Marshmallow Bunny Painting

I wanted to come up with something easy and fun for my first mommy and me class.  The theme is On the Move and this week we are focusing on bunnies and hopping.

 I pre-cut the bunny shape and they glued it down on the paper.  Next they dipped the marshmallow in the white paint.  *The best part was they didn't know that you could eat the marshmallow.  Maybe next year they will figure it out!  The project turned out cute.  They liked squishing the marshmallow and their fingers got a little sticky.  Keep wet wipes close.  Next time I want to try painting with Peeps. How cute would that be...stayed tuned!

Smart Eggs

Mommy and Me starts April 14, 2014 at the Lamorinda Theatre Academy
http://www.lamorindatheatreacademy.com/Mommy_and_Me.html

Smart Eggs

Looking for a way to use all those plastic Easter Eggs?  Here are three ways you can use them to teach letters, numbers and rhyming!  TIP:  Use plastic eggs that are easy to twist or open and close.  It can be frustrating when it is difficult to put them together.  You want to make this is a fun and independent activity!
Use a Sharpie to write on the egg.  For rhyming, write the first letter on one half and the rime on the other half.  Twist egg to create different words! For letters and numbers, have your child match the correct answers.

Another egg-cellent idea...practice basic addition and/or subtraction fact families.  Turn the egg vertically and write sum on the bottom half of the egg and on the top write the different problems that add up to the sum.  Now twist the egg to see the various ways to get the answer.  Inside have 4 jellybeans.  Your child can visually make the problems.  For example: if the sum is 4, write 0 + 4, 4 + 0, 1 + 3, 3 + 1, 2 + 2 around the egg.  Hope this makes sense...this idea came to me at 4am as I was feeding my baby.  :)

Check out this post for more fun ideas using plastic Easter eggs: http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-to-do-with-all-plastic-easter-eggs.html

Spiral Rainbow Cookies

I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved it.  I made them for my son's class in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2).  However, after making these, I realized they would be perfect for any occasion.  You could pick the colors you need for Christmas, 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, or even the colors of your soccer team,...

The best part was that this activity is VERY kid friendly.  My five year old son and 10 year old neighbor helped to make these colorful and delicious cookies!  They were busy forming the dough into grape size balls, rolling, and dipping into the sprinkles.  They loved seeing the colors mix.  Each cookie is different!

I have attached the link to the sugar cookie recipe and directions for the rainbow spirals.  I hope you and your kids have fun making these yummy treats!

The sugar cookie recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-sugar-cookies/ 

Rainbow Pinwheel Cookie recipe:  http://www.soudersstudios.com/recipes/rainbow-pinwheel-cookies.php

The only thing we did differently was that we only had 4 colors of the food coloring.

finished product

rolling and making spiral

Easter Basket Fillers

Chocolate and jelly beans galore, but not what I want my kids to eat early Easter morning.  Do we have candy, YES.  However, I try to limit the amount and have other fun items too.
Here is a list of non-candy items to fill an Easter basket:
bubbles
sand toys
art supplies or coloring/activity books
play dough
sun glasses
swim suit or sun hat
garden tools/packets of seeds
kite
books
real carrots with the green attached
chap stick

Non-candy items to put into the plastic eggs:
coins
stickers
erasers
rings
Cheerios cereal, goldfish, raisins, bunny crackers
play dough
army men
leave some empty

What do you include in your child's Easter celebration?

Dear Easter Bunny

Every year we write a note to the Easter Bunny and place it in our basket with some fresh carrots.  This is a great opportunity to ask the Easter Bunny any questions, like how do you hide all the eggs or decorate some many?  As the parent, take this opportunity to have your child help you "sound-out" beginning sounds to some of the words and model how to write a letter.

In the morning, most of the carrots are gone or half eaten and the Easter Bunny leaves a note thanking us for the delicious carrots.

Happy Easter!

What To Do With All the Plastic Easter Eggs?????

It is not even Easter, and we have a bunch of plastic eggs littering the house from various egg hunts we've been on so far.  Here are just a few fun games you can play with your child to put the eggs to good use.
1. Take an empty egg carton and number the spots with a permanent marker from one to twelve.  Then take 12 eggs and number them from one to twelve.  Have your child match the eggs to the correct number.
2.  To add on to the egg carton, have your child count out beads to match the number written on the egg and place them inside.  Only do this activity with children who won't put the beads in their mouth!!!  Then ask which egg makes the most noise when you shake them.
3.  SORT the eggs by color, size or design depending on the type of eggs you have.  Then count to see which color has the most or least.
4.  Put beads or beans inside the eggs and tape them shut.  You now have egg shakers.  Put on some music and shake your eggs.
5.  Make cotton ball animals to put inside your eggs to see what will hatch.  Glue paper eyes and ears to the cotton ball and put in the egg.
6. Write the letters of the alphabet on both parts of the eggs and break the eggs apart.  Have your child match the letters to make an egg.  You can put a capital letter on the top and the lower case letter on the bottom for more of a challenge.
7.  Fill the eggs with various small items around the house (buttons, sand, pebbles, rice, coins, etc) and have your child shake the egg and then guess what is inside.
8.  Put the eggs in the bath tub and see what your child will do...
Do you have any fun ideas to share????

Have a wonderful, eggstra special Easter!