Duck, Duck, Goose

Looking for a game to play with your preschoolers? Don't forget about an old favorite - Duck, Duck, Goose.

Duck, Duck, Goose
Ages 2 to 4
Also known as: Goose, Goose, Gander; Duck, Duck, Grey Duck; The Mush Pot; Peske (in the Czech Republic); Antoakyire (in Ghana)

Number of participants: Five or more

Length of time: As long as the kids are able to play, the game can continue

Background: This early version of Tag is especially good for younger children because there are only two kids running at the same time, preventing accidents and confusion.

Rules of the game:
First, choose one person to be It. Sit the kids down cross-legged in a circle facing each other. It walks around the outside of the circle, tapping each person on the head and labeling most of them Ducks. As soon as It taps a child and calls him a Goose, this player must get up and chase It around the circle. It has to try to get into the Goose's spot before that player tags him. If It does, then the goose becomes It and the game starts over. If the Goose tags It before he makes it safely onto the Goose's former spot, It must sit in the middle of the circle, called the mush pot, and the Goose becomes It in the next round. The child in the mush pot must stay there until another person is unfortunate enough to get caught. Then they trade places and the one in the mush pot can return to the circle while the other player takes his place.

Other ways to play it:
Not all games of Duck, Duck, Goose have a mush pot. In an alternate version, It simply stays It if he's caught, and the Goose returns to the circle.

source - babycenter

Fun-Filled Friday : Fall Theme

Welcome to this week's Fun-Filled Friday. Today the air is cooler, there is a nice breeze, and I have my back door open. As Moose A. Moose from Noggin sings, "I feel like I'm fallin' for fall." lol Sorry to get so silly. This is my favorite season and I'm glad to see it coming.

1. At Gayle's Preschool Rainbow you'll find cooking ideas, songs, poems, and crafts ideas. She also has links for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

2. Tooter 4 Kids has fingerplays, ideas for leaf rubbings, collage ideas, a flannel board story, and more.

3. First School provides themes such as candy corn, acorns, sunflowers, farming, dinosaurs, pumpkins, and scarecrows.

4. Shirley's Preschool has fall craft ideas, rhymes, activities, and recipes.

Well, that's all the links for today. It seems there are enough activities at these sites to keep you busy for at least a month. Enjoy!

Thought Provoking

"When we strive for effectiveness and let go of perfectionism, we can achieve excellence."
Beverly Clover

Did You Ever See a Red Bird?

Color song

Did You Ever See a Red Bird?

Did you ever see a red bird, a red bird, a red bird?

Did you ever see a red bird, and hear it go "chirp"?

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp.

Did you ever see a red bird, and hear it go "chirp"?

Continue with verses such as pink pig/oink, yellow duck/quack, brown cow/moo, gray cat/meow, green frog/ribbit, black dog/bark (or woof). Get the children involved by asking them for animals, colors, and sounds.

Color Story

It seems the theme has been color lately. To continue the theme, here is a story for you to complete with your preschooler(s).

Colors

The world is full of colors.

The coldest color I can think of is _____________________.

The warmest color I can think of is _____________________.

The softest color I can think of is _____________________.

The scariest color I can think of is ____________________.

When I think of yellow, I think of ______________________.

When I think of red, I think of _________________________.

When I think of blue, I think of ________________________.

When I think of green, I think of _______________________.

My favorite color for a house is ________________________.

My favorite color for a flower is _______________________.

The funniest color I can think of is ____________________.

The color that makes me the happiest is _________________.


From 1-2-3 Rhymes by Jean Warren

Kids Are Funny

Monday we were leaving the doctor's office and Alligator asked me something.

She said, "Mom when we get in the car, can we sing that song 'Holy, holy, holy'?" You know, the one, "We fall down, we lay our crayons . . ."

I said, "We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus?".

"Yes. That's the one."

I said, "And what are crowns?"

She said, "You know. The things you write with." And she wiggled her right hand like she was writing.

I explained that crowns were kind of like hats that you wear on your head and that crayons are for coloring.

She said, "Oh, ok."

hahahahahaahah

And we left and got into the van and sang,

We fall down, we lay our crowns at the feet of Jesus.
The greatness of, His mercy and love at the feet of Jesus.
We cry holy, holy, holy.
We cry holy, holy, holy.
We cry holy, holy, holy is the Lamb.

Hope you enjoy the video.

