Tonight we made pinecone turkeys from the Family Fun web site. See the link below for directions.

Family Fun Tiny Toms

Here’s a fun activity to do and incorporate some creative writing.

What you Need:  a tree leaf, paint, paper, pen, scissors, paint brush, 1 piece of construction paper

Fall Leaf Prints

1. Collect a leaf from a tree.

2. Paint the back of the leaf with a fall color. We only painted halfway down the stem in order to have a dry handle.

3. Set it on the paper, and hold it down. Lift it carefully. Paint the leaf for each print. We were trying to make a wreath.

4. Let it dry. Meanwhile, have your child describe autumn.

5. When dry, write a poem in the middle of the wreath. Cut around the leaves. Frame it with another piece of colored construction paper.

Note: We couldn’t find orange tissue paper here in Korea, and so my six-year-old son colored some thin white paper. This was a fun project to do together!

What You Need:  balloon, flour, water, newspaper, glue, whisk, bowl, orange and green paint, paint brush, scissors, orange tissue paper, candy, string or ribbon, masking tape, black construction paper

What You Do:

1. Blow up a balloon.

2. Cut a newspaper page into long strips 2 inches wide.

3. Make the paste:  Mix two cups of flour with one cup of water in a bowl. Whisk it until smooth.

4. Set your balloon in a holder like a tall plastic bowl. Dip the strips in the paste one at a time. If there’s too much paste on the strip, remove it with your fingers. Add the strip to the balloon, going around and laying the strips next to each other. Cover the whole balloon. Do not cover the top of the balloon (where the mouth piece is) Cover the balloon with three layers of strips.

5. Let it dry completely, might take 24 hours.

6. Twist a piece of newspaper into a stem. Attach the stem using masking tape.

7. Turn your balloon upside down and paint it orange. Paint the stem green. Let it dry.

8. Cut a piece of tissue paper into thins strips about 1 1/2 inches wide. On one side of each strip, make a fringe at every inch.

9. Pour glue onto a bowl or plate. Start with a small tissue paper strip about 2 inches long and glue it to the bottom of the balloon in the middle. Then with the fringe-side up, glue strips around the balloon, around the strip you just added. Make each strip overlap the previous one so that the balloon won’t show through. Cover all the way to the balloon mouthpiece.

10. With scissors, cut the balloon top. Take out the balloon. Let piñata dry.

11. Cut out face shapes from black construction paper. Glue them on the pumpkin for a jack-o-lantern.

12. With scissors, cut a slit on both sides of the top. Run a ribbon through for hanging the piñata. Fill the piñata pumpkin with candy and other goodies.

Happy Harvest Time or Happy Halloween!

Here are a few resources to use.

Fifty states online quiz…do you know where each state is located?

States’ Symbols Information…click on the state to see the symbols

States’ capitols games 

It’s bedtime and Father almost forgets the most important part—a bedtime story. He asks Chicken not to interrupt again. He reads three classic stories, and each time she gets so excited that she interrupts with a new ending to avoid something bad happening to the main character. When Father runs out of stories, he asks Chicken to tell one. Who will interrupt her?

Children will love the humor and comic-like quips as well as reference to three classics, such as Little Red Riding Hood. Interrupting Chicken won a 2011 Caldecott Honor Medal.

How to use this book:

1. Use this book to teach about manners, that of not interrupting.
2. Use this book as a reminder to young children not to interrupt the teacher’s story, but to raise their hands or wait until the end to comment and ask questions.
3. Have the children write a letter to Chicken explaining about not interrupting and how to listen politely.
4. Have the children list other classic stories that Chicken might want to read. Which parts might she interrupt or not like?
5. If your children don’t recognize the three classics within the book, check them out and explore.
6. Write a short story for Chicken to read to her father.

Here’s a charming, rhyming ballerina book that takes place in the town of Messina. Eight girls whose names all end with -ina dance perfectly together in 4 lines of 2. However, havoc takes place when a new girl named Regina registers. How can they have organized dance with nine girls?

This story reminds me of the “Madeline” books. Very simple, soft illustrations enhance the ballet theme. I like that ballet terms are used within the book with a glossary in the back. Every ballerina will like reading this.

