Friday Fingerplays: Snowman Fingerplay and a Christmas Song

Chubby Little Snowman

A chubby little snow man, had a carrot nose (Touch child's nose)

A long came a bunny and what do you suppose? (Make hand into a bunny shape)

That hungry little bunny, looking for his lunch (Have the bunny hop)

Ate that snowman's carrot nose ('Eat' child's nose)

Nibble, nibble crunch

Christmas Time (sung to the tune of Row Your Boat)

Note: If you have a bell to ring, all the more fun

Ring, ring, ring the bells

Ring them loud and clear

To tell the children everywhere

That Christmas time is here!

Fingerplay Friday: More Thanksgiving Fingerplays

This is a good one to do for those of you who serve turducken!

Mr. Duck and Mr. Turkey

Mr. Duck went out to walk, (Hold up a thumb)

One day in pleasant weather.

He met Mr. Turkey on the way (Hold up other thumb)

And there they walked together (Move thumbs together and simulate walking)

Gobble, gobble, gobble (Wiggle one thumb)

Quack, quack, quack (Wiggle the other)

Goodbye, goodbye (Wiggle both thumbs)

And then they both walked back (Move thumbs apart)

Friday Fingerplays: Thanksgiving Fingerplays (and a song!)

A smorgasboard of Thanksgiving fingerplays today...

Funny Bird

A turkey is a funny bird
His head goes bobble, bobble (Bob head)
And all he knows is just one word (Hold up 1 finger. You can also pause and ask kids if they know what the word is)
Gobble, gobble, gobble!

I'm a Turkey -- Can be sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle

I'm a turkey, big and fat. (Spread arms out.)
I spread my tail. I walk like that. (Fan fingers like a turkey's tail; Waddle.)
Each day's corn I will not miss, (Rub stomach.)
And when I talk, I sound like this: (Point to lips; Cup hand next to ear.)
GOBBLE! GOBBLE! GOBBLE! (Shout.)

If You're Happy Thankful and You Know It--Sing to the tune of If You're Happy and You Know It

If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, clap your hands.

If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, stomp your feet.

If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, shout "I am!"

If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.
If you're thankful and you know it,
Then your face will surely show it.
If you're thankful and you know it, do all three.

Friday Fingerplays: Autumn

When the Leaves Are on the Ground

When the leaves are on the ground (point to floor)

Instead of on the trees (Lift arms overhead like a tree)

I rake a pile of them (Pretend to rake)

Way up to my knees (Put hands on knees)

I like to run and jump in them (Jump)

And kick the leaves all around (Kick)

Then I fall, down on the ground (Sit down)

Friday Fingerplays: Autumn

Here's a fingerplay that talks about the Fall season.

Leaves are floating gently down (Arms go up and down to simulate floating)

They make a carpet on the ground (Sweep arms down to point to feet)

They swish, the wind comes whooshing by (Make whooshing sound and continue to wave arms)

And sends them dancing to the sky (Flutter fingers up above head)

Friday Fingerplays: Halloween Fingerplays (An English and Spanish Fingerplay!)

We've been doing this week's finger play all month and really enjoying it. I've included the Spanish version as well for those who are looking for bilingual fingerplays.



There is also a book based on this fingerplay that might be fun to read as well.

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a fence (Hold up all five fingers over opposite forearm to mimic sitting on a fence)

The first one says "Oh my it's getting late" (Pantomime looking at watch or point to clock in the room)

The second one says: "There are witches in the air" (Point to the sky)

The third one says: "But we don't care" (Shrug)

The fourth one says: "Let's run and run and run" (turn in a circle)

The fifth one says: "I'm ready for some fun!"

Whooooosh! Goes the wind. (Wave hands like the wind)

Out goes the light (Give a loud clap)

Five little pumpkins rolling out of sight (roll hands and hide behind back)

The Spanish finger play version is below and the actions are the same as outlined above. (Desculpa la falta de acentos.)

Cinco Calabacitas

Cinco calabacitas sentadas en un porton.

