Fall Has Arrived!

Fall is one of the most magical times to be outside! The leaves are changing right before our very eyes! We cozy up in scarves and mittens and enjoy the crisp fresh air and crunching leaves. It is also a time to enjoy some simple and easy fall songs with our lil' ones...

 

Here are some wonderful favourites that we have collected from books and online resources...

 

 

Pumpkin poem

When all the cows were sleeping
And the sun had gone to bed,
Up jumped the pumpkin,
And this is what he said:

I'm a dingle dangle pumpkin
With a flippy floppy hat.
I can shake my stem like this,
And shake my vine like that.

Have You Ever Seen a Pumpkin

tune of "Have You Ever Seen a Lassie"

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?
A round one, a tall one, a fat one, a small one.
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?

The Wind

"Come, little leaves," said the wind one day,
"Come o'er the meadows with me and play:
Put on your dresses of red and gold -
For summer is gone and the days grow cold."

Fall Leaves

Down, down, yellow and brown,
Fall the leaves over the ground.
Rake them up in a pile so high,
Until they reach up to the sky.
Adapted Traditional

　

5 Little Leaves

Five little leaves so bright and gay (Hold up five fingers)
Were dancing about on a tree one day. (Wiggle fingers on one hand)
The wind came blowing through the town. (Cup hand around mouth and make wind noises)
Ooooooooo……………Ooooooooooooooo………
One little leaf came tumbling down. (Bend down one finger)

Four little leaves so bright and gay, (Hold up four fingers)
Were dancing about on a tree one day. (Wiggle four fingers)
The wind came blowing through the town, (Cup hand around mouth and make wind noises)
Oooooooo…………….Oooooooooooo……………….
One little leaf came tumbling down (Bend down another finger)

Three little leaves so bright and gay……………………etc.
Two little leaves so bright and gay………………………etc.
One little leaf so bright and gay…………………………..etc.
Author Unknown

　

The Leaves on the Tress

Tune: "The Wheels On The Bus"

The Leaves on the trees are yellow and brown,
Yellow and brown, yellow and brown.
The leaves on the trees are yellow and brown,
All through the town.

The leaves on the trees are falling down,
Falling down, falling down.
The leaves on the trees are falling down,
All through the town.

The leaves on the trees make a crunching sound,
Crunching sound, crunching sound.
The leaves on the trees make a crunching sound
All through the town.

Let’s rake all the leaves into a mound,
Into a mound, into a mound.
Let’s rake all the leaves into a mound
All through the town.

The children in the town jump up and down,
Up and down, up and down.
The children in the town jump up and down
On the leaves on the ground.
Jean Warren

VIEX 2012

Yay! The VIEX, Vancouver Island Exhibition, starts today and lasts all weekend!

Come on by and say Hi!

We have a booth set up at the tradeshow and we would love to see you!

Swing by for a visit and enter to win a

$100 Thrifty Foods Gift Card!

For more info about the VIEX visit:  www.viex.ca

Fun Ocean Songs!

I know, I know! It's been a while since our last post! But here are some fantastically fun songs to share with your lil' ones while enjoying the summer and hopefully the ocean!

A Sailor Went To Sea

A Sailor went to sea, sea, sea.
To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see.
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea
(Have your children repeat this getting faster and faster.)

Fish Story
One, two, three, four, five -
Once I caught a fish alive.
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten -
Then I let it go again.

Why did I let it go?
Because it bit my finger so.
Which finger did it bite?
The little finger on the right

Catch a Fish (Sung To: Row, Row, Row your boat)
Catch, catch, catch a fish,
Hook it on your line.
Reel it, reel it, reel it,
This one will be mine.

Five Little Fishes Swimming in the Sea
Five little fishes swimming in the sea
teasing Mr. shark you can't catch me
Along came Mr. shark (softly) as quiet as can be
He snapped a fish up right out of the sea.

Four little fishes swimming in the sea
teasing Mr. shark you can't catch me
Along came Mr. shark (softly) as quiet as can be
He snapped a fish up right out of the sea.

Three little fishes swimming in the sea
teasing Mr. shark you can't catch me
Along came Mr. shark (softly) as quiet as can be
He snapped a fish up right out of the sea.

Two little fishes swimming in the sea

teasing Mr. shark you can't catch me
Along came Mr. shark (softly) as quiet as can be
He snapped a fish up right out of the sea

One little fish swimming in the sea

teasing Mr. shark you can't catch me
Along came Mr. shark (softly) as quiet as can be
He snapped that fish up right out of the sea

Now there’s no little fishes swimming in the sea

No little fishes saying can’t catch me
Along comes Mr.Shark (softly) as quiet as can be
He spit those fish right back in the sea!

Fish in the Sea
The fish in the sea go swim, swim, swim
swim, swim, swim, swim, swim, swim
The fish in the sea go swim, swim, swim
All through the Day

The lobsters in the sea go pinch, pinch, pinch

pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch, pinch
The lobsters in the sea go pinch, pinch, pinch
All through the Day

The octopus in the sea go wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
The octopus in the sea go wiggle, wiggle, wiggle
All through the Day

The crabs in the sea go click, click, click
click, click, click, click, click, click
The crabs in the sea go click, click, click
All through the Day

Other ocean creatures to try...
The sea horse in the sea rocks back and forth...
The whale in the sea goes quirt squirt squirt...
The clam in the sea goes open and shut...
The crabs in the sea go click click click...
The jellyfish in the sea go "bloop bloop bloop"!
The Sharks in the sea go chomp, chomp, chomp…

Slippery Fish
Slippery fish, slippery fish
swimming in the water
A slippery fish, a slippery fish
gulp, gulp, gulp
OH NO! He's been eaten by a

Tuna fish, a tuna fish
swimming in the water
A tuna fish, a tuna fish
gulp, gulp, gulp
OH NO! He's been eaten by an

Octopus, an octopus
swimming in the water
An octopus, an octopus
gulp, gulp, gulp
OH NO! He's been eaten by a

Great White Shark, a great white shark swimming in the water
A great white shark, a great white shark
gulp, gulp, gulp
OH NO! He's been eaten by an

Enormous Whale, an enormous whale
Spouting in the water
Enormous Whale, enormous whale
Gulp, gulp, BURP!
Excuse ME!

