Dinosaur Cookies

My 4 year old is "Star of the Week" at preschool this week and along with that comes the duty of bringing a treat on Friday. Since they are studying dinosaurs this week and since my son loves dinosaurs, we decided on making dinosaur cookies. Apparently they do not sell just a single dinosaur cookie cutter anywhere in town so I am now the owner of a 101 piece cookie cutter set (was only 9.99 so that isn't too bad!).

I just used my Christmas cutout cookie recipe and here is how they turned out - my 4 year old is the one who decorated them. :)

Why do we use evergreen trees as Christmas trees?

Here is a fun activity that I found on Preschool Rock:


"It’s the holiday season and many preschoolers will be hanging ornaments on their Christmas tree. But has your preschooler asked why they can’t have the Maple tree from their backyard for a Christmas tree? If so, this Christmas tree botany lesson is for you.

What is an Evergreen Tree?

Simply put, an evergreen tree is a tree that does not lose its leaves, also called foliage, in winter. An evergreen tree’s leaves are called pine needles. They are long, dark green, and pointy. They do not look like deciduous tree leaves. A deciduous tree is a tree that loses its leaves in the winter to conserve energy so that it can live through the winter months that generally do not produce enough water to sustain the tree.

So why do evergreen trees live through the winter? Help your preschooler use his observation skills to understand why an evergreen tree lives all year long.

Step One: Observe
Pick up a deciduous leaf and an evergreen pine needle. Examine them both closely. What are the differences? What are the similarities?

The main difference you will find is that the pine needle is waxy and long while the deciduous leaf is flat and somewhat dry depending on the leaf type. The waxy layer of the evergreen needle serves to hold water in.

Step Two: Experiment
Take two plastic containers. Put them both outside on a sunny day, one with a lid and one without. At the end of the day which one has more water in it? The one with the lid should. This is just like the waxy cover of the Evergreen tree. It keeps the tree alive in the winter and thus makes a great Christmas tree!

Variations
If you don’t have evergreen trees nearby to observe a fake evergreen holiday decoration may serve just as well. The main idea of the observation is to see the waxy cover on the evergreen needle. Certainly a fake pine needle will feel waxy!"

10 Signs of a Great Preschool

I found this article today while browsing on Education.com:

"If your child is between the ages of 3 and 6 and attends a child care center, preschool , or kindergarten program, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) suggests you look for these 10 signs to make sure your child is in a good classroom.

1. Children spend most of their playing and working with materials or other children. They do not wander aimlessly, and they are not expected to sit quietly for long periods of time.

2. Children have access to various activities throughout the day. Look for assorted building blocks and other construction materials, props for pretend play, picture books, paints and other art materials, and table toys such as matching games, pegboards, and puzzles. Children should not all be doing the same thing at the same time.

3. Teachers work with individual children, small groups, and the whole group at different times during the day. They do not spend all their time with the whole group.





4. The classroom is decorated with children's original artwork, their own writing with invented spelling, and stories dictated by children to teachers.



5. Children learn numbers and the alphabet in the context of their everyday experiences. The natural world of plants and animals and meaningful activities like cooking, taking attendance, or serving snack provide the basis for learning activities.



6. Children work on projects and have long periods of time (at least one hour) to play and explore. Worksheets are used little if at all.



7. Children have an opportunity to play outside every day. Outdoor play is never sacrificed for more instructional time.



8. Teachers read books to children individually or in small groups throughout the day, not just at group story time.



9. Curriculum is adapted for those who are ahead as well as those who need additional help. Teachers recognize that children's different background and experiences mean that they do not learn the same things at the same time in the same way.




10. Children and their parents look forward to school. Parents feel secure about sending their child to the program. Children are happy to attend; they do not cry regularly or complain of feeling sick. "


I was happy to see that my oldest son's preschool pretty much follows everything on this list. The only area in which they deviate in is #6. They do about 1-2 worksheets a day; however, they are optional worksheets and it is the child's choice whether or not he wishes to do them when he is at the certain station in the room.

Grab Bag Numbers - New Twist

We tried a new twist on the grab bag numbers game (see previous post) this morning which required a little more thought on my son's part.