La primera dijo: Se esta haciendo tarde"

La segunda dijo: "Hay brujas en el aire"

La tercera dijo: "No le hace"

La cuarta dijo:"Corramos, corramos"

La quinta dijo: "Es una noche de espanto"

Uuuuuuuu hizo el viento.

Y se apagaron las luces.

Las cinco calabacitas, corrieron a esconderse!

Friday Fingerplays: What Am I?

Here is a Halloween themed fingerplay for your little ones.

What Am I?

A face so round (Hands in a circle)

And eyes so bright (Point to eyes)

A nose that glows (Point to nose)

My, what a sight!

A fiery mouth (Point to mouth)

With a jolly grin (Grin)

No arms, no legs (shake legs and arms)

Just head to chin (touch forehead and chin)

What am I?

A Jack-O-Lantern!

CHEAP TODDLER ACTIVITIES: TODDLER HALLOWEEN CRAFT & A BOOK

We have been reading Where is Baby's Pumpkin by Karen Katz on a daily basis over here. The constant exposure triggered some primordial craft genes to express themselves and, if I do say so myself, this is a decent craft/book tie-in for the younger toddler. Also, it doesn't tax my quite limited crafting skills. Another plus is you can s-t-r-e-t-c-h this one out over the course of several days.

All you need are:

1. Construction paper in a variety of autumn/halloween colors
2. Halloween stickers
3. Crayons
4. Watercolor paints or other paints
5. Scissors (for mommy)
6.Glue (for mommy)

The modus operandi here is mommy cuts out the basic shape of items featured in the book (pumpkin, ghost, witch hat, bats etc... Although just do one at a time!) and allows the toddler to color or paint them followed by liberal application of holiday stickers.

Then mommy glues whatever needs to be glued (if she hasn't done it already) and sticks the art work on the wall.

The next time you read 'Where is Baby's Pumpkin' you refer back to the craft project 'Hey, look, there's the pumpkin we made' etc...

Here are some pics of the creative process...

CHEAP TODDLER ACTIVITIES: FUN FELT GAME

Chasing Cheerios has a great pumpkin decorating felt 'game' over on her blog. It is too cute and would be perfect for little and older toddlers.

It's based on a scarecrow decorating game from Let's Explore.

Way cute and super fun. I hope to try this with my little pumpkins. :)

CHEAP FAMILY ACTIVITIES: FALL HARVEST

Now is the time to head out to the pumpkin patch and pick some apples. Check out pickyourown.org for locations near you.

And a quick checklist of seasonal activities--You haven't done Fall until you done all of the below--:

1. Leaf rubbing.

2. Drinking hot cider with donuts.

3. Eating apple cobbler over ice cream.

4.Carving or otherwise decorating pumpkins.

5.Roasting pumpkin seeds.

6. Jumping in to a pile of leaves.

7.Reading books about Halloween and the Fall season.

8. Collecting pretty leaves and acorns for a collage.

9. Dance to the 'Monster Mash' or 'Thriller'.





10. Watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

What makes Fall for your family?

Animal Addiction: 5 Steps for a Spectacular Safari

Here's a list of some fun animal inspired games and websites that will be sure to provide several hours of fun.

1. The ABCs with animals. This game is perfect for waiting rooms or while running errands. Take turns naming animals that start with each letter of the alphabet. Anteater, Bumblebee, Cat etc... This will get kids thinking and eat time with discussions of the difference between an anteater and aunteater (Shel Silverstein has a cute poem on this very topic).

2. Walk this way. Avoid parking lot meltdowns by asking kids to hop like a bunny, waddle like a duck, march like an ant etc... on their way into the store. How many different animals can you come up with? Do a bit of role reversal too and have your kids t

3. Visit www.switchzoo.com where kids can design their own wild kingdom for free. Every wonder what a praying mantis crossed with a buffalo might look like? You can find out on this website!

4. Check out the San Diego Zoo webcams to see what animals are doing in real time. Just click on the Live cams tab at the top of the page and select which animal you would like to watch.

