Fire Truck Cookies

October is National Fire Prevention month, so we decided to learn about fire safety, fire fighters, and all the extras that go along with it! For our yummy craft, we made fire engine cookies.Here's what you need:

• graham crackers
• red icing (or white icing and red food coloring. Gel works best for the red color, otherwise it ends up looking somewhat pink)
• mini oreos
• pretzel sticks
• gum drops or mini marshmallows
  

Step 1: Spread icing all over a graham cracker.


Step 2: Using 2 whole and 2 broken pretzels, make a ladder.
Step 3: Using oreos, add wheels
Step 4: Add marshmallow or gum drop for siren
Step 5: If you want, break up a graham cracker to make a window for the front of the truck.
Get creative...you can even use Pull-N-Peel Twizzlers for the hose. My daughter wanted a firefighter and all I had were some Teddy Grahams. He worked well...we just stuck a little icing on him and "glued" him in the window.

It was a little tricky for my 20 month old, but it was fun nonetheless. And yes, I had a very hard time getting the icing off her face, due to my overuse of red gel. FYI- a little goes a long way. Ooops.

Peanut Butter Pumpkins

This is a tasty treat that is easy to make. I found it in the Big Book of Halloween.

Skills Developed:

• Math skills
• Color skills
• Fine motor skills

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 12 oz jar of peanut butter
• 16 oz powdered sugar--sifted
• Red and yellow food coloring
• Green icing

Supplies:

• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon (but I used beaters, and wish I had just used my Bosche mixer)\
• Toothpick
• Sifter

Method:

1. Melt butter
2. Pour butter in large bowl
3. Add several drops of food coloring to make orange. 2 drops of red and 3 drops of yellow will make orange, but I had to do that several times before everything was truly orange. 
4. Add peanut butter.
5. Add powdered sugar (sifted).
6. Mix until a dough like consistency is reached.
7. Shape dough into small balls. 
8. Make ridges using a toothpick. Don't scratch them in. Just press the toothpick into the balls.
9. Add a small amount of green icing on the top of each pumpkin for a stem.

Note: See the bowl in this picture? Not a large bowl. I ended up moving everything into a large bowl.

Pitch a Tent!

The weather has been nice and cool this week (at least around here). My husband commented that my oldest daughter is at a great age to go camping. However, work, events, and other issues will prevent us from driving up to the mountains to try it out this year.

But have you noticed that there's something about a covered area that amazes and captivates kids? Pillow forts, sheets over the dining room table...if they can crawl in it, they love it. So why not make the most of amazing weather and a great make-believe activity. Go camping!

We set up a huge tent (and by we, I meant my husband) in the backyard for the girls. Add a few sleeping bags (or blankets and pillows), some snacks, and you've just become World's Best Mommy (oh, yeah...Daddy too). :)

My husband, the more outdoorsy of the two of us, even helped the girls build a little stick fort, make beds for baby raccoons (not really, but they pretended), and keep a watch out for grizzly bears (okay, again, not really...but you get the point). My job? Hot chocolate! S'mores in the oven!

Pretend to build a fire...pretend to roast marshmallows...eat hot dogs and PB&J outside...go for a "hike"...but most of all, have fun!

Bubble Popping

Most of us love to pop these packing bubbles, right? I do. My kids do. Doing this simple activity can be a great fine motor activity. Just another simple activity to add to your list of simple fun.

Family Outings

One thing I tend to forget is that family outings are also learning times for our children. It's interaction with new people, and usually experiencing something new. We have a local Petting Zoo/Family farm that has a fall festival each year. There are animals to pet and feed, pony rides, hay mazes, a pumpkin patch, hay rides, and all kinds of fall treats to enjoy. Unless you already live on a farm, own a pony, have a pumpkin patch, take your kids for weekly hay rides, and set up your own hay maze in your backyard, chances are your kiddos are going to experience something new. We unexpectedly got to learn all about honey bees at a local trip to a farm...completely unexpected and wonderful at the same time!
I love going to fairs, festivals, craft shows, outdoor concerts....pretty much anything that involves getting out and doing something new. My husband is not as keen on the crowds, lines, and chaotic possibilities.
Take a chance this fall...go apple picking, find a random and new festival or celebration, check out local churches (this is a big celebration time with things like Trunk or Treat or Fall/Halloween type *free* choices). We even have a local Food Fest and Bark in the Park (taking your dogs out for some fun in the park).
Don't know if your community/city has something going on? Chance are your city's website has a list of local events. I just googled my city name + events and a calendar of everything happening in the next few months popped up!
A few tips for taking the little ones on a new and unknown adventure:

• Take snacks and/or a sandwich. They may not love the idea of an Italian Sausage or Philly Steak and Cheese.
• Keep a change of clothes and shoes in the car...we learned that after a surprisingly muddy trip to the farm. Ooops...
• Have a way to keep your kids still if you need it (like strapped in a stroller so you can wait in a line for the pony ride or for the funnel cake).
• Don't bring anything they'd freak out if they lost (like the stuffed animal they sleep with). Crowds+ distraction = almost a guarantee they'll drop it in a place no one will notice until you are too far away to retrieve it (or even know where to begin looking).
• BE FLEXIBLE! Sometimes agendas (other than knowing you'll eat and knowing you'll go home) need to be put aside for a little while. Try to be prepared but know something you didn't plan for may happen.
• Talk about everything you see! Point stuff out! (Don't forget that they are looking from a 2-3' height...not everything is so obvious other than that guy's feet in front of you).

Successful Learning Tip: Teach Responsibility

Teaching your child responsibility allows your child to be successful in learning because he learns to be in charge and take ownership of himself. He won't need to be told what to do every step of the way.

Teach your child to take responsibility for his things. Teach him to where to put clothes when he takes them off. Teach him to clean up his toys. Teach him to make his bed.

Teach him to concentrate on his tasks. Have him finish what he starts--complete the tasks given him. Teach him to be able to work on tasks independently. While he is working on tasks independently, keep interruptions and distractions away as much as possible

Now, the above can sound really simple until you start thinking about it. Teaching to clean up after self and to make the bed can take time and patience, as well as creativity. Having a preschooler finish what he starts might get frustrating for both of you at times. If you have a little social butterfly, it can be a challenge to get him to work independently. If you have multiple children, removing distractions requires some great juggling by mom.

Take it all one step at a time, and if you need help implementing anything, please let us know!

Halloween/Pumpkin Round-Up

Here is a list of all of our previous posts for Halloween/Pumpkin Activities:

Halloween Traditions: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-traditions.html

Sweet Treats: Fall: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/sweet-treatsfall.html

Witch Cupcakes: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/witch-cupcakes.html

Sugar Cookies: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/sugar-cookies.html

Pumpkin Faces: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/pumpkin-faces.html

Yarn Spider: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/yarn-spider.html

Egg Carton Spiders: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/egg-carton-spiders.html

Halloween Books:  http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/halloween-books.html

Baby Ghost: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/baby-ghost.html

Fall Scenery: http://learningdevelopmentactivities.blogspot.com/2009/10/fall-scenery.html

Go Fish

Age Range: 2+ years (the big requirement is to recognize numbers 1-10)

Materials: Deck of cards, preferably one made for kids

Activity:

• Shuffle deck, deal cards one at a time to each player until each has 5 cards
• Place the rest of the deck face down in the center
• You (player 1) ask your child "Can I have a five?" (or whatever other card you are holding)Your child (player 2) responds with either "yes" and hands over the card if he/she has it or "No, Go fish!" if he/she does not have it.
• If you are told to "Go fish" you must draw the top card from the stack. If the drawn card matches three cards of a value you already hold, you can lay down the four cards and continue. Otherwise it's player 2's turn.

*A variation we do of the game that makes things easier for a 2 year old to play is we only require two cards of the same kind to lay them down as a matched set. This allows the game to move a bit faster at first and encourages simple matching of like numbers.

*We also kept our cards and Tobias' cards visible for the first 2 games until he understood how to play. Then we started hiding our cards but kept his cards visible so we could help him. Once he gets a bit better he can hide his cards as well and we'll play as normal.

