Conversation Starter in November

Fingerprint Turkeys

Our latest deep conversation went like this.........

"Pretend you grow a pumpkin so big that you are able to make 100 pumpkin pies! What would you do with that many pies?"

Adam - age 5:  I would share :)

Dexter- age 3: I would call a tractor because tractors have big trailers. Then my trailer would dump them out!

Weston- age 2:  Momma!

Gracie- age 4: I would give them to my mommy so I could have some for later.

Olivia - age 4: I would take them to the market. (future economist)

Brynn - age 4: I would put a lot of sprinkles on them.

Savannah - age 3: I'd eat them all by myself!

Quote from Plutarch (Roman historian) 

 "The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled"

Conversation With Children

Love this bit of wisdom from B.B.King

We have been taking at least 1 day a week to ask "thoughtful" questions as a group. Many times children mimic each other in their answers; especially when in a group. But lately, I have been blessed with some answers that I certainly could never make up. I have decided to share this week's Conversation Starter. I hope you will enjoy......

"If you could grow a field full of vegetables and fruits, what types would you grow?"

Brynn (age 4):   Corn husk, peas, oranges, and tomatoes, but we gotta wait for mine to grow taller like yours.

Gracie (age 4):  Bananas. And I would like some eggs and vegetables and peas and oranges.

Lou (age 4):   I would grow eggs and some butterflies.

Dexter (age 3): Cupcakes

Adam (age 5):   Carrots

Olivia (age 4):  Corn and beans

Savannah (age 3):  I would do bananas and chicken nuggets!

Weston (age 2):  Pink!!

Laundry List

Upon visiting Pinterest, I happened upon a board for upcycling cardboard.

I was smitten!

We have since created a cardboard washer & dryer.

For this dramatic play feature, we added:

•  doll clothes
• dolls .......some ended up inside the washer :( good opportunity for discussing safety
•  pretend laundry soap
• measuring cup/scoop
• Laundry basket for wet/dry clothes
• Paper & crayon for 'laundry list' notes
• Tool box for fixing broken appliances
• Magazines to read while waiting on the laundry

At the next 'laundry day' I hope to add clothespins, clothesline and sorting items to pin up.

Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash storytime is also in order.

Brynn's Birthday

We needed a different game.

Brynn can tell when we've done something before and therefore loves a challenge.

I like to think of her as my little ally in what the children will want to participate in.

So.......We did the basic games like

"Hickory Dickory Dock"

Then there were some cool coloring pages.

And there is always the parachute. That is synonymous with our birthday parties.

Learning to make "the mushroom" with the parachute lasted quite awhile.

but a word of caution...

There is a chance of heads banging together if you have a smaller parachute.

We avoided this thankfully.

And we took her favorite activity (instruments) outdoors.

For Birthday treats, we ate fudge stripe cookies. Yum!

But

let's

get

on with

the

reason I am blogging.

For the game I came up with, we needed to hide our eyes.

In case you are unaware, children under age 5 typically don't like scarves around their faces.

So this is a way they will enjoy not peeking.

I searched High and Low for some jewel type stickers but had to resort to these color coding labels.

You must understand, we live in Sedalia, Missouri and have a Walmart, Kmart and

small town dollar stores.

I needed a wide sheet of paper so I resorted to taping 4 of these 11x14 inch sheets together and drew the crown you see. Sorry there's no pattern, just free hand one with pencil and go over it with a marker.

Children won't judge your artistic abilities :)

We placed it on the wall and took turns spinning around each child 2 times with sticker

 at the ready.

Establishing ownership is important for this age group so we labeled each 'jewel' with initials so they could show their parents at the end of the day.

And yes, learning still occurs even during a party.

Recognizing letters

Color recognition

Sharing

Taking turns (Math)

Rhythm (with instrument free play as well as singing "happy birthday")

Listening to Directions

And Spacial awareness when we are turned around without all our sense of vision.

Why did we choose the crown instead of a

pin the tail on the donkey game?

 Because our gift to Brynn was the Princess paper dolls.

Happy #4 Birthday Little Miss Brynn!!!

Sidewalk Fun

For some fun in the driveway, we decided to try out the Fizzing Sidewalk Paint I learned about in another blog... Mama Smiles. You can find the recipe there.

It's a Birthday Party day here at daycare and Hot (again) and before Hurricane Isaac brings us long awaited relief from our horrible drought, we intend to fix up the driveway for a huge welcome!!!

By the way, Lou turned 4 today :)

Just for keeping parents' sanity, aprons were required.

We split up the paint in these recycled lids from laundry detergent containers.

Special thanks to my in-laws for this recycleable we found a special use for in this project.



These bottles were filled with vinegar. Disregard the writing on the bottle that says Bleach H20.

The fun is about to begin.

