Learning Vicariously

Quick Early December Activities

Emily — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:01:14 +0000

I haven’t been feeling great this week, so activities have been on the simple side.

Eloise traced a gingerbread man cookie cutter onto packing paper, I cut them out paper doll style, she decorated.

The classic Christmas paper chain.

Eloise has been loving all of the free Christmas themed pattern block mats from prekinders.com.

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Baby Snowman

Emily — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:51:16 +0000

Today was our first snowfall that stuck, so of course a first snowman of the year was a necessary activity. It was a small snowman for a small snowfall, with a baby carrot for a nose.

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More Shrink Plastic Ideas

Emily — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:16:44 +0000

These were done by me, but I couldn’t resist sharing for those with slightly older or more dexterous children than mine.. or those who have just as much fun with these projects as the kids do.

A traced coloring book page- Eloise squealed with delight when this one came out of the oven.

Folded and cut like a paper snowflake- the fold lines show a little, but mostly disappeared with cooking.

Has anyone else tried this project? Share yours with me!

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Thanksgiving Guided Writing

Emily — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:12:12 +0000

This is as quick and classic as the hand print turkey, and it’s a must to squeeze in this week. Ask a little one to finish the sentence, and write the first thing they say, without suggestions or prompting. What are your children thankful for?

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Busy Beads

Emily — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:12:07 +0000

It’s a good week for a mess free busywork craft. Beads and pipe cleaners are always a favorite here! Plan ahead with some ornaments, make some jewelery, or just start playing and see what happens.

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Apple Stamped Pumpkin Placecards

Emily — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:19:05 +0000

Eloise and I made Thanksgiving place cards last year using a fork speared apple slice and orange paint to stamp a little pumpkin shape onto each folded notecard. She drew crayon stems on each, and I wrote each family member’s name.

This year she remembered them, and wanted to use them again. My mother is much better than I am at saving things like these, and she still has all the cards from last year’s dinner. We recreated the project again today and made a card for Ira to match the rest, since he wasn’t with us just yet last year.

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Shrink Plastic

Emily — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:37:22 +0000

This was a project I had on my to-do list for months, just waiting for some #6 plastic to come along in the kitchen. Imagine my glee when I realized I had dozens of lids made of just the right stuff that had come with the foil bakeware I’ve been using to stock the freezer! #6 Plastic is typically found in clear, thin lids like these that come on takeout containers, and it’s what the infamous Shrinkydinks of the 80’s were made of.

I cut a flat piece, gave Eloise a quick lesson on the seriousness of a permanent marker, then let her have at it. I may pick up some colored Sharpies for future projects, but black worked for today. Ignore any small grooves in the plastic, as those will vanish in the shrinking process.

I cut a hole for hanging, then it went into the oven on a piece of foil at 350 degrees. We both watched with excitement as it curled up, shrank to a fraction of its previous size, and flattened back out again. The whole process takes only 60 seconds or so, and then it should be removed by an adult and pressed flat in the few seconds before it cools. It will then be not only smaller, but much thicker and harder, too.

These could be pendants, ornaments, gift tags, wine charms… I found myself making a few too many of my own once she had lost interest!

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Cranberry Finger Paint

Emily — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:54:57 +0000

Yesterday’s big batch of cranberries is cooked and canned for Thanksgiving and plenty of other winter meals. The natural gelled consistency it takes on makes me think of finger paint, so I spread some of the extra on freezer paper, and that’s what we did this morning- licking fingers encouraged!

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Cranberry Bog Sensory Table

Emily — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:56:28 +0000

While washing a bunch of fresh cranberries today, Eloise and I both noticed how much fun they were to play with in water. I put a couple bagfuls into a water filled dishpan for another Thanksgiving themed touch table, and we talked about how cranberries are harvested that way.

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Collage Art

Emily — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:34:28 +0000

Why yes, this is another completely preschooler directed project. Process over product!

She announced that she needed to decorate paper with “lots of collections”, and was intrigued to learn the collage process has a name- a name besides “Mama just cleaned out the depths of the art supply box”.

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