Colors Quiet Book- {Sewing & Craft Project using scraps from your stash}

Confession: I made this back in January. It has only taken my 8 months to share it with you.  I had the letters for about 2 years before I finally  used them. Yes it is taking me a long time to get things up on the blog to share with you these days- - but I'm still here. :)

Today at church, my 2 year old, went through this book a few times, and named all his colors! I have never had a two year old know all their colors when they could just barely talk. The color songs, have really helped, along with this little book, and - I confess- an awesome DVD called Preschool Prep. Colors.

This is a really fun little book, and I put mine together a little differently from some I've seen, so I'll share that with you.
First, here are all the pages:

HOW I MADE MY COLOR QUIET BOOK:

I bought the letters from Everyday Celebrations Etsy shop. You could make your own if you have a cutting machine. I attached them with Wonder Under- any iron on adhesive will work.  Then I used scraps from my stash. I just cut scraps- no hemming - just zig zag the pieces onto the pages.
The pages- are fabric cut from a sheet- but you could use muslin. I put some lightweight batting in between the fabric. The pages are two cut together- so that they form a large rectangle. I zig-zagged around the edges, attaching the pages together with the batting in between. BEFORE doing that, I sewed all the color scraps to the page.  The cover: I added scraps to the back, and front, and then made some binding (very unperfectly) from some scraps. I did this before sewing the pages together. To make the book, I laid all the pages on top of each other (two pages were attached together already by the way I cut the pages) and stitched down the center, turning it into a book. If you have ever made those pre-printed fabric books, it is very similar to that. The book tucks easily into a diaper bag or purse. My boys have loved it, and I think it has really helped the younger ones learn their colors.  The finished size is about 5 by 7 inches.

What fun things have you made lately for your kids?

Thanks for reading!

Preschool Color Songs-Free Printables {Part 2}

For copies of the first half of the color songs, click HERE.

Finally I got these finished! It's getting ready for preschool time....and catching up on some projects from a while ago.... Here are the rest of the color song poem printables. {note: I don't know the original source of these songs; but I know they have been around for decades. I have had a typed up copy of the lyrics in my files for the past 20 years. My children made crayon shaped books with these songs in kindergarten...so there are many different copies out there. I just made these up so I would have a cute copy to display and sing with my preschoolers, as we focus on a different color each month.} I made these in a 8.5 by11 format. You should be able to print them onto white card stock from your home computer, and laminate them. If you would like a smaller format, or if you have problems downloading them, PLEASE leave me a comment with contact information, or email me at{little gems crafts} at{gmail} dot com and I'll try to get you what you need. To print, see links below photo.  UPDATE: I get lots of comments on this post but unfortunately I do not have time to respond to them anymore. PLEASE click the links below. They do work. You may have to open it up in a different browser. I use explorer to open the links and they work just fine. Hope that helps!

PINK SONG

BLACK SONG

WHITE SONG

BROWN SONG

 

OTHER COLOR SONGS ARE HERE. 

Preschool Color Songs- Free Printables {Part One}

Here is a little gift for my readers&followers.  I have been making these color song posters for my preschool, finally sharing the first group with you.

These should print on an 8 by 11 sheet of cardstock. These aren't perfect- as in I did not measure the margins or anything, but they still work just fine! That's how I do things sometimes... You can laminate them, and sing the song together using these as posters.

You could even put them in a binder, and let your kids use a  "magic pointer" to learn their colors and sing the songs.
Enjoy! {the rest of teh colors will come later} If you have any problems with these links, please let me know. thanks
To print, click on the links below the photos. Happy Holidays!!

 RED SONG

ORANGE SONG

YELLOW SONG

 

 

BLUE SONG

GREEN SONG

PURPLE SONG

Crafting with Kids: Puffy Ghost {using shaving cream paint}

 I know Halloween is in a few days, but I'm going to attempt to finish posting the fun Halloween stuff we have done this month...in a few days. These ghosts were so much fun! We made these using paint we made mixing shaving cream and Elmer's Glue.