Playdough Recipe

If you've used homemade play dough before, then you probably like it better than the store bought kinds. I think that homemade play dough has a better texture and is softer, therefore easier for the kids to press and make things.

Here is a recipe for making your own play dough. When I was teaching the 2/3 year old class, we would multiply my recipe times 4 so that we had enough for at least 8 kids to play at one time. Also, each month we made a new batch of play dough to go along with our color of the month.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1/4 cup salt
• food coloring of choice

Mix all the ingredients, adding the food coloring last. Stir over medium heat until play dough has a smooth consistency. Remove play dough from the pan and allow to cool for a few minutes (we always put ours on an empty desk in the room away from the children). Knead until smooth. After it has cooled, place it in a plastic bag or airtight container to keep it soft.

I have made this recipe for my kids at home. The neighbor's girl also liked it so I made her a batch for her birthday. It keeps well in a ziploc bag or airtight plastic container. I made our playdough at least six months and it is still soft. My kids like it because it is easier to use than the store bought kind and it lasts longer. There are many other playdough recipes to try.

Enjoy!

The Preschool Express

My friend Karen sent me these pictures today of her daughter's train she made at preschool. This is a great activity to go along with colors and shapes. You can talk to your preschooler about the wheels of the train being made of circles and the train carts being made of rectanges. You can also discuss the colors of the train and the child gets to tell you their favorite color to complete the sentence. Of course, you should let your child assemble her train herself.

Color of the Month

When I was teaching a 2/3 preschool class, we would have a color, shape, and scripture for each month. Each day during circle time we would go over these things, sing songs, do fingerplays, and read stories to go along with our weekly themes.

Here are some suggestions for color of the month:

September - blue

October - orange

November - brown

December - red

January - black or white

February - pink

March - green

April - yellow

May - purple

Update: The color mat has been removed from Pre-K pages.

Thought for Today

Sorry that I did not post the Fun-Filled Friday. Friday is kind of a blur right now. Saturday morning I woke up with a horrible headache and was in the bed for half the day. Now it's 1 a.m. and I just finished cooking for the church dinner tomorrow.

I would like to leave you with a scripture. I was listening to my friend tonight and reminded her of this verse:

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:4

I'm sure these words of wisdom are applicable to mothers as well.

Crayola Facts

Since I just posted two color songs, I thought I'd give you some Crayola facts.

From its earliest beginnings, Crayola has been a color company. We came into
being when cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith took over Edwin’s father’s
pigment business in 1885. More than 120 years later, color – along with
creativity, learning and most of all, fun – is the hallmark of our
company.
Crayola has called Easton, Pennsylvania its home since the early
1900s. Today, the company’s world headquarters and major manufacturing
facilities are located there. And downtown Easton is the home of The Crayola
FACTORY® , a one-of-a-kind celebration of creative fun for everyone!
In 1984, Crayola became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards and has since played the lead role in Hallmark’s personal development strategies.

source

Color Hokey-Pokey

You put blue in, You take blue out,
You put blue in, and you shake it all about.
You do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about!

Repeat, naming a different color each time.

Try this: To make the song/game a little more interesting, find some objects with the colors you're singing about. Give one to each student and let them use the object when it's their turn. If you're at home with your child, then you can get them to help you find the object with the color and then sing about the color.

Color Song

My daughter came home from preschool today with this song. I figured I'd better post it before I lose the paper.

Tune: I've Been Working on the Railroad

Red is the color for an apple to eat.
Red is the color for cherries, too.
Red is the color for strawberries,
I like red, don't you?

Blue is the color for the big blue sky.
Blue is the color for baby things, too.
Blue is the color of my sister's eyes,
I like blue, don't you?

Yellow is the color for the great big sun.
Yellow is the color for lemonade, too.
Yellow is the color of a baby chick,
I like yellow, don't you?

Green is the color for the leaves on the trees.
Green is the color for the green peas, too.
Green is the color of a watermelon,
I like green, don't you?

Orange is the color for oranges.
Orange is the color for carrots, too.
Orange is the color of a jack-o-lantern,
I like orange, don't you?

Purple is the color for a bunch of grapes.
Purple is the color for grape juice, too.
Purple is the color for a violet,
I like purple, don't you?

