Duck, Duck, Goose!

Hmmm, I can't seem to make up my mind ... Google+ Collection for Little H or another post to my blog. The collection is private and allows Little H and her nearby adult reader to make personal comments which only immediate family members can see. But I have much more control over the format in the blog setting and because it's public, maybe some other mom or grandma will be able to use the resources. Sooooo ... I think I will let them pick which works best for them in their new home.

Turns out doing multiple video calls with an abundance of family members and friends can be a little taxing for a high energy preschooler, not to mention repetitive. My goal: collect some jokes, youtube videos, and other suitable preschool material that might peak the interest of a preschooler. Hopefully it will form a connection that gives her something different to talk about in our video time together.

This week's topic was picked by none other than Little H! Her favorite stuffed animal since she's been old enough to know what she wants - her beloved Kuka. Now I have to admit I have NO idea how to spell that little duck's name, but it has traveled the world with her from the U.S. to Mexico, Manila, and even Hong Kong! Grandma Sandy, find me some jokes about a goose or a duck!

JOKES
Okay Little H ... I'm hoping you can learn one of these duck jokes from Lemon the Duck to share with me on my next video call. The following was my favorite:

Q:  What do call two ducks and a cow?

A:  Quackers and milk 

Q:  What did the duck say when she bought some lipstick?

A:  Put it on my bill!

And Grandma remembered you wanted a goose joke too!

Q: What do you do if someone throws a goose at you?

A:  Duck! 

Try this tongue twister from Kids Jokes. You'll need to say all the words in order; then repeat going faster and faster! Can you do it without messing up what you say?

Granny's gray goose goes last.

 DUCK SONGS

Sometimes you just need to hear different versions and pick your favorite!!

• The Duck Song (We've done this together and you thought it was silly!)
• Five Little Ducks
• Five Little Ducks
• Five Little Ducks by The Learning Station
• Five Little Ducks (fingerplay)
• Silly Goose
• Six Little Ducks
• Six Little Ducks

BOOKS ONLINE

Grandma was so sorry to hear that some of your books didn't make it your new home!

So I found some books where ducks or geese were the characters.

• Boo to a Goose
• Duck and Goose Go to the Beach
• Duck for President - read aloud
• Duck on a Bike
• Duck Soup
• Farmer Duck
• Five Little Ducks
• I Wish I Had Duck Feet
• Little White Duck (also a song)
• One Duck Stuck
• The Story About Ping

When creating a learning environment in the home, don't forget the importance of nonfiction literature and factual resources. I'm feeling a little bummed that I couldn't find easy books online about ducks, but I did find a great resource for nonfiction in general. ("Nonfiction" is usually the American spelling while British spelling shows up as "non-fiction"... even I learned something new today!) 

Little ones can be sponges when collecting new knowledge and this schema will help them make future connections as readers. Check out some tips for reading nonfiction with your child. Before you watch one of these videos, set an expectation for the young viewer. For example, discuss what your child already knows about ducks; then challenge her to find something new in the video.

• Baby Ducks Hatch Live
• Ducks
• Quack! Honk! (Learn about ducks & geese)
• An Egg Is Quiet (How did this get here??? Well ducks and geese do lay eggs!)

Since Little H thinks ducks are just so cute sometimes you need a video just for fun!

Ducklings Video

It's a good thing this grandma caught a little shut-eye on the couch this afternoon since my promise to Little H  turned into a four hour project! So since I've already warned you in previous posts that I'm a pinterest junkie I'll end today's writing by directing you to my board: PS-Pond where you can find suggestions for duck art projects and activities for all those wonderful rubber ducks Poppa Tom gave Little H.

 

 

March Madness

I love March! I get to welcome spring and a return to warmer weather, the leprechaun can play his harmless tricks, and the best ... March Madness!! Well, that last one's really for me and certainly not Little H.

So what have I got planned for the month? Well ... that's a kind of madness in itself since I'm going to be hopping around to a variety of topics. First on the list: Dr. Seuss to go along with Read Across America on March 2nd. I've already checked out Little H's personal library and she has quite a few Dr. Seuss books ... lucky little girl! I plan on starting the day by making green eggs and ham. Then I'll have an assortment of Seuss activities interspersed throughout the day, making sure she has time to play as well.

