More Than Colors

My son brought home a bag of goodies from preschool this week. Inside were things he had made and gifts from his teacher. One of the gifts was a baggie of M&Ms with a poem inside, "More Than Colors".

More Than Colors

These special little candies,

Come in colors bright and fun.

There's more than color to be found;

A Story of God's Son.

The M's turn into W's,

If you turn them upside down.

A few more turns and E and 3's

Are waiting to be found.

M is for the manger,

Where Mary laid her precious boy.

Little did the world know,

This boy would bring great joy.

The W is for the Wise men,

Who followed a bright star.

The star revealed a king was born,

They came but, oh, so far.

In Bethlehem they found Him,
Just as they had been told.

3 is for the gifts they brought;

Frankincense, myrrh, and gold.

W is also for their worship.

As they bowed before their King,

Salvation is the promise given,

There's nothing we can bring.

Faith along is how we come

He died to set us free

E is for eternity

God's gift to you and me.

~Barbara Hooks

You could print this on some nice stationery or print it on colored paper and cut around it with scalloped scissors. This would be a nice addition to a simple gift.

Be sure to check other Christmas ideas from the archives.

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110 High-Frequency First Grade Words, R-Z

This is the final post for the list of 110 1st grade frequency words. Don't forget to check out the a-g words and h-q words.

rain

ride

said

saw

school

see

she

sister

some

talk

teacher

tell

that

the

them

there

they

thing

this

to

up

us

very

want

was

we

went

what

when

where

who

why

will

with

won't

you

your

zoo

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110 High-Frequency First Grade Words, H-Q

This is part two of the high-frequency words for first grade. Also, check out the A-G words.

had
has
have
he
her
here
him
his
house
how
I
in
is
it
jump
kick
like
little
look
made
make
me
my
new
nice
night
no
not
of
off
old
on
out
over
people
play
pretty
quit

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110 High-Frequency First Grade Words, A-G

Here is the list of 110 high-frequency words for first grade. I can't figure out how to put this into columns, so in order to avoid a super long list, I'll break this up into three posts.

after
all
am
and
animal
are
at
be
because
best
big
boy
brother
but
can
can't
car
children
come
day
did
do
down
eat
favorite
for
friend
from
fun
get
girl
give
go
good

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Review and Giveaway: Tiny Baby Jesus

Tiny feet of Jesus,
kicking up a storm.
Angels circling round his bed
keep him safe and warm.
Now those feet are bigger,
walking on the sea,
leaving us his footsteps, saying,
"Come and follow me!"

When we celebrate Christmas at our house, we don't simply celebrate the birth of Jesus. There is more to the story and to the eternal hope that we have through the death and resurrection of our Lord. For this reason, I was pleased to review Tiny Baby Jesus.

While reading Tiny Baby Jesus together this Christmas season, children and families can celebrate the gift of Jesus from head to tiny toes. As they turn the pages, they will discover the wonder of hands that develop into those of a carpenter and swaddled shoulders that grow to carry the weight of all mankind. Readers can share in the humble birth of tiny baby Jesus while remembering the life and teachings of the grown savior.

Tiny Baby Jesus is written by award-winning author Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by Julia Noonan. “I don’t think we can talk about Baby Jesus enough—to our children, to our neighbors, or to ourselves,” says Dandi Daley Mackall.”

Dandi Daley Mackall is the author of more than 400 books, including several titles for Zonderkidz such as The Legend of St. Nicholas, The Gift of the Christmas Cookie, the Ali Cat I CAN READ™ series, and the That’s Nat! early reader series. Dandi is the recipient of the 2009 Helen Keating Ott Award for Outstanding Contribution to Children's Literature from the Church and Synagogue Library Association (CSLA). Dandi and her husband, Joe, both write from rural Ohio, where they’re blessed with three children and a variety of horses, dogs, and cats. Visit http://www.dandibooks.com/ for more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am pleased to offer this beautifully illustrated book as a giveaway. We have FIVE copies to give to five winners. Be sure to leave a comment and contact information for each option you choose.

