Family Match Game

One of the first theme for AJ's preschool class was Families.  I picked up this at Walmart one day (because Daddy likes Curious George and it was cheap):

And ended up making our very own Family Match Game!

I made a simple two column/three row table in Microsoft Word.  I cropped as needed, then copied and pasted family photos into each space, sizing each to 2.5x 2.5 inches.  Easy Peasy. 

I printed each sheet twice...

Then cut them out...

 Then matched everyone up to double check I had everyone present...

Then  laminated them and cut them out.  I place them face down, with the white side of the paper facing up, and AJ has to match his family and friends.  We are working on a set of 4 right now (which means 2 people), but I made this with the intent to make it more challenging as we go along.  I plan to add our pets and his school staff to this game too.

FUN!

Make-Your-Own Mud Pudding

As I've mentioned before, AJ's preschool class has themes throughout the year.  This last Spring (I said I was behind in posting, this is like way behind) one of the themes was The Farm.  They also used the book Mrs. Wishy Washy.  I did some searching on one of my favorite websites and found this:

Pudding in Baby Food Jar Recipe-Great to Use the book Mrs. Wishy Washy

Supplies:

1 box SUGAR FREE chocolate pudding

You must use sugar free or it won't turn out

Baby food jars (emptied/washed/dried)

Milk

*Optional: animal crackers

Measure 1TBSP AND 1 TSP of pudding

Place into jar.

Add 1/4 cup milk

Place lid on tight and SHAKE!

It will darken as it thickens...

Add some animal crackers...

Enjoy!

For the original recipe and a printout of the directions, click HERE.

Monsters

Here's what we did at home for AJ's preschool class theme:

Monsters

+ Read Go Away Big Green Monster and worked on this:

"AJ, where does his nose go?"

I found a template for the head and facial features and cut them out of felt.  I printed a coloring sheet of the face, colored it, laminated it, and we used it as a reference.

+ Monster Pancakes
Make pancake batter
Use food coloring to make it blue
Pour batter for 1 pancake into pan, place mini chocolate chips in 2 small bunches to make "eyes", then flip your pancake
Using sm/lg gingerbread men cookie cutters, cut out your "monsters"
Trim the top of the monsters head, arms, and feet...VOILA-FRANKENSTEIN!

+"Monster Mash"
Smashed apples with green food coloring while we listened to the song "Monster Mash"

+Monster Dinner {its hard to see, but its a casserole with a monster face made out of bacon}

+Walked around in our monster shoes

+Colored pictures of monsters (Monsters Inc and Cookie Monster):
You can find printable coloring pages of Disney characters and more HERE.
You can find Sesame Street coloring pages HERE.

I had the great idea to make a cookie monster out of a styrofoam takeout container.  The idea just did NOT work.  Here's a photo I took before we embarked on this disaster.

I wanted some of that furry fabric-like they have those crazy neon furry hats at party stores?  No blue furry fabric or hats to be found.  I settled on blue felt, but it just.did.not.work.  The only thing that looked cute was the googly eyes we glued on...and the fact that there were mini chocolate chip cookies inside the container (we made his mouth where the container opens so it looked like he was eating cookies).  See, some of my best ideas just don't pan out.

Fun with the Irish

Breakfast

{Green Shamrock Chocolate Chip Pancakes}

{Green Milk}

Marble Shamrocks

(Do any of my stampers remember this technique?!)

Lunch

{Lucky Charms with Green Milk & Green Banana Pudding}

Sorting shamrocks and gold coins out of

our St. Patty's Day sensory bin

Dinner

{Green Caesar Salad & Green Baked Potato Soup}

Tie-Dye Shamrocks

{Done with cone coffee filters}

Painting "shamrocks" with Green Peppers

Little Leprechaun

Details for each project to follow!

Lucky Oatmeal

I bought two containers of oatmeal a while back, thinking I would use it for Christmas cookies, etc.  I never made the Christmas cookies.  Jeremy kept asking me what I was going to do with all that oatmeal.  I wasn't sure.  AJ and I made a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies, but thats as far as it went-again. 

I had an idea for the containers right away. 

 I emptied the oatmeal into a storage container and made AJ this:

What is it?  It's a bolster.  AJ's PT and OT use them during his therapy sessions.  His PT had asked us to have him practice stepping over things.  Well, here we go. Not only that, but its smaller than a traditional bolster, which works for AJ's smaller size and its much cheaper!

Now for the oatmeal. 

When I saw the St. Patty's Day decor

at Michaels, I thought... 

Sensory Bin!

Guess what, I still have oatmeal!

Under the Big Top

As I've mentioned before, AJ's preschool program rotates classroom themes throughout the year.  One of the biggest challenges we've had with AJ is keeping him occupied in the afternoon after he is home from school.  Honestly, I think he could do full days next year.  Anyway...

At first, AJ's daily activities were far different from what his peers were doing.  This was for a number of different reasons, with the most important being this: What was developmentally appropriate for AJ's peers was not appropriate for AJ.  I love that I just used PAST TENSE. 

Now that he has grown as a learner, his activities involve the current classroom theme.  Activities are adapted to AJ's level if need be.  AJ's also been interacting more with his peers, both 1:1 and during the group activities. Its a "lets try it" aura I'm feeling when I'm fortunate to see him in the classroom setting. 

His teacher has been giving me a heads up on the next theme just as the last one is ending.  We've been trying to create a smooth and fun transition from school to home.  How can we continue the theme here at home? The last theme was the Circus & The Little Engine that could.  At school, AJ pasted tickets onto paper, matched same color clown face pieces, made clown hair, made "cotton" candy, painted with popcorn, and made this adorable elephant from an old CD.  They had snowcones and all kinds of circus treats one day for snack.  So, what did we do?

Circus &The Little Engine That Could

Clowning Around-Clown Hair & Jokster Glasses

Making Popcorn

This is how you do "snow cones"

when your blender is packed in a box

Painting a Circus Train Car

(Yes, it came with the monkey)

Enjoying the carousel Great Grandma gave him
{So perfect for this theme!}

Sorting Clown Noses & Wood Trains

We also played with clown noses, taking them off and putting them on,

 trains, train tracks, and read books that had to do with trains and/or the circus. 

 I found a book for 0.39 cents at a thrift shop

about a circus elephant and Thomas the Train.

We ate hot dogs and all kinds of other fattening foods

you would find at the circus. 

(This theme is grrrrreat for his calorie needs!)

Some of the items I already had, some I bought. 

Had: trains & train tracks, stuffed elephant, silly string,

carousel, popcorn, popcorn popper, paintbrushes

Bought: Circus Train $5, Paints 3/$1, Stick-On Jems $1,

Icee Cups $1, Jokster Glasses & Nose Sets 4 @ $1,

Wood Trains 4 @ 0.59

Step Right Up!