The Mom I Want to Be

 

A young boy tells how his family searched high and low for perfect pumpkins only to find the best ones in their own backyard. An entertaining story for kids and grown-ups alike, In Search of the Perfect Pumpkin blends lively text with superb illustrations. Also features fun facts, growing tips for pumpkins, and a recipe for the perfect pumpkin pie.

 

To do this activity you will need to gather the following materials:

 

 

Draw a pumpkin on the cardboard.  It doesn’t have to be perfect, pumpkins do come in all shapes and sizes. Since my pumpkin was so large, I added glue to sections at a time.  Once you add the glue start letting your babe place magazine scraps onto the pumpkin.  Add more glue and repeat the process until the pumpkin is completely covered with magazine scraps.

 

 

Once the pumpkin is completely covered, coat it in a layer of Mod Podge to make sure all the pieces are completely secured.  Then cut out and add a pumpkin leaf and/or use the pipe clear to add a spiral vine.

 

Solution A:

• 1 1/2 C. Warm Water
• 2 c. Elmer’s Glue
• Food Coloring

 Solution B:

• 4 tsp. Borax
• 1 1/3 C. Warm water

Mix solution A in one bowl, mix solution B in another bowl. Dissolve both well. Then just pour solution A into solution B, DO NOT MIX OR STIR! Just lift out flubber. It’s neater than “Gak” or “slime”. And it also a safe chemical reaction for kids to see. I used a glass bowl for solution B so the kids could see the flubber form in the bowl. It just becomes a big “cloud” of rubbery stuff. Store in baggies. If you half the recipe, you only need to half the solution A and it will work the same.  Be aware that food coloring MAY bleed and stain hands and whatever surface is being played on.

• 2 tsp. borax (available in laundry aisle at your grocery store)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup white glue such as Elmers (“If you have access to a chemical supply house, try a 4% solution of polyvinyl alcohol instead of glue for a less rubbery polymer. It will be more transparent & show off color better.”)
• 1/4 cup water
• food coloring (otherwise it will look like cottage cheese)
• an air-tight plastic bag (for mixing and storage)
• 5/3 cups of polystyrene beads [Floamâ„¢ is made with polystyrene (aka Styrofoamâ„¢) beads ranging in size from about 1 mm to 1/8 inch in diameter. You can make an approximation of the beads at home by grating polystyrene cups, packing material etc. or by purchasing beads in multiple sizes such as: Micro-beads (about 1 mm in diameter), which we found at a Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts store. We had to call several stores before finding one that sold them. They can be ordered from Roseann’s Dolls or 1/8″ beads, sometimes called “milk bottle filler” or “bean bag filler”, which you can buy at Milkbottlefill.com.]

Dissolve 2 tsp. borax completely in 1/2 cup (4 oz.) water. Set aside. In a separate bowl mix 1/4 cup (2 oz.) white glue and 1/4 cup (2 oz.) water. Optionally add food coloring. Pour the glue solution into the air-tight bag. Then add 3 tbsp. (9 tsp.) of the borax/water solution to the glue solution. Do not mix them yet. You will have some borax/water solution left for another batch. Add the polystyrene beads. Seal bag and knead by hand until thoroughly mixed. Let stand about 15 minutes, and then knead a few minutes more.  This should produce a hard clay well suited for sculpting; for a more malleable clay, use fewer beads and optionally less of the borax solution.

Treat others as you’d like your child to treat them. You are your child’s first and most influential teacher and they are always watching you. “Modeling” your own kind and caring behavior towards friends and relatives is an effective way to teach your children how to be good to others. Show what being a good friend is about and tell your children how to treat people with kindness and respect.

Be your child’s problem “helper” versus problem solver. Guide and support your children as they work through conflicts or struggles, but avoid doing for them what they have the skills to accomplish on their own. Rather than anticipating and dissolving potential struggles for your child before they happen, become a partner and join his/her efforts to work through them together.

