Archive for May 2009
- Gather your materials. You will need 2 pieces of construction paper, some markers, 5 colors of foam ( more construction paper would work too), glue and scissors.
- Start by drawing a large X on one piece of construction paper.
- Have your child color it if they want. The audience of garbage trucks is optional.
- While they are coloring cut out 4 strips of foam, each slightly smaller then the previous.
- Cut out small squares of foam – please skip this if you have a young toddler who still likes to eat things.** you should cut out your X here, I had a momentary lapse and forgot, trust me it’s easier if you do it now, glue it onto your 2nd piece of paper.
- Add 4 long lines of glue
- Add your foam bars
- Add dots of glue on each end of each bar
- Add the tiny foam squares.
- Let dry.
* If desired you can make small mallets and glue them in the extra space of the X. I had them cut out but as you may be able to see in some pictures, my son had his garbage trucks watching art time and ready to go. At this point was more into filling them with foam scraps than doing any more art.
“Meet The Orchestra” by Ann Hayes is a good resource for teaching about musical instruments. The book goes through many instruments found in an orchestra with a sizable description for each. Animals are used for the musicians and my son thought that was funny and actually learned a bit about them as well. It was really too long for us to sit and read cover to cover but it’s easy to break up and read one or two instruments at a time if it’s too much for your child in one sitting. Also there is some figurative language that young kids will not get at all. Helpful for teaching but I don’t expect it to become a favorite to snuggle up with.
“Zin Zin Zin ! A Violin” by Lloyd Moss is a big hit at our house and if you have a child into music or musical instruments this is a great book. You count the instruments as they come on stage for a performance and not only is this a great counting book, but it introduced musical instruments in it’s rhyming text and super fun pictures. I am biased though my little man is really really into instruments and loves this book. The day we bought it I had to sit in the back with him on the way home from the bookstore because he couldn’t wait to read it .
Additional Alphabet Activity
Lacing Card
Also don’t forget to check me out at
FamilyEducation.com
When I sat down and looked at my blog roll like I do every Saturday I wasn’t sure who I was going to spotlight this week. I have so many great blogs to choose from. Then I scrolled down and saw Feels Like Home and my mind was made up.
What I enjoy so much about this blog is that there is no pretense, the homespun advice comes from the heart. The recipes are tested and aren’t always perfect and it doesn’t hurt that she can really write. There is all sorts of advice for the home, from raising kids to making the perfect pierogies. It’s a pleasure to read, and you will leave hungry for more , trust me !
Sing a song of sixpence
a pocketful of rye
four and twenty blackbirds
baked in a pie.
When the pie was open
the birds began to sing
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
to set before a king?
The king was in his counting house
counting all his money.
The queen was in the parlour
eating bread with honey.
The maid was in the garden
hanging out the clothes
and down came a blackbird
and snatched off her nose.
You naughty, naughty bird
I need my little nose
to smell all the soapsuds
when I was the clothes.
I’ll get a sugar cookie
and hang it on the tree
if you will find my little nose
and bring it back to me.
“All by Myself” by Ivan Bates is a sweet book about a little elephant exerting her independence. Sound familiar? It might if you have a toddler or preschooler close by! My husband and I laughed so hard when I found this at the Goodwill , just minutes before my son had proclaimed ” I do it” very loudly for all to hear. The story is great though because although the little elephant wants to do it herself, she can’t . Like many of the tasks young children desire to do independently , she simply can’t do it without help. Her mom backs off though until her daughter is ready to use a little old fashion teamwork to get it done.
“My Little Sister Ate One Hare” by Bill Grossman is a huge hit at our house. It’s a counting book that counts all the disgusting things the narrator’s sister ate from 1-10 . The rhyming text builds and repeats as she eats and eats! My son was thoroughly entertained and I liked that he was having fun pointing out and counting the things she ate.
“Everybody Bonjours!” by Leslie Kimmelman was such a find! I adore Paris so my review of this book may be slightly biased. I love it. I love the simplicity of a little girl going to Paris and saying hearing “Bonjour” everywhere she goes. She stops at many of the major tourists attractions and at the end of the story there is a short guide for the sights she sees with her family. Also it should be noted that there are many pages that contain opposites on them so children will enjoy being able to anticipate the story. I love the illustrations by Sarah McMenemy they give a retro feel to a very cute book. My son really liked it especially since he was just learning “Bonjour” the other day and happily helped me say it with each turn of the page.
“James and The Rain” by Karla Kushkin is another great find. The story is about James who suits up when the rains comes down and goes about asking all the animals if they like the rain and what they do in it. Like “My Little Sister Ate One Hare” the story builds with numbers as it goes along. The first animal James meets is one cow, the next are 2 ducks and the numbers continue to grow. All the animals follow James and he has quite the entourage by the time he returns home. It was a little long for my son to sit through but he did come back to read more later in the day. Being that was live in a rainy part of the world, this book is a great fit for our library.