• The first player to lay down all his cards in matched sets wins!
  

-please ignore the crazy outfit, Daddy dressed him this morning :)

Skills:

• matching
• number recognition
• taking turns
• care of objects (they have to be careful not to bend the cards while playing)

Apple Books

Last year, Raegan posted with some ideas for some good Fall books. I wanted to add a few fun Apples/Fall books I have come across recently.

Piglet's Fall Day
I couldn't find this on Amazon, which means it is a harder book to find. If you can find it in your library, it is a cute little book about Piglet and Fall. My kids have all loved the Pooh series books when little.


The Apple Orchard (A Visit to...) by Patricia J. Murphy
This book is on Amazon, but out of stock right now. This book has full color photographs that explain a visit to the apple orchard. This is a great book if you can't make it to a real orchard. It would also be a great book to read before you visit to introduce concepts and after you visit to reinforce concepts.



Johnny Appleseed
There are many, many versions of the tale of Johnny Appleseed out there. We borrowed two from the library that were both quite different. I noticed several in Brayden's book club order this Fall. I have linked to all Johnny Appleseed Children's books on Amazon so you can browse through and see if there is one that looks best for your child.



Apples and Pumpkins (Stories to Go!) by Anne Rockwell

I think this is my favorite find this Fall. I loved that it combined the apple and pumpkin themes. It goes through fall activities you do with your family.







The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree by Gail Gibbons

Okay, this one is also a favorite. It shows a tree through all seasons of the year. Every so often, a page has a box with extra information. For this reason, it makes it a great book for the younger crowd as well as the older. You can keep it simple or add more info.




Apple Countdown by Joan Holub

This is a fun new book about counting things around the apple farm.

Home Made Calendar

Doing a daily calendar is a great way to help teach your children about days of the week and help them grasp things like "yesterday" and "tomorrow" and "two weeks."

I made this one very inexpensively. It is far from perfect, but good enough for us! I got a piece of poster board from the dollar store as well as some numbers. You could also print the numbers off. I then put a grid for the calendar days. Then I wrote the days of the week across the top. I put pictures of people on their birthday. I also put a spot for the weather for the day. I printed out some weather clipart (sunny, partly sunny, cloudy, raining, snowing, etc.). I have a spot for the scripture we are memorizing. Then I have the title of the month mounted on some scrapbook paper to offer some color. I might start doing a Spanish vocabulary word and put that up, too.

Each day, we put up the number and I say "Today is SATURDAY September 4, 2010. What is the weather like today?" Then we put up the weather picture. We then recite the scripture. This works well with our Learning Poster.

Handprint Apple Tree

A simple way to make a cute hand print keepsake!
Materials:

• Washable paint
• Cardstock (or construction paper)
• Paintbrush (optional)
• Do-A-Dot markers, or small sponges, or paintbrush
• Munchkin hands :)
  

Steps:

1. Dip hands in brown paint. I sponge painted the hand after they dipped it, so it would cover the entire hand.
2. Wait for it to dry.
3. Do-a-dot or sponge paint the leaves on the tree (or finger paint).
4. Dry.
5. Use 1 finger to dot apples in the tree and around the bottom.

For older kids, or more detailed project:

You can make 4 trees, one tree for each season of an apple tree. You'd need a few more colors (pink, white, fall colors) for the different seasons. A good book to read is The Season's of Arnold's Apple Tree.

Apple Seed Counting

If you decide to spend some time learning about apples this Fall, you might choose to do the Apple Print Activity Raegan shared last year. Or perhaps you will choose to have apples as snacks one day. Either way, you will be cutting into an apple. As you do, you can add a number counting activity!

AGE RANGE

A great thing about counting things is that any age can benefit from it. If you have a baby or pre-toddler, you can count for them. My little 17 month old can count to two or three if you say "one..." That is just from her hearing me count things all the time. The Toddlers and older can start to count on their own, though young toddlers will need a lot of help.

