Kids in the Kitchen and a Halloween Craft

I found this recipe for Pumpkin Muffins on pinterest.

Source: sweet-verbena.blogspot.com via Susan on Pinterest

Two ingredients: cake mix and canned pumpkin. (I used spice cake and added chocolate chunks)
Seriously, you can't mess it up.
And they can eat it without having that raw egg thought in the back of your mind.  (Anyone else still eat raw cookie dough anyways... no, just me??)

And then I got bored waiting for Daddy to come home! And out came the paint and drop cloth.

Just fill the vase with candy corn and instant cuteness!! 

(I found the sticks next to the popsicle sticks at the craft store.)

Environmental Print IS reading!

Did you know that my boys can read?!!

They are 2.

It's impressive.

Kidding, kind of. 

Environmental print is everywhere, and it is the first stages of pre reading.  The symbols, signs, and pictures tell your children a message. For each child it may be slightly different.

If this sounds like a foreign language to all our non teacher readers, please check out Pre-K Pages, she does an awesome job breaking it down.  And even has great ideas for pre-k teachers, or moms!

• Check out her homework assignment! Each child was asked to bring in the cover of their favorite cereal box. (The only thing I would have done different is put black dots under each word for my kids to practice touching as they read.)  And then you have an awesome repetition book! (Meaning each page says ________ eats _________.)

photo from www.pre-kpages.com

Other environmental print examples:

My boys see this:

And say Apples.

We drive through and get apple slices (they are $1.00 and the skins are peeled.)  

They have yet to realize how amazing the french fries are.

They see this:

And they say lemonade.

I am SO SO sorry if you don't have one in your state. 

Truly, you are missing out on the best company geared for family fun.

Not everything revolves around food!

Luke see's this sign and shouts "hair cut" every single time.

Which is daily.

He has been there twice.

It really is amazing.

So, I decided to make an environmental print poster. But it would be just as fun to make a book, or collage, or put it in those fun picture cubes.

Environmental Print Poster:

Large sheet of Construction Paper

ClipArt, magazine pictures, food labels, real pictures, etc

Glue

My poster:

If I really wanted to do my poster right, I would have taken pictures of the signage where we actually go, like HEB, The Mall, parks, stop signs, school, school busses, etc.
Maybe that could be my next outing with the kids. and I could turn it into a book! Ohhh... and call it The Places We Go... 

I feel the need to add more posters to the wall. And SOON.

And before you throw out your trash next week, PLEASE, I beg you.... Take 30 seconds and just read this quick page from Dr. Jean's Trashable to Teachable!  It really is reading plus so much more!

Arts and Crafts Organization

Some of the best ideas come from other people! I think that is what I love most about reading tons of blogs. I wake up every morning and check my Google Reader, and get so excited to see what is going on with friends, family and even strangers with AMAZING talents. I read all kinds: teaching, fashion, shopping, DIY, baking, cooking, party planning blogs... the possibilities are endless!

Jenae, from I Can Teach My Child, shared pictures of her over the door organizer. I loved it, and thought I would keep my eyes out for one.

Well, the next week, Jenae had this post!
1. It was a sale.
2. It was organization.
and
3. It was something I could put all the 'stuff' that had been cluttering our hall closet shelves.

I LOVED it. I Bought one. It just came today!

This picture does not do it justice. 

Check out those other links!

Add I Can Teach My Child to your reader! It will not disappoint!

Suzie

All about me books

Our first school project was to make a book all about your child for the class library!

I had a little too much fun.
I think I have been waiting to be on this side of the making projects for YEARS!

It was so easy, and the boys LOVE reading their books to anyone who will sit and listen!  But I think it would be great to do and put in your own reading library at home! How fun would it be to add others too!! You could have a book all about Mommy, or Grammy, or Daddy!

Supplies needed:

One file folder cut in half

Pictures

Markers 

Stickers

I let the boys decorate the inside of their 'books' with markers and stickers. Luke went to town with the stickers, Hudson choose not to use any. I love how they are so different, even artistically!

