It's Summer: Time for a Fish Theme

It's summer and many families spend these days fishing, boating, at the beach and maybe visiting an aquarium. Children love fish so get their focused attention and keep them hooked with projects and games that have a theme from under the sea.

Fish Stories

Cut out fish shapes from construction paper. From old magazines, cut out interesting pictures and glue these onto the fish. Place all fish into a box. Invite the children to pick a "fish" from the box. Look at the picture and try to incorporate it into a fish story they make up. This is a fun game for a group of children or with the family.

Pick Up Fish (A Fine Motor Game)

Remember the game of pick-up-sticks? Here is a fish version. You will need two containers, one empty and the other filled with fish shaped crackers. Invite the children to use tweezers to move the crackers from one container to the other.

Fish Dramatic Play

Have the children pretend to be fish swimming in the water. Ask, "What type of fish do you want to be?" Tell them to lie on their stomach with their arms close to their side. Now, have them wiggle their body and try to move. Ask, "How would you rest when you are tired? How would you eat? Where would you hide if there were danger?" Have the children describe what they imagine in their underwater world. Act out the following verse.

There is so much activity beneath the sea.

The crab crawls, the eel wiggles,

The octopus swims, the jellyfish jiggles.

Dramatize the creature you want to be!

Under the sea is so much fun for preschoolers. Let these ideas be a start to your fish theme. I'll add more ideas in the next weeks.

Until then - have fun - be creative - enjoy life!

Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Memorial Day Fun With the Kids

Memorial Day is a time to honor our nation's fallen heroes and many activities are planned for this patriotic holiday. It's also a long weekend for us to find things to do on Memorial Day with the kids; quality family time with our children without the usual interruptions of phones and household chores. Let's welcome the first inkling of summer with outdoor activities where parents and children can enjoy each other, the sunshine, fresh air, food, games and just "fun, fun, fun!"


Picnic Basics (Preschool +)

Children love picnics! And picnics are even more fun-and full of learning when your child helps with the planning and preparations. Talk with your child about the picnic so the excitement begins and enlist her help in the planning. As you pack, remember the extras like tissues, wipes, bandages, and something to sit on.

You can carry food in a basket, bucket or backpack. If you are not traveling far, your child could pack her own finger foods in the compartments of an egg carton. It often works well to have one blanket for food and another one or two to sit on. Small children love to crowd to the middle of a blanket of food, and it is discouraging to have someone sitting on the bananas. Just remember today is a day of fresh air, fun and happiness. This song should set the mood. (Tune: "You Are My Sunshine")

I AM SO HAPPY, SO VERY HAPPY
I WANT TO SING ALL DAY LONG.
I AM SO HAPPY, WE'RE ON A PICNIC,
WON'T YOU COME AND SING ALONG?

Let your children fill in other reasons of their happiness, maybe they are happy to eat "hot dogs" or "playing baseball". Make this song open-ended and sing as many verses as you can dream up.

After the picnic, bring out the crayons, markers, and some extra picnic supplies to make simple puppets. Your child can add pipe cleaner arms and a face with markers to a plastic or wooden spoon. With small paper plates, she can draw a face with crayons and then attach the plate to a plastic fork by weaving it through the tines. The fork becomes the handle for the puppet-or the whole plate can become a mask if you cut out holes for the eyes. Encourage your child to put on a puppet show for the entire family.


Enjoy your holiday weekend,
Tania

This article was originally posted on Yahoo Voices.

Craft photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved
 

Endangered Species Day and Playmobil Toys

Hello friends,

I'm always on the lookout for new events and special toys for our children. Here is something you may be interested in.

This Friday, May 16^th is Endangered Species Day and PLAYMOBIL has new wildly-fun playsets bound to spark awareness in young animal lovers. From the African elephant to the giant panda, PLAYMOBIL’s Endangered Animals of the World playsets are ideal for educating kids about respecting wildlife and the protection of all creatures worldwide.

Kids can take a ride through the African Savannah where elephants and rhinos roam, journey off-road in the jungle and observe bamboo-munching pandas in their natural habitat. With four different playsets, they’ll love learning about different animals and regions of the world while exploring the natural wonders of the environment.

