Monday, October 19, 2009

turn that TV off

just thought I would share this article with all of you. I hate TV for my kids and I am always looking for TV free activities and I LOVED this article. I have been doing many of these activities already but it is always good to brush up on this and find some new tips. Happy TV free moments to all of you! 

http://www.parents.com/fun/activities/rainy-day/tv-free-activities/

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

classic for Halloween



here is a classic art project that is the easiest and the most fun for the kids as they can do most of it with only a little assistance from us.

what you will need:

orange construction paper
markers
glue
feathers
balls
you can also use other supplies such as glitter, crayons, buttons, etc... We are going to hang ours in the window therefor we made a pretty light pumpkin with no glitter as that tends to sprinkle all over the place. 

motor skills practice 

out of the orange construction paper, cut the shape of a pumpkin and give it to your child. Tell him that the pumpkin needs a face and he can make it however he/she wishes. Then give him all the other supplies and let him work the magic (with some assistance from you). I ended up with lots of glue for the eyes and nose ... and a huge smile - what else is here to ask for?

Friday, October 09, 2009

scarecrow


the best season of them all is here and we are off to farms with pumpkin patches, hay rides, and spooky stuff... also time to decorate the home with some fun fall projects. Here is the first one

what you need:

scissors
construction paper
markers
glue
optional decorating objects such as - glitter, feathers, stickers, foam letters, etc.

your child will practice using glue and markers (also good for developing motor skills) as well as naming shapes and possibly learn a new letter

cut shapes out of the construction paper - square for body, rectangles for arms and legs, circle for head, and triangle for the hat. you can use this to practice shapes - ask you child to find certain shape for certain part of the scarecrow's body. glue them all together into a person and have your child draw the face. Then you can decorate it with anything you choose. We used letter S for "scarecrow". I was making one at the same time so T was copying my actions. He did it all by himself. I think his is so much better than mine.