Hand Print Pumpkins!

Project - Hand Print Pumpkins - I drew a pumpkin on orange paper and cut it out. I traced Connor's and Addie's hands on black paper and cut them out. I used two hand prints for eyes and two hand prints for the mouth. I cut out a triangle shape for the nose. I glued the hand prints and triangle onto the pumpkin to create the face. I did this project with Connor when he was 7 months old, back in 2005 and I just did it with Addie this year - when she was 14 months old. Materials Needed - orange paper, black paper, scissors, marker, glue

Marshmallow Witch!

Day 3 of the week - The theme this week is Halloween. The letter of the week is R, r and the number of the week is 16.

Project/Treat - Marshmallow Witches -My sister e-mailed me the the link to this recipe. She thought it would make a cute Halloween treat - and she was right. Connor and Lauren had a blast making these tasty witches - and they were easy too! Here is the link to the detailed recipe/directions. I changed the recipe by using Halloween Oreo Cookies (the orange and black ones) for the bottom part of the witches hat. We only used Hershey kisses for the top part of the hat(we eliminated the miniature peanut butter cup). They turned out great! I let Lauren and Connor assemble the whole treat all by themselves! They had a good amount of frosting on their hands and faces, but it was worth it. http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Marshmallow-Witches Materials Needed - 1/2 cup vanilla frosting, 36 miniature semisweet chocolate chips,12 large marshmallows, 1 drop green food coloring, 1/4 cup flaked coconut, 12 Halloween Oreo cookies, 12 milk chocolate kisses

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter R,r - recognition, and beginning sound
The number 16 - recognition and writing
Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions, cutting and pasting

Paper Plate Witch!

Day 2 of the week - The theme this week is Halloween. The letter of the week is R, r and the number of the week is 16.

Project - Paper Plate Witch - The kids painted a paper plate green (you could use a green paper plate too) I drew and cut out a witches hat, eyes, and mouth out of black foam, a nose, and eye lids out of green foam, a tooth and eyes out of white foam, and a strip of orange for a stripe on the witches hat out of orange foam. After the plates were dry, Connor and Lauren glued the hat, eyes, mouth and nose onto the paper plate. I punched three holes on each side of the witches head (near the hat). We twisted orange chenille stems (cut in half) and attached them into the holes for hair! Materials needed - paper plate, green paint, paint brush, black, orange, green and white foam, scissors and glue.

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)

Today's Activities:

The letter R, r - writing, recognition, following directions

The number 16- recognition, writing, counting

Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions, writing

Frankenstein - The Monster!

Day 1 of the week - The theme this week is Halloween. The letter of the week is R, r and the number of the week is 16.

Project - Frankenstein - The Monster! I saw this project in the Oriental Trading Company Magazine. I adapted it and created my own project!! First - I glued 6 large craft sticks to a cereal box (you can use card stock or tag board) Second - Connor and Lauren painted the craft sticks green. Third - After the sticks were dry I cut around the sticks to remove the extra cereal box. Fourth - Connor and Lauren glued the foam, hair, cheeks, nose, mouth, stitches, shirt and googly eyes onto the craft sticks. Fifth - I added a piece of ribbon for a hanger to Lauren's Monster!! ***I created and cut out the hair, mouth, and stitches from black foam, the nose from purple foam, the cheeks from pink foam, and the shirt piece from orange foam. Materials Needed - heavy piece of paper - cereal box, or tag board or card stock, 6 large craft sticks, green paint, glue, paint brush, black, orange, pink purple foam, googly eyes, ribbon (optional)

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter R, r - writing, recognition
The number 16- recognition, writing, counting
Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions

Ghost Scene!

Project - Ghost Scene! I traced ghost cookie cutters onto white paper and cut them out. Connor and Lauren glued 2-3 ghosts onto black paper. They used gold and silver stars to decorate the paper along with a moon shape that I cut out of yellow paper.

Materials Needed - black paper, white paper, yellow paper, gold stars, silver stars, glue

Foam Footprint Ghost!

Project - Foam Footprint Ghost - I traced Connor's foot onto white foam and cut it out. Then, I drew a wing pattern onto white foam and cut it out. I glued the wing on the back of the footprint. Connor glued on googly eyes and pink foam circles for cheeks. I used black permanent marker to draw a mouth. I attached a magnet to the back of the ghost, so it can be used as a frig magnet.

Materials Needed - white foam, scissors, googly eyes, pink foam, black permanent marker, magnet, craft glue

Ghost Door Hanger!

Day 3 of the week - The theme this week is Ghosts. The letter of the week is Q, q and the number of the week is 15.