SUPPLIES

• Apple
• Knife

PREP

Cut apple in half

ACTIVITY

Remove the apple seeds from the apple. Count the seeds with your child. For the younger crowd, just count. For the older toddler and preschooler, have her count them herself by holding them and counting. For the older preschooler and older, do some simple addition or subtraction with the seeds depending on your child's ability.

This activity was inspired by The Toddler's Busy Book, page 195.

Apple File Folder Game- Counting

Here is another example of a file folder game I made, this time focusing on counting. If you'd like the template for the small baskets, here you go! Here's the template for the large basket, if you'd like it.
Okay, for the activity. The file folder with 12 baskets is for my 3 year old, the 6 baskets are for my 19 month old. I printed, cut and glued down the baskets where I wanted them. Then, again, I "laminated" them with packing tape. This game I'm really excited about because it's very versatile. You can write on the baskets using a Vis-A-Vis marker, or dry erase marker. Wipes right off, so the game can change as your child's needs change. Again, super cheap to make, easy to store, and the girls both had a blast.
Since our theme this week is apples (at our house), I used red, green, and yellow "apples" (Skittles) for counting.
.
For my 1 year old: We are working on 1-1 correspondence and recognizing numbers. I wrote a #1 on each basket and she has to put 1 skittle in each basket.

For my 3 year old: I wrote different numbers, 1-10 (I started easy for her for the introduction to the game), and she has to count out the correct number of apples for each basket.

Some options:

• Different numbers
• Patterns (AB, ABB, AABB, etc)
• Introduction of a new number (ex:write 7 on each basket, and they will get between 6-12 times to practice counting out that number per game played)
• Addition, subtraction, multiplication, etc
• Letter matching. Instead of candy apples, put a group of letters (paper, magnetic, etc) and write a letter on each basket. Have them match the correct letters. It could be capitals to capitals, or capital to lower case.
• Color matching

Successful Learning Tip: Establish Routines

For your child to be at optimal learning ability, she needs to be in good health. That means she needs to have healthy meals and also have regular, consistent sleep patterns.

For meals, be sure to work in all food groups. If you are sending your child off to school or a sport/dance/music lesson, be sure the food you are giving her will sustain her through her time gone. Learning requires brain power, and the brain requires food for power. It is hard to concentrate when you are hungry.

Have bedtime as consistent as possible. Try to not sway more than 30 minutes. Also, have a consistent morning wake time. Sure, if your child will sleep in on weekends and you want her to, let her sleep in a bit. But for most days of the week, have a consistent morning wake time within 30 minutes.

If your child is of the age of still needing naps, be sure to work those into your day.

And don't neglect physical exercise. Play outside each day as possible. Go for walks and bike rides. Play tag. Play on jungle gyms and swings. Play sports. Dance. Chase bubbles. If it is a day you cannot go outside at all, do some indoor activities that are physically challenging (see our gross motor activities for ideas).

These things will help set your child up for optimal learning all day long.

Apple Sort

One of my favorite things to utilize when I taught---File Folder games!!! Imagine...all the pieces in one spot, practicing a skill, one-on-one or independent, quiet games. Oh, and talk about simple storage for you! This took me about 30 minutes TOTAL (looking for pics, printing, cutting, etc) to make.
I simply went to Google Images, typed in free clip art, and chose the apple pictures that I wanted. Cut, paste, repeat.
I made this game for my 19 month old. You can choose 2 or more colors, whatever theme you want, and the game cost me about $1 to make. :)
Supplies:

• File folder (I bought a cheapy box of the plain. About $3 for 50 at Wal-mart.)
• Printed and cut apples (or cars, teddy bears, etc)
• Packing tape (I used it to "laminate" my pieces so they would last longer. $2 for a huge roll)
• 2 white envelopes, cut in half and taped for sturdiness.

I use the pocket at the top for storage of pieces (opening facing inward to avoid pieces falling out, but ease of use for a 19 month old).

Now I have a game I can pull out when I need a few minutes to finish something I'm working on, for practicing skills together, and something for her activity tray for her to work on while I cook dinner. I can also take it easily with me to a doctor's office, or any place I need her to sit quietly and still for a little while.

She adored the pocket idea, though you could just use a white piece of paper and let the sort and stack them instead.