Advent Calendar
I generally prefer a religious base for our Advent calendars, but this little Santa that you glue cotton balls to each day is pretty darn cute!  Maybe this year we'll have two calendars...

-Here is a more religious Advent Wreath that is also pretty cute

-Oh, and check out this Hand Print Countdown Calendar it is pretty cute too!

-Color and do this fun Christmas Tree Shapes Worksheet (Ha ha you know I have to throw in a few educational things for Jay)

-Trace your kiddos hands onto some construction paper to make an adorable Hand Print Wreath to hang on your front door

-Make a fun Hand and Foot Print Reindeer

-Use paper plates to make this Paper Plate Angel

-Make a Christmas Stocking, or make several smaller stocking and use them as ornaments on your tree!

-Let your kiddos make and decorate their own gift boxes this year.  You could even use poster board and make a larger box.  :0)

-Make some Crystal Snow Flake Ornaments to hang on your tree

-Or Use yarn, glue, and glitter to make some Yarn Snow Flakes to put on your tree

-Pick up some glitter glue from the dollar section in Target and make these Snow Flake Window Clings or ornaments

-Make some Glass Ornament Snowmen--but I would actually use plastic ornaments instead of the glass ones.

-make Bubble Wrap Ornaments with bubble wrap and some washable paint

-Make your kiddo a fun felt Elf Hat to wear around town

-Make little wreaths out of pipe cleaners to hang on your tree or around your house

-Color and make this Nativity Scene

-Make a Hand Print Angel ornament to hang on your tree, or to send to a grandparent or loved one

-Make a Santa Hand Print ornament--or make a bunch of them and turn them into a garland

-Make Beaded Candy Canes and Wreaths.  This link shows them as pins, but we just made them as ornaments for our tree.  Oh, and I wouldn't buy the little "kit" they sell either.  Just grab some beads and pipe cleaners at the dollar store or Walmart to use.

-Make Drums for your little drummer boys--or girls.  This link uses lids, but you could just use an old oatmeal container or something.   

-Make Beaded Snowflake ornaments for your tree

-Make Glitter Ball ornaments with some glitter glue and a few plastic ornament balls

-Make a Santa Windsock to hang on your porch

-Make and eat this cute Snowman on a Stick with your kiddos

-Be sure not to leave the birds out!  Make a fun Pretzel Wreath for them to much on, or make garlands of popcorn to hang in your yard for them to eat!

-Make a Stained Glass Angel for your window.  Print and color the angel in the link.  Then rub baby oil--or any oil--onto the picture.  The oil will make the paper transparent.  Cut out the angel, punch a hole through it, tie string through the hole, and hang it in your window. 

-Do this fun "Find the Difference" worksheet

-Print out and color this Christmas Alphabet book

-Follow this link to check out some fun online games and printable Christmas activities.  The printable things would be wonderful for road trips or to have on hand for long lines to see Santa...

-Make your very own Snow Globes

-Make these non-edible Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments.  My mom used to make these with me when I was a kid, and they really do smell wonderful! 

-Shake some glitter onto construction paper to make these White Glitter Ornaments

-Print out the template and make these adorable Felt Birds

-Use paper to make some Paper Drop ornaments

Whew, there are just TONS of Christmas craft ideas out there!  And I know Jay and I are going to try our hand at a few of them for sure!  But make sure that you also take time to do the usual Christmas fun things like bake cookies, sing Christmas carols, read lots of Christmas books, and just enjoy the wonderful holiday cheer with your family this year!   

And, now, for my trip down Mommy Memory Lane:

Here is Jay sitting on top of our Christmas tree for his first Christmas:

 

Here is Jay "helping" The Hubbs put up our tree for his second Christmas--last year. 

 And here is Jay on his favorite gift from last year--a little battery powered four wheeler that Grandma got for him.  He still LOVES that thing!  Ha ha and yes...that IS snow!  Woo Hoo!!!! 

