Once there was crayon
Who lived in a store
All the crayons didn't like him
He was to ignore.
They thought he was dull
And plain and rude.
Poor litle crayon,
He will not be my dude.
Written by Peanut (age 7)
Peanut loves, loves, loves to write. It can be lists, stories, non-fiction. It doesn't matter. As long as paper and a pencil are around- she is happy. Recently, she has been interested in writing poems. Here is one of here lastest works that made me chuckle. I was impressed by some of the vocabulary as well-words like ignore and dull.
Here are just a few suggestions on ways to encourage writing...
-Be sure to have writing supplies readily available.
-For beginning writers, encourage inventing spelling. They will learn proper spelling later. The goal is to get them writing and to get ideas on paper! :)
-Publish your child's work- type for them if needed and bind in a book. Let them illustrate the pages. (Binding can be as simple as tying together with string or putting in a binder with plastic sheets.)
-Have a little writing center in your house that includes story starter pages, colorful paper, lined paper, blank paper, crayons, colored pencils, etc.
-You can find story starters and cute writing paper online. I actually found a cute story starter book at the dollar store! (If you need any suggestions, just email me.)
-Be sure to talk about the author and illustrator of the books that you read.
-Enter writing contests such as PBS's young writers contest.
-Read silly poetry and write poems together.
-Let your children help you write your grocery or to do list, etc.
Enjoy your day being CREATIVE!!!
Jen
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Toddler Times: 3rd Edition-Starfall
Good Morning! For today's Toddler Times, I wanted to share a great website that I used with my girls when they were preschoolers. Many of you may already be familiar with it, but what surprised me was that my little man, aged 18 months enjoys it. It is called Starfall.com.
Little Man loves the ABC section. Once you click on the ABC's, you will see ABC blocks. Click on one of the blocks for an animated video that focuses on the letter and sound. I think because it is a short video, it holds his attention span. He tries to say the letter and the sound as they say it. If you've never been to this site, you'll have to check it out and let me know what you think!!
Enjoy your Tuesday!
Jen
Monday, June 27, 2011
DIY Kids!
Just sharing one of our fun finds from the library this week!
DIY KIDS by Ellen and Julia Lupton is packed with ideas to keep your crafty kids busy. The book includes instructions for kids to design thier own characters, lettering, patterns, invitations, pop-up cards, stuffed animals, magnets, fashions and more!
The girls' favorite part of the book so far is the sketching fashions section. I keep finding designs around the house. A sketch book would come in handy for this project to keep designs in one place. We still have a lot to explore in this book, so I'll probably be checking it out of the library again. :)
What are you doing creative today? My kiddos are making sock puppets at the moment. Love the creative energy going on in his house this morning!!
Enjoy your Monday,
Jen
DIY KIDS by Ellen and Julia Lupton is packed with ideas to keep your crafty kids busy. The book includes instructions for kids to design thier own characters, lettering, patterns, invitations, pop-up cards, stuffed animals, magnets, fashions and more!
The girls' favorite part of the book so far is the sketching fashions section. I keep finding designs around the house. A sketch book would come in handy for this project to keep designs in one place. We still have a lot to explore in this book, so I'll probably be checking it out of the library again. :)
What are you doing creative today? My kiddos are making sock puppets at the moment. Love the creative energy going on in his house this morning!!
Enjoy your Monday,
Jen
Saturday, June 25, 2011
It's Alive!!
You never know what my kids are going to be interested in... Well, recently Peanut discovered carnivorous plants in a book that she was reading and thought they were the coolest! With excitement, she read about each plant and it's unsuspecting prey. So when I recently came across a carnivorous growing plant kit, you know I had to buy it. (and at 1/2 off- I thought it was steal!) I found my kit at CVS, but they do have them online as well.
"This deluxe edition has seeds from over ten kinds of carnivorous plants - including Venus Fly Trap, Sundew Plant, Hooded Pitcher Plant, Purple Pitcher Plant and many others. Watch as these fascinating plants grow into bug-eating monsters right before your very eyes."