 PUFFY PAINT GHOST USING SHAVING CREAM:
You need:
Heavy paper (we used grocery bags)
3 parts shaving cream to one part Elmer's school glue (just regular glue)
**or measure 3/4 cup shaving cream and 1/4 cup glue - I did not measure- just looked at it and judged the amount and it worked fine.
Sponge brushes
Mix the glue and shaving cream. Apply to ghost shape. You can add eyes and mouth at that time and most of them will stick. A few will not stick and will need to be glued on later.
Allow to dry all the way. Your ghosts will be smooth and velvety soft!

 

 

This was so fun- a little messy- but it is mostly shaving cream-so it washes up very easily. When these are dry they are so so soft!  Have Fun!

Scrambled Face Puzzles

 This activity was so fun! We did this in preschool for one of our centers. {I found this idea in one of my teaching magazines.}  It would be fun to do with your own kids or family. I think it would make a great family reunion activity.
Here is what we did:

 Put all the photos in one container. Then let the children make silly scrambled faces with them! They will have a blast! I am thinking I'll do this one with my own children!

HAVE FUN!!

Preschool First Day Prep Kit

In my "former" life- before I had children- I taught elementary school for about 10 years. I loved it. I especially loved getting ready for school to start. Now I do preschool from my home a few days a week.  I had my preschool back-to-school Open House, and I always want to give the little ones a little something to get them excited, and let them know everything will be O.K.
Here is what I did...

I used baby food containers, and patterned kids tape ( which is cheaper than washi tape, and kid friendly tape). I also tied them up with twine. I gave one to each child at the Open House.

    Here is a little peek of what was inside:

I had seven little things inside, and a note folded up on top,  with what all the items meant.
Here they are:
1. Smarties- We are going to learn lots of fun things this year and become real smarties!
2. Penny- You are a very valuable to our class!
3. Eraser- It is O.K. to make mistakes.
4. Hershey's Hug- I am here is you ever need a hug.
5. Star burst-You are a shining star!
6. Lifesaver-I am here to help you!
7. Sticker- We will stick together and help one another!
I am so excited to have you in preschool!
Love,.....

This can be adopted to any grade. My son brought something similar home from school, and he loved it. This was so easy, and I think the little containers really made it a little extra special for the kids.

Thanks for reading!

Crafting with Kids: Printed Tape Pictures

Have you seen the new Kid Made Modern Art Supply line from Target? They have a lot of fun creative things for kids. We bought the Printed Tapes and the Solid Tapes. You get quite a lot of tape for 6.99 considering the price of washi tape. This tape is fun, bright, and perfect for kids! After seeing this on  the Chocolate Muffin Tree Blog, we had to get some. And we really had some fun making our first "tape pictures".

 First I made one for them- while they watched- so they would know what to do. I had to help the little ones with ripping off a piece of tape-mostly because there would be less waste that way. :)

 I also had them draw with pencils first- sort of like an outline of what they wanted to do. Some of them did not really get that, and that was O.K. This kid got it- and look what he made: He used crayons and stuff while making his picture with tape.

 Don't be jealous cause I'm such an artist and make such good tape cactus and stuff.....ha ha.

This was really fun! We have so much tape left, we could do this many many times. If you haven't seen the Kid Made Modern line at Target- check it out- --as always Target does it again! I think I could live there.

Happy Summer!

Summer Fun: Edible I SPY Five Senses Bottle

 This is an activity we did in preschool WAY back in October. Yes I am just getting around to posting it. This would be fun for summer too-especially to take on a road trip and need to keep the kids busy. We do lots of fun activities to learn about our 5 senses in preschool. This is one of my favorites.
Here is what you need to make your own Edible I SPY bottle:
EDIBILE I SPY BOTTLE:
Clean out a plastic water bottle and make sure it is completely dry.
Fill it about 2/3 full of Rice Krispie Cereal. It helps to use a funnel.
Next add several small items. (See printable link)
I tried to use one thing from each color of the rainbow.
goldfish cracker
red gummy bear
raisin
candy corn
fruit snack
chocolate chip
green jelly bean
blue M&M
Give the kids the attached print out to take home with their bottle. (I added pictures to mine.)

you can get this printable HERE
(sorry there are no pictures on it, but you can add them easily)

Have fun! This would be a really fun thing to make and take on a road trip!
If you needed, you could keep adding things to it as you traveled.
Happy Summer!