AND let me share the best kept secret. Although, it isn't a secret. I just didn't know about how awesome it was until 6 months ago.

  www.picnik.com!

Upload your pictures, click create collage, and then you can add words, stickers, frames, etc! It is so easy, and you won't waste photo paper printing out all those separate pictures!  (AND FREE)

For the back... Handprint Owls.  (They are in the Owl Room at school!!)
However, I forgot to take a picture after I added the hands for wings! But just place each hand on the side pointing down slightly.

Suzie

Playroom Decor: Alphabet Charts

I have one very large bare wall in my playroom that just taunts me daily. Its like begging for art. Or something.

I have all these ideas for it:

• I want to find large old wooden frames from garage sales and paint them and hang them on the wall. Then tack my kids artwork in them. Cute right? But that would involve having the time to go to thrift stores, and goodwill. (I am determined to still do this one day!)



Image from here

• Sometimes the nerdy teacher in me wants to go into the attic and dig out my old blue pocket charts and staple them up to the wall. I have visions of using sentence strips and putting little black dots under each syllable of every song I hang up. Then I daydream about getting out all my pointers for them to use. And then... I get a block thrown at my head and I realize we aren't there yet.

• However, today, Kimberly, from Custom Nursery Art posted a link to a free alphabet printable. FREE. CUTE. ALPHABET. I have picture hanging wire I could string across the wall, and tons of wooden cloths pins. I love it. I really do.

The Handmade Home

But there is one, little, minor, problem. I am neurotic about alphabet charts and ABC books. It is pretty much my only pet peeve with teacher stuff. The rest I let slide. These things are created by people who have never taught little children to read.

For example: The letter Ee will have a picture of an elephant. Great right? Elephant starts with the letter Ee. What is the problem you ask? It isn't the right sound. In Elephant the e makes the /l/ sound. There needs to be a picture of an egg. Get it. E /e/ egg

Or my other favorite:

Ii, and they show a picture of Ice. Then you have to teach the kids about 'magic e' and how the e at the end of the word makes the vowel before it say it's name and not the letter sound. So I would rather see a picture of an igloo... at least there you get the correct sound.

Which brings me to my post.... I decided to get an alphabet chart to hang up there! I will make it a teachable wall rather than just a cutesy wall.

Here is my favorite alphabet chart of ALL time. This company was founded by a teacher. She has done workshops for my old school. Her stuff is awesome.

Steps to Literacy

However, the free one is precious and cute and FREE. So if you aren't the crazy alphabet police, then I doubt you will find issues with it!!

Guest Blogger: Pudding Painting

I have another friend, Tara, who I think is Super Mom! She has 3, no, THREE boys. Ben is 3, almost 4. Parker is 2, and Evan is almost 5 months old.  She does a ton of fun stuff with her boys and they are so polite and well behaved.  We have been friends since 3rd grade. I just love friends like that, they are so special!

Short and Sweet:
Some days you just have to play inside, and here is a fun activity!

Supplies:  package of prepared pudding, 2 bowls, paintbrushes and spatulas

Rules:  Keep it in tub area as much as possible.

AND

Don't make your brother cry!

I think the best part about doing activities like this, is making memories.  You may be cleaning the tub for a while after, but pictures like this are priceless.

Here is the original post!

Music: Another alternative to TV

If you haven't noticed yet, our kids (Sarah and I's) don't watch TV. We both know that there will be a day when they do watch TV, but that day just hasn't come for us yet. (Sarah, I hope you don't mind me speaking for you too!!) And please know, I am not judging you if your kids have their favorite shows and know their cartoon line up. It's inevitable, I'm just trying to prolong it for as long as I can.

My twins will turn 18 months old this week, and I love the fact that they don't point to the TV and shout Elmo, or Dora.
Instead they run to their CD player and point.
So we dance! A LOT

And the 2 second pause that comes in between songs really makes a certain somebody really mad.
They love to throw their hands up and twist! Hudson has even thrown in some new dance moves with Jumping to the beat. And Luke likes to clap along or shake his whole body. I even dance with them too. (With the blinds down, and the door shut!!) It really is fun!