Here are just a few of the plants that we will have fun growing.................
Watch out for this guy, he has a pitfall trap!
This Sundew Plant may look like pretty fireworks to us, but to flying insect that come near- probably not so pretty!
Waits just for the right moment to get his meal! Chomp!
The above photos and more fun facts can be found at http://www.carnivorous--plants.com/index.html.
Well, Sunshine is a little anxious to feed her new friends!
"Our carnivorous plants,Mom."
"You have a fly in your hand, don't you? Let it go."
"Mom, they'll need to eat."
"Honey, first they need to grow. Then we will worry about food. Let the fly go and wash your hands, please!"
Can you believe she caught that fly with her bare hands? Pretty cool, but ..Yuck!
This project should be... well, interesting in the least!
More resources for learning:
Chomp! Meat- Eating Plants(National Geographic)
Botanical Society of America
If you want to join in on some carnivorous fun or if you already are the proud owner of one of these plants, I'd love to hear from you!
Take Care,
Jen
"This deluxe edition has seeds from over ten kinds of carnivorous plants - including Venus Fly Trap, Sundew Plant, Hooded Pitcher Plant, Purple Pitcher Plant and many others. Watch as these fascinating plants grow into bug-eating monsters right before your very eyes."
Here are just a few of the plants that we will have fun growing.................
The Pitcher Plant |
Watch out for this guy, he has a pitfall trap!
This Sundew Plant may look like pretty fireworks to us, but to flying insect that come near- probably not so pretty!
Venus Fly Trap |
Waits just for the right moment to get his meal! Chomp!
The above photos and more fun facts can be found at http://www.carnivorous--plants.com/index.html.
Well, Sunshine is a little anxious to feed her new friends!
"What is in your hand?"
"Food for our plants?"
"What plants?""Our carnivorous plants,Mom."
"You have a fly in your hand, don't you? Let it go."
"Mom, they'll need to eat."
"Honey, first they need to grow. Then we will worry about food. Let the fly go and wash your hands, please!"
Can you believe she caught that fly with her bare hands? Pretty cool, but ..Yuck!
This project should be... well, interesting in the least!
More resources for learning:
Chomp! Meat- Eating Plants(National Geographic)
Botanical Society of America
If you want to join in on some carnivorous fun or if you already are the proud owner of one of these plants, I'd love to hear from you!
Take Care,
Jen
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Gummy Bears
Image courtesy of Dailyclipart.net |
ABCDEFG, Gummy Bears are after me.
One is red, one is blue,
One is peeing on my shoe.
Now I'm running for my life,
Because the green one had a knife.
This is the song that Peanut came home with from camp today! She thinks it's the funniest thing in the world. Have you heard of this song or the horrible Barney song kid's sing? Poor Barney. I've always kind of liked the big purple guy and I can't imagine a gummy bear being violent.
Hope you got a chuckle today. Have a good one!
Jen
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wordless Wednesday: No More Training Wheels!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
The Toddler Times! 2nd Edition
Welcome back to The Toddler Times! This week, I'm going to share another simple sensory activity. Sometimes the activities are thrown together at the last minute, like this one. See below.
What did I find lying around the house? Easter grass! I thought that it would be interesting to see what he would do with a pile of it.
Pulling the strands one by one and then moving it to different areas on the tray was fun for a bit.
Until.... He wanted out of his seat so he could explore elsewhere!
So, this is Mom's idea of sensory play. Would you like to see Little Man's idea?
Hmmm. Be sure to see what is going on when it gets just a little too quiet in the house!
Sisters- watching TV instead of little brother.
Little brother- sitting on the floor pulling a tape apart.
Was I angry at the sight of this- of course not- he was trying to figure things out- what happens if I turn this, what if I pull this, how much of this awesome stuff is in here? He was exploring and discovering. He was doing science? How could I be mad?
Why sensory play? Be sure to read this awesome article written by Amanda Morgan at www.notjustcute.com.
