Author Archive
Stone Soup Recipe
Posted by: | Comments
Whether you’re doing a Unit on FOLKTALES or just reading adding it to your reading list, young kids always enjoy reading Stone Soup. After you’ve read the story a few times why not have each of the children bring a vegetable to school for a stew. Let them work on washable plastic placemats and use serrated knives to cut the vegetables into very small pieces. (Some vegetable are quite hard so either you can cut them or blanche them to soften for the children to cut).
Provide a washed stone and some chicken or beef broth. Cook all of the ingredients in a pot or an electric frypan until done (about an hour. I would let it cook through nap time and we would eat soup for afternoon snack!)
Reread or retell the story or simply discuss the story as the group eats the stone soup.
The 3 Peanut-Butter Bears Recipe
Posted by: | Comments
This recipe may lean more toward a ‘playdough’ though it’s a bit easier on those little tummies than the usual playdough recipes with so much salt. (Here you’ll find none! 
) This is another great recipe to use when your weekly Unit Theme is FOLKTALES. Remember… you can incorporate a little math lesson here too. Naturally, you’ll want an alternative if you’re concerned about any potential peanut allergies.
1-1/2 cups peanut butter
1-1/2 cups dry milk
2 Tablespoons honey
(Makes two cups of dough)
Mix the peanut butter and the dry milk together. Stir in the honey. The mixture should look like light-brown dough. (Add a little more dry milk if the mixture is too sticky. TIP: I recommend you make this dough as it’s quite a sticky mess initially. I’ve found when I let the kids help in making it we had very little usable dough)
Wash hands. Give each child a share of the dough and a piece of waxed paper to work on. Shape bears by rolling balls for heads and bodies and by adding small balls and bits for ears, nose, eyes, and paws. Let each child make one of the three bears with his or her share of the dough. Ask each child about which bear he or she is making and why.
Gingerbread Man Recipe
Posted by: | Comments
Here’s a simple recipe that the children can help with… both the measuring and mixing as well as the cutting and decorating. You might want to plan for this while doing a Learning Unit on FOLKTALES!
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
raisins
Cream the sugar and butter together. Sift and mix in the other ingredients to make dough. (Chilling for awhile will make rolling out easier)
Roll out the dough. Let the children use a gingerbread man or woman cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Then add raisins for buttons and facial features on the shape.
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until brown.
Painting Surfaces
Posted by: | Comments
We all have those days when things start to feel a bit stale. It’s at moments like this that you might want to do a little brain-storming to come up with ways to do familiar things in unfamiliar ways or places.
There are so many interesting surfaces that kids can use to paint on… sometimes we all get stuck for ideas so I thought I’d list a few here with the hope you’ll find something untried… or maybe it’s not been used for awhile. So consider it a memory jogger.
Remember… this list is NOT inclusive of everything. The only limit is your imagination (or a child’s ) but consider:
construction paper
newsprint
tissue paper
tracing paper
tin foil
clear/colored acetate
wood
cardboard
shelf paper
paper table cloths
paper place mats
waxed paper
boxes
leather scraps
sand paper
power toweling
paper coffee filters
mirror
plexi-glass
paper bags
cookie sheets
meat trays – plastic, cardboard and styrofoam
table surfaces
window glass
In the Twin Cities here in Minnesota we have a wonderful shop called Art Scraps where you can get recycled materials of all kinds for cheap. Maybe you have something similar near you. It’s well worth exploring different ways to do the same old thing.
Have fun, respect each other and play well together,
--Mary K
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* Light
Science and Young Children
Posted by: | Comments
Introducing science into your preschool curriculum is a no-brainer. It’s all around us… everything thing we look at and everything we do has some ‘scientific’ aspect about it.
Think about it. Your children have just finished painting something and they want to grab it and put it in their cubby. You have to remind them it needs to dry. One little girl pips up and asks, “Where does the wet go?” That’s scientific inquiry!