Encourage your child to be truthful, but focus on correcting behavior versus pressuring them into “confessing.” Children often stretch the truth or make up stories to avoid getting in trouble after misbehaving. By rationally focusing on a behavior problem rather than showing disappointment about you child’s cover-up/lie, you send a direct message that he or she shouldn’t fear being disciplined and thus telling a story is not necessary.

Volunteer with your child. By making community service a regular part of your child’s life, you reinforce the importance of giving to others/sharing and help him or her develop a greater awareness of the world and the diversity of people in it. Volunteer outings together also provide great opportunities to spend quality time together as a family.

Engage and involve your child in everyday tasks. Asking for their help makes children feel useful and important. By regularly involving your child in age-appropriate jobs with you, you’re helping him/her develop a sense of responsibility and familiarity working with others.

Recommended Book List by Topic:

Kindness/Friendship

“Now One Foot, Now the Other” by Tomie de Paola
“Special People (Who Care)” by Rachel Letch
“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein
“The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister
“The Selfish Giant” by Oscar Wilde

Problem Solving

“The Little Engine That Could” by Watty Piper, George Haumann and Doris Haumann
“Swimmy” by Leo Lionni
“Anansi the Spider” by Gerald McDermont
“Corduroy” by Don Freeman

Honesty

“A Big Fat Enormous Lie” by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
“Anteater on the Stairs” by Peter Coltrill
“Believing Sophie” by H.J. Hutchens
“Honest Tulio” by John Himmelman
“Lleonard, the Llama that Lied” by Susan Cameron
“Nina, Nina, Star Ballerina” by Jane O’Conner
“The Boy Who Cried Wolf” by Tony Ross

Respect/Helping Others

“Badger’s Bring Something Party” by Hiawyn Oram
“Big, Bad Bruce” by Bill Peet
“I Like Me!” by Nancy Carlson
“Kylie’s Song” by Patty Sheehan
“My Way Sally” by Penelope Paine
“The Great Kapok Tree” by Lynne Cherry
“The Ugly Duckling” by Hans Christian Andersen

Teamwork/Responsibility

“Airmail to the Moon” by Tom Birdseye
“Arthur’s Computer Disaster” by Marc Brown
“Dogger” by Shirley Hughes
“It’s Up to You, Griffin” by Susan T. Pickford and Mary Dunn Ramsey
“The Berenstain Bears and the Blame Game” by Stan and Jan Berenstain
“The Little Red Hen” by Paul Galdone

A development kit is a collection of items on a particular educational theme for your child.  They should include enough items to interest your cuild, but be compact enough to slip easily into a purse, backpack or diaper bag.

Each kit should include:

• a zipper pouch or resealable plastic bag big enough to hold everything
• smaller bags to organize the parts of the kit
• pencils or pens
• a memo tablet for notes, counting, games, lists, drawings

A math kit lets your child play with numbers and problem solving. You might include:

• a lightweight tape measure
• an assortment of items to count and sort—coins, beans, buttons, coupons, checkers, game pieces, playing cards, dice, dreidels, etc.
• a list of favorite fingerplays and action rhymes that involve numbers
• puzzles made from cut-up postcards or magazine photos glued to thin cardboard

An art and literacy kit encourages creative expression. A child can practice making letters, write and illustrate a book, cut out paper dolls, or play games like Tic-Tac-Toe. You might include:

• gel pens, washable fine-point markers, or crayons
• transparent tape
• stickers, stencils, or stamps
• colorful paper (such as bright magazine pages) for folding or cutting
• scissors—safe but not frustrating to use

A science kit encourages children to look at the wider world. You might include:

• a small, inexpensive magnifier
• magnets
• pipe cleaners
• sandwich bags for collecting specimens
• an assortment of items to study—keys, pebbles, seeds, etc. (NOTE: You can change the assortment from time to time.)