Definitely want to share Dr. Seuss's ABC book since I try to work in some letter work each time I sit. Thought that could be followed up by some gross motor activities suggested by 3 Dinosaurs.

Then I made some green egg shapes with letters on the yolks. Little H will have to name the letter correctly and when she does she'll get to lift it into a frying pan. I adapted the idea after looking at this picture/post from The Homeschool Den.

And for the art project, I'll have all of the pieces precut to assemble a Cat in the Hat. Thank you Mrs. Saylor for the idea! Now mind you, it's not going to look quite like the picture since I had to draw all of the pieces freehand ... God, I LOVE that little girl!









But we can't forget a math activity! Obseussed has this cute counting mat to go along with the book 1 Fish 2 Fish. Mmmm, I'm not sure my son realizes what kind of prep and thought goes into each day that I watch Little H.

When I used to teach first grade I just loved that tricky little leprechaun. Luckily I discovered I had quite a few leprechaun books saved from my teaching collection that I can now share with my granddaughter.

I think I will adapt the coin activity at fun-a-day.com. Note to self: make a letter workmat and go shopping for some gold coins. The coins could be used as a stand alone - name the upper case letter or as a matching activity with the workmat of lower case letters.

I found a short counting song on youtube: Counting with a Leprechaun that Little H will like. Then there's this counting fingerplay as well. Little H does like her music and amazingly keeps a steady beat when clapping along. So-o-o I kept searching and found another one: The Little Leprechaun Song.



123Homeschool 4 Me had a handprint rainbow project that i picked because it looked a little different than all the other rainbow crafts out there - kudos to your creativity!! Guess I'll need to get those coins for sure now - this pot needs them too!  Next I found a cute shamrock painting idea to do with q-tips at crafty morning.com. I'm a little worried about taping q-tips together (they seem so fragile) so I'll tape three pencils together instead. Little H will be able to grip that easily and dipping the eraser end in the paint should work just fine! I'll round it off the day with some printables from my trusty pinterest board.

Since Easter falls on the first Sunday in April this year, I'll probably do an Easter theme the last week of March and then continue into the first week of April. Unfortunately I don't have a source for the first craft  pictured below. Might have to let her decorate that eggshell though to I've it more of an Easter look.

Adventures-In-Mommy-Land has a cute peeps craft. Guess that means I better include some peeps in her Easter basket ... Mommy & Daddy please don't hate me!

There are plenty of printables and videos available on my Easter board so I'll wait before making those selections ... Little H changes so quickly in what she can and cannot do! But I do know I'll be making a run to the Dollar Store and stocking up on some plastic eggs ... SO many ways to use those in play/learning activities.

Let It Snow

I'm using this holiday break from babysitting to shore up some ideas for January. You know me ... better to have a wealth of ideas to choose from than a day with nothing planned.  Do I expect to use all the songs & fingerplays next month? NO WAY!! A two-year-old can be quite capricious and this just becomes part of Grandma's "bag of tricks." But she's come to expect that Grandma will have some kind of craft so that part is a given. Other than clean-up, I LOVE this part of our time together!!

The weather here has been unseasonably warm and there isn't any snow on the ground. However, when you live in the Chicagoland area, you can pretty much guarantee we'll see snow in January so I feel a snow theme is pretty safe.

Art Projects:

Friends and family say I'm out of control with my pinning. So there's certainly plenty to choose from on my preschool art board for winter!  I already included a canvas snowflake for Little H to paint in her birthday art box so that's out. I can hardly wait to see how it turns out. I found it at Ten Kids and a Dog.

  One of my Christmas gifts to my son and daughter-in-law needed three (yes three!) bags of white shredded paper. Corey was quite happy to empty the Santa basket full of craft beer, chocolates, and gift cards, and leave me with the white shredded paper ... a WIN-WIN! I plan to use the shred on a cute snowman from BabyCenter Blog. So that leaves 3 more art projects.