Central Vancouver Island Farmer's Markets!

It's Market season! And I couldn't be more excited to see what's new and exciting this year! I just love the live music, the relaxed or casual atmosphere, the friendly faces and the interesting finds! There are a few local markets to check out this summer and if I hear of others I will add them to the list! Click the links for all the details for each market!
Grab your reusable market bag and head on out to support our local vendors! Good times!

Nanaimo Downtown Farmer's Market Opens today! On Fridays from 10-2
https://www.facebook.com/NanaimoDowntownFarmersMarket

The Cedar Farmer's Market Opens on Sunday, Mother's Day! Sundays' 10-2
http://www.cedarfarmersmarket.com/

Bowen Road Farmer's Market Opens Wednesday May 16th
http://www.bcfarmersmarket.org/markets/marketdetails.asp?marketID=117

The Errington Farmer's Market is now Open on Saturdays 10-1pm
http://www.erringtonfarmersmarket.ca/w1/

The Qualicum Beach Farmer's Market on Saturdays is now Open
http://qbfarmersmarket.com/

Creepy Crawlers!

Oh, it’s a creepy crawlie world out there! Bugs, bugs, bugs! We may stay clear of them but children are fascinated by them! Here are some great creepy crawly bug songs that have been tried and true, shared and reshared!

Did You Ever See?

Did you ever see a worm, a worm, a worm?

Did you ever see a worm move this way and that?

Move this way and that way and this way and that way?

Did you ever see a worm move this way and that?

Did you ever see a spider, a spider, a spider?

Did you ever see a spider climb this way and that?

Climb this way and that way and this way and that way?

Did you ever see a spider climb this way and that?

Did you ever see a bee, a bee, a bee?

Did you ever see a bee buzz this way and that?...

Did you ever see a ladybug, a ladybug, a ladybug?

Did you ever see a ladybug crawl this way and that?...

Did you ever see an ant, an ant, an ant?
Did you ever see an ant march this way and that?...

Did you ever see a mosquito, a mosquito, a mosquito?

Did you ever see a mosquito fly this way and that?...

 

Big Bugs,Small Bugs Sung to: "Frere Jacques"
Big bugs, small bugs, big bugs, small bugs,
See them crawl on the wall?
Creepy, creepy, crawling, never, never falling.
Bug, bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs, bugs.

Flutter Butterfly sung to: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
Flutter, flutter, butterfly.
Floating in the summer sky.
Floating by for all to see,
Floating by so merrily.
Flutter, flutter, butterfly,
Floating in the summer sky.

Bugs Go Sung to: "The Wheels on the Bus"
The firefly at night goes blink blink blink
Blink blink blink blink blink blink
The firefly at night goes blink blink blink
All around the town
The bees in the flowers go buzz buzz buzz...
The ants in the grass go march march march...
The crickets in the leaves go chirp chirp chirp...
The caterpillar in the field goes creep creep creep...

Can you move with me? Sung to: "Do Your Ears Hang Low"
Can you wiggle like a worm?
Can you squiggle? Can you squirm?
Can you flutter? Can you fly like a gentle butterfly?
Can you crawl upon the ground
Like a beetle that is round?
Can you move with me?

Can you flip? Can you flop?
Can you give a little hop?
Can you slither like a snake?
Can you give a little shake?
Can you dance like bee
Who is buzzing round a tree?
Can you move with me?

Pardon Garden Rhyme
What do you suppose?
A bee sat on my nose!
and what do you think?
He gave me a wink!
And said, “I beg your pardon...
I thought you were the garden!”

Fun Activities to Help Your Child Learn, Say and Write Their Name!

Your preschool is on their way to kindergarten within the next year, can they recognize their name? Can they identify the letters in their name? Can they write their name? These early learning concepts will give your child a fantastic jumpstart to their school career! But where do you start? Keep reading!
The key word throughout this blog is encourage, try not to force or put pressure on your child, ensure that this is fun or you can possibly teach your child that learning is not fun and this can create a more difficult learning process in the future.

Introducing their name by sight

• Wooden Letters for the wall
• Label snack containers, cups, etc. with their name (alphabet stickers are a great way to do this and your child can help you by placing them on the item)

Saying the letters of their name

• Write your child’s name in sidewalk chalk and get them to say the letter as they step on each one
• Sing the song ‘Bingo’ and replace the letters with the letters of your child’s name

 Recognizing their name as individual letters

• Looking in a book ~ ‘Can you spy the letters of your name?’
• Driving in the car ~ ‘Can you spy the letters of your name?’
• Sitting in the grocery cart ~ 'Can you spy the letters of your name?'
• Have activities easily accessible and in various ways, allowing your child to become familiar and comfortable with the letters and be able to place them in the correct order
• Refrigerator magnets
• Foam Bathtub letters
• Cut letters out of magazines and have your child glue them in the right order
• Paint rocks with the letters of your child’s name
• Wooden alphabet blocks – have more than what’s is in your child’s name, this allows them to seek out the letters they need
• Alpha-bits cereal or alphabet soup, moving the letters around to create name
• Letters cut out of felt, you can use a felt board to stick them on or simple a rectangle piece of felt placed on a table or sometimes a couch will work too!
• Alphabet stickers

Writing the letters of their name

Make it fun! Not work! Have their own very special pencil, maybe allow them to pick it out at the store, or surprise them with a fancy one. There’s just something so great about a brand new, freshly sharpened pencil! Make this time quality time, ensure that when your child is first starting out that there is no pressure to be perfect, it’s all about the process of learning at this stage, not the final product.