You have the kids build racers from small dowels, wooden wheels and toilet paper tubes. A couple little guys have got everything glued down tight. Then they want to know why the wheels won’t turn. That’s scientific inquiry!
The children are out on the driveway riding trikes. A toddler squats down noticing ants crawling around. The 4 year old notices the ants scurry down a little hole and wants to know where they go. That’s scientific inquiry too.
The fun thing is watching the children’s curiosity ramp up when you decide to specifically set aside time for SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS! Setting aside time also ensures a more-balanced science curriculum.
So plan a science time at least once or twice a week if daily seems to frequent for you. Even young children have an amazing body of knowledge… one they are not even able to articulate. By providing the opportunity to perform ‘science experiments’ you also have the chance to increase their vocabulary and give them the words to describe what they observe.
Remember… when it comes to very young children the goal is not to acquire facts… it’s the experiencing of success, the joy of discovery, the confidence that comes from validating their observations and all of this from the kids doing things rather than being told.
My best advice to you as the teacher is to set your own sense of wonder free. As you convey your sense of wonder and delight in the world around you the children will freely respond in the same way. In fact, I dare say they will look at some things in ways that haven’t occurred to you. Let them be the teacher for you and you all will be served well.
There are probably things you already do that would fall into the ‘SCIENCE EXPERIMENT’ category. Formally designating time for such ‘experiments’ will jazz your kids and result in some pretty amazing co-operation as they learn to respect what they’re doing as well as the tools they use.
Two books I highly, HIGHLY recommend for your Preschool Science Curriculum are Mudpies to Magnets and MORE Mudpies to Magnets. The experiments are brilliant, laid out clearly and designated appropriate for ages 2+, 3+, 4+, 5+ Naturally, there is some variability when it comes to those ages and simply observing each of your children and their reactions to any given experiment will clue you in to what they are ready for when it comes to science experiments.
Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum
More Mudpies to Magnets: Science for Young Children
Have fun EXPERIMENTING!!!
Preschool Curriculum
Posted by: | Comments
Today you have many options when it comes to the curriculum used in your Daycare Home. While some childcare providers seem happy to fly by the seat of their pants, the rest of you feel more comfortable when you have a plan.
Today you can purchase ready-made curriculum where not only is your weekly plan already done for you, supplies for some activities for each child in your care are included in the fee. Doing a Google search will lead you to such programs a KidSparkz, Funsteps, Inc., Mother Goose Time and many more. These can save you a lot of time in both planning and stocking your supplies so if the budget allows, it may be well worth it to sample a few different programs and see which is the best ‘fit’ for you.
Planning a Toddler and/or Preschool Curriculum isn’t really a tough thing to do and taking the time to do so can keep both you and the children eagerly anticipating the discoveries of each day.
I found designing and planning a curriculum around various THEMES was the best way to go. A weekly theme gives focus and direction for incorporating a variety of child development areas while providing the opportunity for a bit more in-depth exploration of a topic or theme. As this site grows you’ll find more and more things in each category that can easily be incorporated into your curriculum at any time.
Of course, kids learn best when they can be hands-on, controling (or trying to ) and acting upon their environment, so always provide plenty of opportunities for them to see, touch, taste, learn and express themselves. All we as the provider have to do is set the stage by offering many experiences to stimulate our children’s curiosity and senses. After all, play is their work so let them initiate things and make choices whenever possible.
I found that while I always had a curriculum prepared and an activity ready for virtually every moment of the Daycare day… because I allowed the children to take the lead there were many days we simply didn’t have time for half the activities I had planned.
One of the wonderful things about operating an in-home childcare center is that it’s YOUR business and YOU are the policy setter, giving you the freedom to set the pace that best serves your unique group of children. Gotta love that!
We’ll talk more about things to keep in mind when working on your curriculum in up-coming posts. Until then, as always I ask you to…
Respect each other, nurture one another and play well together!
I appreciate you,
--Mary K
¸..· ´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´* Light