And, just as a disclaimer, Christmas is definitely NOT all about the gifts for us.  I just really love this picture of Jay!  :0) 

So here's to hoping that you and your family have a very blessed, safe, and wonderful holiday season this year!! 

Thanksgiving Craft Ideas

I LOVE the holidays!  Ha ha and I can't wait to get started on some fun Christmas crafts, but in the mean time, here are some cute Thanksgiving craft ideas to keep your little ones occupied:

-Print out this Thanksgiving book:
in color or in black and white

-Sing a Thanksgiving Song:
Pick one, or several of these songs to sing.

-Play Pin The Feather on The Turkey:
I don't have a link for this one, but it is really easy.  Draw, or print out a turkey and cut out some construction paper feathers.  Blindfold your kiddos and have them try to stick the feathers to the turkey.  Use rolled up pieces of tape to stick the feathers on.

-Make Butter
The link makes this look way more complicated than it is.  You just need to fill something like a baby food jar or other small jar about half full with cream and shake shake shake it.  But here is the link with more intense instructions.


-Make a fun Hand and Foot Turkey

-Make a cute Paper Scarecrow to hang up in your house:

-Make this adorable Pine cone Turkey

-Make a Thankful Turkey
I think this would be fun to do on Thanksgiving day.  Everyone could write what they were thankful for on a feather and add it to the turkey.

-Play Turkey Bingo
This would be SO fun to do on Thanksgiving day with a group of little kiddos!

-Make Pilgrim Hats

-Make Framed Hand print Turkeys
These would be SO cute to make every year and hang up as a grouping on your walls.  :0)

-Make Finger Puppet Pilgrims and put on a puppet show!

-Print and play this Thanksgiving Matching Game

-Use Fall leaves, construction paper, and some paint to make a Picture Frame

-Make Thanksgiving necklaces (or garlands) for your kiddos to munch on--or hang them in your yard to feed the birds

-Make a Handprint Wreath to hang on your door

-Use Lifesavers to make these neat Pumpkin Lolly Pops
This would be really fun for Christmas too.  You could make candy cane, or wreath, or stocking shapes!

-Make Finger Print Corn
This would be a great family activity--one ear of corn made from each person's finger prints!

-Make a craft Stick Turkey
If you don't have craft sticks, you can buy a pack of them at the dollar store.  They are the natural wood colored ones, but you can just color or paint them.  :0)
-Make a Family Hand print Turkey
I think this would so great to make for parents or grandparents that live out of state.  You could glue the hand print turkey to some paper folded to make a card, and write a sweet note inside!

-Have Mini Indian Corn Snacks

-Make a cute little turkey from a pair of gloves

-Make Mayflower Hats
It would be so fun to make different hats for each kiddo, like the Mayflower, Pilgrims, Indians, Turkeys etc. 

And just to take a walk down memory lane, here is a picture of Jay on his very first Thanksgiving:

Ha ha in my eyes, he is still this little...

I hope that at least a few of these crafts look like fun for you and your family!  Try them out, and let me know what you think!  I know that Jay and I will be giving a few of them a try for sure!  But whatever you do, take some time to make sure that your kiddos understand what Thanksgiving is really all about.  :0)

Watch Out For Those Sugar Bugs!!

When Jay was smaller, he would let me brush his teeth without any problems, but as he has gotten older, tooth brushing time has become more and more of a chore.  And it is something that I really worry (almost obsessively) about because Jay looks SO much like his Papa...and his Papa has absolutely horrible teeth.     

I was talking to a woman at church about the situation, she has a granddaughter about Jay's age, and I always love to get her advice on things.  She worked in a destists office for many years, and he always played the "Sugar Bug" game with children that came in.

He would tell his patients that whenever they ate sweet things, yucky ole sugar bugs would get into their mouths.  These sugar bugs are serious business...they can make your teeth hurt!  And we brush and floss our teeth to get them out.