One shot of vinegar causes the fizzing.

What did we learn in this process????

• Color recognition
• Sensory experience through the scent of vinegar
• Sensory experience through feeling textures in painting different surfaces such as sidewalk, leaves, rocks, fingers :)
• Don't paint our friends, they may express their opinion
• Eye-hand coordination
• Fine motor practice in stirring paint to keep it from setting up
• Sharing space and cooperation

Happy Birthday Miss Lou!!

Our Bean Bag Olympic Training

Our Olympian podiums.

Last week we practiced some bean bag fun. Here is a list of some of the 'challenges' we handed out:

• Toss your bean bag up & catch it
• Toss the beanbag and clap 1 time and catch it
• Toss it, clap 2 times and catch & 3 times, etc How high can you go?
• Throw the bean bag under 1 leg and catch with the other hand
• Now switch legs
• Throw the bean bag up, jump 1 time and catch it.
• Now jump 2 times, etc. How high can you go?
• Try to catch with just your right hand.
• Now just your left hand
• Balance it on a foot, toss it up and catch it
• Now switch to the other foot.
• Put a beanbag on your shoulder and run without letting it fall. (This became a relay game.)
• Can you throw it up and catch it behind your back?
• Can you run with it on your head?

What we learned:

1. Fine motor skills
2. Social skills
3. Spacial awareness
4. Counting
5. Color recognition
6. Physical development

More beanbag fun coming up this summer......... 

We say 'Sodee' in Missouri

I read about this somewhere, forgive me for not remembering where......

But this is a way to use empty 'sodee' bottles for your kiddos outdoors. We also have a Gatorade bottle included here for good measure. The large 2 liter ones don't work so well for your general information.

First you cut off a portion of the bottom. I chose to use the first natural point where the bottle curves.

Next I applied duct tape for keeping fingers from getting scratched on the sharp edges.

We really like the funky polka dot design :)

Then we apply masking tape to each bottle to label with their names. No sharing cooties here.
And very important.......remove the lid.

Finally the fun begins! (Notice Savannah's new dress her mommy made for her! It's pretty darn cute)

Next to Lou is the 'dipping' bowl for bubble mix. We got ours thanks to Grandma Nancy who finds all the deals at $1 for the bottle. Thanks Grandma!!

What we learned:

• You get the biggest bubbles when you bend forward & point your bottle down. They were huge!
• Taking turns
• Bubbles can pop in your face (or your friends')
• Bubble mix doesn't go well with sand
•  Wind can wreck havock on a great bubble
• Babies won't let you finish blowing a bubble if they can reach your bottle. There were some anger issues. But we worked them out.
• Lots of fun for a morning that was cooler than we've had for a long while. A fabulous Friday!!!

Have a wonderful Summer!!!

9 Reasons Not To Walk Babies | Janet Lansbury

I saw this post on Facebook and I confess, I have been guilty of this on occasion....as I figure most of us are.
Also, most of us are always learning. So hope you'll check it out.

9 Reasons Not To Walk Babies | Janet Lansbury

Heat Wave

We started our week with painting the walk with water.

This toddler decided to see what happens when you pour out your cup.

(Science/Predicting/Sensory)

Notice he also painted the center of each brick.

(Math/fine motor)

The neighbor's cat stopped in for a visit. We found out what happens when we pet a cat's fur with wet hands.

(Sensory/Empathy)

This 3 year old used water pumps in the bubbly water

(Science/Sensory/Large Muscles)

Older minds decide to see what happens when you dump out the water pump into the water wheel

(More science/predicting)

Now we begin washing dishes.Notice the toddler to the left is opening an egg filled with water?

He got a surprise when the water poured out!

(Dramatic Play/Discovery)

More of them using those large muscles. That old coffee creamer container came in pretty handy for water play.He's dumping water & plastic lids with the ABC's written on them for more floating items.He discovered the lids won't go down the water wheel hole.

Another vantage point below our "water wall".

I forgot to get a photo of it. Maybe later.

Note to all providers/parents/caregivers.....

ALWAYS be present during water play

&

Have extra clothes :)

Our Father's Day Project

It started on Pinterest with a picture of a spatula. This is not that picture just for the record.
 It had a cute saying engraved on it,...

"Dad, You Are Flippin' Awesome!"

And so it begins....

A bag of pancake mix with the recipe (includes an egg-free variety for our children with no-egg diets)

Then there was the card with a glued-on clip art pic from Word

Here's Alexa's version of the inside of her card.

Hope every dad out there has a

"Flippin Awesome Fathers's Day!"

http://youtu.be/J68XhyH97BA

Check out the youtube video.

Dedicated to My Daddy!!