• Write the letters on a piece of paper and encourage your child to trace over them
• There are many educational websites for preschoolers that allow you to type in your child’s name and it will print out their name in dot form, for great tracing practice
• Write the letters clearly at the top of a piece of paper with lines on it, encourage your child to copy the letters and continue to copy them until they reach the bottom
• Encourage them to write or create their name in a variety of ways, not just with pencil and paper
• During a shower write with soap on the shower door
• Use bathtub crayons to write it along the tub
• Sidewalk chalk outside
• Form letter shapes using play-dough
• Write out their name across a piece of cardboard or stiff paper and encourage them to use buttons and glue them along the shape of their name letters

This list is just the starting point, a little motivation to help you get going. The possibilities of fun letter and name activities is endless once you get started! Soon, you will be finding many new creative ways to inspire your child to recognize and write their name, they may even surprise you with discovering new ways to practice!

Easter Songs and Activites!

Fun Easter Ideas!

• Create a map for each child leading to their Easter Basket! Or have their empty Easter basket by their bed with a map in it, and along the way they find things with their map too special treasures to add to their basket! Make sure if you have more than one child that you mark them somehow (such as with a specific color, or initial) so those items get left for the specific child.

• If you are hiding the eggs outside, have someone go by under the window outside with bunny ears, and see if the children spy them from the window! They will be so excited to run outside and try and catch the Easter bunny before he hops away!

• I came across a really fun one on Pinterest! Do a night time hunt with activated glow bracelets inside plastic eggs! It looks really awesome! Have to try this one!

Easter Songs!

Sleeping Bunnies

See the bunnies sleeping til it’s nearly noon

Come let us wake them with a merry tune

Oh so still, are they ill?

Wake up little bunnies, hop, hop, hop

Wake up little bunnies hop and stop!

Little Peter Rabbit

Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,

Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,

Little Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose,

And he flicked it and it flew away!

Continue with Peter Rabbit having a fly land on other body parts (head, arm toes)

Easter Bunny (Itsy Bitsy Spider)

The little Easter Bunny is hopping on his way

Coming to your house on Easter Sunday

He’ll hop and hop and hop

Until all the eggs are gone

Some are hidden by the house

And others on the lawn

The little Easter Bunny is hopping on his way

Hiding eggs for you to find on Easter Sunday!

Easter Eggs (Three Blind Mice)

Easter eggs, Easter eggs

Red and Blue, Green ones too

The Easter bunny hid them well

Where he hid them, he won’t tell

We’ll have to search and then we’ll yell

Easter Eggs! Easter Eggs!

Did you ever see a Bunny? (Did you ever see a lassie?)

Did you ever see a bunny, a bunny, a bunny?

Did you ever see a bunny hop this way and that?

Hop this way and that way and this way and that way?

Did you ever see a bunny hop this way and that?

Little Bunny Foo Foo – talk the part in italics, sing the other part

One morning Little Bunny Foo Foo woke up and said,

"Oh what a beautiful day! I think I will take a walk!"

Little Bunny Foo Foo went hoppin’ through the forest

Scooping up the field mice and tapping them on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said,

‘Little Bunny Foo Foo I don’t like your attitude

Scooping up the field mice and tapping them on the head.

I will give you three chances, and if you don’t stop,

I will turn you into a goose!’

The next morning Little Bunny Foo Foo woke up and said,

"Oh what a beautiful day! I think I will take a walk!"

Little Bunny Foo Foo went hoppin’ through the forest

Scooping up the field mice and tapping them on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said,

‘Little Bunny Foo Foo I don’t like your attitude

Scooping up the field mice and tapping them on the head.

I will give you two more chances, and if you don’t stop,

I will turn you into a goose!’

The next morning Little Bunny Foo Foo woke up and said,

"Oh what a beautiful day! I think I will take a walk!"

Little Bunny Foo Foo went hoppin’ through the forest

Scooping up the field mice and tapping them on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said,

‘Little Bunny Foo Foo I don’t like your attitude

Scooping up the field mice and tapping them on the head.

I will give you one more chance, and if you don’t stop,

I will turn you into a goose!’

The next morning Little Bunny Foo Foo woke up and said,

"Oh what a beautiful day! I think I will take a walk!"

Little Bunny Foo Foo went hoppin’ through the forest

Scooping up the field mice and kissing them on the head

Down came the good fairy and she said,

‘Little Bunny Foo Foo I really like your attitude

Scooping up the field mice and kissing them on the head!

BUNNNY

I know a rabbit with long, pink ears and Bunny is his name-o

B-U-N-N-Y, B-U-N-N-Y, B-U-N-N-Y

And Bunny is his name-o!

Continue with other body parts such as:

Twitchy nose

Soft, white fur

Floppy feet

Fluffy tail

April Fools Day Fun!

