Archive for May 2009
We had frozen Pizza the other night and I kept the cardboard it came on to reuse it for something fun. We’ve made a shape pizza already so today we decided on a letter pizza. Good move. We had fun and this activity is so easy to adapt for any skill you are focusing on. Numbers, letters , even sight words could work!
- Gather your materials. You will need a round piece of cardboard ( paper will work fine!), some red, green and beige construction paper, scissors, glue , paint, a paint brush and a marker. Oh and a paper punch for the circles if you are as bad at cutting circles as I am.
- Start by cutting out 26 small red paper pepperoni slices.
- Write the alphabet on them. If your child is able to have them write the letters. Set aside.
- Invite your little artist to paint the crust,
we used orange paint but there is no rule, your pizza can be purple, or green or whatever color feels right! Also a quick tip using sponge brushes like the one we are using is a great way of getting only a little paint on things. Perfect for toddlers. However if they are still putting things in their mouth, skip em, they can be bitten off and pose a chocking hazard. - While they are painting, cut out some toppings we did cheese
and green peppers even though ours look like little pickles !
- Next add the glue
- Add your toppings.
- Next add more glue, I dotted it around the whole pizza.
- Add our letter pepperoni .
Take time to ask your child what letter they are putting on, which is their favorite and what happens if they turn it upside down? If they respond well to you asking them keep going, if they want to be left in peace, chill out and let them soak it in themselves. - Let dry.
Books!
“Did Dinosaurs Eat Pizza?” by Lenny Hort has nothing to do with pizza after the first page. However it’s a fantastic book about what we don’t know about dinosaurs. A wonderful introduction for our smallest paleontologists about scientific theories. I did try to read this with my 2 year old and it was partially a success. The illustrations by John O’Brien are so well done that for a child who isn’t into the text, they are still entertained. My son was so into the illustrations that I stopped reading the words out loud . He had so many questions about the pictures, and wanted me to see all the fun things he was seeing. The book itself would be great for 4 and up, but if you have a little dinosaur lover I would try it younger , why not?
” The Little Red Hen Makes A Pizza” by Philomen Sturges is a great retelling of the classic story. Kids will be able to relate to this hen not getting any help for all her hard work. Luckily her friends realize their mistake and do the dishes after she shares her yummy pizza. Since originally recommending this book it’s made a move from the bookshelf to the dresser pile of books that are in rotation for before nap and bedtime reading. A sure sign it’s kid approved!
To celebrate this we asking you to share your favorite book with us. I have comments closed because I want you to email the title, author and why it’s your favorite. Submissions along with a link to your blog will be posted in my regular book list post on Saturday.
I am excited to find some new books and see some familiar titles too!
- Gather your materials. You will need a paper grocery bag or large piece of paper, paint, a brush or roller, 2 googly eyes, some different color foam , a plate for paint, scissors and glue.
- Cut open the bag so it’s a one long piece and draw a snake. I taped it right to the table.
- Start by choosing your paint colors, I was itching for my son to pick something bright but he chose brown and orange- and I am so happy he did I think it looks great. Pour both colors into a plate.
- Start painting.
- While your child is painting ( or before you start if that works better for you) ask your child what shapes they want to put on the snake, or decide yourself if they are too young. Cut large pieces for little guys that are still mouthing things. We don’t want anyone to choke!
- Time to glue the pieces on! I put the glue on in dots all along the snake.
- Cover each glue dot with a shape. Older children should be doing a pattern !
- While they are adding the shapes, cut out a tongue from red foam.
- Add the eyes and tongue.
- Let dry and cut out!
” Hide and Snake” by Keith Baker is a fantastic book for a wide range of ages. The story follows a snake that hides in multi colored places. It is not too easy to find the snake , but easy enough that this won’t frustrate your child. With older children this book can open a dialog about camouflage and how snakes use it for protection and hunting. Younger children love books likes these because they can stay “busy” while you read the fun rhyming text.
“The Sea Serpent and Me” by Dashka Slater is a sweet dreamy book. A little girl finds a sea serpent in her bath tub and they become friends all the while knowing he belongs in the sea. She promises to take him back but they keep finding reasons to wait. When they do finally go and he returns to the sea you can’t help but get a little lump in your throat remembering all those times you have had to say goodbye even though you didn’t really want to. The illustrations by Catia Chien make the whole book feel like a dream.
