2010 June | No Time For Flash Cards

Archive for June 2010

She’s Here !

June 24, 2010

We welcomed our sweet baby girl into the world at 6 am this morning, June 24th . Now it’s time to bond, nurse, snuggle, nurse and change a lot of diapers which my son has promised me he is planning on helping with. While we fall in love with being a family of four we will be taking a few days off, but I have scheduled some great posts to keep you all busy.

Posted in Crafts |

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Fourth of July Crafts

June 23, 2010

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Cupcake Liner Fireworks

Sponge Painted Flag

Red White and Blue Sensory Tub

Patriotic Rice Crispie Treats

Flag Place Mat

Patriotic Cupcakes

Red White and Blue Playdough

Posted in Age 2-3 years, Age 3-5 years, Age 5 and older, Crafts, Fourth of July |

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Sensory Alphabet Activities

June 22, 2010

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by Katy

One of the best ways to help a child learn is to have them use more than one sense at the same time. I’m guessing that’s one of the reasons why Allie is so passionate about doing crafts with kids–all kinds of senses are engaged, which makes learning easier and also fun. It can be hard, though, when your child has issues that prevent them from participating in crafts. Today I’m sharing three ways to do the alphabet with kids with limited motor skills although I think they would be fun for all kids.

Alphabet Stamps

I bought a pack of foam letters at Walmart for one dollar and turned them into two activities. First, I used them as stamps and let Charlie stamp on a sheet of paper. As we’re stamping out the letter, it’s good to name it and tell your child the sound it makes.

I then took the foam pieces and glued them to a piece of cardboard to make an alphabet puzzle. Since Charlie’s aim is rough, I put all the letters in and then let him pull them out. I let him decided which letter looked good and then I would again, name the letter he was touching and say it’s sound aloud.

Big Letters

This activity is also great for improving fine motor skills–I don’t completely understand the relationship between big motions and improving fine motor, but multiple therapists have told me this, so I’m going to believe them. Take a sheet of paper and put it up on your refrigerator. Give your child a crayon or marker and help them make BIG letters on the paper. I found that Charlie was able to make some c-like motions, which is pretty impressive for him. Children with poor neck control often do better when activities are propped up in front of them because it requires less head control.

Sugar Writing

You can also use sand, but sugar is easier for me to find. Pour about half a cup of sugar into a baking pan. If you can find one with a dark finish, then that will work great. Help your child form letters in the sugar with their fingers. This was probably Charlie’s favorite activity of the bunch–probably because it was one of the few that he was allowed to taste!

As always, don’t be discouraged if you try and activity and your child doesn’t like it. All children are picky and special needs kids can often be intimidated by new experiences. Experiment with different ideas, try activities multiple times, and remember that not every activity is going to be a hit.

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Katy is a mom of one who loves art, mystery novels, and anything involving peanut butter–she blogs about raising her little miracle at Bird on the Street.

Posted in 5 senses, Age 2-3 years, Age 3-5 years, Age Under 2 years, Alphabet activities, Katy, Sense of Touch, Sensory Activities, Special Needs, Stamping, Writing Activities |

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Paint Sample Flowers

June 21, 2010

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Now that school is out for most of you I have been brainstorming crafts that are a little more challenging but that can be adapted for younger kids as well. This was fun to make and by no means do you or your child have to make flowers, the sky is the limit with these fun vibrant colors. Also you can take this opportunity to talk about shades and hues ! Don’t miss the matching activity after the craft for younger kids either!

Gather your materials. You will need some paint samples, scissors, paper and glue.
Start by deciding what to create, or deciding to make an abstract creation.
I started with some grass and glued it on my paper.
Next I made flower stems and leaves, and added them.
Time for some pretty colors, I chose to make pink and purple flowers.
Cut out the petals and glued them on.
Now was the more creative part – the “extras” I decided to make some clouds with a dusty blue.
Then my favorite a butterfly!
As it dries the glue will stick but the paint samples will pull away some. I personally LOVE this, I like how 3 dimensional it makes the craft. If you don’t like this just pop a piece of wax peper over it and lay a heavy book on top for a few hours.

Paint Color Match

This activity is not just a color match it’s also a wonderful fine motor challenge for toddlers and preschoolers.
Here are the instructions.

Posted in Age 3-5 years, Age 5 and older, Age 8 and older, Collages, Color recognition, Crafts, Flower, Flower art, Paint Sample Art |

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Summer Reading Challenge Reminder!

June 20, 2010

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So far we have read over 3000 books!! That is amazing I can’t wait to see our grand total at the end of the summer.

Time to get in your forms. List all the books you have read ( at least 10!) with your child this week , fill in this form and you will be entered to win a copy of my eBook Alphabet Crafts as well as get an entry for the end of summer Amazon.com gift card giveaway. To be included in this week’s contest you need to fill the form out before 12am( that’s midnight tonight) on Monday June 21sr PDT.

Need more info? Check out the details.

Posted in Summer Reading |

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