Preschool Graduation Celebration

I thought I would share a few photos of our preschool graduation celebration we had today.
Since my preschool is in my house, these photos are in my living/great room, not the preschool room- it is just too small.
The ending of preschool is bittersweet. I am going to miss those sweet children who have blessed my life the past few years. It has been a blessing to share in their education. I love each one of them so much. There were lots of tears today- from me- as I said goodbye to these darling children. That is the sweet part. Here is the bitter part: I am not going to miss the many nights I sacrificed my health by staying up until 1 or 2 a.m. getting preschool stuff done. If you are a  teacher-you would understand that part. May has been one of the most stressful months of my life- it always is-for teachers...at least I think so.

Overall, it was a wonderful preschool year! I am excited to enjoy the summer with my family! It is the summer of family fun! And I'm gonna blog more often now--hopefully!

In the meantime- come get healthy with me- over here. And do me a favor- let me know how that blog reads on your computer or whatever you read it on- I think some of the settings may be messed up.
  I'd love for you to come to share your stories with me there too!

Happy Summer!

Cardboard Tube Cars {preschool transportation week}

 Here is another great craft using cardboard tubes. Turn them into cars. You need 4 lids for the wheels. Have your husband drill a small hole in the lids, so that you can attach them with brads.
Supply the children with crayons, markers, and dot stickers so that they can decorate their car.

 When everyone was finished, we used cardboard to draw our own roads. I asked them if they wanted a "straight road" or a "curvy road" and drew the basic lines. They added the yellow lines down the middle of the road, and the houses or trees. I pulled out some of our car cozies- and we added those in too.  Even the girls got into driving their cars!

Thanks for reading! Happy Spring!

DIY Sponge Stamps for Kids

 I bought these transportation sponges quite a while ago. I wanted to use them for preschool, but I did not want the kids to get their hands all dirty when they dipped them in paint. Enter the laundry detergent cap. I had been saving these- because somewhere I had seen them re- purposed into something- I don't recall what or when. BUT they made great handles for these sponges.

Here is the trick: Gorilla Glue. It works really well, as we only had one come apart, while washing them out. You need to let the Gorilla Glue dry for a while, and follow the instructions on the bottle when using! You also need to apply pressure to the things being glued together.

After carefully rinsing out the paint, I still have 9 of the 10 of these that I made. Pretty good. So they are ready to go for the next time we use them. Start saving those laundry detergent caps and lids- you just never know when you might need one!

Thanks for reading!

Zoo Craft for Kids {preschool fun}

Way back in January, we made this cute craft in preschool. After looking for a new "zoo animal" idea, I saw a few similar ideas, and came up with this. It was a hit. The kids loved it.
ZOO CRAFT
Here is what you need:
regular size construction paper (1 per child)
standard sized zip-lock bag (1 per child)
animal crackers (5-10 per child)
pipe cleaners or chenille stems (6 per child)
crayons, stapler, single hole punch
Prepare beforehand:
Fold the paper in 1/2. Cut out a large rectangle in the middle of one side.
Punch 6 holes along both long sides of the rectangle. Write "zoo" on the top of  one side of the rectangle. Also, place the animal crackers in baggies.

 Let the children color their zoo. Then give them 6 pipe cleaners, and show them how to thread them through the holes, and bend the ends so that they create bars for the zoo animals. (You might have to help a few with the folding of the pipe cleaner ends.) Kids loved this part! For some reason, children this age really love pipe cleaners.

Next, place the baggie of animal crackers inside the folded paper and staple the edges. Now the animals will be safe in the zoo with no way to escape...- warn them to watch out for cracker-crazed preschoolers. Just sayin.

Have Fun and thanks for reading!

