Igloos, Penguins & Happy Feet, Oh My!

Finished up our fun Penguin Week!

I have a few more activities to post/share. 

Penguin & Igloo lacing cards - got these from Oriental Trading (pack of 12 winter themed cards) and love them! They are even on sale right now for $4.99! Can be used with so many themes or just for fun.

Craft : Building Igloos

I must warn you this was more of a fail than a success but it was so much fun I decided to share anyway! We used ice and vanilla frosting to build our igloos! We didn't get very far bc the girls were too busy sucking ice and eating frosting so the ice was melting and slippery and our igloo wouldn't stick! :)

It turned into an icy playtime which was fine - we talked about how the penguins slide on the ice and how cold it is! I just went with what we had going on and turned it into a teachable moment! :)

That's as far as our igloo got! Notice the frosting on her lips! :)

To finish off our theme we had a penguin themes movie night last night!

Movie Night: Happy Feet

The girls had seen it before but after all our penguin activities and books this week - it really made them pay attention to things more. We were naming the different kinds of penguins and really noticing lots that we had learned in the movie! It was a great Movie Night! I am going to try and do this more with our themes from now on if possible! It was a fun way to end things & it really showcased how much we had learned about penguins.

I have 1 more post to finish up w/some fun games and then we are oficially done!

Next theme - Dr. Seuss Week! This is going to be fun! :)

What it Means to Be A MOTHER

Sometimes I look at you

and can't believe you are mine!

Ever since I was a little girl I knew

I wanted to be a mom someday.

I just had no idea all that it would encompass.

You bring me such joy -

seeing the world through your eyes has made me feel like a kid again myself.

It fills me with hope and endless possibility because to you everything is possible.

It also fills me with worry because as your mother, I only want the best for you and sometimes the world is cruel.

I wish I could shield you from all that is ugly

but I know that isn't possible.

All I can do is fill you with love, strength

and the knowledge that I am here for you -

no matter what!

I look at your sweet little faces

and I hope that you grow up knowing

and feeling how loved you are,

even when you make mistakes.

For, it is through making mistakes

 that we learn and grow.

I know I have made my share of mistakes as your mother and I'm sure there will be many more.

I am learning right along with you

on this adventure.

I can only hope you know that I have the best of intentions and that my heart is in the right place - WITH YOU!

Always with you!

I love you baby girls and you will always be Mommy's Girls no matter how old you are!

Beat the Winter Blues: Fun Ways to Battle BLAH Days with Kids

Living in FL we don't have to battle the SNOW but having lived in NY for over 22 years I know what it's like! It's not always easy to get outdoors with little ones so here are a few easy and fun ways to have FUN at home.

1. Kids love MESS! Go ahead and whip out the paints/art supplies and let them create and get messy! Better yet - join in on the fun! You'll see how quickly the time passes while you create and share giggles.

2. Too cold to enjoy the snow outside? Bring some snow inside (or use insta-snow), put on some mittens and enjoy some snowy fun in the warmth of your own home! How can you beat that?

3. Pump up the Volume & DANCE, DANCE, DANCE! Kids love to boogie but it's even more fun when mom/dad join in! So go ahead and put on those dancing shoes & get jiggy with it! :)

4. Bake - Let the kids join you in the kitchen to create a yummy treat. It's a great way to teach important skills like pouring, measuring and following directions. Plus, you end up with a yummy reward for all that hard work!

5. Play! Break out the toys, board games, dress-up clothes, etc and just have FUN together. For kids, there is nothing better than time spent with you and the memories you create will last a lifetime.

Have Fun,

Bern

Colorful Footprint Penguins = Tickly, Messy FUN!

Books:

Activities: my camera battery died :( while we were working on the games so I ahve no pics of the games.  I have provided links for what we did as they were easy and fun penguin themed color games! I'll try and get pics and add them to the post.

1. Penguin Bow Tie Match Game - I found a cute Penguin Color Word Game via Making Learning Fun 

2. Roll and Color Dice Addition - Penguin Roll and Color Dice Game also came from Making Learning Fun

3. Colorful Footprint Penguins - In honor of PINK! the Lil Divas made colorful footprint penguins! What tickly, messy fun we had! There were definitely lots of Lil Diva giggles during this craft! :)

BTW, the pics taken during the feet painting was done by the Lil Divas themselves as I was busy painting little feet! I think they did a good job! :)

Here's What You'll Need:

1. Paint (whatever colors you want to use) - we used washable fingerpaint & it worked great & came right off with a wet washcloth

2. Paintbrushes - I used 1 for each color

3. Construction paper - for background

Here's What to Do:

1. Paint inner foot white - this will be the penguin's belly and face

2. Paint outer edge in desired color - for rest of the penguin's body 

3. Paint Big Toe Orange - this will be one foot 

4. Paint 3rd & 4th Toes Orange - this will be the 2nd foot 

5. Press Footprint onto Paper 

6. Paint thumb same color as body and apply to each side of the penguin's body - this will be the wings 

This is an example of what the painted footprint penguin will look like at this point

7. To finish the penguin add wiggly or paper eyes and an orange triangle cut out for the bill - you can also use markers and color them on

The Littlest Diva (3 yrs. old) wrote in the letter P's in the saying "P is for penguin" 

The Oldest Diva (5yrs. old) wrote it on her own with me spelling the words for her orally 

I just LOVE footprint & handprint crafts! Don't you?