April's Fools Day is April 1st! Do you have a sweet little prank to pull on unexpecting loved ones or friends? Personally, I have always been at the 'pranked upon' end of things, I'm hoping that this year, you know with a 4 year old and a 1 year old in the house, that I just might be able to be on the otherside this year and have a little fun :)

Here are some fun ways to celebrate April Fools Day with your family!

http://familyfun.go.com/april-fools-day/practical-jokes/

Oh, the giggles and the screams! What fun, ha, ha, ha! They will never see it coming!

We would love to hear in the comments section what you have done in the past to fool your family or what you are doing this year! Or what someone has done to you in the past! Are you seeking revenge this year?

Here's my best story: (funny now of course, not so much in the moment)

My sister, a travel agent, texts me that April morning in 2009.

Little does she know that I am in the emergency room at the hospital with a sick toddler (fever 104) and have been there since the wee hours of the morning waiting for tests and comforting an unwell baby. So, as you can imagine, I'm in no awareness of it being April Fools Day nor am I in any mood for a good joke.

So anyway, she texts and says that the airline that we are traveling to Hawaii on in 4 days, went bankrupt overnight and has since basically vanished. So, all of our flights are cancelled and we are out all the money for our tickets. But not to worry because she is going to try and find us new tickets on another flight, however we are looking at spending about another $1500.00.

Now, the story behind this is that this isn't just any trip to Hawaii, my sister is getting married there in a week!

So, already I'm panicking because I have a sick baby and don't know if we can even make the trip because of that, and now she's telling me we are out all of our money and will be spending another $1500.00 to see her get married!

So... as you can imagine, I lost my mind.

I phoned my parents, as they obviously must also be in hysterics about the bankrupt airline. After my long panic-stricken vent to them about what is happening, there is a pause.

'Well, um... hunny, I don't think your sister knew you were in the hospital with G.'

I'm thinking, What?! What does that have to do with anything?! She just told us we are out thousands of dollars and with no flights and we are supposed to leave in a few days to see her get married!

'Kel, what day is it today?'

What? I don't know, Wednesday? Thursday? I've been at the hospital since 3am I'm really not aware of the calendar at the moment, why?

'Well, I think your sister may have been playing a little April Fools prank on you.'

Oh, she did not!

Oh, she did.

Here are a few more great St. Patrick’s Day songs!

Here are a few great songs I found in Holiday Piggyback Songs compiled by Jean Warren! They all have a familiar tune so they are super fun and easy to sing!

St. Patrick’s Day is Here – Tune: The farmer in the dell

St. Patrick’s Day is here,

St. Patrick’s Day is here.

Let’s give a clap and dance a jig,

St. Patrick’s Day is here.

Eensy, Weensy Leprechaun –You know the tune!

An eensy, weensy leprechaun

Came out St. Patrick’s Day

To look for the fold

That was hidden far away

Over the rainbow

Was there he was told,

So, with a wink of this green eye

He ran to get the gold.

St.Patrick's Day Art Activities!

• Green Shamrock shapes ~ glue green sparkles on them  
• Shamrock mobile! Simply use a hanger with different lengths of string and tape or glue little shamrocks on the strings! If you really want to get fancy you can twist green ribbon around the hanger!
• Buttons in various sizes and colors ~ glue (or wire through the holes) buttons together starting from largest on the bottom to smallest on the top, creating a rainbow tree shape! Rainbows intrigue the leprechauns to come to your house!

• St. Patrick’s Day headband! Measure a strip of paper around your child’s head (you may need to strips taped together) Tape the band together when you have the right size. Next you have several options! You can create a mini leprechaun hat with black paper and tape/ glue it on the front of the band. Or you can take two green pipe cleaners and tape them on each side of the band (creating antennas) and tape shamrocks to the top of each one!

• Take 7 small jars (baby food jars are awesome, or spice jars) ~ fill them with water ~ using only red, blue and yellow food coloring ~ create a rainbow! Mix the primary colors to create the secondary colors. This is a great science experiment too! Each jar will have one color of the rainbow, place in a sunny window for a beautiful decoration!

• Glue/ tape four green hearts into the shape of a shamrock and hang in the window!

• Shamrock rings ~ use green pipe cleaners ~ shape the middle of the pipe cleaner into a ring to fit on finger, then using the rest of it, twist into a shamrock shape, ( two loops for each end of the pipe cleaner and then push in the top of the loop slightly to create each 'petal') twist the end under the ‘ring’ to secure in place.

St. Patrick's Day Fun Activities

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner! Here are some fun ways to celebrate!

 

Fun Ideas:

• Green toilet bowl water
• Painted mini feet around the environment ( make your hand into a fist, pain the side of your hand green and stamp, use your fingertip dipped in paint to create toes)
• Create an environment that looks like a ‘mischievous’ leprechaun may have visited – turn chairs upside down, turn picture frames backwards, move things into areas they wouldn’t typically be in! Really have fun with it!
• Create a leprechaun trap (http://littlehandslotsoflove.blogspot.com/2011/03/leprechaun-trap.html) , and in the morning leave a map inside so the children can see they didn’t catch the leprechaun but he left them a map! Have a hidden ‘treasure’ of some sort at the X marks the spot! (Some great treasure ideas include: Lucky Charms cereal, Shamrock stickers, 'gold' coins, anything with a rainbow on it such as pencils, erasers, stickers, etc. or anything green! Such as socks (silly leprechaun!)
• Have fun with rainbows, put crystals in the window, make rainbow cupcakes or pancakes, use rainbow sprinkles on things such as the rim of their milk glass

Cool Games:

• Duck Duck Goose! Variation – Leprechaun, Leprechaun, Rainbow! (Or Gold!)
• Doggy Doggy Where’s Your Bone? Variation – Leprechaun, Leprechaun where’s your gold
• Shamrock Search - Cut out many shamrock shapes and hide them around the room. Have the children search for them like an Easter Egg hunt.