Christmas Scented Playdough

 Last night I started out making Peppermint Playdough from the Idea Room for my preschoolers. I originally had the idea to make it 1/2 red and 1/2 plain, and twist it into candy canes and wrap it up in cute bags for 10 little ones. Well, I found an easier idea in the process. I ended up making  3 colors, and formed it into "Christmas ornaments"- as in the above photo. I cut a piece of a sparkly pipecleaner and inserted it into each one to make it look like those pretty ball ornaments.
Here is the what I did:

Christmas Playdough:
For RED:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 TBSP. Cream of Tartar
1 1/2 TBSP extract (peppermint for red)
Red food coloring (quite a bit to get a red color)
1 cup water
Combine dry ingredients in a sauce pan. Add liquid ingredients, except for food coloring and stir over medium heat until a soft ball forms. Add the food coloring and knead the dough until the color is distributed evenly.
FOR GREEN: Add MINT EXTRACT instead and green food coloring
FOR WHITE/PLAIN: ADD PEPPERMINT EXTRACT and no food coloring
Extracts can be found in the spices aisle at your grocery store. I found mine at Wal-mart for a good price.

This was my Christmas gift for my preschoolers. Playdough can be a mess, but the thrill for the children is worth it to me. My kids had too much fun making "Christmas pancakes" with it. And yes, there was a big mess to clean up. My sweet husband took care of that part!

30 Picture Books for Christmas {my top favorites preschool-2nd grade read alouds}

I've been doing the "25 Books for Christmas Countdown/Advent" for years now. It is a really fun one, that I'm sure you have seen by now if you are a blog reader. The other night I stayed up and wrapped up my favorite ones for my kids. Well... I have WAY too many Christmas books- like probably over 100....and more than we can possibly read. Since I have small children, I picked the ones that they would enjoy the most for reading aloud. I thought I would share my list with you, even though I really could make it about 5 times this long. {If you have a 2 year old, don't spend a lot of time wrapping these up all fancy- because chances are, if the 2 year old sees them, he will unwrapped them before you want him too....}

 A lot of Christmas picture books are wonderful, but too long to read in one sitting to young children. So keep in mind that these are mostly shorter ones- as in ones that you can read in 10-15 minutes or less. I left off my longer picture books- the ones that have really good stories and illustrations, but too long for my preschooler.

So here is my list for this year:

Read-a-Loud Christmas Picture Book List

1. Come and See by Monica Mayper

2. Santa's New Suit by Laura Rader

3. A Piggie Christmas by Howard Fine

4. A New Improved Santa by Patricia Rae Wolff

5. Merry Christmas Mom and Dad by Mercer Mayer

6. A Visit From St. Nicholas & Santa Mouse too! by Clement C. Mouse

7. Mary's Baby by Jane Chapman

8. Crispin-The Pig Who Had it All by Ted Dewan

 9. The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza by David Shannon (my favorite!!)

10. Santa's Noisy Night by Julie Sykes &Tim Warnes

11. Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Becker

12. Rudolph by Robert L. May

13. Here Comes Santa Claus by Gene Autry & Oakley Haldeman

14. This is the Star by Joyce DunBar

15. Little Tree by E.E. Cummings

16. The 12 Days of Christmas-illustrated by Jan Brett

17. The Night Before Christmas (any version) illustrations by Mary Englebreit or Jan Brett

18. Bear's Christmas by Brigitte Freymoret

19. The Nativity -illustrated by Julie Vivas

20. On Christmas Eve by Margaret Wise Brown

21. When Santa was a Kid by Janice Leotti-Bachem

22. Mr. Christmas by Roger Hargreaves

23. Little Miss Christmas by Roger Hargreaves

24. How Santa Lost His Job by Stephen Krensky

25. Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini

26.Santa's Hawaiian Vacation by (oops it is wrapped)

27. The Holiday Handwriting School by Robin Pulver

28. If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff

29. Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell and Jason Cockcroft

30. On Christmas Eve by Peter Collington

My husband likes to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and we try to read that together. This is my list for easy read-a-louds. There are many others out there- some great ones that are a little longer. I'll have to share that list later.

Happy Reading ! I'd love to hear what some of your favorite Christmas Stories are!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Tonight we made our traditional handprint/footprint t-shirts. Here are few of the other crafts that have gone on at our house this month.

I had the preschoolers put on this cute turkey hat, and I sent a copy of the photo to their parents. My child, however, wanted to hold it like he was a "hunter" and be a piligrim guy like he saw in a book. That's my boy!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We have so much to be grateful for!!