Project - Ghost Door Hanger - I made a ghost cut out of black paper (I used a cookie cutter). Connor and Lauren placed their ghost in an old oatmeal canister with one teaspoon of white paint and marbles (we used 10-12 marbles). Then they put the cover on and shook the container. The final result was a really cute ghost. They added googly eyes and foam mouth. After the ghosts had dried, they glued their ghost onto a foam door hanger, and spelled the word BOO with foam letters! Materials Needed: Oatmeal Container, black paper, white paint, marble, glue, black foam, googly eyes, foam door hanger, foam letters.

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)

Today's Activities:

The letter Q, q - recognition, and beginning sound

The number 15 - recognition

Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions, cutting and pasting

Footprint Ghost!

Project - Footprint Ghost! I did this project with both of my children for their 1st Halloween. Connor was 7 months old and Addie was only 2 1/2 months old, when I painted their feet white and pressed them on black paper. After, the paint was dry, I drew a face on each foot print with black permanent marker. This is a cute project that also acts as a nice keepsake.

Materials Needed - white paint, paint brush, black paper, black permanent marker

Cut-Out Ghost!

Day 2 of the week - The theme this week is Ghosts. The letter of the week is Q, q and the number of the week is 15.
Project - Cut-Out Ghost! I drew 2 ghosts on white pieces of paper. Connor and Lauren cut their ghost out, drew a face, wrote the word BOO, and decorated their ghosts' with marker. This project allowed Connor and Lauren to practice their cutting and writing along with drawing!
Materials Needed - white paper, pencil, scissors, marker

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter Q, q - writing, recognition
The number 15 - recognition, writing, counting
Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions

Ghostly Necklace!

Day 1 of the week - The theme this week is ghosts. The letter of the week is Q, q and the number of the week is 15.
Project - Ghostly Necklace. I found this craft on the website http://www.kidscraftmagazine.com/ - under Ghostly Necklace. I printed off the ghost pattern, cut it out and traced it onto white foam and cut out again. I used the point of my scissors to make holes in the center of the hands as the template shows. I used permanent marker to draw a face on the ghost. Then I tied a small bow with orange ribbon and glued onto the ghost. Connor and Lauren used orange,white and letter beads to spell out their names - and strung the beads onto the ribbon. I threaded the end of the ribbon through the hands of the ghost, and tied the two ends of the cord into a knot to make a necklace. Materials Needed - white foam, ghost template, pencil, scissors, permanent marker, orange ribbon, string or cord, beads (multi-color, letter beads), glue

The Ghostly Necklaces'

Connor and Lauren modeling their creations!

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)

Today's Activities:

The letter Q, q - writing, recognition

The number 15 - recognition, writing, counting

Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions

One-eyed mask!

Day 3 of the week - The theme this week is Halloween Creatures! The letter of the week is P, p and the number of the week is 14.
Project - One-eyed mask - Originally this mask was supposed to be green with antennae, or spiky hair, but Connor insisted on a "black creature mask, with no hair or antennae." These are his words and ideas - so we went with it. I used one of his animal masks as a template and traced the mask onto black foam. I cut 2 eye holes and Connor added foam circles to the mask, for a polka-dot look. I cut out a large white circle and a smaller black circle to create the "one-eyed monster" look. The I punched holes on each side of the mask and used the stretchy string from an old party hat to finish of the mask. Connor loves his "monster mask." It looks more like a Mardi Gras mask to me but, oh well, it is his project and that is all that matters. He is being creative and having fun, that is all I can ask for!! Materials Needed - any color foam, scissors, foam circles (or any other shapes), hole punch, stretchy string

Connor's Mask

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter P, p - beginning sound
The number 14 - recognition, writing, counting
Tracing Lines - fine motor skills, following directions
Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions

Paper Plate Spider!

Day 2 of the week - The theme this week is Halloween Creatures!. The letter of the week is P, p and the number of the week is 14.
Project - Paper Plate Spider - Connor and Lauren painted a paper plate black. I cut 8 strips out of black paper/child and accordion folded them. Connor and Lauren glued the folded strips onto the spider as legs. Next, they glued googly eyes onto 2 small folded rectangle strips for stand-up eyes and I poked a small hole in the middle of the plate and threaded orange ribbon through it. Materials Needed - paper plate, black paint, paint brush, black construction paper, scissors, googly eyes, glue, ribbon or string

The Spider

Connor and his Spider!

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter P, p - writing, recognition, following directions, cutting and pasting,
The number 14 - recognition, writing, counting
Tracing Lines - fine motor skills, following directions
Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions

Origami Bat

The Origami Bats

Day 1 of the week - The theme this week is Halloween Creatures!. The letter of the week is P, p and the number of the week is 14.
Project - Origami Bats - I found this project in the October 2007 issue of Family Fun Magazine. http://www.familyfun.go.com/ First fold a 8 x 8 inch square of black paper into a triangle, fold down the top 2 inches of the triangles, fold each side flap in a long the inner lines (shown on the picture on the website) to form dimensional wings, use scissors to cut a notch along the top, between the wings, to create ears, then flip the bat over and add eyes - we used white and silver crayons. All of the directions along with pictures are on the Family Fun website under Origami Bats. Materials Needed - black construction paper, scissors, white or silver crayon, directions and picture from Family Fun website.

