Summer's Just Around the Corner

and that means kids are home from school and family road trips!!! I've just compiled a set of pencil and paper games perfect for those older kids who are "bored" or while you're on the road or even while they're waiting for sister's soccer practice to get over!

Several of the games in the file are already set up and I've put them in two formats, one to print and use as is with a pencil or pen, the other to put in a page protector to use over and over again with a dry-erase marker.

When we go on our road trips, I put these games in a three-ring binder that has a clear plastic sleeve on the cover. The kids slip the sheet of paper that has the game they want into the cover and pull out their colored dry-erase markers. The binder provides a hard surface for writing and its easy for them to pass the binder back and forth to take turns.

The file also has some suggestions for games that you can play with plain paper (great for re-using all those school papers coming home this time of year-just flip 'em over to the back) and even some game suggestions that don't need pencil or paper at all.

You can get the file here.

I also wanted to give a quick update on the status of Little Pumpkins Preschool. As many of you know, I had decided to take a break from the subscription format of the curriculum. I hope to come back this fall with a new fun format...keep watching the blog!

Happy Earth Day!

This Thursday marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a day to heighten awareness of the impacts we make on this earth. I'm not into the doom and gloom of global warming, but I am into being a good steward of God's creation.

Brainstorm with your family and decide on one way you will be a better steward of our natural resources. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• use reusable bags on every shopping trip


• switch to reusable plastic or steel bottles instead of one-time use water bottles


• plant a tree


• be part of a park or street clean up


• walk or ride your bike on one errand per week


• unplug an appliance that uses energy even when not in use

This week is also Turn off the TV Week...a great time to get outside and enjoy nature! Check out a book from your library about the trees, animals, birds and insects in your area then go for a nature walk and see how many different things you can find and identify.

We live on a planet that is full of exploration potential...get out and enjoy it!

Raindrop Shakes

With a super picky eater in our family we have to find snack foods and recipes that he will eat, but are also as nutritious as our regular meals.  One of the areas that I worry he is missing out on is protein which is how I came up with this recipe.  It is perfect for the springtime rain theme. 

Raindrop Shakes (makes 4 servings)
2 cups of frozen blueberries
½ cup (4 ounces) low fat yogurt (vanilla or blueberry)
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
2 scoops low fat vanilla ice cream
¼ cup milk

Put all ingredients in the blender and blend until you reach your desired consistency. This recipe meets the USDA guidelines for ½ ounce meat alternative and 1 fruit which fits within the meal pattern for a snack for children 1-2 and 3-5.

If you have a child in your care that is allergic to peanuts you will need to double the yogurt to have enough meat alternative to fit within the USDA guidelines. If you do that leave out the milk until you've blended everything else and add the milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until you get the correct consistency.

April Showers

bring May flowers. I woke up this morning to the sounds of thunder and rain beating against the roof...oh how I love spring showers! Time to dust off those umbrellas! Here are a couple ideas to do on a rainy day.

You can make a quick and easy umbrella to stick in a sandwich or snack for fun. Cut out a circle from construction paper (3" diameter or so). Have the children fold the circle in half, into quarters and finally into eighths. Unfold the circle and let them decorate their umbrella. Carefully poke a flat toothpick into the center of the circle to finish the umbrella.

Print the umbrella on this page, have your children decorate the umbrella and then put blue glitter glue dots around it for the raindrops falling down.

Stop and listen to the sound of the rain, try listening to it from different rooms in your house, does it sound different?

Happy Spring!

Jesus and Jellybeans...

two of my favorite things! This year for Easter we focus on Jesus' death and resurrection and how we can help children relate to this big concept. Many children understand the idea of a time out chair or sitting in the corner for being naughty. We can compare that to what would happen to us if we had to pay for our own sins...eternity in time-out. But Jesus has sat in the chair for us and when we ask for forgiveness for the things we've done wrong, we won't ever have to sit in the chair! Amazing!

During this theme we also use the Jellybean prayer to help the children put something concrete with the concepts. Use one verse each day, and eat the corresponding colored jellybean as you talk about what it means that God is the King, or the Light and the Way or how we sin and how God loves us, etc.

JELLYBEAN PRAYER
Purple reminds me that You are the King.
Green reminds me that You made everything.
Orange reminds me You create each new day.
Yellow reminds me You are the Light and the Way.
Black reminds me of the sins I have done.
White reminds me that through You, they’re all gone.
Red reminds me on the cross, You shed blood.
Pink reminds me that You are Love.
Thank You for jelly beans, they’re more than a treat-
They’re a promise of hope, a promise so sweet!


Have a happy Easter!

Fruit Pizza

I am lucky that my own two kids love fruit, but I do have some daycare children that don't.  I have found that the kids (and provider) who don't care for fruit will eat it a lot better if it is part of a fun snack.  An item that is a big hit with my group is a recipe I found at http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org.  I've made a couple of minor modifications to make it work for us (and the food program). 

Strawberry  Shortcake's Fruit Pizza

• 1 English muffin per two children (each child only needs a half to fulfill the USDA guidelines)
• 1 Tablespoon fat free strawberry cream cheese per child
• red grapes (quartered),  strawberries (sliced) and mandarin oranges (I cut them in half).  You will need 1/2 cup of fruit per child

Toast the English muffins, spread cream cheese on the toasted muffins, top with the fruit, and enjoy!  This is great recipe for the kids to help prepare.  I've found that it is difficult to get 1/2 cup of fruit on top of the English muffin so let the kids pile it high on top, eat some as they go, and spoon a little extra on the side.

One of our local grocery stores had grapes and strawberries on sale this week so we will definitely be eating fruit pizzas this week at daycare.

Vancouver 2010

Have you had a chance to watch any of the action from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver yet? There is just something about the excitement of it all that makes me tune in. I love how patriotic I feel when someone from the US is competing. I'm also amazed that while all the athletes fight so hard to win they are also so gracious if they don't.

The official website of the games is here: http://www.vancouver2010.com/. You can find the schedule of events, live updates of standings during competitions, the medal count (as I type this the US leads with 6 medals), watch video interviews and read news stories about the athletes.

For the first time in Olympic history, each and every medal that is given out will be unique. The picture on the front of each medal was taken from a different spot on a larger picture, designed by a Canadian artist. It took workers at the Canadian Mint 402 work days to make the medals for the Olympic and the ParaOlympic Games.

Sometime during the Olympic Games, create medals out of foil or construction paper and award each person in your family a gold medal for something they are good at. You might give out awards for best bed maker, quickest dresser in the morning, best cake baker, or even best hug giver!

To get this theme and 24 more, subscribe now at www.littlepumpkinspreschool.com.