5. Bussongs.com has the lyrics and, in some cases, music to a whole menagerie of animal songs.

6.Don't forget to set up a jungle hunt or safari. For older kids, hide some stuffed animals around the house/yard and give them a list of what they need to find. Younger kids will enjoy following a string of yarn to the animal's hidden location.

Happy hunting!

Cheap or Free Toddler Activities: 8 More Ideas

Here's another list of things to do when your toddler doesn't know what to do with themselves anymore.

1.Peruse the spice cabinet and smell away. Be sure to note what smells are sweet and savory to expose your toddler to those concepts.

2.Put finger paint in a gallon size ziploc bag (quarts are too small) and seal for a homemade 'sensory mat.' It's squishy, it's cold, it allows for mess free finger painting. Provide a bag for each color. Older kids can use this to play endless games of tic-tac-toe.

3.Gather a variety of different sized balls and an empty laundry basket. Take turns trying to throw a ball into the basket thereby introducing the concept of turns and sharing. Now, we did this one at home and it was not a hit, but I can see an active, kinetic toddler really getting into this. This can be adapted for multiple ages; i.e. older kids throw from further away.

4. Make a 'wave' bottle with some baby oil, food coloring and glitter. This is a variation on the I Spy bottle mentioned in the previous post. Take a used water or pop bottle and fill it with water about 1/3 of the way. Add food coloring and glitter. Top off with baby oil and seal. Put on some Beach Boy surfer music and make some waves!

5.Go for a magic carpet ride. Take an old sheet or use an area rug. Have toddler sit down on it and pick up the other end and drag them around the house. Kids love this one!

6. Thread some rigatoni on yarn or old shoelaces. This allows toddlers to practice fine motor skills. If you are feeling especially crafty, paint the rigatoni first. Bonus points to the mom who forgets to take off her necklace before leaving the house.

7. Find the alphabet. You will need a bin, some letters such as the magnetic ones on your fridge and some rice, bird seed, or dried beans. Fill the bin with the letters and cover with the rice, bird seed, or dried beans. See if your toddler can find them all before they put a bean up their nose! This activity provides a great opportunity to reinforce letter recognition.

8. Go on a Bear Hunt. While your toddler is napping, take a teddy bear and tie yarn around it's ankle. Hide the bear and leave a 'yarn trail' for your toddler to follow. Couple this activity with the book We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Really nice moms hide a special treat with the bear such as chocolate or a favorite snack.

P.S. Just a friendly reminder that stores are putting all their summer merchandise on clearance. Now is the time to scope out sprinklers and other summer toys for next year.

Free or Cheap: A Menu of Toddler Activities for the Younger Toddler

As any momma knows, it's hard to entertain the littlest of the littles. Three-year-olds have pre-school and their imaginations. Four-year-olds are almost ready to move out of the house and get married. Okay, maybe not, but when compared to a 1-year-old or 2-year-old, 4 seems ancient and wise. So I have a special place in my heart for activities that will keep the babies busy. Also, I have one of those babies.

And we've committed to turning off the TV and going TV free.

I think I might be clinically insane. Life without Sesame Street? May not be worth living. I actually like Elmo and Bert and Ernie. I will miss them. If you see them, say hello for me, okay?

Anyway, as I was creating my meal menu plan this week (which is still undone) I had a flash of insight; why not make a Toddler Activities Menu and, oh I don't know, PLAN AHEAD? Am I the only one who has noticed that it's the simplest things that are the hardest?

So I started brainstorming and googling and thinking really hard to come up with the menu below. Sample at will. If you do try something, let me know. Or if you have some ideas, please share, I beg you, because I got bupkus for next week.

1. Fly a 'kite' which will actually be a mylar balloon from the grocery store with a long lead made of yarn. Helium eliminates any wind worries and the 2 and under set have no idea it's not a kite. I think it's brilliant. Cost? Like $3.

2.Visit the paint store and get color samples for all the major color. Cut the chips out and make a graph with one color at the top and blank spaces below for toddlers to match tones. Okay, that's worded a bit awkwardly, but basically we're making a color chart and identifying tones as belonging to the same color family. The top of the chart should have a sample color for toddlers to go by. I'll try to post picks when we do this.