Great Songs and Fingerplays:

Where or Where? Sung to "Where oh Where has my Little Dog Gone?"

Where, oh where has my pot of gold gone?

Oh Where, Oh Where could it be?

It's black and big and full of gold,

Oh Where, Oh where could it be?

Did You Ever See a Leprechaun? (Did you ever see a lassie?)

Did you ever see a leprechaun, a leprechaun, a leprechaun

Did you ever see a leprechaun go this way and that?

Go this way and that way and this way and that way

Did you ever see a leprechaun go this way and that?

I'm a Little Leprechaun To the tune of I'm a Little Teapot

I'm a little leprechaun dressed in green
the tiniest man that you've ever seen.
If you ever catch me so it's told
I'll give you my pot of Gold!

Five Little Shamrocks 

1 green shamrock, in the morning dew,

Another one sprouted, and then there were two.

2 green shamrocks, growing beneath a tree;

Another one sprouted and then there were three.

3 green shamrocks, by the cottage door;

Another one sprouted,

And then there were four.

4 green shamrocks, near a beehive

Another one sprouted,

And then there were five.

5 little shamrocks, bright and emerald green,

Think of all the luck these shamrocks will bring.

Spring Craft Ideas!

Those of you who are crafty and love doing activities with your children will be especially inspired by the sunny weather! The sunshine seems to give us a renewed energy and a wonder of new things and new ideas!

Here are a few springtime activities to get you started!

Spring Blossom Tree

This one is super cute! Just pop some air pop popcorn (don’t use microwave ones with the buttery stuff on it) Then cut out a tree shape (just the branches no leaves)Glue the tree shape to a piece of colored paper and then glue the popcorn on resembling blossoms! Option – you can toss the popcorn in a plastic/ paper bag with some pink powder paint and give it a shake to make pink cherry blossoms!

Spring Wind Sock

I love this one because it’s so easy and they turn out so awesome!
What you will need:

• stickers,
• construction paper,
• tissue paper (or streamers),
• tape,
• string

What to do:

• Place stickers all over the paper leaving a couple inches on one short side because it will be covered when you roll up the paper anyway (we like spring stickers such as flowers and bugs and sunshines!) When that is all done, turn the paper over and place strips of tissue paper along the bottom long edge of the paper and tape them down.
• Next, roll the paper into a large tube by bring both short ends together and over lapping until you get the size you want, place a long piece of tape along the edge to hold it together.
• Next take a string (approx. 6 inches) and tape each end inside the tube on the top to create a hanger.
• Done! So cute and perfect in a sunny window!

Button Blossoms

This one is super easy and gives you a little start on blossoming blooms before the real ones arrive!
You just need some colorful buttons and some thin wire.http://littlehandslotsoflove.blogspot.com/2011/02/button-blooms.html

Spring Twig

This is so pretty! Put a few small drops of brown watered down paint at bottom of a piece of paper. Blow with a straw up and over a little left and right to create a pretty shaped branch with lots of twigs. Then take spring color tissue squares (such as pink or light green) and pinch in the middle and glue on like a blossom or bud along the twigs, remembering to get some on the ends of the twigs. Really beautiful on your wall! This also looks beautiful if you do it on white paper and then glue it on a larger piece of paper that matches the tissue paper, it creates a really sweet frame! If you are really inspired – I have done this project on a canvas so it’s ready to hang!

Check back throughout Spring to see more ideas popping up!

Other craft websites for Spring ideas!

Love this site!

http://familyfun.go.com/spring/spring-crafts/

Spring!

It is a beautiful sunny day on the coast of Vancouver Island! It is only February but, wow, does it feel like Spring! Today will be a day spent outside soaking up all that sunshine we have been deprived of for several cloudy and grey months. And what better way to spend a beautiful early spring day than to sing a few songs and talk about this fabulous weather?!

Spring Songs and Poems

What the Robin Told

The wind told the grasses,
And the grasses told the trees.
The trees told the bushes,
And the bushes told the bees.
The bees told the robin,
And the robin sang out clear:
Wake up! Wake up!
Spring is here!

Springtime

(This would make an awesome felt board poem!)

A small green frog
On a big brown log;
A black and yellow bee
In a little green tree;
A red and yellow snake
By a blue-green lake,
All sat and listened
To red bird sing,
"Wake up, everybody,
It's spring! It's spring!"

First I was

(Tune Johnny Works With One Hammer)

First I was a raindrop, raindrop, raindrop
First I was a raindrop, pitter and patter
Then I was a puddle, puddle, puddle
Then I was a puddle, splash and splatter

Then I heard the children, children, children

Then I heard the children laugh and play
Then I saw the sunshine, sunshine, sunshine
Then I saw the sunshine and dried away

The Little Caterpillar
(Sung to "Itsy, Bitsy Spider")

The little caterpillar crawled up into a tree,
Spun his cocoon and slept so quietly,
All through the winter he didn't make a sound,
He dreamt of his new life when he'd be flying all around.
While he was sleeping the snow did gently fall,
Winter came and went, then he heard the robin's call,
Come on Mr. Butterfly, out of your cocoon
Spread your wings and fly for me, while I sing my tune.

Check back soon for Spring Craft Ideas!

References
Canteach.ca

Everythingpreschool.com

Valentine's Day Songs!

Sharing the love...

