Lora Langston's Blog, page 58

Online Scavenger Hunt: Pin it! Preschool Scavenger Hunt April 2013 Keywords and March Winner Announced

The relaunch of Pin it! Preschool Scavenger Hunt is a huge success! We have accumulated over 5,000 followers and 136 pinners. If you'd like to play the game, request to become a pinner to the collaborative board. Comment on this post or leave a comment on the purple pin on our Pinterest board.







Congrats to Jo @Le Baby Bakery for this month's winning pin from +Allison McDonald @ No Time for Flashcards. See the pin Kandinsky Fine Art.





Recycle bottle lids for this Fine Art inspired project based on Kandinsky.


This month's runner up is +Dawn Marelli with an Easy preschool project tissue paper chick from Blissfully Domestic.




Easy Tissue Paper Craft for Kids. Fun for Easter.

+Nicole Kiska is donating Usborne books to the winners.
See the prize pack here.


APRIL Topics 4/1 - 4/30 

Find and pin these ideas: 




Book & Companion Projects (Children's Book Day 4/2), 

Science for Earth Day U.S. (4/22), 

Arbor Day Ideas(4/26), 

Re-use Projects for "Keep America Beautiful" Month, Things to do w/ Jelly Beans (Jelly Bean Day 4/22), 

Ideas for Nat'l. Pretzel Day(4/26) 

Penguin Day Ideas (4/26) 




LIMIT 35 pins total per person. You can pin 5 per topic or mix it up- 10 of your favorite topic, etc. It's your choice! Pins must lead to PAGE of source (website). Don't REPIN your own pins. Please pin to your board first, then pin to the Pin it! group baord. 




For a complete list of GAME RULES visit our Facebook Pin it! page.  Good Luck!



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Easter Free Printable Coloring Sheets: Baby Bunny with Balloon

Happy Easter! Here are two versions of our cute, baby bunny free printable coloring sheets . He's holding a balloon just like in "The B Book". Remember the little bird at the end of the story by the Berenstains? "And that's what burst baby bird's blue balloon." Bummer. Hop around. If it's Easter season, you'll see lots of fun preschool activities for kids in the sidebar thumbnails.  If not, search the browse us button for these popular keywords: Easter, Bunny, Balloon, Coloring Sheet, Coloring Page, Clipart, and Free Printables. Right click on the images to save to your computer and print, or click to download a free PDF printable.







Letter B Coloring Sheet.



Baby Bunny and Balloon Coloring Sheet.










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Preschool Ideas: Pin it! Preschool Scavenger Hunt on Pinterest. March 2013 Giveaway = Free Usborne Book and More

The first month of the renovated  Pin it! Preschool Scavenger Hunt on Pinterest for preschool ideas is ending. On April 1, 2013, I will declare and announce a giveaway winner! We implemented new rules and the keywords are themed to last the entire month. You can pin up to 35 pins. Don't worry if you go over, we don't want to flood the boards, but one or two won't put you in jeopardy. However, if you do pin more than 35, the pins over the limit will not be eligible to win. How to play Pin it! Preschool Scavenger Hunt.





Fun Usborne Book you could choose for Pinterest Preschool Scavenger Hunt Giveaway.

Nicole Kiska from Usborne Books has generously offered to donate this month's giveaway item. The winner will get a voucher number to contact Nicole. You can visit her site and choose an item within a certain price point (Nicole will provide the info on Monday). She'll ship the book directly to you. This month's winner will also receive 2 Free McDonald's Wrap coupons and a link to free coloring and activity pages for your preschoolers.





Learn to draw Art Pack is a great choice too;

Not familiar with Usborne books? I love them. They are educational, beautifully illustrated in bright, appealing colors, and so much fun! Don't wait to find out if you are the winner; visit Nicole's site and get one today. They are affordably priced and make great gifts for kids. Most books are priced $10-20. The best part is you don't even have to buy one. That's right, you can host a party and earn free products! You can arrange for a virtual party, or if you are in the Chicago area have a fun, friendly get-together.