1) Leave a comment telling why you would like to win this book.

2) Tell about this giveaway through social networking such as Twitter or Facebook. Give it a thumbs up on Stumble Upon. You can leave a comment for each one you do. Be sure to leave a link or some way for me to track your entry.

3) Follow @thriftymommy on twitter.

Tiny Baby Jesus is a hardcover book and retails for $16.99. This contest ends Sunday, November 15, 2009 and is available to those with a U.S. shipping address. The winners will be contacted via email and will have 72 hours to respond.

Good luck everyone!

First Grade Shapes List

Here is the list of shapes for first graders. Notice that a parallelogram is no longer called a diamond. Oops. That might be something we want to tweak with teaching preschool and kindergarten. Maybe we could mention that it's also called a parallelogram. That might help with learning them later.

circle

oval

heart

rectangle

star

parallelogram

hexagon

square

trapezoid

triangle

image from anissat sxc.hu

A Pumpkin Parable

My kids brought treat bags home from church Wednesday. Inside was a die cut paper pumpkin with a pumpkin parable on it. I know it's last minute, but I thought some of you might want to make these for tonight's trick-or-treaters.

A Pumpkin Parable

Sometimes I feel like I'm a pumpkin. Please don't think it's odd.
I'm growing in a pumpkin patch that's planted there by God.

God picks me from the pumpkin patch and washes off the dirt;
Scoops out the seeds of sin and hate and anger, greed and hurt.

And then, to show how much I'm loved, God marks me with a sign
And opens up my eyes and mouth: all part of God's design.

Then filled with love God sets me out for everyone to see,
So all the pumpkins in the patch can see God's light through me.

You are the light of the world.
Matthew 5:14

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Christian Pumpkin Carvings

Cuddlebug brought this home from preschool today so I thought I'd share this for Halloween.



You'll need:
orange pumpkin with poem on 11x14 paper
two yellow stars for eyes
yellow cross for nose
yellow fish for mouth
glue


Here's the poem:

Christian Pumpkin Carvings

I am a Jack O Lantern
My light will shine so bright
For I am a Christian pumpkin
My symbols tell what's right

My nose is like the cross
On which the Savior died,
To set us free from sin
We need no longer hide.

My mouth is like a fish
The whole wide world to show,
That Christians live in this house
And love their Savior so!

The story starts at Christmas
My eyes are like the star,
That shone on Baby Jesus
And wise men saw from afar.

My color is orange
Just like the bright sun,
That rose on Easter Day
Along with God's own Son.

And so on Halloween
Let's set our pumpkins out,
And tell the trick or treaters
What God's love is all about!

~Author unknown

Free Song Download: Rockstar

Charity has a new children's song to download. This month, it's Rockstar.

This month's song, Rockstar, is a rallying cry to dance your dance, sing your song, shine your light, stay grounded and keep loving all along the way. Grab your kids, pick up a hairbrush or your air guitar, and call upon the music within you. You Know What To Do: SING, DANCE, LOVE, ROCK, SHINE.

Cuddlebug's favorite Charity & the JAMband song is still Peanut Butter and Jam. You can listen on the main page of Charity's website.

Click here to download the song and lyrics for free. Charity also has nine other songs you can get for free! Enjoy! :)

Avery School & Office Supply Giveaway

We're celebrating Back to School with a fun giveaway from Avery. This giveaway includes great stuff like Hi-Liters, labels, GlueStics, binders, dividers, sheet protectors, Marks-a-Lot permanent markers, and t-shirt transfers. The gift basket has a retail value of over $50!


Avery recently partnered with Box Tops for Education. Now, when you purchase Avery school supplies for the new academic year you also receive Box Tops coupons to clip and return to your child’s school to be redeemed for cash. Each school then uses the cash at their discretion to purchase new supplies, fund programs, or buy much-needed equipment, computers, etc.