Tried to teach me the 2 Step with this song to no avail. :)

What we "did all day"

Honeysuckle Home Daycare ReviewMay/June News 2012






Sorting recycleables activity



This is a condensed summary of activities and experiences in my daycare setting. If you have any questions, please feel free to jot it down in the comment box.

Most recent activities first:
Language:Weekly Readers/ S page, Rhyme words with Sun & make a list simultaneously, Writing journals,
Number 10 worksheets, 10 fingers poem, Ten in a bed activity with bear counters, ABC stamp & song, What is your favorite thing about Mom & chart it, Introduce X, Y, Z & review activities (in May)example of Y = “Y is for Yes” game
Math: Sunshine number memory game, Match clothespin to number on wheel, Trace hands & number fingers, 10 fingers transition song, yellow object hunt,
Art:Yellow mosaic, Sun safety puppets, Color, cut & paste sun w/rays, X-ray chalk hand tracings, Color mixing circles (red, yellow, blue), number mosaic, Folded tulips art
Science/Health: Went on a “Yellow Walk” on the Katy Trail, For Conversation Starters: What might you see in the sky during the day? They had lots to say about this , Magnet balls & sticks, Magna Tiles, Sand play
Blocks: Color view blocks, pvc connectors, Legos & hotwheels
Dramatic Play: Dr. kit prop box, Hats & boots play, Grocery store play, Veterinarian play, Baby dolls dress up play

Fine Motor: Puzzle play, Finger plays, Cutting practice, Gluing practice, Foam Floor puzzle
Gross Motor: Bounce/catch game, Learning to slide (for toddlers), Push/pull red wagon both with or without riders, Dancing to various types of music, London Bridge, Rolling down the “big” hill
Stories:  I have lots of series booksLlama llama Loves Mama + other llama stories
Froggy stories
There Was an Old Lady stories
Feelings stories like “I Was So Mad” or “If You’re Angry & You Know It”.
& Many Many More

March 2012 News

Between shaking off the winter blues and gearing up for spring activities. It’s been fun keeping busy this time of year.

Coming up we'll begin some spring planting, have some fun with St. Patrick's Day & enjoy the wonderful warm days ahead.

We'll celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Friday, March 16 at 10 am with a party atmosphere. Policy change on bringing in sweet items per food program regulations. See Note on front door.

Center fun

Some experiences we had included:
1 is Fun party
1 of each ABC on front door
1 writing
Circle 1's in magazine (single objects)
1 Little Helicopter Action Rhyme (see below)
Baby bottle bowling
Roll ball thru the tunnel
Beanbag toss into clown's mouth
Dance to 50's music
Painting with shaving cream paint
Rhythm sticks & music
Wooly Lamb art
Will it Blow away experiment

One Little Helicopter
1 Little helicopter up in the sky
Looking for one's as he flies by
He spies one (tree,bird, etc) on the ground
And circles the "...." all around.

Dr Seuss Party

We enjoyed the Dr. Seuss Day very much
I only wish I owned more of his books. Definitely a future endeavor in book ordering.
For that special day we:
Read the Cat In The Hat lift the flap book,
Colored a Dr. Seuss color page
Sort colored 'counters' on a hat color page
Made a list of words that rhymed with "hat" on a hat color page
And of course had "egg" sandwiches for lunch

Storytime

When the Wind Stops
When I'm Big
Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes
Pocahontas "Painting With the Wind"
My Favorite Seasons
The Wind Blew
The 3 Billy Goats Fluff (teaches kindness)
Silly Sally   & many more

Accreditation News

Accreditation process is coming along.
so far I have achieved all my goals and acquired some gift cards for

Constructive Playthings so planning my purchases for outdoor play items.

Can't wait!!!!

More Activities

Weekly Readers
Writing journals (added letters on lids for writing inspiration)
Washing dishes outdoors
Chalkboard writing outdoors
Dress Up play
Color viewers (sensory/science)
Lions for March (art)
Barn play with animals (a favorite)
Party Hats (art)
Circle time with "A Children's book about Disobeying" Much discussion

and hopefully good food for thought.

Activities for "at home" tab

I'm adding some page tabs on this blog. One will have contact information.

The other will have some activities you can do at home with items you

have on hand. Hope you'll enjoy this new addition to the blog.

February 2012, Party Info

Following the 'rectangle' shape path & Hide-n-Seek the Hearts are 2 activities we didn't get listed on the printed newsletter.

Dear Families,

Even if your child is not able to attend, we will have treat bags for them. We won’t let anyone feel left out.  I have always had parties at 10 am for best attendance. The times I have attempted  afternoon parties, someone always leaves before we are done. Parents’ schedules are never perfect (just like life) and this is just what has always worked best after 15+ years of trial and error. If sending Valentine cards or treats, just place your child’s name on each one and they can pass them out without any problem. To have enough for all the children above 1 yr, (Desmond is pretty close) you will need 10 cards or treats. Your discretion on either one and as always, this is NOT obligatory.     Thanks!!