Kid Recipe: Animal Crackers

Animal Crackers
serves 8

1) Grind 1/2 cup oatmeal in blender until fine.
2) In a bowl with the oatmeal, add 2 teaspoons honey, 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup flour, and 1/4 teaspoon soda. Stir.
3) Cut in 1/4 cup softened butter.
4) Add 4 tablespoons buttermilk and stir.
5) Roll mixture until very thin. Cut with animal cookie cutters.
6) Bake at 400 degrees until brown for 10-12 minutes.

Extra:
1) Make up a story about the animal crackers you made.
2) Make one cracker in the shape of Aa.

Recipe from Kinder-Krunchies.

Is it Friday Yet?

Child Proof Drawer

I thought this was funny and wanted to pass it along.

Fun-Filled Friday

The rain has finally come. We have been praying for weeks for rain. We woke up this morning, looked out the window, and were glad to see it here. I know we've already received a few inches.

Since it's raining, I thought it would be a good day to list things to do when you're stuck inside. Don't forget to hang on to this list for the cold and winter days that are coming. Enjoy!

1. Let your kids play in the rain (if it's safe). My kids put on their raincoats today and played outside. They had a great time.
2. Family Education has a wealth of ideas for rainy days. They have games, activities, house helpers, and imagination games. I'll be visiting this site again, that's for sure!
3. Health Guidance has a list of fun indoor activities. Their suggestion of a camp out in the living room brings back childhood memories. It was so excited when my mom would hang a sheet over some chairs. Sometimes it's the little things.
4. Littlies says, "When it's raining, it's pouring. It doesn't have to be boring." They're right. Check out their indoor ideas.
5. Don't forget to stop by Printables 4 Kids. Charlene always has coloring pages and printable activities for your children.

We Had a Happy Day

Here's another song to make the preschool transition an easier one. When I was teaching a 2/3 year old class, we would sing this at the end of the day before we dismissed.

We Had a Happy Day
tune of The Farmer in the Dell

We had a happy day.
We had a happy day.
We played, we sang, we had some fun.
We had a happy day.

Of course, you could change the words around, especially the ones in line 3, to fit what you did that day.

I Like to Go to School

I learned this song about four years ago when I started teaching preschool. In my opinion, this song helps children settle in quicker since they're singing about what a good time they have while they're at school. If ever I saw that someone was a little sad or seemed like they didn't want to be at school, this song would usually cheer them up. Enjoy!

I Like to Go to School
Tune of The Farmer in the Dell

I like to go to school. I like to go to school.
Hi-ho the derry-o. I like to go to school.

2. I like to play with friends.
3. I like to sing new songs.

There are many other verses that you could make up to go with this. You could sing, "I like to play outside". My 4-year-old has started making up her own verses such as "I like to eat breakfast", "I like to eat lunch". There are many possibilities.

Fun-Filled Friday

I just dawned on me that it is Friday. lol Here are some great Fun Friday links. Enjoy!

Kid Printables has stickers that you can print. There are 16 sheets to choose from.

Lisa gives us an ideas for kids making their own wrapping paper. You can find this at Kids Love Christmas. It's September and Christmas will be here before we know it.

My kids just love Max & Ruby. Here is a recipe for Max & Ruby's Apple Crumble. Sounds like a great way to get the kids excited about cooking and for them to eat some fruit. Oh great, now I have the Max & Ruby song in my head. lol

Here's another Max & Ruby recipe. Max's Frozen Strawberry Treats sound great for these hot days of summer we have left.

Family Fun offers a family movie guide. You may want to check this out before renting movies.

Please let me know about any fun links you find. I'm always looking for more! Have a great weekend!

The Duties of a Housewife

This week I wrote about what to do When the Kids Are in School. Revka sent me a link to this great article about the Duties of a Housewife. I think they both go well together.

When the Kids are in School

I read this article today by Jill Savage and thought it was great. It's called You're Still At Home and Your Children Are in School. Many of you have children that are in school. A lot of times our jobs as mothers gets out of perspective. Some of your peers may not value the time and care that you give to your children. Here is an article to remind you of your calling.

Look at Jill Savage's book book here.

What do you do when the kids are in school?

Happy Labor Day!

I trust that you are having a good labor day. We had to take Alligator to 2 doctor appointments today. She had her 4-year-old check-up today. I am so glad that DH was off from work to help out with Cuddlebug while I was talking with the doctor and also with Alligator while she was getting her shots. Oh, the drama from the shots!!!! lol

I found this beautiful video today on Faith. Thought you might want to take a look. The pictures and music are beautiful. Click here.

What kinds of activities are you enjoying today?