Hand print Family Tree!

Day 2 of the week - The theme this week is Father's Day and Family!

Project - Hand print Family Tree! Paint a tree on large white paper with brown paint. Paint any other items on the paper too. Trace hands and cut out. Write family member's names on hand prints along with birth dates. Glue to tree when the paint is dry.

Materials Needed: large white paper, brown paint, paintbrush, construction paper, scissors, pencil, marker, glue stick

Father's Day Sticker Cards!

Day 1 of the week - The theme this week is Father's Day and Family!

Project: Father's Day Sticker Cards - Connor and my niece Caitlyn drew pictures of "Just" Grandpa, Caitlyn of her dad, and Addie just drew with crayons. Then they cut their pictures out and spread a jello -water mixture on the back to create stickers. When the jello-water mixture was dry they licked the back of their drawings and stuck them onto paper cards. They are going to decorate their cards a little more later. Here are the directions on how to make lick-and-stick paper stickers. Directions: pour 2 Tbs. boiling water over 1 Tbs. Jell-O Powder. Gently stir until powder is completely dissolved. Let cool. Brush Jell-O mixture onto precut pieces of artwork. Let dry until gelatin sets (about 1 hour). Lick the stickers and attach them to cards or anything else. Source: Family Fun Magazine September 2006. Materials Needed: crayons, white paper, scissors, small bowls, flavored Jell-O powder, boiling water, spoon, paintbrush

Caitlyn and Connor spreading the gelatin on their artwork

Lava Lamp!

Day 2 of the week - The theme this week is Kitchen Concoctions!

Project - Lava Lamp. I saw this idea in the April 2010 issue of Family Fun Magazine. Directions: Fill a clear plastic bottle just over halfway with vegetable oil, then add water, to an inch from the top. Add 1o drops of food coloring. Place the bottle on the pie pan to catch potential spills. Cut or break and effervescent antacid tablet in quarters and drop one quarter into the bottle. When the bubbling slows, add another quarter-tablet to get it started again. To store the lamp, let the bottle sit until all the bubbles have completely dispersed. This prevents the buildup of gas in the bottle. Cap it and put it in a safe place to prevent spills. Materials Needed: Clear plastic bottle, vegetable oil, water, food coloring, pie pan, effervescent antacid tablets (Alka-Seltzer)

Light Catchers

Day 1 of the week - The theme this week is Kitchen Concoctions!

Project - Light Catchers. I saw this idea in the April 2010 issue of Family Fun Magazine. Connor made a star, flower and ghost light catcher and my niece Caitlyn made a heart and a star light catcher. Directions: Boil 3 tablespoons of water and pour it into a measuring cup. Add 1 envelope of gelatin and a few drops of food coloring. Stir the mixture slowly until it's combined. Let it sit for about a minute, then stir it again to minimize air bubbles. Pour the mixture onto a plastic plate. Sprinkle glitter on top of the gelatin and/or add 1-2 drops of food coloring an d swirl with a toothpick to make a marbled pattern. Let the gelatins dry until hardened, at least overnight. Peel them off the plates, then cut them into shapes with scissors. Using a hole punch, make holes at the top of them. Suspend each from string, or fishing line and hang in a sunny window. Materials Needed: small saucepan, water, measuring cup, unflavored gelatin, food coloring, plastic plates (9-inch), glitter, scissors, hole punch, string/fishing line

** We used pie tins - 9-inch plastic plates would probably work better. Do not use a lot of glitter it just ends up clumping together - just sprinkle a little bit on each plate. We should have let our gelatin set longer - the edges were ready but the middle was still rubbery!

Paper Plate Volcano!

Day 3 of our week. The theme this week is Hot Stuff!

Project- Volcano. Directions: Cut a slit down the middle of a paper plate a cut a circle in the middle of the plate. Bend and staple the the plate to make a volcano shape. Brush thinned white glue over the volcano and press brown tissue paper squares over the wet glue. (We used brown craft paper torn into pieces). Twist pieces of red, yellow and orange tissue paper and push them into the opening to resemble erupting lava. Source: The Mailbox Magazine Feb/March 2009

Materials Needed - paper plate, scissors, stapler, brown, orange, red, yellow tissue paper, white glue

Learning Activities

Today's Activities:

Math Readiness: 0, zero, writing, recognition, counting
Reading Readiness: making pairs
Transition Math: coloring certain amounts

Sun Rocks!

Day 2 of the week. The theme this week is Hot Stuff!!

Project - Sun Rocks. We are temporarily without a house for about a month, so the kids and I are staying at my parents while my husband works on remodeling our new house - in our new town! So, today Connor did this project with his cousin Caitlyn and his Aunt Kinsey! Caitlyn painted 3 rocks - she seemed to really have fun creating different suns. Directions: Find flat smooth rocks. Use orange and yellow paint to paint the sun on each rock. Materials Needed - flat, smooth rocks, paint brushes, yellow and orange paint

Learning Activities

Today's Activities:

Alphabet: L, writing and beginning sound

Numbers 1-10: 2 writing the number and word

Math Readiness: 1, 2, 3, 4 - writing and counting

Reading Readiness: making pairs

Kindergarten Skills: Story order

Fabulous Fire!

Day 1 of the week. The theme this week is Hot Stuff!
Project - Tear brown paper into medium strips, shades of orange, red and yellow paper into pieces and glue onto black paper - to form a campfire. Draw fireflies on the black paper with a glitter pen or sparkly crayon. (Source: The Mailbox Magazine June/July 2008)
Materials Needed - black, brown red, yellow, orange construction paper, glitter glue, glue stick

Learning Activities
Today's Activities:
Alphabet: K, writing, beginning sound
Numbers 1-10: one, number recognition, writing
Reading Readiness: What belongs In It
Transition Math: finding hidden numbers
Kindergarten Skills: counting coins - pennies