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

Leprechauns Have Arrived!

For Mommy and Me class information, click here: http://mrsodaniels.blogspot.com/2013/02/spring-has-sprung-classes-start-april.html

Looking in the tall grass

Today we found evidence that the leprechauns have arrived in Moraga!  In fact, we must have been close because they left behind their hats and some gold coins. The silly leprechaun left a trail of gold coins (yellow circles cut from construction paper), which we had to follow.  Along the way we came across foot prints, wild turkey, trash, and clovers - lots and lots of clovers.  However, we did not find the lucky four leaf clover.  I have a feeling the next few days we will be looking for those tricky wee leprechauns.

We found their footprints!

Counting the leaves

We found some treasure and their hats!

For more St. Patrick's Day fun, check out some of my past posts.  Look at the Activities on the right and click on St. Patrick's Day.

Spring Has Sprung - Classes Start April 8th!

I am excited to announce that I will be starting a Parent and Me class starting April 8 at the Lamorinda Theatre Academy in Lafayette, CA!  http://www.lamorindatheatreacademy.com/ 

Sample Art Project

Each week we will have fun exploring Spring themes...sun, rain, bugs, butterflies, and more.  Classes begin with a simple craft and at the end of the eight weeks you will have a collection of art and memories to fit into a scrap book.  Be prepared to move, dance, and laugh together with your little ones.  The songs and poems can be easily learned to continue to do at home.  Skills include socialization, colors, numbers, gross motor skills and building self-confidence in a fun, safe environment!

Who:  18 months - 3.5 years old and an adult
When:  Mondays, 10:00-10:50 April 8 - June 10 (8 weeks, no class  April 22 and May 27)
Where:  Lamorinda Theatre Academy, Lafayette, CA
Why:  To create special memories together and while having fun learning basic skills
Cost: $150, materials included

REGISTER online http://www.lamorindatheatreacademy.com/ 

Miss Diana's Bio:
Over 11 years of experience teaching kindergarten in the Capistrano Unified School District in Orange County, Diana O'Daniels is currently enjoying being a mom of two young boys and teaching Mommy and Me and Kindergarten Readiness Classes.  She enjoys giving parents the tools and confidence needed to prepare their children for a successful start in school.  Her classes for children are always fun and engaging as she teaches skills necessary for kids to start school.

Here is what some parents are saying about Diana O'Daniels and her classes:
With my oldest child I took several popular "music" classes and Paint, Paste and Pour classes and I would by far say that Diana’s class was head and shoulders above these classes.  I enjoyed the format she used for her class, which consisted of a 50 minute class which had a daily theme broken up into a simple, yet creative and fun art project, followed by music, discussion, and story, all tied into the theme, then followed by time for the kids to get up, march around and dance, play with instruments, scarves, or balls… needless to say it was a packed 50 minutes, which was perfect for the attention span of a toddler.  I LOVED the fact that I was getting a little bit of everything in her class: art, music, movement, and on top of that, there was education tied in.  Some of the topics that we covered were rain, rainbows, frogs, worms, trains, butterflies… and there was a small informational lesson about each topic, tied into introductions to letters, colors and numbers.  The cherry on top of all this was Miss Diana.  She is kind, patient, fun and engaging.  I found some other teachers in the other classes I took to be significantly lacking in many of these areas, particularly personality.  I stopped taking Music Together because I found the instructor to be abrasive.  Diana has a fun and appealing class to match her personality which kept me coming back.  - Anne Larandie - mother of 2

If you haven't heard of this class...and you haven't heard of Mrs. O'Daniels...then you HAVE TO CHECK IT/HER out!!!  Marcos took her class in the fall at the Talega Swim and Athletic Club and it was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I can't sing enough praise for Mrs. O'Daniels.  She is smiley, loving, energetic, smart, and super enthusiastic.  One of the best teathers I have EVER seen.  Marcos LOVED it and learned a lot.  Check it out!!  You won't be disappointed.  We love it so much, we are doing it again!!! - Alicia Duzman, mother of 4

We can't thank you enough for what you did with Thomas.  He was not super excited about me leaving him...and after just one week he LOVED your class (he actually prefers your class to his preschool!)  If you decide to put together another class in the future, please let us know.  You are so smiley, animated, and loving toward the children.  Thank you!! - Diann Alexander,  mother of 3