3. Color matching with M&Ms. I'm not sure what I'm going to use as the color match for the toddler to match her M&Ms to. Maybe cut some shapes from construction paper? Print out some fun animals in color (i.e. brown bear, red crab etc...). Use a selection of dirty socks? Something! Plus we get to eat chocolate. HFCS laden chocolate, but still chocolate! Cost? $1? Depends on whether or not you have paper/printer ink on hand.

If/When I find a place to print the animals for free, I'll update with a link. I haven't yet found anything I like though. Dirty socks, here we come!

4. Make an I Spy bottle--this one requires a trip to the craft store. Fill 1/2 a plastic pop bottle (a small one) with corn syrup, then top off with water. With your toddler's help add small alphabet and number beads along with shapes and glitter. Glue on the cap and shake. Cost? $10 for all supplies.

5. Bubbles. Just because my daughter is a bubble nut and we've been out of solution. So I will restock this weekend and we will spend hours blowing bubbles. Cost? $3 The tantrums though will be priceless; my daughter has, shall we say, control issues about blowing bubbles.

6.Water paint. I like water paints over finger paints for young toddlers. Less mess. Cost?$3

7.Stamping. Our craft store is having a blow out sale on stamps so I picked up a dozen or so costing just $1.00 or $0.50. Very cheap. We already have the stamping pad and are all set to stamp ourselves silly--last week we actually stamped our dog's head. He's very white and looked dashing with some purple butterflies on his forehead.

Cost? Stamp pads can be pricey, around $9. Stamps vary from $0.50 up to $10. Our craft store carries foam cubes for fifty cents with a stamp on each side, which is cheap, perfectly sized for little hands, and offers lots of variety in one package.

Note that stamping will result in hands covered with ink--it fades over the course of the day but if you have something special planned, like hand modeling, you might want to forgo the stamps for another time.

FREE OR CHEAP: SOME BACK TO SCHOOL READING

It's back-to-school time and I wanted to point you in the direction of some articles that will help your kids get in gear for the new school year.

How to Develop Math Literacy in Preschool Kids

How to Help Kids Understand Fractions

How to Get Kids' Minds Ready to Go Back to School

How to Help Learning Disabled Kids with Math

FREE OR CHEAP: 16 IDEAS FOR SUMMER FUN

Summer is almost over. Now is the time to squeeze all the extra juice you can of the last few weeks of warm weather. So if you haven't done any of the following yet this summer, what are you waiting for?

1. Slip 'n' slide/sprinkler party followed by popcicles for everyone. Slip'n'slides are inexpensive, around $20 to $30. Be sure to supervise to ensure safety--I've seen some bad spills when kids got a little too rambunctious.

2.Make homemade ice cream in ziploc bags.

3. Fly a kite.

4.Letterboxing. Haven't heard of this? Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to an artform.

Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. The hider then usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.

Check out the official website to find letterboxing locations near you (or start one!).

5.Have a water balloon fight. If you have a little extra money, buy soaker balls which are cloth balls that soak up water to make a reusable 'water balloon'. They are relatively inexpensive (around $5 to $6 for a package of 4 or 6).

6.Have a water pistol fight.

7. Go kart racing.

8. Make aFoamboard doll house/ superhero set. This is a great rainy day activity that can be adapted for boys or girls. You need one sheet of foamboard for kid (which costs like $2) and a bunch of catalogs/magazines for them to cut out pictures of furniture etc... in order to decorate the space.

9.Have a weinie roast and make campfire s'mores.

10. Go for a walk in the dark with a flashlight. Try to pick a night with a full moon and let 'em loose. Add walkie talkies, if you've got them, to turn your midnight jaunt into a secret mission.

11. Make your own pizzas...repeatedly. Older kids should be charge with making homemade dough and everyone should top their own pie.