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“My Mom” by Anthony Browne made me giggle. It’s a cute book narrated by a child who is listing off all the wonderful things about his or her mom. With every turn of the page a new fantastic skill or talent is revealed my favorite was the exclamation that she is “The strongest woman in the world” which was paired with a great illustration of her carrying bags and bags of groceries. The narrator tells us that his/her mom could do anything but instead she is his mom. Which no matter what we moms do is exactly how our kids will and should see us.
“Mama Do You Love Me?” by Barbara M. Joosse is a well loved book. I have read it many times but never reviewed it. There are a lot of books about children testing their mom’s unconditional love but this one stands out for me. In it the little girl seems to go out of her way to aggravate her mom and really test her love. The mother is fantastic because she isn’t gushy or sickeningly sweet, she says she would get angry , worried, sad depending on what her daughter tests her with. However after each honest answer she follows it up with how she will always love her. Kids need to know even if they make us sad or angry it doesn’t change the depth of our love for them.
“Where Is Baby’s Mommy” by Karen Katz is the perfect book for your tinest book lover. It is bright, cheery and will grow with your child from the first few months through toddlerhood. The story is simple, a baby and mom are playing hide and seek, you play along with them by lifting the flaps to reveal where mommy is !
“Someday” by Alison McGhee was suggested by a reader and I can see why. It’s a sweet story probably a little more for grown daughters and mother’s than children but they will like it too. The book opens with a mom and a baby, the baby grows into a child and then continues on with the mother’s hopes for what her daughter will experience someday. Some are good, some are sad but all are things that we all must face as we grow older. This would be a great gift for your mom!
“A Chair For My Mother” by Vera B. Williams is another classic mom book and it deserves to be called that. A sweet story that includes 3 generations of women who are all working hard to save money to replace furniture lost in a fire. The comfy chair they are planning to buy really represents the comfort and safety they are trying to rebuild in their new home after such tragedy. I love the sense of collective good in this family, in our “Me me me !” world I like seeing books like this.
“Mama Always Comes Home” by Karma Wilson was a last minute grab at the library that I am so thankful I saw. It starts off with animal mother’s leaving their babies, for all different reasons . A bird gathering food, a dog greeting his master and more. The animal mothers leave, but they also always return to their babies. Then it switches to a child and mother. She reassures the child that she will be back and we watch her leave, and return . I loved this book because my son isn’t the best when I leave him, he related to this book immediately and was repeating ” Mama always comes home!” half way through.
Baking with Toddlers
Baking is a great tool for teaching toddlers about the senses. Kids can touch, smell, taste, see and even hear things while baking and cooking. However lately baking hasn’t been as much fun at our house . A certain 2 year old demands to use the mixer, and not in a safe way. When I say no, the theatrics start and the fun we were having comes to an end. So instead of giving up making cookies all together I came to a compromise, so we can keep learning and having fun.
- Be realistic about your expectations, taste testing is pretty much guaranteed no matter how many times you ask them not to.
- I use pre- mixed dough. I like store bought because I am irrationally terrified of salmonella, and I know my son will taste test , as will I. If your toddler and you can happily do the steps of making your own dough, by all means do. There are great lessons about measurement that come from that step.
- Skip steps your child has had issues with in the past- don’t give them up forever just for now. For us this means no mixer, I’ll try again soon but not yet. It may be touching a hot stove that is a trouble spot for you, in that case focus on the mixing and bake after your child is in bed for nap or the night. Small adjustments can be made to keep having fun.
- Put the premixed dough into a bowl and have your child mix it up, feel it and knead it.
- Add fun things into the pre-made dough.
This adds a step of mixing that can be done by hand, without a huge mess. I have added candies to sugar cookies, chocolate chips to peanut butter, dried fruit to oatmeal and in these pictures my son is adding toffee bits and chopped pecans to chocolate chip dough. - Allow your child to roll the dough into balls with their hands, use the rolling pin or cookie cutters!
- Do not bake with your toddler when you NEED to have 3 dozen cookies for a bake sale or church party. The stress of making enough cookies may be too much if a bowl gets knocked over, or too much dough gets eaten.
- After you bake enjoy your cookies and ask your child to tell you how they did that, you’ll be impressed with how well young kids can recount the steps you followed.