Book orders available for February if interested.  Again, ordering is optional. If doing so, make checks out to myself or send cash as I do online orders via my checking account.  Due date is Friday, Feb.17.

Have a wonderful week!!            Stephanie

Learning Centers

Language: “Explore” magazines from MO. Conservation Dept. – Weekly Readers & activity pages – Phonics game – Who’s in your heart? Group Conversation –

Math: Same/different color page – same/different discrimination w/people, beanbags, etc – Don’t Eat Flash!! (party game)

Science:

Manipulatives: Cutting shape practice – How fast can you match the hearts? – Fill & dump & stack blocks

Art: Color dog pages – Fill you grocery cart (healthy foods recognition) – Chalk board writing – Trace hearts page -

Dramatic Play: Post office play –

 We experienced………

·         1 to 1 correspondence w/1 stamp to 1 envelope

·         Paperpunch practice(strengthening fingers for prewriting skills)

·         Writing letters on envelopes

·         Folding & filling envelopes

·         Much language interaction & social skills demonstrated

Examples: “Don’t tear it up”

“Do you know how to write your name?”

“This is fun!”

“It worked!! See Brilyn??”

Large Muscles: Soccer play – Happy Hearts Exercises

Music:”Baby band” song - Sing &pass beanbag @ circle time – “Freeze dance” w/banjo music – Song Stash Singing – Skinamarink Song practice

Story List

If You’re Angry & You Know It    Time for Bed

Froggy Bakes a Cake        Wibble Wobble     

Goldilocks & the 3 Bears          Sweet Hearts          

Just Going to the Dentist  

Alice in Wonderland :a curious counting book

& many more!!!

Sharing our Month of January

Dear Families,

 It has been a rough month with computer issues here. It took 2 weeks to clear up our main computer and I still am leery about using it. So decided to use the laptop and get on with business.

Tax info is ready to be picked up at your convenience.

I have not planned my vacation dates for the coming year yet as I may need to close for a few extra days this spring to redo our bathroom. When I figure all this out I’ll let you know well in advance.

Our recent themes have been short & sweet in an attempt to cover more learning areas. For example, we had a 3 day Airplane theme. And with the birth of another baby, we had a “Baby Day”. These are what child care providers call Opportunistic Learning. When we go with what the children are interested in, we gain more of their attention and therefore the lessons learned increase. I have so many ideas from the years past that I am very anxious to take them out again & again because they work!  So when your child doesn’t come home with a ditto sheet, don’t fret. We have been learning through life experiences and those are lifelong lessons.

Have a great week!    Stephanie

Check out my other blog for some pics of the

 children's activities in action :

Stephanie's Stuff

Learning Centers

Language:  Weekly Readers w/ activity pages – ABC Soup (cover the letter & name an ingredient) – Listening to Books on CD individually – S Tracing page – Rhyme page – Letter Listening Game – Pig Bingo – A Sound Cards – Snowman color word page - Writing Journals-

M & K Sound game

Math: Color match file folder game – Counting cookies file folder game – Sequencing file folder activity – match a snowflake page – Snowman maze page – Trace shapes & complete the pattern page

Science: Homemade etch a sketch – 4 Seasons cut & paste – Count how many airplanes we hear during a day

Art: Calendar puzzles – Airplane stamping w/cotton clouds – Airplane mobiles – Rectangle drawings made into puzzles – I draw a line, you draw a line art (taking turns) – Make a picture from a large Letter drawn on paper – Rectangle collages

Manipulatives: String color beads – Cut snowman shapes – Create color block runways to match color of airplane – Recreate Block shapes w/Legos ( E, X, Diamond, Triangle)

Music: Bananas in Pajamas on YouTube – I’m gonna catch a baby bumblebee – Dance to banjo tunes – She’ll be comin round the mountain – The Rectangle song w/shapes for each to hold up  

Large Muscles: Letter action cards – Dancing – Walk the path of rectangles, & tip toe, & march, etc – Letter Basketball – Snowball (pom poms) tossing – Bean bag toss

Dramatic Play: Doctor prop box – Dress up play – Baby play day – Little People & houses play – Horses & blocks for fences – hotwheels & maps

But What Do the Babies Do All Day???

If we engage with babies during caregiving tasks, they learn about their bodies and how to care for them. They learn language naturally and internalize it because they don’t just hear our words, they experience them through all of their senses. (“Can you help me squeeze the warm water out of this yellow sponge?”) Most importantly, babies learn that their participation is expected and highly valued. From: http://www.janetlansbury.com/2011/08/the-secrets-of-infant-learning/  We engage babies here with hugs, cuddles, singing, laughter, speaking, and plenty of eye contact. These are the ways we show all children how to care.