12. Make sidewalk paint.
Ingredients:
·1/4 cup cornstarch
·1/4 cup cold water
·6-8 drops food coloring
·Paint Brush

Procedure:
1.Mix cornstarch and cold water together in a small plastic bowl.
2.Add food coloring and stir.
3.Repeat the process to create different colors.

Tips:
Use Super Sidewalk Paint for painting hopscotch grids, cakewalks, even make-believe roads and highways for toy cars.

13. Make goop.

14. Find a drive-in theater and go to the movies. Here's a list of drive-in locations around the US.

15. Go somewhere new close to where you live. I live by Lake Erie and we haven't been there once--oversights like that should be rectified. City and national parks with water often have rowboat or kayak rentals at reasonable prices. Go fishing.

Or go to a museum.

Look for Renaissance Fairs in your area (although they can be on the expensive side).

Go to a classic car night at a local restaurant or pub--this is free unless you order food and kids will enjoy people and car watching. Stop for ice cream on the way home and talk about which cars you liked best.

16. Fill a pinata with candy and whack away. Who says you need to wait for a birthday or special occasion? Any time is pinata time. Have kids make a cheap pinata with a brown bag. Let them fill it with candy. Tape it shut. Decorate and whack away.

Low Cost Activity: Strawberries!

Just a friendly reminder that it is strawberry season. This is a great time to locate U-pick farms in your area and take the kids strawberry picking.

Depending on age, there are all sorts of yummy things you can do with strawberries. Make smoothies. Top ice cream. Add 'em to yogurt. Or make strawberry freezer jam which is a great way to save the taste of Spring for the depths of Winter. Kids of most ages will love helping to smash the strawberries for jam--just be sure to wear old clothes.











Photo Credit:jeltovski

Low Cost Activities For Kids: Making Memories For Memorial Day

Juice up your Memorial Day weekend and your parenting with fun and easy crafts for kids from pre-school age up to late elementary from Better Homes & Gardens.  If you can get past the annoying subscription pop up ads, you'll find a wealth of simple, fun crafts that will get everyone's creative juices flowing.

Suite 101 has some Memorial Day craft ideas for the holiday as well.

This is a touching and sweet idea, use face paint to make military tattoos to either honor loved ones in service or explore the art of military tattoos. Here is a great write up on the artistic themes and motifs found in military tattoos. Once, you've had a little tattoo art history lesson, have kids draw their tattoo design first on paper and then help them recreate it on their body with face paint.

If you are tight on cash and time, make macaroni necklaces, but paint the macaroni with patriotic colors.

The Parent Juice family is going to be out of town the rest of the week, so posting will be light, however, we are developing a great biological science activity for you and your kids. Check back next week and learn how you can have a blast with the ants in your driveway.

Photo Credit: Click

Free Activity For Almost Any Age: Use Toilet Paper Like An Egyptian

It's a dreary day of thunderstorms and pounding rain  here at the Juice household, meaning there's no way to go outside and burn off energy. We've colored, built towers, watched Elmo, and been to Gymboree and we still have four hours until bed time.

What to do?

Why, break out ancient Eypgtian arcehology and toilet paper, of course. Isn't it obvious? This activity is messy and a bit wasteful, but if you do it right, toilet paper will buy you an hour of free time. Here's how...

1. For older kids, make like an Egyptian and TP your offspring. Yes, I'm serious. First, visit National Geographic's mummy page or Discovery Kids Mummy Maker to learn about mummies. Then, hand kids a roll of toilet paper and instruct them to make themselves into mummies. Supply stickers and markers for children to decorate their bandages with. This is a great activity for sibling groups because they will help wrap each other up.

Then play Walk Like An Egyptian by the Bangles and encourage a mummy dance party. (Discussion of the 80s pop culture movement is optional and perhaps better left unexplained.)

2.For older preschool age kids or younger elementary age kids, use toilet paper as a measuring tape and have kids number the squares sequentially in marker. For example, how many toilet paper squares tall is your child? How big around?

Wrap them up in toilet paper or let them wrap and unwrap you. Play TP catch or roll TP on the floor to see who can unravel the most toilet paper in one push.