A music and sound kit helps you and your child investigate sound. You might include:

• small plastic containers with seeds or buttons inside for shaking
• a variety of rubber bands
• small scarves or 24-inch ribbons to wave
• a paper towel roll (for a mini-drum or a “voice changer”)
• a list of favorite songs and poems

You could make them very specific – science kit on bugs or space, a shape theme kit, and so on.  You can include books or activity cards. They can be tailored for very young children, or made more challenging for older ones.  Your imagination (and pocketbook) are the limit.

1. Read and sing together. This will build her vocabulary, language, and communication skills.

2. Count everything. Whether it’s stairs, blocks, or candy, thinking about numbers will get him ready for math.

3. Create art projects. Drawing with crayons, using safety scissors to cut paper, and creating collages with glue will make her comfortable with classroom tools.

4. Encourage pouring. It may be messy, but pouring practice develops the coordination and control he’ll need to write.

5. Investigate the neighborhood. Go for walks and challenge her to remember a familiar route as an introduction to geography.

6. Explore backyard insects and plants. Talk about what you see and he’ll develop observation and early science skills.

7. Design an obstacle course. Navigating her way through a simple maze of chairs and household items will not only develop her large motor skills and coordination, but increase her ability to problem-solve — a key concept for school success.

A ball as a paint brush? Why not?

What you need:
• assortment of small balls (tennis ball, golf ball, etc.)
• cardboard grocery box
• white paper
• masking tape
• tempera paint in primary colors
• 3 small bowls
• plastic spoons
• smock

What to do:
1. Put the balls in the box one at a time. Have your child shake the box back and forth and round and round. Ask which balls move fast and which move slowly.

2. Line the bottom of the box with paper and secure with tape. Then help your child spoon the yellow, blue, and red tempera paint into the three bowls. Talk about the different colors. Guide her to place a ball in each bowl and to use the spoon to turn it over. Continue until the three balls are completely coated with paint.

3. Ask your toddler to place one of the balls in the box and shake it from side to side and back and forth. Talk about the interesting paint paths the ball makes as it rolls.

4. Put in a fresh sheet of paper and invite your child to put the ball with the yellow paint in the box and shake it around. Then she can put the red ball in motion and take it out. Finally, she can roll around the blue ball. Describe the exciting new colors your child has made.

5. For an exciting finale, coat all the balls with paint. Then put them in the box, close the top, and let your child shake the box vigorously up and down. Open the box to see the colorful explosion inside!

Learning benefits:
• fine-motor skills
• gross-motor skills
• discovering that colors can combine to make new colors

 

These cheerful sunflowers are a simple autumn-themed craft that celebrate each child’s individuality.

 

To have fun creating a original fall craft

To encourage creative expression through art

To educate children about fingerprints and their uniqueness

 

Collect (or have children bring from home) small paper plates to use as the base for the sunflowers. Set out Colorations® black and brown paint on paint trays so children can easily dip their hands into for finger-painting. Provide yellow and/or orange construction paper, scissors and pencils, tape, green pipe cleaners and small bowls of glue.

 

 

Talk to the children about fingerprints and their uniqueness. This is also a great opportunity for discussion about the personal traits and characteristics that make each of us special. Have children dip their fingers one at a time into the paint and make fingerprints in the center of their paper plate. Repeat until the entire center is mostly covered with the paint. Encourage the children to use different fingers and to “print” them at different angles. While the paint dries, have the children trace their handprints onto the yellow and/or orange construction paper. They will need 6-9 handprints (depending on the size of their hands) for the petals of their sunflowers. Help the children cut their “petals” and glue around the outside of the plates. Petals can overlap to make the sunflowers appear more full. Tape a pipe cleaner to the back of the sunflower for a stem. Now everyone has their own one-of-a-kind sunflower to display in the classroom for autumn!

 

Turn this craft into an opportunity for scientific exploration. Gather some small magnifying glasses and have children look at their fingerprints up-close. Talk about what kinds of patterns they see. The children can compare and contrast their finger-prints with each other or record their observations in a personal notebook. Alternatively, continue the discussion about the ways people are unique. Have children write the different traits they think are special about themselves on the petals of their sunflowers.