Summer Fun

     Family activities really seem to have taken over, this Summer. Every weekend for the last month, my family and I have been busy! We have been to family reunions, birthday parties, and even on a family vacation to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. When I thought I had just finished my laundry.... Wham Bam! I would be on another family adventure.

     The trip to Cali was rather long, especially for two little girls that are 2 and 4 years old. However, they did much better than I had imagined. We spent 3 glorious days in the most perfect weather--- it was not hot nor cold. We dedicated one day to each of our destinations-- Disneyland, Knott's, and the beach.

     My kids loved meeting Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy at Disneyland. They also enjoyed meeting Lucy and Linus at Knott's. They had a blast riding the rides, and enjoying some of the tasty treats at these theme parks too. My  favorite part was watching my kids running along the beach, playing in the cool sand, and collecting their many tiny seashells.

     It has been four days, since we got home. We are all still very tired, and worn out from the trip... but it was well worth it! If you have never been to these awesome places, I would highly recommend that you go. You'll have the time of your life. For those of you, who have been... What memories did you create?

Mommy & Me Luncheon

     Every Friday before Mother's Day, each year, I would invite my moms into my classroom. I would invite them to come join their children for snack time. The kids loved this, and always looked forward to having their mommies come spend some class time with them. If a child's mother wasn't readily available, I would always find another female to make that child feel comfortable.
     It has been a few years since I have taught my preschoolers. As a SAHM now, I want to be able to take my daughters out for a Mommy & Me Luncheon. My mom, her sisters and my grandma did this for years. They have even invited me to tag along a few times. It is a tradition that I want to pass down to my daughters, as I know that it does help keep a mother and daughter's relationship strong.
     

Playing Outside

     I am so glad that the weather has been so nice, lately. My kids and I have spent a lot of time outside, especially since we live so close to several parks. My daughters love going outside, and getting some much needed fresh air.

    
    Brooklee and Saydee enjoy finding different things around the park to add to their "collection". My girls collect rocks, pine cones, sticks and just about anything else that nature has to offer them. It is always fun to see what they will find.

     I have a few good reasons as to why I encourage my kids to find these things:

1) My kids like finding nature's gifts to us, like I had mentioned above.

2) It gives me a chance to teach my kids about the things that they have found.

3) It helps release some of their built up energy, by "getting their wiggles out".

     I would like to encourage parents and educators to take their kids out on a nature hunt, and talk about the things that have been found. Thanks for stopping, and seeing what my family and I have been up to.

Match the Shapes

     I am a big fan of matching games. Kids truly enjoy playing games. I especially love it when children can learn from the games that they play. Today, I have a Shape Matching Game to share. I placed basic shapes on this set, so preschoolers can begin to recognize their shapes. My suggestion is to review the names of each shape, before starting the game. Make sure each child recites the name of each shape that they turn over, while playing the game. That way, they can all learn the names of each shape.

If you have never played a matching game, here are some real simple instructions to follow.
1) Lay out your cards face down.
2) Turn one card over, and  then pick another card to try to make a match.
3) If there is no match, turn the cards back over. (If there are multiple players, it's the next person's turn to play)
4) If a match has been made, the player gets another turn.
5) Repeat the same steps, until all of the matches have been made.

 If you would like to download this matching game set, please remember:
* This printable is for personal use only.
*Please do not alter, resell, redistribute, or claim this printable as your own.
*If you would like to re-post this printable online, credit must be given to Mommy and Me Creations with a link back to my website.
** Please remember that this freebie is sole property of Mommy and Me Creations. I am sharing some love, all I ask that you send some back to me.

Download the Shape Matching Game

Also, Teaching Blog Addict is turning two. As most of you know, I too am a blog author of TBA. I cannot believe that this amazing website will soon be turning 2.  To celebrate, there will be an ultimate freebie celebration on April 5th.

This celebration will give educators a chance to link up their freebies.TBA will be hosting multiple link parties for the following grade levels:

- Preschool and Kindergarten
- 1st and 2nd Grade
- 3rd and 4th Grade
- 5th and 6th Grade

This will be a celebration that no one will want to miss out on. 

Dying Easter Eggs

     Dying Easter Eggs is one of my favorite Easter activities, and I am very proud to pass on this love to my daughters. With just the three of us, I usually use a box kit to dye my Easter Eggs. This year, I decided to use my classic DIY Easter Egg dye that I would use while teaching my preschoolers.

To dye eggs without an Easter Egg Dying Kit, you will need:

-Vinegar
-Water
-Eggs (Hard Boiled)
-Food Coloring
-Spoons and Cups (one for each color)
-Some Paper Towels

Step #1: Boil your eggs, and make sure to save your hot water from boiling.
Step #2: After the eggs have boiled, pull them out and place them nicely on a paper towel to dry.
Step #3: Pour 3/4 cup of boiling water into each cup.
Step #4: Pour 3 tablespoons of vinegar into each cup needed.
Step #5: Add approximately 10 drops of food coloring into each of their cups. (The more drops added to each cup, the more vibrant the color will be on each egg.)
Step #6: Place the eggs in their cups, and leave for a few minutes. (The longer the egg is in its cup, the darker the egg will become) Continually adjust your eggs using a spoon, this will help even the color around the egg.
Step #7: Once the egg has reached its desired color, pull it out and place it on a paper towel to dry.