Love, Love, Love (tune: 3 Blind Mice)

Love, love, love,
love, love, love
See how it grows,
See how it grows.
I love my friends and they love me.
We love each other it’s plain to see.
There's plenty for a big family.
Love, love, love, love, love, love.

I'm a Happy Little Heart (I'm a Little White Duck)

I'm happy little heart
I’m pink and white and red.
A happy little heart with lace around my edge.
I have three words on the front of me.
That say I love you! Oh, can't you see?
I'm a happy little heart
I’m pink and white and red.
Happy little heart with lace around my edge!

H-E-A-R-T (Tune: Bingo)

There is a shape and it means love

And heart is it's name-o.
H-E-A-R-T, H-E-A-R-T, H-E-A-R-T,
And Heart is it's name-o!

Continue leaving out a letter on each repeat and use a clap in place of the letter.

As a felt song have five heart shapes with a letter on each that 5 children hold in front of the group and turn over as that letter is left off.

Do You Know My Valentine? (Muffin Man)

Do you know my Valentine,

My Valentine, my Valentine?
Do you know my valentine?
His/her name is _________.

Five Pretty Valentines

Five pretty valentines waiting at the store.
(Insert child's name) bought one and then there were four.

Four pretty valentines shaped like a "V"

(Insert child's name) bought one and then there were three.

Three pretty valentines said "I love you"

(Insert child's name) bought one and then there were two.

Two pretty valentines, this was so much fun.

(Insert child's name) bought one and then there was one.

One pretty valentine, sitting on the shelf.

I felt sorry for it, so I bought it for myself!

New Year’s Resolution: ‘Spend More Quality Time with My Child!’

Have you started this resolution yet?

Life gets busy. As parents we all want to slow down and spend more time with our children. It makes us feel good and it makes them feel good. It creates lasting memories and close relationships with each other.

However, we all know how busy life can be! Work, school, dinners, chores, baths, etc. It’s busy and it’s exhausting!

How do we create time and make this time priority on our list everyday? We make it easy!

Two things often prevent us from spending that time with our children:

1. Exhaustion
2. Busy, busy, busy (checking off to-do lists!)

Exhaustion

You may be feeling like you just want to relax at the end of your day! Not run around playing hide and seek. Well, surprisingly, children enjoy that down time too! It doesn’t matter what you do, it doesn’t have to be a big, thought out project and it doesn’t mean packing up and going out to the park or the pool.

Busy, busy, busy!

I know that some of you are saying, ‘I have too much to do! I can’t sit and play cars or build blocks, or play store. I need to get things done!’ Fair enough, the time for a parent is not enough and the list is always way too long.

So how do you compromise? How do you accomplish tasks or relax and not miss out on precious time with your child?

Let’s figure out how you can be together without exerting a ton of energy that you just don’t have, or delaying things on your list that will take your focus away from enjoying any other activity with your child.

No energy?

Find some things to do that you can sit down and not have to pour a lot of preparation and planning into…

• Sit and read stories, or have your child read to you
• Cuddle together and watch a show or a movie
• Cuddle and talk! Talk about the day – likes/ dislikes. Talk about what you want to do tomorrow. Talk about anything!
• Do a puzzle with a cup of tea and a snack
• Create a sticker book! So fun! (we use a binder with those plastic protectors, then we put stickers on colored paper and just slide them in!)
• Color! Easy, easy, easy!
• Look through cookbooks and sticky note the recipes you want to try together

What’s on your list?

Tasks can easily incorporate your child’s assistance and company if you think creatively about how to do it! It’s also a lot more fun to do together, it gets done faster, sometimes, and your children love being with you, regardless of what you are doing, if it’s together and you are having fun doing it, they will love it and you will to when you realize just how much time you can spend together! Children love to help!

• If the dishes really can’t wait? Let your child stand on a chair and rinse the dishes, or help unload the dishwasher and place things on the counter.
  
• Doing laundry? Children are great at putting clothes in front loading washers, they enjoy putting the soap in the dispenser and pushing the start button. Children can also easily fold face clothes and tea towels (it doesn’t matter if they are not perfectly folded)
  
• Writing out Thank You notes or birthday cards? Bring out the markers and paper and let you child create their own thank you notes!
  
• Need to mail bill payments? Go for a walk to the mailbox together
  
• Making lunches for the next day? Children can help with this! They can pick out fruit to add to each lunch kit, spreading peanut butter on bread, adding juice boxes, etc. Even toddlers can be involved by using step by step instructions (find an apple, pick it up, put it in!)
  
• Getting coffee ready on the timer for the morning? Children love to scoop and pour the coffee grinds
  
• Grocery shopping? Preschool children love to ‘Spy’ the next item! (We are looking for…. Let’s see who can spy them first!)
  
• Dusting? Put on some tunes and slide some socks onto your child’s hands, easy way for them to help with the dusting! Especially those awkwardly low baseboards!

When you make spending time with your child the focus, you will realize how to easily make quality time together a priority! And soon you will wonder how you ever did anything without them! And you will look forward to that down time when you can relax and reconnect with each other after a busy day or week.

Sharing Christmas Traditions

Traditions….

In the eyes of a child, Christmas is the most magical time of year. As adults, this magic is somewhat clouded with the hustle and bustle of shopping, baking, decorating, visiting and long to-do lists. However, we need to be reminded what this season is all about. We need to remember to make sure the magic of Christmas is not lost for our children.

Traditions are a special way of ensuring the magic stays close to our hearts and our families during such a busy time of year. Traditions are a way of reminding us that our children are only little for such a short time and it is important to create special memories that they will not only carry on in their lives but possibly generations to come.