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7 Preschool Easter Crafts for Kids: Plastic Easter Egg Decorating

Are you looking for things to do for Easter? These 7 preschool Easter crafts for kids using plastic eggs are fun for a kid's birthday or toddler Easter party. Make it a play date and have fun crafting these easy egg decorating projects . Don't worry, you can do all of these project in about fifteen minutes.





Make an Easter Bunny basket from a milk jug.



Unique Easter Basket Craft

Grab a glue gun, a pair of scissors, and gather all those mismatched plastic Easter eggs. This is an easy Easter basket craft the kids will love. Mine were fighting over who got the plastic egg basket, until I made the bunny basket. When they saw the rooster Easter basket my son said, "Wow, Mommy you are a genius!"  Aww... thanks, I like to think so ;)












Edible Easter Crafts for Kids


To Make an Easter Basket from a Milk Jug

Decide where to cut the opening. See the images below. Try to cut so the milk jug's handle can also be the basket's handle. You could also glue one end of a brightly colored string to the base of the handle, and wrap it until the handle is completely covered to give your basket a more finished design. Glue the end down once wrap is complete.





Decorate a milk jug with plastic Easter eggs.







Back of Milk Jug.





Aerial View of interior.

For the rooster, follow the centerline of the jug at an angle to make your cuts. We added two short egg ends as feet, and then cut out orange chicken feet bases attaching with hot glue.





Back of Bunny Easter Basket.










Bunny Easter Basket Milk Jug.






















































Make your own Action Figures from Plastic Eggs

That's right, Easter action figures. Make a cute egg soldier army man, a funny bunny, or a feisty flying duck. These guys are durable when you use hot glue. How to make plastic egg characters is self-explanatory if you look at our pictures of Easter eggs. The duck and bunny are just two large ends of the eggs glued together and laid sideways on two short egg ends.





Easter Army Egg Men, Funny Bunny, and Duckling action figures.



Bunny Art Lesson: Primary Colors





Bunny and Duck Plastic Egg Action Figures.





Egg Captain.



Army Egg Soldier.







Plastic Easter Eggs: How to make a duck action figure.


So, I was off to get ready to run errands, and the littles were so engrossed playing with their new Easter action figures they didn't want to stop. They played for a good thirty minutes and wanted me to create more creatures.


Chicken Craft for Kids


How to make Bunny Whiskers Tutorial

The bunny whiskers pictured are made from construction paper. Fold a piece of white paper in half (you determine the size needed), start at the OPEN end and cut down toward the fold. Our whiskers are about 1/4" wide. Leave about 1/4" uncut near the fold. Now, fold them over in half lengthwise to give thickness. At the folded end of each whisker, hold and push to open the whisker in a bowed shape. Glue folded ends together and glue to your bunny. This is a great technique for a kids's bunny mask too.



I started with a simple idea: Glue plastic eggs to a milk jug to recycle, renew, and reuse. I ended up with an afternoon of family fun and some of the most original Easter baskets I've ever seen. I'm sweet on the rooster. I'm gonna enter him into the Hen Craft Challenge. What's your favorite creature?



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Amazing Crafty Artist: Meet Debra Davis and her Handmade Gemstone Necklaces. Did you know gemstones have meanings?

Each week, we feature an amazing crafty artist or blogger. This week, I'd like to introduce you to Debra Davis. Debra is a local artisan from my home state of Indiana. She's been handcrafting beaded necklaces and other jewelry for fifteen years. If you live near Michigan City, you can contact her to design something special just for you. 219-879-1429 Did you know gemstones have special meanings?





Safety Pin Lapel Pins with precious gems.







Handmade Beaded Necklace with Real Gemstones.










Gemstone Meanings



Amethyst:  Aids in calming the mind and obtaining wisdom. It is said to ease obsessive compulsive behavior.




Aquamarine: Gives courage and aids in mental clarity.




Emerald:  Aids in fertility, gives psychic powers, believed to lift insomnia and depression.




Jade:  Serenity and prosperity.




Garnet:  Passion and devotion. Good Luck in business ventures.




Sapphire:  Peace and happiness. May help in predicting the future.






Beautiful turquoise and cobalt gemstone handmade bracelet.