I know you’d like to win this great prize package from Avery. As usual, I have several ways for you to earn entries. Of course, the more times you enter, the higher your odds of winning. You are not required to do any or all of these, but you can earn an entry for each one completed. Here are your options:

1) Leave a comment with something other than “enter me”. Tell me about the school supplies you like or give a tip about saving money or having fun with kids.

2) Tweet about this giveaway on twitter. If possible, include @thriftymommy in your tweet. Be sure to leave your twitter name or status url in the comment box. You can earn 3 tweet entries per day.

3) Follow @thriftymommy on twitter.

4) Blog about this giveaway or mention it on some sort of forum. Leave a direct url so that I can easily find the info for your entry.

5) Give this post a thumbs up on Stumble Upon, Digg It, add a link on Facebook, or some other way of promoting the giveaway.

6) Add Little Fun; Little Learning to your blogroll.

You can earn entries for each of these things that you do. Please leave a separate comment for each one. It just makes it easier for tallying entries and choosing a winner. Please leave an email address on your Blogger profile or in the comments so that I can contact the winner.

This contest ends Sunday, October 11, 2009 and is open to those with a US mailing address. Winners will be contacted via email and will have 72 hours to respond.

Good luck everyone!

Sorry for the weird colored image. I tried to upload it several times. Not sure what happened.

Tips for Coping with Separation

When I was teaching preschool, I soon learned that some children have a hard time with the separation from their parents. Some kids act like they could care less. They wave and are ready to be on their own. For other children, it may take a few weeks for them to feel secure in their new environment. Here are some tips to help out with the transition.

• Let your child help with the morning routine. Dressing, packing lunch, or choosing something special to bring to school might help your child feel more in control of the process of leaving the house and saying goodbye.


• Plan your goodbye routines together. Decide how you will say goodbye at school and what you will do when you get home.


• Remain calm and confident. Your child will quickly notice if you feel uneasy.


• Think of ways to reinforce the link between home and school. Encourage your child to make things at home to contribute to the classroom. This could be art work for teachers or friends, special foods for snacks, props you find or make at home, or books to share.


• Decide on a special toy or object that your child can bring to school. This can be a family photograph, a favorite stuffed animal, a toy, or something that belongs to you, such as a scarf of handkerchief.


• Connect and communicate with your child's teacher when you say goodbye. This will help your child to feel secure and know that you will be back.


• Make goodbyes short and sweet. The longer you linger, the worse it becomes. Walk your child to class (or drop off), give a quick kiss and hug, say "Have a great day. I'll be back at XX time to get you." Then leave. Try to keep this routine the same at least for the first few weeks until the child is settled.


• Don't allow yourself to be manipulated. Some may be surprised or even offended at this tip, but I have witnessed a lot of parents being manipulated over the years. Some children think that if they scream long enough and loud enough then you will come to pick them up. If you give in to their screams, they'll only continue to do this. Eventually, you have to let them go, have confidence in their teachers, and give your children the independence that they need.


• Focus on the positive. Be excited when you pick up your child. Ask them what cool and exciting things happened that day. When I was teaching, I sang a few songs with my students that helped to focus on the positives of school. You might try, We Had a Happy Day and I Like to Go to School.

You might also like some of the tips shared at Boston Mamas.

Do you have any tips to add to this list?

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Free Family Event at Michaels

This Saturday Michaels is having a free family Knack event. Use stickers and paints to decorate a metal tin to store pencils and pens.

Ages 5-12 are welcome to the event which will take place from 10 am to 1 pm. While supplies last.

The Importance of Sesame Street

While Sesame Street may seem to be a relic of the past and a show that most adults watched as children, most parents do not realize the positive effect which the show may have on their children. Sesame Street is full of a slew of early educational lessons, from counting to recognizing the shapes of letters. The show is still on air today and it has also become easy to purchase the original episodes from decades ago which serve the same purpose as episodes now do. The ability of the show to keep going after 40 years in existence as well as countless Emmy awards is a testament to the change it has made onto many young children over the years.