Check out these sets in your local toy store or online:

Pandas in Bamboo Forest: (#5414): Get up close and personal with the Pandas as they graze in the Bamboo Forest. After they’ve had their fill of bamboo shoots, the two adult pandas and their cubs can take shelter for the night in the cozy cave concealed within the rocky terrain. Thanks to his off-road bike, the researcher can view the animals from a safe distance, while all of his gear remains safely stowed away in the bike’s storage box. Set includes one figure with helmet, off-road bike, two pandas, two cubs, camera, binoculars, trees, flowers, and other accessories. Recommended for ages four to ten. Suggested Retail Price: $25.99.  Warning. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years

Gorillas and Okapis with Film Maker: (#5415): Document the animals in their natural habitat with the Film Maker. Using her professional video camera, the film maker can record how these wild animals live. The baby gorilla loves swinging from the trees while the mother keeps an eye from below. The exotic okapi with baby snack on the surrounding vegetation as the film maker catches everything on camera. Set includes one figure, gorilla with baby, okapi with baby, camera, clipboard, storage container, tree, landscape, and other accessories. Recommended for ages four to ten. Suggested Retail Price: $29.99. Warning. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Jungle Animals with Researcher and Off-Road Vehicle: (#5416): Learn everything there is to know about the Jungle Animals as the Researcher observes them in the wild. The off-road vehicle’s removable roof and hood make it easy to view the animals in their natural environment, while the sizeable trunk provides plenty of storage for the microscope, laptop, and other equipment. There’s plenty to see in the jungle as everything from tigers to orangutans roam the forest. The orangutans swing from branch to branch while other animals find shelter beneath a movable rock in the terrain. Set includes one figure, off-road vehicle, tiger with cub, orangutan with two babies, scorpions, snake, food, lantern, flowers, vines, and other accessories. Recommended for ages four to ten. Suggested Retail Price: $42.99. Warning. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

African Savannah with Animals (#5417): Take a ride on the wild side through the African Savannah with Animals. With the help of his camera and tripod, the researcher can capture priceless photos of elephant and rhinoceros families as they roam the savannah. But beware! A dangerous cheetah is lurking nearby in the trees. Set includes one figure, adult and baby elephant, adult and baby rhinoceros, cheetah, binoculars, cooler with water bottles, and other accessories. Recommended for ages four to ten. Suggested Retail Price: $46.99. Warning. Choking Hazard. Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.

I hope you have enjoyed this toy segment. These sets are perfect for creative play and are quite educational.

See you next week,
Tania

Information and photos are courtesy of PLAYMOBIL

Celebrating Mother's Day With Homemade Gifts

Mom, put the blindfolds on and overlook this article! Calling all Dads, Grandparents and babysitters---please gather up the kids and help them make a special gift for mom. There is a special holiday coming this month-- Mother's Day. What mother wouldn't appreciate a homemade gift from her child? These things don't cost much; actually the best gifts for Mom are free.

A Little History:
Mother's Day dates back to ancient Greece when the people paid tribute to Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. Later in history, England paid tribute to mothers on "Mothering Sunday", the fourth Sunday of Lent. There were several women who suggested the idea of Mother's Day, however, it wasn't until Miss Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) of Philadelphia campaigned to make Mother's Day a national holiday. In 1910, the first Mother's Day was proclaimed and was celebrated by West Virginia and Oklahoma. By 1911 every state observed Mother's Day. Resolutions were passed, but it wasn't until May 8, 1914 that President Woodrow Wilson issued the proclamation making Mother's Day an official national holiday. Miss Anna Jarvis's mother's favorite flower was the white carnation. This flower was chosen to represent the sweetness, purity and endurance of mother love. As the years went by, the red carnation has since become the symbol of a living mother while the white flower signifies that one's mother has passed.

Click on this link to find an assortment of homemade gift ideas and activities for Mother's Day.
It's just around the corner on Sunday, May 11, 2014.

Have a great week,
Tania

This article was originally posted on Yahoo Voices 2010.
Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Z is for Zoo Crafts

Your child can create a menagerie of animals at home or school. With just a few household items and stuff in your art cart -- zoo animals can be made!

Gentle Giraffe -
Cut out the shape of a giraffe on yellow construction paper and let your child put spots on it with a bingo marker or ink stamp.

