Cookie Decorating Christmas Party

    One of the benefits of having a preschooler is that you are required to participate in almost every activity with them, which in this case really worked out well for me.  Having to "demonstrate" how to decorate the cookies put me in the perfect position to "demonstrate" how to eat them too.  :o) In our family, Christmas and Easter are the two most celebrated holidays.  What better way to celebrate Christmas than to have a Birthday Party For Jesus?

Our Nativity Diorama

Letter E Activities

Letter Ee

Going On A Letter  Hunt
We used our letter box to go on a letter Ee scavenger hunt around the house.

We keep a journal to introduce each letter, which we often use to trace the letter with our finger or with items.

After talking about the letter we sometimes use our Hooked on Phonics Letter Cards to play CONCENTRATION and build the letter with large items we have around the house. 

Our Letter Ee Snack

We also used window markers to write the letter Ee on our sliding glass door. 

We studied the letter Ee sound and cut out items beginning with Ee.  Before using our regular curriculum, we used sticker dots to cover the letter. 

Letter E Prewriting

Coffee Filter Flowers

    Last spring, someone gave us several bags of coffee filters that were too large for our coffee pot.  We decided to make flowers out of them.  Here's what we did:

• Placed water with food coloring in a few tin pie pans
• Dipped the ends of each filter into the colored water to soak up the color. 
• Layed them out openned to dry

Fine Motor Skills With Contact Paper

    This was a fun activity and very beneficial.  To begin with, we taped a sheet of clear contact paper to the wall, sticky side out.  Next, my preschooler began sticking tiny objects to the sheet.  He had so much fun using his fine motor skills that he just kept going until the whole sheet was covered.  Our hope is to keep developing these muscles so that he can master scissor use. 

Counting Practice Kabobs

    My preschooler is old enough now to use skewers to make what we call "counting kabobs".  We use mini marshmallows, raisins, Fruit Loops, etc. to practice counting.

The Gingerbread Man

    We've begun our Gingerbread Man Unit and are having fun.  The following is a list of activities we have done so far including links and printables. 

• Read the story online @  http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/misc/stories/misc-thegingerbreadman/
• Use this printable storybook @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/misc/stories/misc-thegingerbreadman/printouts

• Watch The Gingerbread Man music video following the link on the right of this blog page. 
• Cut out and decorate gingerbread men out of brown paper bags http://www.lessons4sundayschool.com/images/gingerbreadmantemplate.jpg 
• Make gingerbread cookies- Recipe @ http://www.dltk-kids.com/recipesdb/view.asp?rid=90

• Counting Gingerbread Man Buttons