If you are looking for a unique, thoughtful gift for a special occasion, Debra's handmade jewelry is a perfect choice for a one-of-a-kind original. Most necklaces are priced at $14.99! Although she's been crafting and selling for years, she's only recently introduced her work to the online community. She'd be tickled if you popped over to take a look.





Handmade Macrame Bracelets.

Debra handcrafts every jewelry item, so you'll be sure you've got a one-of-a-kind. Each piece is crafted with love in honor of her late son, Jasyn. I especially like the macrame bracelets. What's your favorite piece?




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Child Development Psychology: Sensory Play Aids in the Learning Process

Early childhood development: The psychology behind a child's ability to focus academically or follow rules can be positively influenced by the environment.  Parents and caregivers can help children with sensory processing disorders or developmental issues ease into everyday activities with simple games. 







Block play is beneficial to the brain.



Each month, we co-host a play based learning linky party with Nikki at Spectrum Psychological.  Sensory play is a sneaky tool to help your child learn important motor skills, early literacy skills, and cognitive thinking skills.




Play Based Learning


If your child suffers from a child development disorder, you may want to consider alternative education options such as Montessori or Online Public School.   If one option doesn't work keep trying until you find the right fit.







Keeping a tower from toppling is a lesson in patience.

We have been fairly successful with Online Public School.  I have gifted children.  One enjoys learning, the other one does not.  As she approaches second grade, she struggles with what was once only considered age appropriate hurdles.  Her continued transposing of b's, d's, g's, 5's , and 3's is now being considered a form of dyslexia.  Compound words are transposed, numbers and letters reversed, and when tired she reads from right to left.



In this case, we struggle with everyday writing tasks.  As the learning coach, it is my responsibility to find ways to make school work fun.  The easiest way is to avoid writing anything down on paper.  Of course this isn't always realistic, so we supplement with less frightening activities. 



Using a dry erase board can make the daunting task of writing seem like a privilege.  Alphabet magnets on a door turn the chore of spelling tests into a game.  Just changing the media alleviates some of the stress making it easier to get started on a school project. 







Magnetic Alphabet Letters add a sensory element to writing lessons.

Gifted children face child developmental issues too.  While one struggles with dyslexia, the other faces many different challenges.  The brain is busy soaking up knowledge, but gross and fine motor skills seem less important- think absent minded professor.  His need for perfection not only stifles his creativity, it also frustrates him to the point of melt downs.






Read more about it in Jake's Journey in Art


So, what is child development psychology ?  It is a combination of child development and development psychology meaning the study of physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout our life cycle or in this case throughout childhood.  Piaget describes Early Childhood Development as children behaving as little scientists. 



Children focus all of their time and attention on learning, be it through play or studying and mimicking others.  Sensory play is essential to child development.  Children play to learn- Let them. 



Aid your child's development by encouraging sensory play with homemade play dough, oversize blocks, a costume trunk and mirror, and educational sensory bins filled with colored sand or rice embedded with fabric or block letters.  Teach them it's okay to get messy with edible finger paint or let them make mud pies.  Turn your no into yes, and forget about the mess.  Focus on can-do to build self-esteem and positive emotional development.






List of Discipline Alternatives


References:



Child Psychology:

http://www.psychologyschoolguide.net/child-psychology/



Early Childhood Development:

http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/ss/early-childhood-development.html 



Emotional Development:

http://www.spectrumpsychological.net/1/post/2013/02/tips-to-help-your-autistic-child-enjoy-relationships.html 



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How to Make Snow Cones or Sno Cones or Ice Cones or Shaved Ice Slushy Slush Puppy

So how do you make an Ice Cone? I mean it's just ice and syrup, right? Isn't a slushy the same thing?  What is a Sno-cone; is it really made out of snow?  Well, we made one from real snow.  It's springtime in Indiana, so anything goes.  Here's a list of everything you never wanted to know about the tasty shaved ice treat.





Rainbow Slushy Popsicle Ice.



Wikipedia defines snow cones as a North American variation of shaved ice commonly served in paper cups. Shaved ice is finely crushed ice. Hawaiian's call it Shave Ice. Baltimorians call them Snowballs.