Slithering Snake -
Your children can make a snake out of a paper plate. First, draw a line that goes around and around from the edge to the middle and stops. Next, invite your youngster to sponge paint the plate (dab, dab, dab) with green and brown poster paints. When dry, the kids can cut on the line (lots of curves) to make a spiral. Punch a hole at the top, thread in a piece of string and hang the snake. It will wiggle and cause lots of giggles!

Zebra Stripes -
Draw and cut out a horse-shape from white construction paper. Using black poster paint, invite the children to marble paint this animal. Do this by placing the paper shape in a baking pan. Tape it down on the bottom of the pan with a rolled piece of tape. Coat a couple marbles with black paint and then place them into the pan. Your kids can tilt the pan back and forth, letting the balls roll over the animal. Children love to see this "horse" turn into a zebra. As a variation, ping-pong balls can be used.

Thumbprint Monkeys -
Give your children a piece of construction paper with the outline of a tree drawn on it (older children can draw their own tree). Set out ink pads and felt-tip makers. Let your kids make thumb print monkeys all over their tree picture. To create monkeys, have them press a thumb on an ink pad and make two thumb prints, one above the other on the paper. Then complete the monkeys by adding faces, arms, legs and tails with the markers.

Wow, I made it through my first A to Z Challenge. I hope you have enjoyed these early childhood activities and I would love to share more. I also appreciate all my new blogging friends who joined this site. Please pass this site address to any teacher friends or parents of young children. I usually post weekly (sometimes more often). I'm also looking for guest bloggers who would like to post anything related to children, early childhood schooling, and a child's well-being (you can also link back to your website). If you would like to select a week to post, please contact me at: taniacowling@gmail.com

All the best,
Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

Y is for Yellow Activities

Yellow is a color synonymous of the upcoming summer. It reminds many of the big, bright sun shining above, giving warmth and sending children outside to play. Yellow is the color of sunflowers so vivid and lemonade so yummy. Explore the color yellow as your group participates in these summer activities.

Mr. Sun

Cut sun shapes from yellow construction paper and hide them around a room or outdoors in the yard. Have the children go on a "sun search" to find as many sun shapes as they can. Continue to search until all the suns have been found.

After the search, set up a table with crayons, markers, sequins, faux jewels or anything that shines and dazzles. The children can decorate; gluing these materials to the sun shapes they found.

Make Sunflowers

Have each child paint a small paper plate yellow (mix a small amount of white school glue in the paint). Lay pieces of yellow tissue paper in the wet paint (to give it a petal appearance). When this process is dried, give the children sunflower seeds to glue in the center of the plate. Staple two giant green construction paper leaves at the bottom. These flowers make great summer decorations for your room or to take home!

Play Games with Children that Involve Colors

Use a yellow beach ball or other large ball. Players form a line, all facing the leader. The leader calls the name of a player and tosses, rolls, or bounces the ball to the named person. The player catches the ball and returns it to the leader in the same manner.

Teaching colors does not have to be about worksheets and printed pages. Since play is a child's learning tool, use fun activities and projects to embed these skills into a child's mind for life.

Wow, just one more letter. See you tomorrow with the letter Z.

Tania

W is for Weekday Lunches

The challenge, as parents, is to create lunches that are reasonably healthful and palatable to kids, that can be carried off to school or play dates and left at room temperature for hours. The place to begin is at the grocery store where children can get involved with food selection. At home, try brainstorming a list of lunches that you both agree on. And don't forget to include a few fun items that your kids can help to prepare. 

Sandwich Shapes

Cookie cutters can be used to turn a peanut butter, cheese, tuna fish, or cold-cut sandwich into something special. Since some children shun bread crusts, shaped sandwiches are an alternative to cutting off the crusts. Most children are glad to chow down on their favorite shapes, no matter what's inside.

Homemade Lunchables

Buy a plastic sectional container. Cut lunch meats and cheese into fun shapes, such as triangles or sticks. Or use small cookie cutters for stars, hearts or teddy bears. Add some wholesome crackers, fruit or yogurt. Top it off with a fun dessert. The container can be brought home and reused. This is an inexpensive and healthy alternative to prepackaged lunches, and a way to add some fun to the lunch box.