Decisions, decisions! I really like the snow globe over at Rainbows Within Reach blog. The marble painting isn't something we've done yet, even though I did plan a similar activity for February in her birthday art box. I'm also concerned about how tiny the facial features would have to be. Grandma, I want to do it myself!!! Mmmm ... maybe I should leave this for next year's art box!

So I looked for another snow globe. I like the simplicity of the snow globe made with pom moms at the wehaveraars blog. There would only be a few pieces to precut and everything is large which should make it easier for those tiny fingers to grab. I would probably have her mount it on a background sheet and we could still do some painting just for fun on her easel that day. More learning in process than product!







I'm  thinking one week needs to be collage. I've learned that Little H loves to put things on top of glue. She also likes to take them off and rearrange them much 
to this Grandma's dismay!!

 

How to Run a Home Daycare has a mitten project 

I like that starts with painting.  But I would probably expand the decorating portion. In addition to adding cotton balls (which I have), I'll need to stop at Hobby Lobby for stickers, buttons, ribbon,  or pom poms. I think Little H would enjoy adding extras for a more 3-D effect. This  means painting in the morning so it will have time to dry, and then designing in the afternoon. I like projects that we can come back to in the same day.

At the end of the month I want to introduce her to Groundhog Day. I have to admit ... most of what I found didn't thrill me. But I still have some groundhog books from my teaching days : note to Grandma ... find them! All Kids Network has a very simple groundhog shadow project that even includes the groundhog template. I already picked up  Mickey's Silly Shadow book for a Science project so I could combine both that day.

Science:

I found a cute project that demonstrates what happens to snow
when you bring it in the house over at Teach Preschool. We'll
get to make a snowman in a bag once it snows. I'll have to get
some black buttons and I can use orange craft foam for the nose.
Will she be surprised when it melts????

Now if I am feeling really brave or just a little crazy one day,
we'll have to make Frozen Erupting Snow! PagingFunMums  takes you step-by-step through the process. It looks like a LOT of fun but also
quite messy. I would definitely need to buy a LARGE tub of some sort
to contain the erupting snow! Better make myself a shopping list: baking soda, shaving cream, blue glitter, vinegar, and a BIG tub!

Fingerplays & Songs:

Five Little Snowmen

Five little snowmen on a winter’s day.

The first one said, “Wake up so we can play.”

The second one said, “Let’s stomp on the ground.” 

The third one said, “Let’s roll around.”

The fourth one said, ”Let’s run and run and run.”

The fifth one said, “I’m afraid I feel the sun.”

“Oh dear,” cried the snowmen, 
As they looked toward the sky.

And the five melting snowmen waved a fond goodbye. 

Snowman Surprise

(to the tune of: “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”) 

Roll, roll, roll the snow,

To just the perfect size.

A nose, a mouth, and two black eyes – 

You made a snow surprise! 

Snowy Pokey

(to the tune of: “Hokey Pokey”)

You put your right mitten in. You take your right mitten out,

You put your right mitten in and you shake it all about.

You do the snowy pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.

Other verses:

~ You put your left mitten in.

~ You put your scarf in.

~ You put your right boot in. 
~ You put your left boot in.
 ~ You put your hat in.

~ You put your snow self in. 

Itsy-Bitsy Snowflake

(to the tune of: “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider”) 

The itsy-bitsy snowflake

Fell down from the sky.

It landed on my nose

And bounced upon my eye. 
It slid down to my chin

And it landed on my tongue. 
Then it melted all away.

My snowflake song is done! 

The Wintery Wind

(Sung to the tune of "Happy Birthday")

The winter wind blows

The winter wind blows

It gives me the shivers

From my head to my toes!

Videos:

Biggest, Best Snowman (story)
Groundhog Day (story by Gail Gibbons)
Groundhogs
I'm a Little Snowman Song
Little Snowflake Song
Polar Bear Mom and Cubs
Snowmen at Night
The Snowman
Why Is Winter So Cold?
Winter Preschool Songs-Let's Get Dressed

Christmas Songs & Fingerplays

I love having a "bag of tricks" while babysitting such an active two year old! Since I found the Thanksgiving songs and fingerplays helpful I decided I'd better prepare for the next holiday. Now that the weather is getting so cold, we won't be able to take that break outside like we did in the fall.