Slushies are all about freezing water. Snow is frozen water, right?







Authentic Snow Cones.

We cheated. We scooped up some Indiana snow and added the Hawaiian Punch syrup we found on clearance at Walmart. They put it on clearance when snow is in season, go figure. This was the easiest snow cone recipe ever. Start with clean snow. 



Mayhem leaves out collecting bowls whenever they are predicting snow. Was it good? Um... yes. It is softer than shaved ice, and oh so perfect for a snow cone. Just like the real thing, if you live in Baltimore.



Snow cone syrup: Get this, the first flavor of syrup for shaved ice was EGG CUSTARD. Apparently, during the American Industrial Revolution  New York ice houses started selling ice to Florida. When the truck passed through Baltimore, kids started asking for free samples. Each time the truck came through they got their wish. The mothers decided to flavor the ice. Since eggs, butter, and sugar were readily on hand, they made egg custard flavor shaved ice. Of course they did. Yep, Baltimorians invented this tasty treat. Later during the Great Depression, it was an inexpensive snack earning the Baltimore Snowball the name "Hard Times Sundae".



The Hawaiian's added a scoop of ice cream at the bottom of a cup and poured a little milk on top. Thank Hawaii for the rainbow colors too. Thank India for Salt and Pepper flavored shaved ice popsicles known as Kala Khatta. Hmm... I'll just stick to the colored, sugary syrup.



When I was a kid, growing up in Indiana the Slush Puppie was the cat's meow. What a treat to get a $1.00 from Grandpa and head into the corner store for a Slush Puppie.







Slush Puppies.



Snow Cone Syrup Recipes (How to Make)



You need Sugar, lots of it, for a healthier alternative you could try Clear Corn Syrup or Light Maple Syrup. That's funny right there. For a healthy alternative how about ice and food coloring.



2 C. Sugar, 1 packet Kool-aid Drink Mix, 1 C. Water



Stir sugar and water together in a saucepan (or substitute one of the syrups above). Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in Kool-aid. Cool and store in a recycled glass bottle. Wait for a snow storm or use one of those nifty ice shaving contraptions or use the crushed ice from your fridge dispenser. Now pour the syrup over the ice. Tada! You should start your own snow cone biz 'cause you are officially a pro.






Maple Doughnut Glaze




 


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3 Easter theme Physical Education Activities for Elementary Kids using Eggs

Want to add an Easter theme to homeschool physical education activities for elementary school age kids? Use plastic eggs and egg cartons in the games. To make a fun preschool activity or silly Easter party game add some bunny ears. These 3 games work for a kid's birthday party  and are fun to play in Sunday School at church. 




More PE Games




Plastic Easter Egg Games and Activities for PE/Gym.

Easter Egg Pockets Game                                                   

You need:  egg carton, markers, plastic Easter eggs, and 1 or more players.


How to play game: Any size egg carton will do, but cardboard egg cartons are easier to color with markers than styrofoam ones.



Cut lid off carton. Color each pocket a different color. Write a point value in each pocket. The points should be in increments of 10. So, if you want to use an egg carton with 8 pockets, the point values would be 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80. The larger point values should be in the pockets around the outside edges, since these are harder to get the ping pong ball into.

Place the your egg carton on the floor. Stand about four feet back from the carton. To make it harder you can stand even further back.

Now, try to toss a plastic Easter egg into one of the pockets. Where the egg lands is the number of points you get. Then, the next player takes a turn. The first one to reach a score of 100 is the winner!



Easter Egg Pass Game

You need: Plastic Eggs, Large Spoons, and an Easter Basket.


How to play game: Each player needs a large ladle or spoon. Each group of two players needs a plastic Easter egg . Player one starts with the egg balanced on his spoon. He tosses it to the other player, who in turn catches the egg in his spoon. The object of this game is to pass the ball back and forth without dropping it off the spoons. 



With a larger group of children, at a kid's birthday party , you can play a variation of this game by dividing in half and lining everyone up into a single file line and asking them to pass the egg down. 