Their feet won't always be this little and it's such a cute momento to save for later!

Enjoy,
Bern

P is for Penguin - Craft Time Fun

Today the Lil Divas practiced writing the letter Pp and put together a penguin from pieces I had cut out for them. It was fun to watch them fugure out where and how everything went together - like a puzzle!

Books:

Activities:

1. Do-A-Dot Letter P -  I got the Do-A-Dot P page from Confessions of a Homeschooler (we actually did this yesterday but I forgot to include it in the post so am adding it here)

2. Penguin Sticker P - the girls really enjoyed making the letter P using penguin stickers. It was cute and fun for them.

2. P is for Penguin Pp Writing Practice -  Pp Tracer Page courtesy of First School

3. Penguin Craft - I cut out the pieces and let the girls assemple the penguin (like a puzzle) and then glue it all together.

If you have any fun Penguin crafts or ideas be sure to share!

Enjoy,

Bern

Wordless Wednesday - Daddy's Lil Girl

P is for Penguin - Fun Penguin Math

We are currently exploring P is for Penguin. Who doesn't love those adorable, wobbly, flightless birds! We sure do!

Books:





Activity:
We did a fun math related activity to reinforce number recognition, number word recognition , counting and numeral writing for 1 thru 10.

Here's what you'll need:
1. Penguin Shapes - I bought a cute Penguin notepad at the Teacher Store to use during this theme. It was perfect for this activity. I took 10 penguin pages and numbered them from 1 thru 10 with both the numbers and number words
2. Goldfish Crackers
3. Number cards - for tracing

Here's What We Did:

1. I gave each lil Diva some goldfish and a stack of cards for tracing/writing numers 1 thru 10. The penguin pages were mixed up and stacked in between them.

2. The Lil Divas took turns turning over a penguin then identifying the numberand counting out the correct number of goldfish.



3. Each Lil Diva then had to find the correct number tracing card and practiced writing the number chosen.



4. After we went through all the mixed-up penguins we arranged them in order from 1-10!



There was lots of snacking along the way and tons of fun being had! It was a great activity!


Bern

Celebrate Dr. Seuss National Storytime Event - 2/26/11

If you have been around for awhile you know I LOVE reading, especially with my girls! I also love FREE kids events! Target is bringing these together for a very special event!

Who Reads? We Read! Dr. Seuss Storytime is a free storytime event taking place on 2/26/11 from 9-11am!

This wonderful event is sponsored by Target, Random House Children's Books and the NEA in support of the NEA's Read Across America.  Read Across America is the nation's largest celebration of children's reading and a fun way to honor Dr. Seuss's birthday.

BTW, Dr. Seuss's birthday is on March  2nd! If you have never visited Seussville.com - it's a great resource for all things Seuss! I highly recommend it!

Enjoy,
Bern

Young at Art

This weekend we took the girls to Young at Art Children's Museum in Davie, FL. The Lil Divas always have a great time there because it's so hands-on. I just love museums where they can touch, play, explore, create and learn. Don't you?

We always start off with the EarthWorks exhibit for some recycling fun! They also have a really cool musical alleyway and of course the girls fave - the landfill slide!! :)

 

Then we move on to the Global Village where there is so much to see, craft and do! This time the Lil Divas tried their hand at Japanese writing, played on the African Drums and made some Latin American Rag dolls!

 

Another favorite room/exhibit is Kenny's Closet (artist Kenny Scharf). This is a way cool psychedelic day-glo black light room. It is hard to take pics in there but believe me it is an experience!

The special exhibit (which changes every few months) currently on display is a great Tree House exhibit that we actually spent a lot of time in. There was lots to explore, build and learn about.



 

I really liked the crafts they had in this section and the Lil Divas made some beautiful art work using cardboard as the backdrop, twine, leaves, rocks and newspaper! I loved their ideas and I plan to display the finished products at home - they look so cute!

 

We always leave Young at Art with so many art projects and crafts that the Lil Divas have made during our visit. It was another wonderful visit to a fabulous place!

What are your fave "kid" places to visit with your kiddos?

Bern