I thought this sounded like something right up Jay's alley, so we gave it a try.  Here's our version of the sugar bug game:

After we eat breakfast, and dinner, we hurry to the bathroom to brush all the sugar bugs out of our mouths.  I make it a game by having him check my mouth for yucky ole sugar bugs, and then he lets me check his mouth.  I tell Jay to watch how I brush my teeth so that he can be sure to brush the same way and we can both get all of our sugar bugs out.  Then after we finish brushing, we spit our toothpaste out into the sink.  My toothpaste is kind of an aqua color and Jay's toothpaste is a yellow color, so I point at both colors and say "oh my goodness Jay...look at those sugar bugs we just spit out!  Do you see the yellow one right there..and that big green one over there!?"  Then we floss our teeth to make sure none of the sneaky little sugar bugs are hiding between them.  I bought some of those flosser stick things at the pharmacy, and they work great for this purpose.  I have him watch me floss so he can do the same thing.  And then we both check each others mouths to make sure we got all the sugar bugs out.     

We have been doing this for several weeks now, and it really WORKS!  There are no more screaming tantrums, and I no longer have to try to force Jay to let me check his teeth to make sure they are clean.  Sometimes he will even run to the bathroom after lunch or a snack to brush his teeth.  And he is much better at actually brushing his teeth too.   Watchig me has taught him how to move his toothbrush better and he brushes for longer because he is brushing for the same amount of time that I do.  Flossing his teeth had become impossible, but now he is flossing twice a day!!  Woo Hoo! 

So if you have a stubborn toddler, try the Sugar Bug game!!  It just might make toothbrushing time a little easier for you too!

Easy Home-made Puff Paint that Sparkles!

This recipe is really fun!  When Jay gets tired of coloring or painting his ABC coloring pages, I whip up a batch of this just to give him something different to do.  I use an old mustard bottle, but any squeeze bottle would work.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Salt
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Water--cold water works best
Food Coloring 

Directions:
Combine the salt, flour, and water.  Mix in food coloring until you reach a color that you like.  Put into a squeeze bottle and start painting! 

It won't really look sparkly until it dries, so let it dry overnight and wake up to a fun sparkly picture.  :0) Jay likes to make little dots all over his coloring pages!

 

I am linking up to The Thrifty Home's Penny Pinching Wednesdays, so be sure to go check it out!

Fun ABC Website

My friend Laney, over at 5 Little Munchkins and How They Grew found very neat (and free--you know I am all about free!) ABC website.  I love it because it has a section for the ABC's and other sections that teach reading.  There are some ABC printouts that will be fun when Jay starts to write too!  I am going to incorporate it into our weekly lessons, but if you would like to start playing with it now, here is a link to it:

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/load.htm?f

I love that it is slightly interactive.  Jay will have to pay attention and click on certain objects to get it to keep going.  And it will reinforce our phonics, which is great!

Anywho, go check it out, and look for it in next week's lesson, 'D' is for Dinosaurs!

 

My All Time Favorite Play Dough Recipe

This recipe is THE best play dough recipe I have found.  Jay and I make it every other month or so, and we generally make two to three colors.  I like to halve the recipe and do each half a different color!  The texture of it is very similar to real play dough, so you can use it with play dough toys...but this costs much less, and I don't have to worry about what strange chemicals might be in it!  I also love that it doesn't seem to come off onto our skin or the surface we are playing on or our clothes (unless Jay eats some and then drools the color onto his clothes.)  :0)

Anywho...here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup four, plus extra for kneading
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoon cream pf tartar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup boiling water
food coloring (20 drops for darker hued colors and about 25 for lighter hued colors)

Directions:
In one bowl mix together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar. 
Pour the water and oil into a small saucepan and bring them to a boil. 
Once the water mixture is boiling, add the food coloring and stir well. 
Then pour the water mixture over the flour mixture and stir until everything in combined and the coloring is evenly distributed.
Let the dough cool for a few minutes and then turn it out onto a floured surface.
Knead flour into the dough until it is no longer sticky and has a play dough like texture.
Store in an air tight container for up to three months.

Have fun!!