Have a wonderful day with your little ones! I'm off to camp to do puppet shows for a bunch of enthusiastic campers!
Jen
What did I find lying around the house? Easter grass! I thought that it would be interesting to see what he would do with a pile of it.
Pulling the strands one by one and then moving it to different areas on the tray was fun for a bit.
Until.... He wanted out of his seat so he could explore elsewhere!
So, this is Mom's idea of sensory play. Would you like to see Little Man's idea?
Hmmm. Be sure to see what is going on when it gets just a little too quiet in the house!
Sisters- watching TV instead of little brother.
Little brother- sitting on the floor pulling a tape apart.
Was I angry at the sight of this- of course not- he was trying to figure things out- what happens if I turn this, what if I pull this, how much of this awesome stuff is in here? He was exploring and discovering. He was doing science? How could I be mad?
Why sensory play? Be sure to read this awesome article written by Amanda Morgan at www.notjustcute.com.
Have a wonderful day with your little ones! I'm off to camp to do puppet shows for a bunch of enthusiastic campers!
Jen
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Shoe Bop!!
What girl doesn't love shoes? I knew right away when I saw the title to this book, that my girls would go ga ga over it, especially Peanut!
When the main character's purple tennis shoes fall apart, she has a very big decision to make. What shoes shall she buy today? Cowboy boots, or rain boots, ballet slippers, or saddle shoes? This delightful story is written in poetry form with such delightful illustrations.
Literature Links/Fun Activities
1. Study the history of Shoes!
Egyptian Shoes, About.com-The History of Shoes,SHOE INFO NET
2. Design your own shoes: High Top , Shoe Coloring Pages
3. Flip Flop Fun: Family Fun-Fluffy Flip Flops (that's a whole lot of f's- a tongue twister for ya!) and Fancy Footwear
4. Match the Shoes: Print out shoe clip art (2 of each) and create a matching game
5. Hide the Shoes: hide pictures of shoes or actual shoes and go on a shoe hunt- silly, but fun!
Okay, I'm all Shoed out! Be sure to share your Shoe related ideas! Love hearing from my readers and followers.
Below- the shoes that I put on to clean the house.
He, He! Sorry I had to post these when I came across them in my hunt for shoe activities. Too funny. How does a woman actually walk in a pair of shoes like this? No way- not this Momma!
Jen
Disclaimer: I wasn't compensated for the above review in any way- my opinion- yours may differ. :)
When the main character's purple tennis shoes fall apart, she has a very big decision to make. What shoes shall she buy today? Cowboy boots, or rain boots, ballet slippers, or saddle shoes? This delightful story is written in poetry form with such delightful illustrations.
"This winning read-aloud offers adorable candy-colored illustrations and splendidly catchy poems, from odes to haikus to rhyming couplets, celebrating young fans of fabulous footwear."Shoe Bop is written by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Hiroe Nakata. Such a clever book- love it!
Literature Links/Fun Activities
1. Study the history of Shoes!
Egyptian Shoes, About.com-The History of Shoes,SHOE INFO NET
2. Design your own shoes: High Top , Shoe Coloring Pages
3. Flip Flop Fun: Family Fun-Fluffy Flip Flops (that's a whole lot of f's- a tongue twister for ya!) and Fancy Footwear
4. Match the Shoes: Print out shoe clip art (2 of each) and create a matching game
5. Hide the Shoes: hide pictures of shoes or actual shoes and go on a shoe hunt- silly, but fun!
Okay, I'm all Shoed out! Be sure to share your Shoe related ideas! Love hearing from my readers and followers.
Below- the shoes that I put on to clean the house.
He, He! Sorry I had to post these when I came across them in my hunt for shoe activities. Too funny. How does a woman actually walk in a pair of shoes like this? No way- not this Momma!
Jen
Disclaimer: I wasn't compensated for the above review in any way- my opinion- yours may differ. :)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Animals Should Definitely NOT Wear Clothes....