Television has been revolutionized since the early days of Sesame Street and there are now countless children’s shows available daily on many different stations. However, there has been a noticeable downturn in the amount of educational children’s shows as most appear to exist merely to entertain the child when parents are busy around the house. Sesame Street has still risen to the challenge and presents itself as the saving grace of the TV world by retaining its slot every day and still teaching many lessons to its viewers. There are not many shows that have been able to teach children how to count or read in ways that can even begin to rival the methods that Sesame Street uses. There are additionally many timeless episodes which never grow old and can continue to be used on today’s children much as they were intended for kids of the 1970s. It seems that Sesame Street will never truly grow old.

Eight million viewers still tune into Sesame Street every week, and many studies have indicated that the children who watch the show regularly have increased signs of literacy and numerical skills than those kids who do not watch it. While the show has been updated to include lessons that are more applicable in modern society, such as focusing on music, health, bilingual learning, and healthy eating, the same original lessons are still taught in every episode. There are still many preschool shows that aim to teach children the importance of learning and reading, but none are as solidified in American culture as Sesame Street is.

This post was contributed by Sarah Russel, who writes about the best online college degree. She welcomes your feedback at SarahRussel1234 at gmail.com

Instilling Honor and Respect in Our Children

What is up with all of the sassy kids these days? I have encountered numerous kids lately, even little ones as young as four and five years old, that are rolling their eyes at their parents, smarting off, and using disrespectful tones. What's worse is that the parents aren't addressing the issue.

I know that all kids have issues, but it is our job to train them and to mold them. We are the ones that are to teach them right from wrong. There will many influences in their lives. How will they be able to discern which ones to follow if we don't guide them and teach them?

I believe it was Dr. Phil who so wisely said that we are raising adults. We are not raising children. What kind of adults are we raising?

There are times when planned ignoring is an acceptable form of behavior management but this is to be used when a child is trying to get on your nerves and to push your buttons. It is ok then to act like the behavior is not bothering you. This is not what I'm seeing from parents. I'm not seeing intentional ignoring from parents, I'm seeing people that don't want to address the issues and this is a concern for me.

Honor and respect are still admirable virtues. They are character traits that should be taught now, even while your child is very young. Unfortunately, some people have not consistently taught these things to their children while they were little ones and now they are really having issues from their preteens. I know that preteen and teen years are difficult, but some of what I'm hearing about is just going way too far. The parents have no control and seem to have no clue how to deal with it. I believe that if they would have handled these issues sooner in life, they would not have magnified so greatly now.

It is my belief that we should begin teaching our children to love, honor, and respect others around them, especially adults. This should begin in the early stages of life. Disrespectul words and gestures should be addressed immediately.

What are your feelings on this matter?

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

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Be Fire Smart

Be Fire Smart is a great site for teachers, educators, and children. On the site you will find information on planning fire escape routes, preventing fires, and home safety.

There are also fun things for the kids.

• Kids can dress Firefighter Frank to fight fires. While they are playing dress the firefighter, Frank tells them what each item is for and reminds them not to be afraid of firefighters.
• Download and print out the Be Fire Smart coloring book.
• Play Junior burning questions quiz.

If you're a teacher, be sure to bookmark this site for you upcoming fall lessons on fire prevention.

Free Children's Music Download

Charity & the JAMband is giving away a free download of an entire album, Rock Your Socks Off. Hurry! This offer ends at 10 am PST. For more details, visit my post at Thrifty Mommy.

Even if you miss this limited offer, you can still get some free downloads. The post also tells about other free songs that you can get.

Gotta go. I'm taking the kids to a free movie! More on that later. Have a great day!

10 Outdoor Summer Crafts for Summer

Better Homes & Gardens has some cute summer craft ideas.