These special times also enable us to take a breath during the month of December and really enjoy the magic through our children’s eyes! Seeing the smiles and sparkle in their eyes during these times, those are the memories we will carry throughout our lives.

The wonderful thing about traditions is that it doesn’t have to be a big production! It doesn’t have to be a big, thought out plan. It’s just about creating moments between the people you love that you look forward to sharing each year.

Here are just a few ideas…

• Donating gently used clothing and non-perishable food to families in need
• Going to a tree farm to cut down your own tree
• Baking goodies to deliver to neighbours or a seniors home
• Making a gingerbread house and drinking cider or cocoa
• Visiting Santa
• Writing a letter to Santa together, reminding your child to also think of others in their letter
• New individual tree ornament for each year, make sure to write the year on it!
• Attend a Christmas Eve church service for caroling and fellowship
• Get into your pajamas, make some hot chocolate and hop in the car to go in search of Christmas lights!
• Watch a favourite Christmas movie together
• Make a special hand-made gift for grandparents
• Make cookies to leave out for Santa and reindeer food for Rudolph
• Go for a walk on Christmas Eve, try to spy Rudolph’s nose!
• Track Santa on Norad Tracks Santa!
• Give your child a box of candy canes as you decorate the house, let them put them wherever they can find a place to hang them, you may be surprised!
• Make gingerbread playdough! (see previous post)
• Save a few favourite recipes that you only make during the Christmas season
• Use Christmas mugs on Christmas morning
• Rock around the Christmas tree to your favourite Christmas CD while decorating the tree
• Create bird feeders out of pinecones to give the birds a special gift
• Use candy canes to stir your hot chocolate, mmmm minty!
• Have special Christmas pajamas or socks to wear at Christmas
• Make a Christmas Pickle for the tree and follow the historical tradition!
• Make or buy a special little beaded spider for the tree and talk about the Legend of the Christmas spider, on Christmas Eve when the children have gone to bed, hang tinsel on the tree for tem to discover Christmas morning!
• Make your own stockings to hang
• Have a special advent calendar to count down the days together

There really are so many wonderful ways to create Christmas memories, we would love to hear about the special traditions your family has during the Christmas season! Please feel free to share in the comment section of this post :)

Gingerbread Playdough

This activity will have your home smelling
like Christmas in no time! So fun!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg

In a saucepan mix the dry ingredients together. Add spices to the smell you like. Mix water and oil together. Add them to the dry ingredients and stir. Cook the mixture for two or three minutes stirring. The dough will clump together and pull away from the sides of the pan. Take the dough out of the pan and knead it until it becomes soft and smooth. Allow to cool and store in an air tight container

Christmas Songs and Fingerplays!

Tried and true non-traditional favourite Christmas Songs and Fingerplays!

Reindeer Pokie (Sung To: Hokey Pokey)
You put your antlers in,
you put your antlers out,
you put your antlers in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your hooves in,
you put your hooves out,
you put your hooves in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your tail in,
you put your tail out,
you put your tail in,
Then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your red nose in,
you put your red nose out,
you put your red nose in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

You put your whole self in,
you put your whole self out,
you put your whole self in,
then you shake the,em all about.

You do the reindeer pokie
And you turn yourself around,
That's what it's all about.

Way up High on the Christmas Tree Way up high on the Christmas tree (Point up)
Two little candy canes winked at me (wink),
So I shook that tree as hard as I could (pretend to shake tree)
And down dropped those candy canes (squat down)
Mmm, Mmm, Good!! (Rub Tummy)

Little Reindeer One little, two little, three little reindeer
Four little, five little, six little reindeer
Seven little, eight little, nine little reindeer
Pulling Santa's Sleigh

Five Little Christmas Trees Five little Christmas Trees (Hold up Five Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

Four little Christmas Trees (Hold up Four Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

Three little Christmas Trees (Hold up Three Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

Two little Christmas Trees (Hold up Two Fingers),
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause they hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

One little Christmas Trees (Hold up One Fingers),
Standing all alone
Her heart was very sad (Make Sad Face)
'Cause she hadn't found a home
Then chop went the axe (chopping)
And down fell the tree (clap)
And off she went with a happy family! (Make Happy Face)

No little Christmas Trees
Standing all alone
Their hearts were very happy
'Cause they all found a home

Five Little Bells Five little bells hanging in a row.
The first one said, "Ring me slow."
The second one said, "Ring me fast."
The third one said, "Ring me last."
The fourth one said, "I'm a chime."
The fifth one said, "Ring me at Christmas time."
The sixth one said, "Ring me with the others."
The seventh one said, "Ring me for the mothers."
The eighth one said, "Ring me with a song."
The ninth one said, "Ring me all day long."

Two Very ‘Cool’ Ice Crystal Projects!

The first of these two awesome projects is not edible, as it uses soap. However the second of these ‘ice crystal’ experiments is edible, yummy! Both projects require adult help as they deal with boiling water. If you are planning on doing both projects, we strongly suggest labeling the jars clearly as to which one is edible and which on is not.

1^st Project – Borax Ice Crystal Snowflakes!