Activities
1. Explore the French ballet terms. Find an accompanying illustration or look each word up on You Tube for a demonstration.
2. Make a list of all the rhymes for -ina.
3. Demonstrate multiplication. In the book the ballerinas first stood in 4 lines of 2. Draw this and write the multiplication facts. Illustrate the multiplication fact for the new line up. What if another student registered? How could you organize a line-up for 10 ballerinas?

Got a rebellious child? a messy child? defiant? lazy? whiny? greedy? selfish? Then this book is for you!!

I had always seen this book in the stores but never read it until now. I purchased the e-book version and loved it! My 8 1/2 year old daughter really did change within five days. She’s not perfect, but big issues have disappeared! And I’m working with my 5 1/2 year old son. His changes aren’t so drastic as he has smaller issues. And like Dr. Leman said, I can walk around with a smile on my face and less stress!

I don’t want to give away his tips and tricks because that would spoil the book for you. So I’m recommending this book for those of you who want to have a better disciplined child or classroom. Most of it is just basic common sense, but sometimes we adults forget or have our children controlling us! haha

]]> http://tinaseducationaltidbits.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/have-a-new-kid-by-friday/feed/ 0 tinamcho Have a New Kid by Friday: How to Change Your Child's Attitude, Behavior and Character in 5 Days http://tinaseducationaltidbits.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/10-summer-activity-links-for-kids/ http://tinaseducationaltidbits.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/10-summer-activity-links-for-kids/#comments Thu, 02 Jun 2011 12:02:09 +0000 tinamcho http://tinaseducationaltidbits.wordpress.com/?p=530 ]]> Looking for good wholesome activities for your children this summer? Here are some low-cost activities or reading to do with your kids.

1. Thriving Family, a magazine by Focus on the Family, has daily activities for kids on their summer calendars featured in this issue. I contributed four activities which are on June 28, July 2, July 10, and July 23rd. You can access these calendars online, or you could subscribe to this magazine for free, I believe.

http://www.thrivingfamily.com/Features/Magazine/2011/faith-on-the-go-june-activity-calendar.aspx

2. Keys for Kids features online children’s devotions which can also be emailed to you daily. This is a great way for kids to do quiet time.

3. Education.com has tons of grade-level activities and crafts geared to each subject area.

4. Jelly Telly, also by Focus on the Family, has Christian videos and games for children.

5. Kaboose.com has really neat crafts and recipes for families.

6. Murb math games at Fun4theBrain are my kids’ favorite online math games. My kindergartner can do the simple addition and subtraction, while my 3rd grade can practice multiplication and division facts.

7. Keyboarding Games–Here your child can learn correct finger positions for typing at the computer.

8. Goal Charts–This is a super online chore/goal chart or behavior chart with virtual stickers that you can use throughout the year or summer.

9. Family Fun summer games and crafts for kids–You can subscribe to this magazine or access it online.

10. Clubhouse Jr. is a Christian magazine for children, which they’d love to get in the mail! Some of my writer friends and I write for this magazine.

Celebrate spring flowers by making a giant flower with your child’s photograph!

Directions:
1. Have your child draw a giant flower on bright construction paper. Cut it out.
2. Draw a circle on yellow or white paper. Cut it out. Glue the circle into the middle of the flower.
3. Cut out a stem and two leaves from green construction paper. Glue it to the back of the flower.
4. Print a photograph of your child’s head. Cut it out and glue onto the middle of the flower.
5. Hang your May Flower. It’ll brighten up your room!

Here’s a unique twist to the popular losing-a-tooth theme. Pinkalicous has lost her sweet tooth, and candy now tastes awful. Unfortunately the Tooth Fairy was too busy with other children and couldn’t attend to Pinkalicous. So Cupid, the Easter Bunny, and an Elf each try to help Pinkalicious in their own way. Pinkalicous writes notes to them, tries to stay awake at night with her camera ready to photograph them but instead wakes up to a room fully decorated to help her get her sweetness back. Only until Tooth Fairy returns does Pinkalicous realize how to capture her sweetness. Children will love the bright detailed illustrations and reading the fun letters.

Activities:
1. Have your child write a letter to the Tooth Fairy.
2. Your child can write a story about what would happen if they lost their sweet tooth.
3. Discuss what would happen to their teeth if they ate too many sweets.