Our new favorite CD this week:
Meet the Rizers

It's kids Christian Rock. They sing short scripture versus to catchy tunes. I even don't mind listening to it in the car. I find myself singing along with it too!
I ordered it off itunes, for like 10 bucks.  I think my favorite is Luke 11: 9-10, and the theme song of course!!

Another one the boys really like:
VeggieTales 25 Favorite Sunday School Songs

There is just something so sweet about Hudson getting overly excited EVERY time he hears He's got the Whole World.

Anyways, we have been really busy since we dropped our morning nap 3 weeks ago, so I feel like my blogging has been taking a hit. I just wanted to share some music that we love. 

What music do your kids love?? I always need more CDs in my life!

Applesauce and a Terrarium!

I'm back...kind of. :)

To continue our tribute to Johnny Appleseed we made Blender Applesauce and a Baggie Terrarium.

Blender Applesauce; it's quick, easy and healthy!

Yup, that's it!

Ready to go!

Blend away! Enjoy!

Save those seeds!

Baggie Terrarium:

1. Wash the seeds.

2. Wrap them in a wet paper towel.

3. Place in a baggie and hang in a window for sunlight!

4. Check every few days and keep towel damp.

We already have little sprouts!

Johnny Appleseed Day

This is Suzie posting for Sarah. China has blocked them from facebook and blogger! Boo!!

Johnny Appleseed Day is celebrated twice a year, fall (September 26) and spring (March 11). So it's time to get your apple on!

In short, Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman was an American pioneer nurseryman. He introduced the apple tree to large areas of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. (Wikipedia for more.) He is so special that he gets two days a year! Wow! The fall date is his birthday and a great time for apple-picking while the spring date is for appleseed planting. You have to plant to pick, right?

There are SO many great activities that you can do centered around apples it is ridiculous. I want to share so many with you!!

Read This: The book below is a favorite because of the great illustrations:

Sing This:

Johnny Appleseed

Oh, the Lord is good to me,

And so I thank the Lord,

For giving me the things I need,

The sun, the rain, the apple seed,

The Lord is good to me,

Amen !

First we observed and talked about the different apples. (This is a small apple. This apple is green. etc.)

Then he initiated a taste test.

He preferred the red.

Next, we did a little apple painting. I have a video of how to do this, because I couldn't take pictures, but I'll have to show it later. You put paper in a box-type container. (We used a rectangle Tupperware.) You blob the paint on the center of the paper and roll the apple around the box. Add in different colors and different apples!

Once again, things got a little messy! But we had fun!

This is defiantly process art but cut them into the shape of apples to hang around for a couple of days!

Clean Mud

You never know what to expect when you discover something like this:

"Caaarr-ter!! Are you hungry? Time for lun...???? Carter?"

"Busted!"

He bolted!

This was the beginning of his new love for toilet paper. So, let's play with toilet paper! We made some Clean Mud!

Can also be used as "snow".

I know that I love this way more than Carter does. It feels wonderful! You can mold it, smash it, and throw it ;) just like mud!

Here is the recipe:

Make sure and lotion up after playing with this concoction it can really dry out your skin.

Spice Rack Bookshelves: UPDATE

Unlike Suzie's boys, who love books, Carter hasn't really cared about them too much. He hasn't hated them, but I could have gone a day with out reading and he would not have cared.

Well, apparently, even little babies are seduced by the pressures of marketing! (Should that last sentence have an exclamation point?) Our new IKEA spice racks really show off that brightly-colored cover art! It really pulls him in! And the fact that they are low to the ground, right at his level makes them easy to grab, all on his own! He is OBSESSED. Success!!

The books are now his first stop in the morning! This can make it difficult to get him dressed though.

He even has three favorite books! Who is this kid?

AND...

He brings these to me constantly!

This book is brought to me lots too...but he can only make it through a few pages right now. I think he really likes the raccoons though!