Math and Singing

I was working on my math activities measurement page today and a great song came on the tv kids music channel called Tall. It worked so well with my measurement page I went to go look it up. The video, plus a lot more by the artists called Milkshake, on YouTube. Check this one out! It is great when curriculum goes along with a song!

Find Big Trucks! (or other equipment)

Now this is not just for the boys... most kids love seeing big equipment in action. If there is construction going on near you, you can find some. Cranes are there when they put the roof on a house, roads are repaved, power trucks are fixing the wires. Big equipment is everywhere.

Take the time to drive around during the weekdays (mostly, unless you are in a big city) and try to find some construction. Pull over at a safe distance and either watch it from the car or get out if it is safe. We have stopped at a construction site for a shopping center and watched the crane move pipes. We also have a family member that has a crane and we have watched him lay trusses. Today, my dad has a tractor out working in his yard.

Always take advantage of the big trucks!

Kitchen Fun- Make Dog Treats

Many people ask for fun things to do in the kitchen with their preschooler. There are many kitchen activities that you can do. Most of them are even educational. Here is a great one... make home made dog treats!

Homemade dog treats: This is a great project to do with children relating to other living things.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1/2 cup oats, rolled (raw) -- quick cooking
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
Directions:
Cut in 1/3 cup shortening until mix is coarse crumbs. Stir in 1 egg. Dissolve 1 tablespoon instant chicken or beef bouillon granules in 1/2 cup water. Stir liquid into flour mix with a fork. Form dough into a ball and knead on floured board for 5 minutes. Divide ball in half and roll each portion until 1/2 inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or shape biscuits. Put 6 on a plate and microwave at medium for 5 to 10 minutes or until firm and dry to touch. Turn biscuits over after 1/2 cooking time.

For more exciting dog treat recipes, visit Bullwinklle.com.

Mapping With Your Preschooler

This idea was an inspiration from my preschooler. Always go with what they bring up or are interested in!

Today, he got out his magnet drawing board and told me he was going to draw the path to the Children's Museum. So we started talking about right, left, landmarks, and things that we would have to do to get there from our house. When we got in the car, we used words like right and left to try to help him grasp those concepts, especially because his mother is directionally challenged!
When we got to an intersection, he said, "We are not going to go right, because that is Walmart. We are not going to go left, because that is church. So we are going to go straight!" He was right.

Spatial concepts can be taught at any age! This also teaches them how to think!

Developing Creativity

Do you ever wonder what type of craft to do with your preschooler? Of course there are many websites with printable coloring sheets or complicated projects. Those are great for classrooms, but to truly develop your child's creativity, they need to be able to be creative. Most color and cut projects are great for following directions, but not so great on allowing a child to create what is in his heart!

The best way to do this is to give your child some materials and do not tell them what to do. This is difficult to do for most parents. We have been trained to want the "cookie cutter" projects that look beautiful, but are not really a representation of our child.

Gather together the crafts materials for home and pick a few to start with. Give them the liquid glue and don't worry if it becomes on big pile (that is a motor skill anyway). Give them some paper or old magazines and see what happens. Children will use what they understand developmentally and will use it how they understand it developmentally.

They may just surprise you!

Thanksgiving Lessons for Preschoolers

Teaching preschoolers to be thankful is a wonderful way to help them realize how fortunate we are and how much we should appreciate the things we have. You can do a simple thankful lesson by saying "I am thankful for my family." What are you thankful for? You will be amazed that it is probably not all toys and material things. Children can learn to be appreciative from all things.

And if you pray in your household, change these thankful statements to prayers of thanksgiving. Psalms 69:30 "I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." Remember to be thankful all times of the day, not just before dinner. This would be a great game to play in the car!

Being thankful should happen everyday, not just the 4th Thursday of November!

Preschoolers Need to Socialize

Preschoolers need friends. Moms that stay at home sometimes take the staying home literally! Your children need to get out and play with others. They even need to get away from the family and play by with their friends without you around.

Social development is important. Make sure your child is getting plenty of child related activities with friends of similar ages. Even if they go to preschool, find activities to do with friends outside of school. Playgroups, different classes, story time at the library, or even playing at the park can give your preschooler opportunities to play with others.

For some ideas on activities, visit Heartland Moms. It is a site for local moms and tells about some activities we have in our local area. You may not be able to participate, but it gives some ideas of what to look for in your area. Plus there are tons of tips for parents of children of all ages.