When a whistle blows or you say, "On your mark, get set, go" the race begins and the egg is passed from spoon to spoon until it gets to the person at the end of the line. If the egg is dropped the team must start over. 



The last person drops the egg into an Easter basket at the end of the line to win. Or, try this variation: The fastest team wins or give each team an equal number of eggs and a time limit. When you blow the whistle, everyone must freeze. The team with the most eggs in their Easter basket wins.



In My Easter Bonnet Game

You need: Plastic Eggs, Easter Basket, 1 Easter Bonnet (Make one here) and enough bunny ears for all players.



How to play game: Before the game begins mark one of the plastic eggs with a tiny bunny face. For a preschool or Sunday school class let the kids make their own ears and bonnets beforehand.



Everyone sits in a circle like Duck, Duck, Goose only everyone is wearing bunny ears (Don't worry it is fun for older kids too). Place the basket of eggs with the bonnet in the center of the circle. One player is chosen to hop around the circle like a bunny. He chooses another player by tapping him on the shoulder. The second player, places his hands on the firsts shoulder (like a train) and they continue to hop around the circle adding to their bunny hop. The last player sitting grabs the basket and the bonnet. 



The bunny train circles him and then sits down. The player with the basket passes 1 egg to each of the other players. The player with the bunny egg must trade his ears for the bonnet. 



Now, the eggs are placed back into the basket, and everyone wearing bunny ears forms a new circle around the basket of eggs. The player in the Easter bonnet is now "it". This player must twirl around the circle and tap another player on the shoulder to twirl with him until all but one player remains again.



Play continues as before, and the person who gets the bunny eggs must trade his ears for the bonnet. Play continues until everyone has a chance to be "it".



If you can find the music for the Bunny Hop and Easter Bonnet songs play them during the game to make it more festive :)








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Meet MaryAnne from Mamasmiles, her Crafty Patchwork Doll Quilt, and Fairy Princess Costume.

Are you looking for a thoughtful, intelligent, fun blogger? Meet MaryAnne from Mama Smiles (Joyful Parenting) blog. MaryAnne studied at the University of Scotland and she has a sweet story about the birth of her first child. 



Isn't it fun how life chooses your path for you? I don't know all of the details, but she attended medical school while there. Now, Mama Smiles is a respected Kid Blogger. Life is full of surprises much like the treasures you can find while exploring Mama Smiles Blog.  








Meet MaryAnne from Mama Smiles.

  


MaryAnne is a member of The Kid Blogger Network on Pinterest. Its how I first discovered her! We also co-host a monthly linky party for Sensory Play Based Learning.  Recently, I spent some time exploring her blog. She has so many fun, educational ideas. I especially like her World Culture for Kids series. 



I chose two crafty posts to feature here. I love this little quilt for a doll. I think we all have things stashed away to make a quilt some day! Do you have a little princess? Mama Smiles Princess Dress tutorial is almost as easy as magic. In all my years of making quick costumes for kids, I've never tried this way. What a fabulous idea- you can bet I'm trying that one as soon as possible!



Patchwork Doll Quilt





Doll quilt from Mama Smiles.



Easy Instant Fairy Princess Dress Costume (Nearly)





How to make a Princess Costume.



Facts about Mama Smiles.



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What are Carrots good for? Here are Simple Carrot Recipes and Edible Crafts

Carrots. Bunnies eat them. They are rumored good for eyesight. What else are carrots good for? Here are some simple, easy, carrot recipes your kids will enjoy- just in time for Easter .







Yummy, Easy Carrot Recipes: No Bunnies Allowed.



Carrots are good in lots of recipes, not just carrot cake. We found Carrot Pancakes from Iowa Girl Eats blog, adorable Bird's Nest Carrot Cupcakes from How Sweet Treats blog, and an Apple Carrot Smoothie from Akers of Love blog. Click the links below to visit their pages.




Carrot Classroom Snacks
Healthy Carrot Sloppy Joes
Plastic Easter Egg Carrot Craft
Apple Carrot Smoothie with Greek Yogurt
Easter Nest Carrot Cupcakes
Carrot Pancake Recipe





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