CHRISTMAS SONGS
Sometimes it's more fun to sing along with a quick video and I found some cute ones.

Five Little Reindeer

A Teacher's Touch has a cute song chart. This song is based on 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed.

Reindeer Pokey

(Sung to the tune of "The Hokey Pokey")

You put your antlers in

You put your antlers out.

You put you antlers in and you shake them all about.

You do the Reindeer Pokey and you turn yourself around.

That's what it's all about!

Next verses ...

You put your hooves in... repeat as above

You put your red nose in....

You put your fluffy tail in...

You put your reindeer body in...

Little H hates and I mean HATES wearing things on her head. But I found some $1.00 antlers at Target and a cute Rudolph nose for $3 that I hope she'll put on when we learn this Christmas version of the Hokey Pokey. If not, Grandma will be a good sport and wear them and I'm sure Little H will get a case of the giggles.

Santa

(Sung to the tune of BINGO)

There is a man we know so well,

And SANTA is his name Ho

S A N T A

S A N T A

S A N T A

And SANTA is his name HO!

Each new verse we"ll leave off a letter and clap in its place.

Note to self: I need to make large letter cards for that song. It would probably help Little H if I made 5 picture cards of "clapping hands" to cover each letter as we omit the letters. I could also do a large picture of Santa so she knows what we are spelling and then place the S-A-N-T-A underneath.

Ten Little Angels 

(Tune: "Ten Little Indians") 

1 little, 2 little, 3 little Angels 

4 little, 5 little, 6 little Angels 

7 little, 8 little, 9 little Angels 

10 little Angels in the band.

Wasn't that a band on Christmas morning 

Wasn't that a band on Christmas morning 

Wasn't that a band on Christmas morning 

Christmas morning coming soon.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas - Hummingbird Educational Resources

(traditional--with a twist) 

We wish you a Merry Christmas, 

We wish you a Merry Christmas, 

We wish you a Merry Christmas, 

And a Happy New Year!

    (Hold hands and walk around in a circle as you sing this part.  We do a little step-together, step-together dance step at this time) 

    *Do actions as indicated in each verse! 

Let's all do a little clapping, 

Let's all do a little clapping, 

Let's all do a little clapping, 

To spread Christmas cheer! 

Repeat "We wish you a Merry Christmas" chorus 

Let's all do a little hopping 

    Chorus 

Let's all do a little twirling 

    Chorus 

Let's all do a little stomping 

    Chorus 

Let's all do a little snapping 

    Chorus

Where Is Santa?

(Tune:  Where is Thumbkin?) 

Where is Santa? Where is Santa? 

Here I am! Here I am! 

Merry, Merry Christmas 

Merry, Merry Christmas 

Ho, ho, ho! Ho, ho ho!

You need Santa finger puppets for this. You start with them hidden behind your back and then reveal.

MOVIES and VIDEO CLIPS

Disney Christmas Cartoons

Disney's Christmas and Winter Classics 2014 This video starts with a Chip & Dale cartoon that is one of my all time favorites!!

Kidsongs.com Presents: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"  This is a 30 minute video of Christmas songs.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

SESAME STREET: Elmo Visits Santa

This Grandma even found a message from Santa! Think I'll save this for the week before Christmas.

Message from Santa

Learning a fingerplay can be a good activity for a transition and sometimes I use them as a lead-in to a story I'll be reading or a craft. She still looks to me for amusement at this age and with a limited attention span I like having a variety of choices in case what I pick doesn't catch her attention. Once she's familiar I like to give her the option of choosing.

FINGERPLAYS

Christmas Candy

Original author unknown

I took a lick of my peppermint stick
(Pretend to lick candy.)
And was it ever yummy!
(Lick lips.)
It used to be on my Christmas tree.
(Form tree shape with hands.)
Now, it's in my tummy!
(Rub stomach.)

Down Through The Chimney - Thank you Marty Layne

 Down through the chimney Santa slipped,

 (creep fingers downward) 

Brushed off the dirt and snow that dripped, 

(brush clothes)

 Looked 'round the room

 (shade eyes, look around) 

And then he crept 

(tiptoe) 

Right past the beds where the children slept. 