• Kids' Summer Sunglasses


• Make and Decorate a Colorful Kite


• Cute Bug Catcher


• Neighborhood Kids' Paint Party


• Kids' Garden Plant Markers


• Handprint Garden Plaque


• Kids' Garden Banner


• Fun to Paint Garden Rocks


• Kids' Creative Stepping-Stone


• Puppets from the Garden

Which ideas do you think you'll try?

Wordless Wednesday: Slip 'N Slide

As I mentioned last week, the Slip 'N Slide is super fun in the summer!

Summertime Fun: Slip 'N Slide

As promised, I'll be telling you about some ideas to keep your kids busy and entertained this summer.





One my kid's favorite summer activities is playing in the water. Unfortunately, we do not have a pool so we improvise by using a Slip 'N Slide. You can purchase a Slip 'N Slide for as low as $8 up to $35-$40. If you have a tarp, a waterhose, and a sprinkler at home you can make your own. Just be sure that you don't use bricks on the corners to hold the tarp down on the ground. This is what we used when we were kids. (Ouch!)

Tips: You must keep the water slide wet at all times. If you find you're not sliding quickly enough, try using a little soap/dishwashing liquid.

Have fun and be careful!

image from Target

Summertime Fun Ideas are Coming!

Hey folks. Sorry I haven't been around much. I have two other blogs that I primarily write for, I also have three children, and then we've had a series of events these past few months. I've been quite busy.

Summer is here and the kids are home from school and I'm trying really hard to balance my time better. The kids are very needy and my time is limited, but I think we can help one another out.

I'd like to start a series of summer ideas for kids. I've got a few ideas of things to keep the kids busy and entertained this summer. I'm sure many of you will be searching for tips and tricks.

Be looking for upcoming posts with great ideas and if you have any ideas that you'd like to share, please leave a comment or email me at knowhimwell at hotmail dot com.

Have a great summer everyone!

Free Hermie Games and Coloring Pages

Some of you may be fans of the children's dvd series Hermie & Friends by Max Lucado. My kids have a few of the dvds. I like the videos because they're clean, entertaining, and provide a positive message for children. I confess that I usually purchase our dvds when they are $5 at Lifeway and Family Christian.





This year, Lifeway is celebrating Hermie with "The Year of the Worm". Each month, they're featuring a Hermie & Friends dvd at 50% off the regular price. This month, it’s Stanley the Stinkbug Goes to Camp, a fun and hilarious tale on friendship God’s way. Right now, the dvd is on sale for $7.49.

A lesson in personal hygiene? No way! This is the animated story of Hermie and his friends at Camp Bug-A-Boo. All is well until Stanley the Stinkbug arrives and, boy does he stink! Follow along in this lesson about friendship to help your kids understand that God makes each of us unique and for a purpose.

Lifeway also has free Hermie games and coloring pages on their site. Be sure to bookmark the site. I know you'll need lots of things to keep your children busy this summer. These would also be great for children's church, VBS, or a birthday party.

Enjoy!

image from lifeway

Free Song Download - I'm a Little Bunny

Here's another great free song download from Charity & the JAMband. "I'm a Little Bunny" is a perfect song to sing and dance to this spring. Play this song and your kids will soon be hopping around, laughing, and pretending they have ears. I downloaded this song a few minutes ago and my 3-year-old wanted me to play it over and over again.

Visit this Charity & the JAMband link to download this song for free. Charity provides a free song download each month. I have a folder created on my computer for each song that she releases. You can also go to the JAMband site to listen live and take a look at their cds. My favorite song is still "Peanut Butter and Jam". Go have a listen and let me know what you think.

image from Charity & the JAMband

Paper Plate Easter Basket

I've seen this paper plate Easter basket several times, but now I finally have a picture to show you. You simply take a large paper plate and cut out a small half circle, leaving the rim intact. Then you paint or color the backside the plate. You decorate paper eggs to glue on the other side. DLTK has some printable eggs that you can use, if you don't want to decorate your own.

Materials needed:

paper plate

paint

paint brush

construction paper

markers or crayons

glue

Have fun!

