tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59686601522089012692009-12-30T01:48:48.397-07:00Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.comBlogger126125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-13639891521625665622008-12-29T09:35:00.003-07:002008-12-29T10:06:09.360-07:00

I hope you have thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of those old posts Erin dug out for this month. She did a great job selecting favorites. It reminded me of how much time and love we have put into this little blog over the past several months. I for one can attest to the fact that researching and writing up these posts have helped me become a better mom, and for that I am so grateful. Anything I

Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-50000960782222222502008-12-26T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-26T04:00:02.135-07:00

The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, is a perfect back to school book for all young readers. I know many teachers use it in their first day curriculum, but why not do some projects together right at home after reading the book. Here are two ideas.1. Trading Hands. Trace and cut out your child's hand and your own hand onto some stiff card stock or cardboard. Give your hand to your child to decorate

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-45747221404899526152008-12-24T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-24T04:00:01.131-07:00

This week, I went to the store to purchase dry ice to put in my new buckets of food storage flour (I've been told dry ice kills any bugs or anything that may be in flour - it may be an old wives' tale but I still do it), and on a lark I bought a couple of extra pieces. I told my 5 year old on the way home from the store that we were going to do something very fun with dry ice, and since he had

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-81068306445236474512008-12-22T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-22T04:00:01.303-07:00

Sun prints are so much fun for the kids to do. This needs to be done once it is sunny in your yard so fairly early in the morning. What you need is simple a piece of dark construction paper and items you want the sun to make a print of. Place these items randomly all over your paper and forget about them till late afternoon! Now after you're done you can take the items off and the sun has

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-31639381446246108452008-12-19T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-19T04:00:00.534-07:00

This is a fantastically fun activity for anyone who doesn't have the space or luxury of having a sandbox (i.e. apartment living, deathly allergic to sand, whatever). Get a large, shallow box and fill it halfway full with rice. I bought the big store brand bag of rice on the bottom shelf at the local grocery story. Then buy a small bag of "jewels" from the craft section at Wal-Mart.Then add

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-66374563373398268362008-12-17T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-17T04:00:00.716-07:00

Lately, Pretend Play has been once again gaining respect in the education department. I first read an NPR article titled Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills that I had seen referenced over on the Growinginpeace blog. It discusses how kids have become less self-regulated over the years--that essentially means they don't learn how to control themselves anymore--in part because they aren't

Erineringirl13@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-21829920160768468892008-12-15T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-15T04:00:00.883-07:00

I think I am not alone in my dinner menu boredom, and I know I am not alone in my struggle to get small mouths to accept my kitchen creations. This idea is something to boost the excitement for you and your kiddos when it comes to family dinner. Each week we have a special meal (usually dinner, sometimes breakfast or lunch depending on my husband's schedule) based on a theme drawn out of our Meal

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-36915461939569619922008-12-12T04:00:00.001-07:002008-12-12T04:00:02.733-07:00

Need a new twist on an old favorite? Try this new approach to the game Memory.When we moved in there was an opened package of plastic cups in one of the kitchen cupboards. For sanitary reasons I wasn't too excited about drinking from them, however I found several other ways to put them to use. One of the most successful was a new version of the Memory game. I used alphabet stickers and placed

Erineringirl13@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-54163744547187409952008-12-10T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-10T04:00:00.862-07:00

My son loves oatmeal, but he especially loves oatmeal if it is purple (or blue, or orange...). I have noticed that when I add food coloring to food, my kids get really excited about eating it. So these pictures may look absolutely disgusting to you, but to my 5 year old they are a little bit of heaven.We have talked about how mixing red and blue make purple, red and yellow make orange, etc. So

Erineringirl13@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-6780924429194131142008-12-08T04:00:00.001-07:002008-12-08T04:00:01.002-07:00

I have found a few fun holiday links I wanted to pass on:With this one you can decorate a Christmas tree.With this one you can build a snowman.This one is a sleigh game that my children LOVE.Read the instructions to this one...it won't make sense the first time you play it, but by the second time you will get it and want to keep playing and playing...If you have any fun links to add to this list,

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-85906942183434055112008-12-05T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-05T04:00:00.771-07:00

Thanks to Deneal for this fantastic idea...At Wal-Mart, they sell three packs of glow stick necklaces for 92 cents. I give each child one to play with in the tub; we always take baths at night. Then I turn off the bathroom light and turn on the hall light. They are obsessed! They can stay in the tub for an hour, until the water is cold and their hands are completely pruney. Then, you put the

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-43666955750515207492008-12-03T04:00:00.001-07:002008-12-03T04:00:01.566-07:00

Items needed:* Muffin Pan (I use a small one that I got at a yard sale.)* Cooking Spray (or baking cups - especially if you are using a tin you cook in.)* Broken CrayonsFirst, preheat oven to 200'. Separate crayons into color families. (i.e. purple & blue, blue & green, green & yellow, yellow & orange, orange & red) Just make your own color combinations. Take off all remaining paper and break

Erineringirl13@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-29084279783193620282008-12-01T04:00:00.000-07:002008-12-01T04:00:01.501-07:00

Deneal and I are taking the month of December off. We have many family activities going on. We will, however, be re-posting some of our Bright Ideas and Midweek Pick Me Ups throughout the month. If you haven't been around for long, we used to do each of these once a week, and I think it will be beneficial to re-post a few of them again.Bright Idea: Pencil and PaperWe needed a place for all our