Lauren and Connor with their bats'

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)

Today's Activities:

The letter P, p - writing, recognition, following directions

The number 14 - recognition, writing, counting

Tracing Lines - fine motor skills, following directions

Number Review - recognition, counting, following directions

5 Little Pumpkins!

Day 3 of the week - The theme this week is pumpkins. The letter of the week is O, o and the number of the week is 13.
Project - 5 Little Pumpkins - Connor traced a pumpkin cookie cutter 5 times. Then, he colored each pumpkin orange and drew faces on each pumpkin. We based this project off of the song and book Five Little Pumpkins Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. We sang the song and Connor decided what kind of face each of the five pumpkins would have. As a finishing touch he drew a witch over the top of the third pumpkin, wrote the numbers 1-5 underneath each pumpkin and wrote the title 5 Little Pumpkins at the top of the paper. Materials Needed - white paper, pumpkin cookie cutter, orange, green and black markers.

5 Little Pumpkins

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter O, o - beginning sounds, following directions
The number 13 - recognition, writing, counting
Tracing Lines - fine motor skills, following directions

Cut out Jack-O-Lantern

Day 2 of the week - The theme this week is pumpkins. The letter of the week is O, o and the number of the week is 13.
Project - Cut out Jack-o-lantern- I traced a large pumpkin shape onto an orange piece of construction paper. I cut out out 3 triangles, for eyes and nose, out of black construction paper along with a mouth for the jack-o-lantern. Connor cut the pumpkin shape out and glued the eyes, nose and mouth onto the pumpkin to make a jack-0-lantern. This craft emphasized cutting. Materials Needed - orange construction paper, black construction paper, scissors, pencil, glue stick Connor's Jack-O-Lantern

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter O, o - writing, recognition, following directions
The number 13 - recognition, writing, counting
Tracing Lines - fine motor skills, following directions
Number Review - recognition, counting, matching, following directions

Hanging Jack-O-Lantern

Day 1 of the week - The theme this week is pumpkins. The letter of the week is O, o and the number of the week is 13.
Project - Hanging Jack-O-Lantern. I glued six large craft sticks, side-by-side and vertical, to a cereal box (or a piece of cardboard). Connor and Lauren painted the craft sticks orange. We let the sticks dry. Then, I cut around the sticks to remove the excess cereal box. Connor and Lauren glued the jack-o-lantern's eyes, nose, mouth and stem onto the craft sticks, using craft glue. Then I attached a piece of orange ribbon with hot glue - for a hanger. We used black craft foam for the face, and green foam for the stem. I drew the shapes for the eyes, mouth and stem on paper, then I traced the templates onto the craft foam to be cut out. Materials Needed - 6 large craft sticks, orange paint, black foam, green foam, cardboard/cereal box, craft glue, hot glue, ribbon, scissors **you can use orange craft sticks instead of painted craft sticks**

Jack-o-lantern

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter O, o - writing, recognition, following directions
The number 13 - recognition, writing, counting
Tracing Lines - fine motor skills, following directions
Number Review - recognition, counting, cutting and pasting, following directions

Aut-yum Leaves!

Day 3 of the week - The theme this week is Fall! The letter of the week is N, n and the number of the week is 12.
Project/Treat - Aut-yum Leaves - I found the recipe for this treat in the November 2008 issue of Family Fun Magazine. http://www.familyfun.go.com/ under Aut-yum Leaves. Directions - Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk one egg with a tsp of water and set aside. On a floured surface, roll out a prepared pie crust. Use a large leaf-shaped cookie cutter to make as many dough leaf pairs as possible. (we made 3 pairs). For each pocket, spread about 4 tsp of chocolate peanut butter chips on a leaf, leaving a 1/2 - inch margin at the edge. Brush egg wash onto the edge, place a 2nd leaf on top, and press the edges to seal. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle it with sugar. Bake the leaves on a parchment-covered cookie sheet until their edges are just beginning to brown, about 12-14 minutes. We used a little leaf cookie cutter to make cinnamon sugar leaves out of the scraps. Ingredients/Materials - store-bought pie crust dough, chocolate peanut butter chips, flour, egg, water, sugar, basting brush

The chocolate-peanut butter filled leaves

Learning Activities - I have been using the workbook Everything for Early Learning Preschool workbook. (I purchased it at Wal-Mart)
Today's Activities:
The letter N, n - beginning sounds, following directions
The number 12 - recognition, writing, counting, following directions
Tracing Lines - fine motor skills, following directions