Printable Bunny Activities

Skip to My Lou has the cutest craft ideas and some of them are for kids. Cindy has just posted a bunny treat bag topper. Some other cute ideas include a bunny egg holder and a bunny napkin ring. Simple and easy!

Enjoy!

Kindergarten Sight Words

Here's the updated list of kindergarten site words.

was, said, what, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, one, two, three, four, five, from, here, go, are, that, do yellow, green, blue, you, of they, see, with, look, me, can, he, she, for, my like, we, I, am, the, to, a, at, an, little, is, have

Felt Brown Bag Lunch

If you like handmade toys or if you like to sew, then you should check out this Felt Brown Bag Lunch tutorial over at Skip to My Lou. You can buy the templates for $1.75 or install the Skip to My Lou button in your sidebar and Cindy will email them to you for free. Cindy is also giving away the felt to make these lunch kits, so drop on by and leave a comment.

Activity Village

Just found another great site, Activity Village. Activity Village has coloring pages, home school resources, educational resources, kids crafts, puzzles, printables, Sudoku for kids, recipes, and so much more. There are over 3000 pages of activities to help you keep your kids busy.

One of the things I found at Activity Village is their printable handwriting and story paper. I have to tell you, story paper isn't easy to find. You'll probably have to go to a teacher store to get it and then do you really want to pay their prices? It's probably easier and cheaper to just print out the few pages you'll need.

Hope you enjoy this site!

Little Amadeus for Kids

Little Amadeus by Wunderkind is an animated series that entertains, educates, inspires children, and encourages them to make their own music. The series is geared toward children ages 4 to 8.

Just looking at the Little Amadeus website was a wow moment for me. It's proof that there really are some great resources on the internet.

The creators of Little Amadeus have obviously done their research and come up with ideas to teach classical music to children. Right now, my kids are watching the episode, "Solo for Amadeus". If I click on the parent and teacher section of the Little Amadeus website, I'll find lesson plans for the episode. This lesson plan includes objectives, information on the episode, a list of needed materials, background activities, various activities to try, extension activities, and more! If you're musically inclined, you can download the sheet music of your favorite compositions.

My children really enjoy playing games on the computer. The Little Amadeus website has a large selection of games and activites to play based upon the tv series. And just when I thought I was done . . . I just found another great section. If you'll look at their resources, it teaches about different musical instruments, how to compose music, and also has printable coloring pages.

Little Amadeus products can be found at Target stores and online. Check the Little Amadeus website for tv times in your area.

Make Your Own Crayons

It doesn't take long to collect a bunch of old, broken crayons. Instead of tossing them, consider saving them to make new crayons. If you put them into molds, you can make neat little gifts for your kids friends. Such a cute idea for Valentine's Day, Christmas, or party favors.


How-to recycle those crayon stubs into a swell homemade gift - More DIY How To Projects

Free Song of the Month from Charity & the JAMband

The Charity & the JAMband song of the month is available for free on their website. This month's free song download is "The Song in Your Heart".

While at the Charity & the JAMband website, take a few minutes to listen to their music or watch some videos. It's fun music!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar 40th Anniversary Pop-Up Book

Amanda from Oh Amanda shows us the new The Very Hungry Caterpillar pop-up book. Looks like fun. Don't forget, I have fun activities to go along with this book. Also, Mrs. Jones has a cute song. These ideas are perfect for spring, which is just around the corner. Have fun! :)

FamilyFun Digital for Free

Get FamilyFun Digital for free! Read, print, and search the newest issue of FamilyFun. You can also view archives of past issues and clip and share your favorite pages for later. Each issue is filled with crafts, recipes, and loads of fun activities. Hooray!

Happy Birthday, President Lincoln!

Today is Lincoln's birthday. Here is an idea to help celebrate.

Thanks to my friend Karen for the picture.