Erineringirl13@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-9167444764381602562008-11-24T07:00:00.000-07:002008-11-24T08:06:04.241-07:00

Kid Crafts and ActivitiesArt Projects For Kids: a blog with lots of art ideas and organized well. You can search by age, medium, etc.Cannon's Cool paper crafts: for older kids or very patient parents.Quaker Crafts: I just discovered Quaker (as in the oatmeal company) has todler activities on their website.Home Science Tools: I'm not sure how user friendly the site is, but there seems to be an

Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-47943158234812199172008-11-17T08:00:00.009-07:002008-11-17T08:00:00.275-07:00

The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric CarleThis poingant book in classic Carle style addresses our inherent need to belong. A new firefly searches and searches through the dark night for another firefly friend. After encountering many false hopes, he eventually finds just what he was looking for. (Side note, I love Eric Carle books and there are several of them that deal with emotions. The Very

Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-6357558026202362552008-11-10T08:00:00.004-07:002008-11-10T09:12:54.889-07:00

Last week I emphasized identifying emotions with your child. This week I want to delve into a rather hot topic in the parenting and early education world: Emotional Self-Regulation. Let me quote first from an article I found on the Schoolastic website. This particular piece is probably directed more at teachers than parents, but they give great definitions for Cognitive and Social-Emotional

Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-71694320202335553792008-11-30T06:00:00.002-07:002008-11-04T09:15:51.564-07:00

Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-49056592863491260962008-11-03T06:00:00.027-07:002008-11-03T06:47:11.037-07:00

Fist of all, I'm sorry for being a bit absent lately. I haven't been able to contribute ideas and suggestions quite as frequently as before, but know that I am reading and enjoying everything that you are sharing. The comments and links are fabulous, keep it up!This month I'd like to focus on Emotions. In today's world, children are not always learning how to identify emotions in themselves or

Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-8963401661334341382008-10-27T04:00:00.000-06:002008-10-27T04:00:00.647-06:00

Bembo's Zoo - Each letter of the alphabet turns into an animal that starts with that letter. Love it!Energy Star Kids - Teaches kids how to conserve energy and be more earth conscious.Spatulatta - Cooking for kids online. It's a fun way to get kids started in the kitchen.Brain Pop - Mostly for older kids, but I love this website!Handipoints - Making fun of work. It's a tricky way of making

Erineringirl13@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-53858396943478993022008-10-20T04:00:00.000-06:002008-10-20T04:00:00.361-06:00

Book: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. I'm sure we have all read, or at least heard of, this fantastic book (by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault; illustrated by Lois Ehlert) that teaches kids the alphabet. The rhymes are contagious, and I hear my kids walking around the house chanting them: "Skit skat skoodle doot. Flip flop flee. Everybody running to the coconut tree."Activity: Get drums,

Erineringirl13@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-56386498002619232252008-10-13T04:00:00.004-06:002008-10-13T04:00:00.486-06:00

I know all of you have been waiting on pins and needles to find out who will win the two awesome cds! I am happy to announce thatShannon of teaching tiny tots wins her first choice of either Baby Einstein Playdate Fun cd or Disney's Greatest cdandBrooke wins the other cd (which hopefully is your first choice)!Congratulations to both of you! Please e-mail me at laughlearnloveblog [at] gmail [dot

Erineringirl13@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-74725906104805214792008-04-05T12:39:00.002-06:002008-10-07T14:24:45.827-06:00

I love a good library. The rows and rows of books, the quiet atmosphere...ahhh. And even if you don't necessarily like to read, you know that it is important to read to your children (for reasons such as recognizing letters and words, increasing imagination, snuggle time, etc.). So I want this post to be a list that you can print out and take to the library to choose books that your children will

Erineringirl13@gmail.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-6501417154705915122008-04-02T22:30:00.002-06:002008-10-07T14:24:03.045-06:00

Who doesn't need a list of places to go with great ideas for kid crafts! Here are a few we have come across.Family Fun --An absolutely fantastic source for projects and activities.Kids Craft Weekly --They haven't been weekly lately, but you can check back issues and find fun stuff.Kid Builders --This program is set up through Orange County Children and Families organization. I have the ages 3, 4-

Denealworldpreschoolmom@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-27458977489368876192008-04-02T23:00:00.002-06:002008-10-07T14:22:04.589-06:00

These are websites we don’t necessarily endorse, but we allow our kids to visit from time to time:http://www.starfall.com/ - a great learning to read website. My kids love it, and my 2 year old recognizes all of his letters and the sound each one makes.http://www.tuxpaint.org/ - this is a fantastic program you download onto your computer for free. You paint with the mouse, and there are also "

Erineringirl13@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968660152208901269.post-518174407717913762008-10-06T06:00:00.002-06:002008-10-06T21:07:28.257-06:00

We all agree that music is important in our children's lives. It teaches our children rhythm, rhyme, harmony, and all sorts of other good stuff (sounds professional coming from a piano teacher, eh?) What I am going to discuss today is ideas on how to introduce more music into your children's lives.1. Make music part of the routine. Sing the clean up song when it's time to clean up (that's the

Erineringirl13@gmail.com4