     The best thing about this dye recipe is, crayon can be added to the egg to help resist the dye just like the typical Easter Egg Dying Kits that are sold in stores. This recipe definitely helps save a few dollars, but I have found it really helpful when dying eggs with multiple children. I have used this method several times, especially while teaching upwards of 25 children.
I wouldn't recommend dying Easter Eggs as a whole group activity, but I would most definitely suggest doing it in small groups for center time. That way, the teacher can monitor each child and clean up any mess before it "gets out of hand". I would also recommend having the children wear smocks, or old clothing sent from home. This will prevent their nice clothes from getting stained.

     Thanks for stopping by. Please let me know if you decide to do this activity with your kiddos, and how it turned out for you. I always enjoy hearing from you. Thanks again! 

Homemade Watercolor

     Painting is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, when you don't have any paint to use then an alternative must be used. My daughter and I ran into this same problem. Luckily, I remembered a quick watercolor recipe that  my mom used when I was younger. This recipe calls for water and food coloring, I have used liquid dish soap, in the past too. (It makes the paint  bubbly, and fun for kids to paint with). Needless to say, I used the dish soap with the water and food coloring. Brooklee loved it!

How I made my watercolor:

I pulled out 2 plastic cups, and poured a small amount of dish soap into each cup. I slowly added some water to the dish soap. I then asked Brooklee which colors she had wanted to paint with. She instantly picked pink and blue. I added a few drops of each color to their own cup, and then slowly stirred the color into each cup.

After the watercolor had been made, I handed Brooklee some paper and a paintbrush. She enjoyed painting, and seeing all of the bubbles in her watercolor.

The results looks just the same as the store bought watercolors that you find in the store. And it's cheaper! I would recommend anyone use this recipe, especially those who care for children.

Grocery Shopping with the Kiddos

We all know that grocery shopping with kids can be difficult, 

especially if you're shopping alone with the little ones. I have an idea that just might help!

Before going to the store, most of us will look through our sales ads. Why not cut out the items that you want to buy, and glue them onto some paper to make a "grocery list collage"? Make sure to make a list for each of your children, and then invite them to find those items listed on their grocery list at the store.

My 3 year old, Brooklee, loves to be "Mommy's helper". She enjoys putting groceries in the cart. Here is the last grocery list that I made especially for her.

My local grocery store has child sized carts. The last time we went shopping, we only needed to buy a couple of things so I let my daughter push one of them. She absolutely loved it! There were shoppers and clerks comment on how sweet it was to see such a cute little grocery shopper. Brooklee was smiling from ear to ear, and was so proud to help.If your grocery store offers these to their customers to use, I would suggest you let your kids push one around.

Homemade Puffy Paint Recipe

My 3 year old daughter, Brooklee, really enjoys being crafty. She can spend a lot of time coloring, painting, and drawing. Sometimes she gets tired of using crayons, markers, water colors, and colored pencils. For these times, I've set aside some amazing homemade paint recipes {that hardly cost anything!} to make especially for her.

Today, we made some of our homemade Puffy Paint. 

(the paint actually dries "puffy", leaving a 3D image)

To make some of your own, you will need:

- Flour 

-Salt

-Water

-Food Coloring

 -Scissors

 - Construction paper-- or any heavy paper

- Ziplock Baggies (1 baggie per color that you will want to use)

 

What you will need to do:

You will need to mix equal amounts of salt, flour, and water together. Divide the mixture into your Zip-lock baggies, then add a few drops of food coloring to each bag. Seal the baggies completely. Combine the flour/salt mixture with the food coloring by shaking each bag. Once the mixture has been colored, make a small cut in one of the bottom corners to help squeeze the mixture out to make a design on your construction paper.

Now that your design is done, set aside and let dry.

Simple Holiday Decorating

The other day, I ran into Kristine McKay {the host of "My Craft Studio"} at the mall. My husband and I were heading down the escalators, when I saw her heading in the same direction. I literally took a double take, because I could not believe my eyes. She was, of course, dressed nice and talking on her cell phone... and following us!! I whispered to my husband, "That's the lady I was talking to you about! She's on that online craft show, I always watch." I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do! I stood very still and looked on, while my husband stared at her. She finally hung up, and asked, "Do I know you?" That's what all started our small, but really fun conversation. Of course, she asked if I was a crafter too. I shyly answered with, "Yes", still amazed that I was even talking to her.  To be honest, I try to be crafty... but my OCD gets the best of me, every single stinkin' time. I have tons of craft ideas whirling around in my head, all of the time. I just don't act on them, for fear that I won't like the end result. I have to say, it is one of the most frustrating characteristics about myself.

Now, I try to stick to easier crafts that are much more desirable and fit my style. About seven months ago, I inherited a simple wooden wreath. The wreath itself is pretty, but it does look a lot better with a little something added to it. I decided that for each holiday, I would decorate it with a little something {from the dollar store} to match the corresponding holiday. Thus far; I have managed to decorate it for Christmas, Valentine's Day, and now for St. Patrick's Day. {I've found that I'm also saving money by reusing the same wreath... Instead of buying new for each holiday.} My wreath turns out surprisingly beautiful each holiday too. I am very proud of the progress that I've made. Now, I need to find something a little more challenging.

Here is my St. Patrick's Day wreath. Usually I put a little something hanging/sitting in the middle of the wreath,  but this time I wanted to focus on  the little shamrock vines "growing" around the wreath. This project was simple enough to allow my 3 year old to help me, which she absolutely loved doing! If you have a simple wreath laying around, I would suggest saving some extra cash and do the same thing!