Clifford Valentine's Special

Valentine's Day is Clifford's favorite holiday and he is celebrating with a one hour special. "Love at First Bark" airs February 13 on PBS Kids. Check your local listings.

Find Kid Sites with KidRex

Don't waste hours looking through websites trying to find the ones that are kid-friendly. Today I came across a search engine just for kids called KidRex. While no filter is 100% accurate, this is a great place to start.

I typed in "alligators" and up came several sites to help kids learn about alligators. There were pictures, facts, videos, information, lessons, and so much more.

Of course, this site is great for teachers and homeschoolers. If you're looking for a site on a particular topic, just type it in, and you won't have to surf through all the other junk.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Thoughtful Thursday

“Children are the living message we send to a time we will not see.”
unknown

Pasta Crafts from Parents TV

If you're going crazy from all of these cold days inside, try keeping your kids busy with these pasta crafts. They're so creative and cute!

Next time I go to the store I'll have to pick up some varieties of pasta.

Hot Chocolate Mug Cakes

I got my new Family Fun magazine in the mail yesterday and thought these Hot Chocolate Mug Cakes would make a sweet treat. Just bake your favorite chocolate cake batter in individual mugs for a warming winter dessert. They're easy to make too.

image from Family Fun

Newsletter Issues for Subscribers

It seems that the company I'm using for newsletters is no longer available. I will be hunting around for a different source. Stay tuned for an update. And if you all have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!

Teaching Symmetry

PetiteMommy was asking today for thoughts on teaching symmetry to her first grader. I tried to think back to my days of teaching first grade. Whew, that was . . . seven years ago?!?! Oh my! Anyway, after some remembering and googling, I found these ideas:

1) Look at pictures of lady bugs and butterflies. Discuss how the different sides look the same.

2) Make symmetric figures using pattern blocks or tangrams.

3) Fold paper in half and begin cutting. Unfold paper to see a symmetric shape.

4) Put a mirror beside pictures to where you can see the exact same picture in the mirror.

5) Check out this video from TeacherTube.



7) Links Learning has a good symmetry video/lesson too, but it is probably best suited for first and second grade.

8) Homeschool math also has a line symmetry lesson.

9) Make a snowflake.

10) Examine the letters of the alphabet. Find some letters that are symmetrical. If possible, have letter cut outs and try to fold them to find symmetry.

Do you have any suggestions for teaching symmetry?

Win a Children's CD Bundle from Charity & the JAMband

Last week I posted about a free monthly song download from Charity & the JAMband. Now, Charity has graciously donated a cd bundle which includes four of her cds!!!! This cd bundle is valued at $52!

How to enter this giveaway:

1) Leave a comment telling why you would like to win these cds or which of Charity and the JAMband's songs you like.

2) Give this post a thumbs up on Stumble Upon and leave me your stumble name.

3) Tweet this giveaway on Twitter and leave me your Twitter name or url from your tweet.

4) Mention this giveaway on any forums or message boards and leave me a url.

5) Add Little Fun; Little Learning to your blogroll.

6) Sign up for our newsletter. You can sign up in the right sidebar.

Please leave a comment for each option you choose. This will make it easier to give you an entry to each item completed. Thanks!

Other info:

This contest ends February 1st and is available to U.S. residents only. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 72 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen. You will not be put on a mailing list, but I must have your email address to contact you in case you win. Please make sure your email address is listed on your blogger profile or in the comments. **If you do not have a blogger profile, you can still enter the contest. Simply click "Anonymous" and leave your comment in the comment box, along with your name and email address.

Please check out all of the giveaways at the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival.

Good luck everyone and don't forget to download Charity & the JAMband's free download for January.

Maya & Miguel "Cupid" Episode

A new Maya & Miguel airs February 13.




