Salt Dough Ornaments

SPOILER ALERT! 

If you haven't already opened your parent gift, don't read this post.

This is the recipe I used for the ornaments you received from your child.
There are a gazillion different recipes out there, but this is the one I chose:

Several notes/adaptations I made to recipe:
** Bake at 300 for 20 minutes (you don't want them turning brown like cookies) and leave ornaments out to completely dry out - no need to store them in an air-container - it actually softens them, which I learned the hard way. :( 
** The recipe doesn't say it, but this part is so important - prick the dough after you have cut shapes out, it keeps the dough from bubbling up during the baking process, again - learned this the hard way....
**Once completely dry, use acrylic paints and glitter to decorate. Let dry and spray with acrylic sealer. Then add yarn or ribbon to hang from tree. 



from: http://www.cathyhecknurseryart.com/blog/2009/12/salt-dough-ornaments/

Resources

I've added some new tabs on the right tool bar if you are interested in checking those out!

Here are some websites to peruse: 

www.truceteachers.org  (information regarding entertainment and toys)

www.pbskidslab.org (educational activities for at home learning - peg + cat is a great animated tool to help teach math at home and school!) 

http://buildingfaithmecn.weebly.com/faith-practice-archives.html (practical ways to build faith at home and school)

Merry Christmas!

Thank you all for your generous donations to our "Giving Tree". It was delightful to see the excitement of the children as they brought items in and placed them under the tree. I look forward to taking these items to the Hesston Resource Center this week. I know they will be very grateful!

Have the Merriest Christmas!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't get too stuffed over the weekend!

We do like them, Sam - I - Am!

We've been talking a lot about preferences (things we like and don't like) this week, so, we had to read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss. And we had to eat green eggs and ham too. We all tried it and most of us liked it. In a box with a fox, in a house with a mouse! We would eat them anywhere. We do like green eggs and ham. Some children exclaimed, I LOVE green eggs and ham. And the children pleaded with me to share the recipe. Get your paper and pen because it is pretty complicated --  Add a few drops of green food coloring to scrambled eggs and ham while you cook them. Then add shredded cheese to make them gooey and yummy! 

Making the eggs green.

I like all of the focused looks here - pretty interesting stuff
watching scrambled eggs being poured into an electric skillet.

We do like green eggs and ham,
except the guy crossing his arms,
he wasn't sure about eggs and ham mixed together. :) 

Enjoy some green eggs and ham. 

In a box with a fox. 

In a house with a mouse. 

In a boat with a goat.

You may discover they are pretty tasty. 

Building with McDonald's cups

Yep, we use the golden arches cups at preschool -- they are versatile and especially great for building! Building encourages concentration, planning, focus, space, creativity, persistence/patience, physics, engineering and more! Each child goes about it in different ways - usually with trial and error. One of the small group activities this week is to build with McDonald's cups, so we go out in the lobby for more room and to not disturb/distract other small groups. 

Today's group was quietly focused on their task.

Things we like and do not like

During circle today we made a list of things we like and things we do not like. We made a pretty long list (see below). Making this list was the pre-cursor to the book we read today, Little Owl's Orange Scarf, a book I found when perusing the children's section in Barnes & Noble last year. Little Owl does not like the orange scarf his mother made him, and he tries to lose it. A great story! You'll have to ask your child what happens at the end of the story. :)

Can you guess which one your child said?
(This includes teachers comments too, hence the "homework"...)
Only a boy would say he doesn't like Frozen. All of the girls moaned. 

Adding more ornaments to our "Giving Tree".
We only dropped 2.

Bubble mania for art.
It's all about the process - a very sensory experience for sure!!

Some are already dressed for Christmas. Why not?

                                                 

Sewing during small group.
Once this group got the hang of it, they really stuck with it!

concentration.

focus. 

Do Re Mi -- music week at preschool!

This week Ms. Molly planned some great activities centered around music. The children learned the Do Re Mi music scale, heard sing-song stories, sorted musical notes, played instruments and much more! It was a great week with lots of hands-on learning activities. 

Jingle bells in rice

Graphing musical notes 

Painting at the easel to a variety of music.

Painting a picture together.

These glasses all have different sounds.

Jingling the bells!

There is something therapeutic and relaxing with easel painting.
Children really focus and most paint for a long time.  

Layer after layer.
It starts out one color and then when other colors are added, it changes. 
Such a cool process. 

Do you see the notes he drew?
The circle is a whole note
the "b" is the half note
and the 1/8 note is just to the left of his head (with the "tail")

There was musical free style going on during choice time. 

                                             

They made "guitars or banjos" during art on Friday.

And instruments during other play too.

Have a musically fun weekend!

                                                                                                                          

   

Making applesauce - part 2

Day #2 for making applesauce. It was a great experience and the children seemed to enjoy cranking the applesauce maker (I know that's not the technical term for that contraption, that's just what I call it) and watching to see how the sauce squeezes out into a pan and then the core, seeds and skin ooze out of another part. Kind of sounds gross. 
The results = yumminess!

applesauce!

She asked me if I was watching her while she cranked the machine. :) 

Enjoy some apples this Autumn season!

Wednesday baking -- apple pizza

Apples are delicious in every shape and form. I came up with an apple pizza recipe to have for snack on Wednesday. I had lots of helpers, which I enjoy. I like to have children help cook and prepare food - it gets them interested in the process and helps them to be more interested in eating the results! :)

Larisa's apple pizza:

Ingredients:
2 8 oz. tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Dough Sheet
Butter
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Thinly sliced apples of your choice (3-4)

1. Spread Crescent dough sheets into 2 cake pans
2. Spread melted butter and brown sugar on top. Be generous!
3. Place sliced apples on top until all covered. 
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon
5. Place in oven and bake for 7-9 minutes. Watch closely so crust doesn't burn.

Always eat the leftovers....
these 3 snarfed enjoyed every last bit.

Fresh out of the oven.
I left them in a little too long, the crust was dark,
but it was still edible and tasty. 

apple tasting!

On Monday during snack we tasted 3 different kinds of apples and dipped them in peanut butter - here are the results and descriptions of the apples we tasted. 

"These apples were delicious!"
How many of us like the apples at our table? 6 out of 6!!  :)

One child told me they were going to tell their mom to buy the Golden Delish apples.