Letter T
Tree T !
So this was not quite what I imagined in my perfectly optimistic head, but my son liked it, after doing it we were reading a book that had trees in it and he said “Look mama, T for Tree!” I wanted to make it from mostly recycled materials, to stick with the Earth Day theme we will be doing all week. Below I have linked a reader submitted spring tree craft that would be a great add on to this activity!
- Gather your materials. You will need a cardboard egg carton, green and brown paint, glue, scissors, a marker and a large piece of construction paper.
- Start by drawing a large T on your paper.
- Cut a long piece of the cardboard off the top of the egg carton for the trunk.
- Paint the trunk brown
- Paint the bottom of the egg carton green, for older kids I would cut them before painting, but little guys need to have a larger object to paint.
- Let the paint dry.
- When the paint is dry enough to handle cut the egg carton into “Leaves” aka smaller pieces.
- grab the glue and add glue to the bottom of the T
- Add the painted trunk
- Add glue to the top
- Add the egg carton leaves.
- Let dry.
Books!
” the alphabet tree” by Leo Lionni is a stunning book. The book is all about letters that come together to make words and then after a caterpillar informs them that they need to say something they join together to make sentences. Up to this point the book is a brilliant teaching tool , but for me the best part is yet to come. When the words get together they decide to say ” Peace on earth goodwill toward all men” and then the caterpillar asks them to jump on his back so he can take the words to the president . Considering it was written in 1968 it’s quite the statement. A fantastic activity to do with your child after reading this would be to ask them what they would write to the president ? For younger children using letters on leaves you could spell out easy 3 letter words like they do early on in the story. All in all a brilliant book.
“Chicka Chicka abc“ by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault is a favorite. A lot of parents are familiar with Chicka Chicka Boom Boom but not this shorter board book version that is perfect for young toddlers . I started my son with this one and moved on to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom at about 2. The colors are so bright even the youngest of babies will like it and the rhythm of the text will keep toddlers going too!
“Up , Up, Down” by Robert Munsch is a cute and funny story about a little girl who climbs and climbs and falls and falls! She decides to climb to the very top of the tree. This time she doesn’t fall and doesn’t come down until it’s time to lecture her parents withe their own words. Kids love this book, it’s silly , it’s about climbing and has giant band aids in it, what kid wouldn’t love it?
Additional Activity
Sent In By You
Sent In By You
Isn’t this beautiful?
Bring a little of the outdoors in , and reuse bubble wrap with this adorable spring bud craft !
Pop over to The Entertaining House for the full how to.
Tower of T !
We eat a lot of cereal at our house, so when I saw both of these boxes waiting to go out to the recycling I started to play with them to see what I could make, I stacked them on each other and my son exclaimed , T ! So that’s exactly what we are going to make , a big T !
- Gather your materials. You will need 2 cereal or similar sized boxes, some wrapping paper or other large pieces of paper,tape ,glue, scissors and some paint and some fun paintbrushes!
- Before sitting your child down , wrap the boxes in the paper
, make sure it’s inside out, so they have a blank canvas to paint on. I use old wrapping paper I am sick of but anything will do.
- Start painting. I am having my son paint the boxes with this fun brush . When I have larger projects to paint I try to use novel brushes to keep him interested. Toddlers and young preschoolers are notoriously fickle, one day they love painting , the next it’s a no go. With novel brushes like this one , my chances are good that the activity will be a hit.
- Add a second color. Keep Painting!
- Paint the second box. Feel free to do whatever you like, you can even use markers or cover it in stickers! Let both boxes dry.
- Glue them together
Let dry upside down for a few hours, we ran errands, had nap and then it was perfect!
Letter Discovery Box!
The point of a discovery box is to introduce things to your child with a sense of discovery, it makes them feel like they found it. When they pull an object out of the box, ask them what it is, add in that that starts with the letter of the week! Enthusiasm counts, so get excited and they will be too!All you need is a box and some household things. toys that begin with the letter and if you have any magnetic or foam letters grab those too!To make it harder for older kids you can add in things that do not start with the letter of the week and ask them to decide and make two piles!
Song!
I’m A Little Tea Pot !
I’m a little tea pot,
short and stout,
here is my handle,
here is my spout!
When I get all steamed up,
hear me shout;
” Tip me over, and pour me out!”
Book!
” Alphabet City” by Stephen T. Johnson is a fascinating take on an alphabet book. The alphabet is found in different places in the city, like a fire escape, and the rose window of a church. Children love trying to find the letters and adults will too! The most amazing part of this book is that the pictures are actually illustrations, they look crisp and clear like photographs but aren’t. Awesome , Amazing and definitely worth checking out!
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