Stuff an Apple

Pick an apple or your choice and remove the core (with a little extra space) with a knife and spoon. Fill this hole with peanut butter and top with raisins. Another favorite is cheddar cheese spread topped with chopped nuts. Put this apple into a plastic bag sealed with a twist tie. Remember making apple smiles. Just follow the photo above.

Fruit Kabobs

What child wouldn't like fruit-on-a-stick? For safety reasons, skew pre-cubed fruit on a plastic drinking straw, such as those used for coffee stirrers. To keep the fruit from turning brown, dip it into lemon juice. Pack these into a plastic container to avoid crushing the fruit. Another kebab idea is to layer cubes of cooked chicken breast or turkey, ham, cheese and little grape tomatoes.

This is all for today. See you next week with the letter X. Hmmm, this may be tough.
Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling
 

V is for Valentine Any Day

Playing with hearts is synonymous with Valentine's Day, but truthfully using hearts in a lesson or creative play could be any day. Here are a few "valentine" related activities that can be used any time of the year.

MOVING THE VALENTINE:

Teach your child about spatial directions as they participate in this fun activity.  Set a decorated valentine box on the table.  Invite your child to move a valentine card in relationship to the box according to directions you give.  Examples are "move the card" under, behind, in front of, to the left side, to the right side of the box. Continue to play as long as your child desires.

CREATIVE MOVEMENT:

Dramatize the following verse together:

Let's be friends on this Valentine's Day.
We'll show love in so many ways.
I'll blow you a kiss.  Catch it in your hand.
Throw it back.  Watch it land.
Now, be my partner and let's dance to the music.
It's so nice to have a friend like you,
Not just for today, but the whole year through!


SORTING GAME:

Place several shoe boxes on a table.  Fill them with construction paper hearts that you cut in different sizes and colors.  Have your child sort the hearts according to size, color or both. This game helps your little one learn pre-math skills.

MEMORY HEARTS GAME:
You will need 20 index cards
Colored hearts--two of each color
Glue

Glue a different colored heart on 10 index cards and then make a matching set. This game is played like the traditional "concentration" game. Place all the cards heart side down.  The children take turns turning over two cards to find matches.  If they don't get a match, they return the cards, and the next player goes.

We're coming along with the A to Z Challenge. Let's see what W will bring tomorrow,
Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

U is for Unique

Families today take many different forms:  two parents, one parent, blended and extended.  But all families play an important role in a child's life. Children have so much to share. "Together Time" activities and sincere attention will let them know you value their thoughts and ideas. We are all UNIQUE~~

We Are All Unique

Explain how everyone has fingerprints unlike anyone else.  Have all the family members make a thumbprint collage.  Press your thumb on an ink stamp pad.  Press the thumbs down on white paper and label with everyone's name.  Look through a magnifying glass and compare prints.

Bag of Disguises Game

No matter what you put on your body---you are still "you".  It's fun to experiment with disguises.  Provide a bag or box of disguise props and a mirror---what fun!!!  Suggestions for your box are wigs, make-up, hats, helmets, uniforms, clothing, ties, jewelry, scarves, glasses and so on.  Bring out the camera, as this is a great time for humorous picture taking.

Oh! Baby

Start with reading library books about animals and their babies. Discuss the similarities and differences between parents and their young. Then enjoy going through old family photo albums. Notice the changes of your children as they have grown through the years. Last, compare pictures of yourself and your parents to your children today. Are there many physical traits across the generations?

See you later for the letter V,
Tania

Photo of my child's hand plaque - we are all unique by Tania Cowling, all rights reserved

R is for Respect

Take a moment to read this poem, written by an unknown author, and decide what environment you think would be beneficial to your children and/or ones you may teach at school. Then promote that environment in your everyday actions.

Teaching “respect” (showing consideration, understanding and regard for people, places and things) is a fundamental part of life. Each time you have the children say those magic words “please” and “thank you” you are teaching the most basic form of respect. In addition, teach children that even an inanimate object is worthy of respect. For example, teaching children at a young age not to tear a book, scribble in a book, or even stand on books can enhance their entire outlook on the fundamentals of reading. Books become respected and take an important place in a child’s life.  This in turn can enhance their quest for knowledge.

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.

If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.

If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world!

See you tomorrow with the letter S,
Tania

Photo courtesy of Tania Cowling, all rights reserved