Maya & Miguel - "Cupid"


Miguel hates Valentine's Day and considers it a greeting card holiday. Maya loves Valentine's Day and considers it an opportunity to tell your loved ones how much you care about them. As Maya prepares herself for the best Valentine's Day ever, Miguel is horrified to learn that he has been chosen as the official Cupid of the school this year, and must deliver valentines throughout the school, attired in cupid wings. He begs and pleads with anyone and everyone to take over his job, to no avail. He straps on the wings and begins halfheartedly delivering the valentines to thrilled students throughout the school. At the end of the day, he tosses the whole getup in the trash, eager to be done with this accursed holiday. Maya, meanwhile, thinks Miguel is lucky to be able to deliver so much happiness and joy, and gets the idea to start a free valentine’s delivery service for the rest of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, her helper Paco manages to stuff the wrong valentines into the wrong envelopes, and all the valentines are delivered to the wrong people, with insulting results. Soon a mob confronts Maya. Miguel, seeing the mob, digs his cupid wings out of the trash and hops into action to save his sister. In the end, the once angry neighbors are thrilled with the job Miguel does of spreading Valentine's Day cheer... and Miguel's heart grows a few sizes towards the holiday he once hated.

Check out the fun Maya & Miguel activities at PBS.

Free Song of the Month

Charity and the JAMband have won awards and acclaim for their cds. Now you can get a free song download each month.

This month's free song is The Bird. You can download the song and also print the song sheet.

This month's song is a dreamy reflection on the cyclical nature of day and night, dark and light, sunrise and sunset -- and a reminder that there's a little dawn bird singing in each of our hearts, showing us the way to the morning. It's called The Bird. We hope it sings to you!

While you're at Charity and the JAMband's site, be sure to listen to other songs and watch some of their videos. Your little ones will be dancing and singing in no time.

I'm hoping that next month's free download is Peanut Butter and Jam. Which song would you like to download?

Fun with Noggin and Nick Jr.

These past few days, it has been so cold that we haven't been able to play outside. This leaves my little one a bit more energetic and me trying to find things to keep him occupied. Thank goodness for Nick Jr and Noggin.

I've told you before all about Nick Jr. and Noggin, but let me remind you that you can find puzzles and games, videos, printables, crafts ideas, seasonal activities, and so much more! I mean, really, Nick Jr has 176 Dora printables! And you can't help but to sing along with Laurie Berkner's song, "Boots". "In my boots, in my boots, I dance around in my boots. B-o-o-t-s. Boots!" Have fun with great characters such as Toot & Puddle, The Backyardigans, Little Bill, Diego, Pinky Dinky Doo, and more.

These sites are so great for little ones.

image from Noggin

Learn to Read at Starfall

I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce you to my newest favorite website, Starfall! I'm so excited about this website. It is one of the best I have found for helping students to read.

Here a just a few categories on Starfall and a review of them. This will give you an idea of what the website has to offer.

• ABCs - Click on a letter and the upper and lowercase letter come out with music. It tells you the names of the letters and then you click on the letters and you can hear the sound the letter makes. Next click on the arrow and/or blue letters and you'll hear and see words that start with the letter and the sound is reinforced. And if that wasn't enough, after the words, there is a game with the letters. The ABC section also shows you how to make the letters in sign language. Click on the vowels and you go to a classroom setting with a teacher who teaches a song with the vowel sound. "Listen to the short a sound. The a in cat the a in rat makes a short a sound." There are also ABC printouts which are great for teachers, homeschoolers, or moms.



• Learn to Read - Play a game with words families, sight words, vowels sounds, watch a movie about the order of the alphabet, read an interactive book, and then print out the books to keep! (My daughter's kindergarten teacher prints these out and sends them home for evening reading.)

I trust that you will enjoy this website as much as I have.

Kindergarten Site Words

Here is a list of site words for kindergarten up through this point. I will inform you as the list grows.

I
am
the
to
a
at
an
little
is
have
like
we
for
my
she
he
can
me
look
with
see
they

new words: you, and, of

Helpful Parenting Articles

Toddlerhood

It's All Fun and Games

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Getting Toddlers to Sleep

Toddler Misbehavior

Toddlers and Sexual Discovery

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