Today we read a silly and fun book titled Animals should definitely not wear clothing. It is written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. We loved the illustrations of the animals trying to wear different types of clothing.
One of our favorite was a hen trying to wear pants and she lays an egg! Funny-huh?
After reading, I thought it would be fun for the kids to come up with their own page for this book. Here's their creative ideas....
Reindeer can't wear hats, because their antlers will pop out!
Created by Sunshine Girl, age 9 |
Animals couldn't wear clothes because a bird couldn't eat worms!
Created by Peanut, age 9 |
Animals should definitely not wear clothing, because there wouldn't be enough holes for an octopus!
Created by Little Man, age 1 1/2 - he, he! Okay, created by Momma! |
Interested in more books focusing on animals and clothing...
And a suggestion from Brimful Curiosities...
Note: I haven't read any of the above books. Just books relating to animals and clothes!
I would like to check them out, though.
I hope you have a great day being creative and curious with your kids!
Jen
Disclaimer: I wasn't compensated in any way for sharing the above book, we just like it, but our opinions may differ from others.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Summer Reading
Nothing like reading a good book on a beautiful Summer day! |
Pinke Post
5 Minutes for Mom
Enjoy your Wednesday!
Jen
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The Toddler Times! 1st Edition
The Baby Times has now become The Toddler Times! Why?.... because my baby is a toddler now...sob, sob. Every Tuesday I am going to try to post toddler related themes and ways that we can enrich our toddler's lives together. This week's issue focuses on a simple and inexpensive sensory activity.
During our last Target trip,Sunshine girl asked me to buy pom poms for her for her crafts, well little man thought they were for him!
More Awesome Ideas on the Web...
Activity Mom
Pom Pom Activities
Baby's First Sensory Tub
Magnetic Pom Poms
Child Care Land
Alphabet and Counting with Pom Poms
What ideas do you have for play with Pom Poms?
Take Care,
Jen
Monday, June 13, 2011
New Recipe!
Little Man's new recipe...
1 chopped roma tomato
1/4 cup of shredded chz
top with nerds!
Okay- not so nutritionally sound, but pretty funny. Little man got into Peanut's nerds and sprinkled it on his snack. he, he! Pretty creative, huh?
Enjoy your Monday!
Jen
1 chopped roma tomato
1/4 cup of shredded chz
top with nerds!
Okay- not so nutritionally sound, but pretty funny. Little man got into Peanut's nerds and sprinkled it on his snack. he, he! Pretty creative, huh?
Enjoy your Monday!
Jen
Friday, June 10, 2011
Summer Activity Board
To keep organized and to motivate the kids, I created a summer activity board. It is divided into three parts: Summer Reading, Boredom Busters, and Things to Do.
SUMMER BUCKET LIST |
Things to do....
-Summer Bucket List
-Calendar of Events
-Math Practice Area- reward charts
BOREDOM BUSTERS |
Boredom Busters...
-Enrichment and Thinking Activities
Example: Create riddles about zoo animals or Create a wanted poster for a character in a fairy tale.
-Summer Fun worksheets(mazes, word searches etc. from funschool)
Summer Reading...
-Barnes and Noble Reading Journal
-Borders Double Dog Dare Challenge
-Chuck E Cheese Reward Calendar
-Scholastic Family Reading List
For more ideas on planning your family summer fun, be sure to visit these sites:
Quirky Momma: DIY Chalk Calendar
Casa Camacho: Summer Bucket List
Little Wonders' Days: Summer Bucket List Party
Living Montessori Now: How to Create a Summer Bucket List
HAPPY SUMMER!!
Jen
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Important: Prayers and Donor Needed!
Please visit my other blog to learn about how you can help this young girl named Haley.
God's Shining Stars
Thank you!
Jen
God's Shining Stars
Thank you!
Jen
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Wordless Wednesday: Siblings
For more Wordless Wednesday, visit....
5 Minutes for Mom
Home Grown Families
Pinke Post(blog hop)
Enjoy your Wednesday!
Jen