You will need:
Borax soap (found in laundry section of grocery stores)
Boiling water
Pipe Cleaners
Food coloring (optional)
Wide mouth jar
A pencil
A piece of string

Instructions: Make the snowflake shape. Cut a pipe cleaner into three equal sections. Twist the sections together at their centers to form a six-sided snowflake shape. The snowflake will need to fit inside the jar.
Tie the string to the end of one of the snowflake arms. Tie the other end of the string to the pencil. You want the length to be such that the pencil hangs the snowflake into the jar.
Fill the wide mouth jar with boiling water.
Add borax one tablespoon at a time to the boiling water, stirring to dissolve after each addition. (The amount used is 3 tablespoons borax per cup of water.)
You can tint the mixture with food color.
Hang the pipe cleaner snowflake into the jar so that the pencil rests on top of the jar and the snowflake is completely covered with liquid and hangs freely (not touching the bottom of the jar).
Allow the jar to sit overnight, do not lift or move the snowflake during this time.
Approx. 24 hours you will see spectacular crystals!

Ice Crystal Project #2 – The Edible one!

You Will Need:1 1/2 cups of white sugar (possibly more)
3/4 cup of water
Small saucepan
Tall glass or jar
Piece of clean cotton string or thread
A pencil

Instructions:
Pour the water into the saucepan and bring to a boil.
Pour the sugar into the water and stir until no more of the sugar will dissolve (you will still be able to see little grains of sugar floating around at the bottom of the pan). If all of the sugar dissolves at first, add a little more until you can't get any more to dissolve when you stir it.
Keep cooking the liquid and stirring it until it is clear, but not for more than 5 minutes, or it will get too hot and turn into hard candy!
Turn off the stove when it starts to look clear.
Pour the sugar water into the glass or jar, but go slowly to make sure that none of the undissolved sugar from the bottom of the pan goes into the glass. Fill the glass about 2/3 full. (You might have enough for two glasses.) Add food coloring if desired.
Dip the string into the solution so that half of the string is coated. Take the string out and let it dry. It doesn’t take long
Once the string has dried, tie the clean end around a pencil and put the dipped end back into the glass of sugar water solution, balancing the pencil across the rim of the glass. Make sure the string does not touch the bottom or the sides of the glass, or your crystals will not form right!
Carefully move your glass to a place where it won’t be touched. Check it each day to watch the crystals grow. Within a few days, you should start to see a few crystals growing on the string. In approx. one week, you will probably have a lot of crystals on your string.
When your piece of ice candy is as big as you want it to be, take it out of the glass and hang it in a clean glass to dry. Then you can take the pencil off, cut the extra string off, and enjoy eating your sugar crystals off the string!

It's Raining, It's Pouring, the Kids are Saying 'Boring!'

It’s raining. It’s not just drizzling or sprinkling… it’s down right pouring! Welcome to the fall season on the west coast!
The question is… what do you do with your children when cabin fever is setting in?
Sure, you could dress them head to toe in slickers n’ boots and hope they don’t get lost in some giant mud puddle outside, as you try to get a little bit of sanity in your day. By ‘day’, I mean days, weeks, months, you just never know when the rain will end on the west coast!
Or… you could check out this list of ideas and links, staying warm and dry, and get started on some amazing and fun quality time! Soon, you will be looking forward to these rainy days when you can hibernate inside together and really enjoy some treasured experiences.
Now, I know what you are saying, ‘it’s pouring rain and I’m not going out to get a bunch of crafty supplies,’ no worries! Our first list is a 'No-Craft' list! If you are, however, a crafty parent, we have a second list of some fantastic ideas for crafting with your little ones.
 
• Turn on music! Easy! Music always brightens the day and drowns out the sound of the rain. Once the music is on…
• Dance around together! If you have some scarves, they are a perfect prop for children to dance with. Play ‘follow the dancer around the house’, up onto the beds, down the hall, under the table, where ever you choose!
• Make some hot chocolate or tea and get busy baking your favourite treat! (And dancing of course! No one said you can’t dance with a measuring cup in your hand!)
• Play cards, or make a card house!
• Do a puzzle together ~ hope you are still groovin’ in your seat!
• Get a bowl for each child and fill it up with their favourite snacks. Find pillows and cozy blankets. Turn down the blinds and turn on your favourite family movie! It’s the middle of the morning? No big deal! The kids will love it!
• Play board games! You know the ones that have been sitting and collecting dust all summer? Yeah, those ones!
• Snuggle up in the blankets with some favourite books to read together! Spy Books are fantastic, they are super interactive and create some great early learning opportunities!
• Let your little one have a warm bath with some shaving cream (you can color it with a tiny bit of food colouring) and a paintbrush and let them ‘Picasso’ the bathtub!
• Go online and send e-cards to people, just because! Let them know you are thinking of them. Often we get so busy to remember to let people know how special they are to us. This is a great activity to model caring and giving to others. Making others feel good, just because. And making others feel happy makes us feel good!

Ok, here’s the ‘Let’s get Crafty’ list!

• Tis the season to start thinking about a few new Christmas decorations!
• Gingerbread houses!
• Christmas tree decorations! This is really endless in possibilities!
• Glue sparkle on small pinecones
• Use a baker’s clay (see LittleHands link below for a recipe) and cut out shapes and paint them
• Use white pipe-cleaners and make snowflakes
• Lace red and green buttons onto ribbon or pipe-cleaners
• Lace red, white and green beads on to pipe-cleaners and make candy canes
• Popcorn and cranberry garland!
• Handprint felt wreaths! And so much more! (See LittleHands link below for instructions)
• This is a fantastic facebook page with links to many ideas to keep little ones entertained and craft ideas to do together! Ideas and Inspiration for Crafty Parents
• Here’s is a website that is absolutely endless with ideas! Printable games and pages, crafts, etc. FamilyFun
• Looking for gifts to make together for loved ones? Or just some easy crafts to do together? Little Hands Lots of Love Blog
  
  Whichever activity you choose, take a deep breath and just enjoy this precious time. The rain helps us slow down and ensure we spend much needed time together.