(rest head on hands)

 Laid all the presents 
(pantomime laying presents) 

Under the tree, 

(hands form pointed tree above head)

 Filled the stockings 

(fill stockings) 

For the children to see, 
(hand shades eyes) 

Then tiptoed 

(tiptoe) 

to the chimney and was out of sight. '

Till he jumped into his sleigh and flew off through the night.

Gingerbread Man - Thank you Marty Layne

Stir a bowl of gingerbread

(stir as in a bowl)

Smooth and spicy brown.

Roll it with a rolling pin up and up and down

(pretend to use a rolling pin)

With a cookie cutter

(pretend to use the cookie cutter to cut out men)

Make some little men.

Put them in the oven

(pretend to open oven door and place inside)

Till half past ten.

Here Is the Chimney (fingerplay video)

Santa's Fingerplay
Someone's peeping through my window,
(peek through fingers)
Tapping at my door
(make knocking motions)
Sliding down my chimney
(make sliding motion with hands)
Landing on the floor.
(stamp feet)
He's filling all the stockings,
(make filling motions)
And looking at the tree.
(turn head and widen eyes)
He has lots of presents
(pretend to count on fingers)
Some for you and some for me!
(point at others and then at self)
Im peeking round the doorway,
(peek around hand)
And OH!, what do I see?
(look surprised)
The jolly face of Santa
(smile)
Peeking back at me!
(peek through fingers)

When Santa Comes - thank you Marty Layne

When Santa comes to our house,

(hands make pointed rooftop)

I would like to peek,

(hand over eyes and peek)

But I know he'll never come

(shake your head no)

Until I'm fast asleep.

(rest your head on your hands)

Thanksgiving Songs and Fingerplays

I am now babysitting once a week. This body can no longer handle sitting on the floor for extended periods of time even though the heart is willing. Soooo, the teacher in me says I need some activities to break that playtime.  I bring my ipad with me so I'm thinking this blog would be a perfect place to store those ideas. Little H loves to sing and dance so I'll start with some fingerplays and songs.

Turkey on the Loose

Gobble, gobble, gobble! Flap elbows up and down like wings.
What's all the fuss?  Hand up, questioning.
Clever Mr. Turkey is hiding from us! Hands cover eyes.
Let's look all around. Hand to brow, look around
Don't let him get away! Shake index finger
We need that turkey on Thanksgiving Day!    Pat stomach.

Five Fat Turkeys

Five fat turkeys are we. Hold up five fingers
We spent all night in a tree. Make a tree with your arms
When the cook came around, Put one hand up over your eye like you are looking
We couldn't be found. Shake your finger back and forth
And that's why we're here you see! Point down with both hands

 

Be sure to check out this puppet printable which matches the fingerplay here: moms have questions too.

You Tube had a slightly different version you can check out below.

Fat Turkey's Song

Sung to the tune of "Did You Ever See a Lassie"

Oh, gobble, gobble, gobble,
Fat turkeys, fat turkeys.
Oh, gobble, gobble, gobble,
Fat turkeys are we.
We walk very proudly and gobble so loudly,
Gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble, gobble.
Oh, gobble, gobble, gobble.
Fat turkeys are we.

Five Little Turkeys

5 little turkeys standing by door,
One waddled off, and then there were 4.
4 little turkeys under a tree,
One waddled off , and then there were 3.
3 little turkeys with nothing to do,
One waddled off, and then there were 2.
2 little turkeys in the noon day sun,
One waddled off, and then there was 1.
One little turkey better run away,
For soon will come Thanksgiving day.

We Eat Turkey
(sing to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin")

We eat turkey we eat turkey
Yum, yum, yum
Yum, yum, yum
Always on Thanksgiving 
Always on Thanksgiving 
Yum, yum, yum
Yum,yum,yum
(can be extended by adding other verses for foods eaten on Thanksgiving)

Sometimes we just have to move and be silly. "A Turkey Named Bert" is perfect for that and the words are on the screen for you in this video.

Little H loves stories and she is lucky to have quite the home library already. But there's always room for more!