3.Toddlers will marvel at how the toilet paper unravels as it rolls. Put on some upbeat music and let them run wild. If they have the coordination to kick, play TP soccer, which for toddlers means kicking TP around the room, missing often, and occassionally wiping out.

4.For infants, substitute tissue paper for toilet paper and use a pacifier to avoid unwanted snacking. Tissue paper works better for infants because it's more durable, comes in a variety of colors and designs, and crinkles delightfully in little fists. It provides sight, sound, and tactile stimulation to get baby's brain buzzing.

5.Most kids would enjoy toilet paper streamers in a door way for an impromptu, sensory stimulating curtain that will take peek-a-boo to a whole new level. Secure streamers with painter's tape to minimize potential damage to wall finishes.

Mess Control

You will have toilet paper every where if you don't confine kids to one room. Shut doors, lock the baby gates, and set some ground rules.

Provide a trash bin and suggest kids dispose of toilet paper they are finished with.

If you want parenting time-out, though, let the kids run wild in limited space and deal with the mess later.

Engage kids in the clean up by making it a race to see who can clean up the most toilet paper first.


Photo Credit:jeltovski

Entertain Toddlers & Infants With Hidden Surprises

Today's shot of parent juice is a link to an ehow article about hidden surprises. Basically, while your little one is napping, you are going to set up a bunch of cool surprises using toys and household items you already own.

Which, in case you didn't notice, makes this a free toddler activity. More importantly, this activity should keep toddlers busy for 20-30 minutes.

If you rotate toys, this would be a great activity to bring in a few items your child hasn't seen in a while.

The key is to set this up in secret so when they wake up it's like Santa had a party in your living room with the Easter Bunny and left all their cool toys behind just for your toddler.

So hop to it!

Photo Credit: Charmaine Swart

Cheap Toddler Games: Bubbles And Rhymes

Here’s a quick, easy,mostly free toddler game anyone can do. All you need are some bubbles and bubble wands. If you can, try to buy Gymboree bubbles as those last longer allowing for toddlers to pounce on the bubbles and pop the bubbles with glee. The Gymboree bubble solution costs between $3-$6 and can be found at their clothing stores or activity centers. However, the drugstore brand Magic Bubble works almost as well as the Gymboree bubbles for half the cost. If you are really itching to spend some money, invest in a bubble machine which run around $20 to $30.

As for bubble wands, this time of year most drugstores sell assortments of wands for around $5. The only reason I suggest making the investment is they have mini bubble wands that yield a ton of small bubbles.

However, before you break out the bubbles, first do the following rhyme with your toddler, but omit the bubble lines at the end. Run through the rhyme a few times so they start to learn the movements. This rhyme also teaches the concepts of high and low and body awareness in relation to height. Plus, it gets little bodies moving and burns energy.

Each word in the rhyme gets a clap. The rhyme’s movements are pretty self explanatory. When it’s time to go fast, clap fast, when the rhyme says to go slow, clap slow etc...

Once you add the bubbles into the mix, encourage your toddler to chase them down. Depending on your toddler’s energy and interest level you can stretch this activity out for 20 minutes or more (although, fair warning, it may involve repeating the rhyme several times).

Clap, clap, clap

Clap your hands high

Clap your hands low

Clap your hands fast

Clap ‘em real slow

Clap ‘em by your ear

Clap ‘em by your toes

Clap your hands quiet

Clap your hands loud

Now let’s clap some bubbles

Pop,pop,pop

Clap, clap, clap

Note 1: I am fearless and blow bubbles in the living room. I have not had any permanent stains, but sometimes the bubble solution leaves soap skid marks in the rug that come out once we steam clean the carpet. If you don’t own a steam cleaner, this may be an activity to do in the basement or outside on a calm day.

Note 2: This toddler activity is great for mixed age groups. Babies will enjoy clapping and watching the bubbles even if the finer points of the rhyme pass them by.


Photo Credit: Tinah via Morgue File

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Parenting for the Craft Impaired has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.