We used the same "pick a number out of the bag" idea except instead of using beads to count I had him make a tower with LEGOS with the number that he chose :) He enjoyed this version a little more than the other one, plus switching it up a little keeps him from getting bored!

Grab Bag Numbers

I found this little Grab Bag Numbers math game at education.com and while my younger one was napping I played it with my 4 year old. We started with 1-20 and used beads as the objects to count. It held his interest for about an hour :) I think I will write out the actual words for the numbers next time as that would be much more challenging for him and help him to learn to read as well!



Here is the info:

"Want to help your preschooler get comfortable with math? Get out the grab bag! This hands-on game helps kids learn to associate numbers with sets of objects—a key early math skill. And all you need is a set of index cards, pennies, and a paper lunch sack.

Materials
index cards
markers
scissors
1 paper lunch bag
20 – 30 pennies, buttons, or small blocks

Directions:

Prepare: Gather 10 index cards and write a different number, from 1-10, on each. Get your child’s help on this part. When each card has a number, fold it in half and throw it into the lunch bag.

Play: Give your child some pennies to use as counters. (Buttons or small blocks also work well, if your piggie bank is looking a little slim!) Ask your child to close her eyes and pick a card from the grab bag. Once she’s chosen a card, she should open it up, look at the number, and then use her counters to show the quantity written on the card. For example, if your child picks the number 5 from the grab bag, she should place five pennies next to the numeral card.

This activity may seem very basic. But it’s actually a pretty big leap for young children to move from simply naming the numbers, to associating them with objects in the physical world. This game makes a perfect independent activity when you’ve got a few minutes to fill, and it reinforces one-to-one correspondence, which is just a fancy term for being able to match numeral symbols to their appropriate quantities.

As your child matures, up the grab bag ante with larger numbers, such as 11 to 20. And as she takes her first steps towards reading, make a set of cards that uses the number words along with the number symbols."

No-Bake Clay

I was looking for a fun craft idea for my children this morning and came across a recipe for "No- Bake Clay" at education.com. So far my children haven't decided what they want to make with it to keep and have been just having fun making things and then smashing them up and making something else :)


No-Bake Clay Recipe

1 cup corn starch

2 cups baking soda

1 1/4 cups cold water

several bowls

Food coloring

Saucepan

Paper plate

Small towel or cloth

Newspaper



Directions:

Mix a few drops of food coloring into the water and stir until combined. Then put the water, baking soda, and cornstarch into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the mixture feels like cooked mashed potatoes. Remove from heat, put it onto a paper plate, and cover with a damp towel until cool. Repeat this process for any additional colors you'd like to use.

When the mixtures are cool, knead them until the clay feels smooth and pliable. Then cover the kitchen table with newspaper, sit your child down, and give him a go! Depending on the time of year, he can sculpt something with a holiday theme (like a snowman, a pumpkin, a ghost, or a flag) or he can just use his imagination and create something with nothing to do with the holidays (fruit, shapes, a car). Whatever he creates, let it dry overnight. In the morning, it will be ready for final paint and decorations

My little artists

I remember reading somewhere awhile ago that a creative way to decorate your home was to frame your children's artwork. So, the other day I sat my 2 year old and 4 year old down with a box of crayons and had them create some masterpieces.





My 2 year old just used the scribble technique:





Whereas my 4 year old opted for holding a few crayons at once and turning them in circles on the paper:





I then went to Dollar Tree and purchased 4 frames that had matting with and hung my children's art. So for $4.00 I have 4 wonderful pieces of artwork- I think they turned out super cute!

1st week of Preschool

My oldest son had his first week of preschool this week and absolutely loved it! We had gone to his Open House the week before and ever since that night he had kept asking when it was going to be Wednesday because that is the day that Preschool began.

This past Tuesday, the night before his first day, he decided ON HIS OWN (!) to go to bed at 6:30 pm because he wanted to be rested for school :) He actually fell asleep within 10 minutes too! He did the same thing, but at 7:00 this time, for the next day! I am liking this preschool thing!! Now if only I could get my other one to go to sleep at the same time! Wouldn't that be nice??