Mother’s Day Time Capsule

Posted on May 8, 2012 by CCDAdmin
Mother's Day Time Capsule

Mother's Day Time Capsule

When I was deciding on a Mother’s Day project to do with the kids I wanted to come up with something that would be feesible if you had a mix of older kids with younger kids. Last year we did a memory book that had pictures of our activities over the previous year.

This time I decided to make a Time Capsule for each child.  On print paper I included their name, year, date, who was president, where they went to daycare. For the older kids their favorite foods, drinks, games, etc. For the infants, I wrote about things they learned over the year and things they do in daycare. I also included photographs on the word document along with the information that I will print out.

Another thing for their time capsule will be a Mother’s Day coloring page with poem that the older kids will color for their moms. For the infants I have the handprint poem on a word document with white space below to make their handprints on.

The handprint poem

Handprint poem

You can decorate the mother’s day documents by printing out on colored paper and laminating and/or gluing onto construction paper and giving it a border.

When everything is finished I will roll the documents up and place in a paper towel roll that has been decorated by the older kids or myself with their name. This will be the Mother’s Day Time Capsule that the children will give to their moms.

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Decorating Paper Easter Eggs

Posted on April 5, 2012 by CCDAdmin
Paper Easter Egg

Decorating a Paper Easter Egg

There are lots of ways to decorate a paper Easter egg. Depending on the age of the children in your group you can have them use paints or finger paints, colored markers, crayons, glitter or even make a tissue paper egg. Another creative way to decorate the paper eggs are using cut pieces of colored paper and have the kids glue the pieces onto the paper egg. So print out some Easter egg templates and hand the kids some supplies and let them get creative!

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Free activity book for Dr. Suess’ birthday

Posted on March 2, 2012 by CCDAdmin

How many of you know that Today is Dr. Suess’ birthday? To honor this day read a Dr. Suess book to the kids for story time? Some of my favorite Dr. Suess books are

  • The Cat in the Hat
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • Dr. Suess’s ABC
  • One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
  • Green Eggs and Ham

If you go to EnergyStar.gov. They are offering a free Dr. Suess Lorax activity book mailed to you free of charge or you can download it electronically. It is available in Spanish also. They have an email or phone number if you want to request multiple copies.You might be able to get one for each of your kids free of charge! What a great way to celebrate Dr. Suess’ birthday.

What is your favorite Dr. Suess book?

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Make paper heart cookies for a Valentine’s Day craft

Posted on February 9, 2012 by CCDAdmin


This is a fun craft the kids can do for Valentine’s Day. Let them create their own paper heart cookies. I saw a post that someone used felt to create a felt heart cookie. With the colored paper, you can use a variation of toppings for your paper cookie,such as confetti (you can make this by cutting up colored paper into pieces) which would be your cookie sprinkles, glitter for the colored sugar and puffy paint that looks like gel icing that you can draw words or names on the paper cookie with. They make great Valentines the kids can exchange with each other.

You will need:

  • Colored paper (pink, pale pink or white, red and purple for confetti)
  • scissors
  • glue
  • Heart shaped cookie cutter or stencil (or you can print out the cookies and icing from the links onto the colored paper).
  • Paper cookie toppings(glitter, paper confetti, puffy paint, etc.)

Directions:

Cut out the heart shaped cookies or print them out.

Then cut out another sheet of smaller hearts on pale pink or white paper. If you prefer you may print them out.

Glue the smaller hearts(the paper icing) onto the larger hearts (the paper cookie).

Using glue decorate your paper cookie with confetti, glitter or draw words and names using puffy paint.

Paper valentine heart cookie toppings

Have a Valentine exchange.

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Easy to make pumpkin spice french toast

Posted on February 6, 2012 by CCDAdmin
Pumpkin Spice french toast

Pumpkin Spice french toast

Do the kids get bored with breakfast at times and you’re looking for something just a little bit different to make? This pumpkin spice french toast recipe might be just what you’re looking for. Although we usually think of pumpkin spice around the holidays, there is no set rule that says we can’t use it anytime of the year. Just making a small change to your regular french toast recipe adds a new flavor to french toast and gets the kids motivated to eat breakfast again.

Pumpkin Spice French Toast

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • whole wheat bread
  • butter or margarine
  1. Mix 2 eggs together with 2 tablespoons of milk and add 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice.
  2. Melt butter on a skillet or griddle
  3. Dip the bread into the liquid mixture covering both sides and place into the heated skillet or griddle until both sides of bread are golden brown.
  4. Remove from heat and serve with a side of sliced bananas.

Optional toppings:

  • Heat maple syrup over the stove stirring with a cinnamon stick and serve over french toast.
  • Mix whipped topping with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and serve on top of french toast.
  • Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of french toast and serve.
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Baby wipes, the miracle stain removal

Posted on February 4, 2012 by CCDAdmin

Baby Wipes

Did you ever have that day when the kids seem to be extra messy? I mean it is daycare and messes are expected at times with the activities and crafts. No matter how hard we try to keep them clean, sometimes it happens when they get food stains on their clothes or marker on their skin. Now of course I use the washable markers, which come off easy with a little soap and water, but some stains like food on clothes or food coloring on skin are tough to get out. I have found that my best method of a quick clean-up from clothes and skin are baby wipes. A baby wipe treatment can be used as an all-purpose stain removal. Believe it or not baby wipes work well for most stain removals, even permanent marker off of skin, and you don’t have to scrub and scrub until the skin is left with a huge red mark. Just use a standard baby wipe to rub the affected area until the stain loosens and eventually disappears. Next time you’re having trouble getting marks off with soap and water, try a baby wipe.

Check out the “Tips” page for more daycare tips and ideas.

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Valentine’s Day waffle heart breakfast

Posted on January 25, 2012 by CCDAdmin
Waffle heart

Waffle heart for Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is all about love. As a childcare provider I love my job and I love the kids that I provide care for, we have our own little daycare family. So to celebrate Valentine’s Day, I like to start off by making them a Valentine themed breakfast. This year I am making them heart shaped waffles and I don’t need a special waffle maker to do this however, I do have the round shaped waffle maker which makes it easy for me to shape the waffle into a heart. Here are the steps to prepare this Valentine’s Day breakfast.

  1. Mix up the waffle batter using your favorite mix. If you want the waffles to be pink like a heart then add a couple of drops of food coloring but if you prefer not to use the food dyes then just mix it as you normally would.
  2. Heat up a round waffle iron and pour the batter onto the hot iron. When it is finished take the waffle out and place it onto a plate.
  3. Cut the 4 sections out (they should be a triangular shape) and shape 3 of the sections into a heart and place the last section on the middle top.
  4. You can top the waffles off with whatever you like. Some suggestions are powdered sugar, strawberries, cherry pie filling, strawberry syrup (add some strawberry flavoring or juice from the strawberries to the syrup).
  5. Serve to the kids with strawberry flavored milk.

If you don’t have a waffle iron you can make heart shaped pancakes.

 

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Indoor winter snow activity

Posted on January 12, 2012 by CCDAdmin
Winter snow

Winter snow

Although the weather has been fairly mild for this time of year for most parts, it is likely that you are going to wake up to a snow covered ground at one point this winter. If you are a stay at home parent or do daycare in your home then you are going to have to provide some activities indoors when the winds are blustery.

When it is too cold for them to be outside playing in the snow then bring the snow indoors. Get a large plastic tub such as a storage container OR if you don’t have one you can use your kitchen sink.

Before you do anything else gather up some toys for the kids such as figurines, cars, any kind of play accessories that they can use for their imagination. Go outside and gather up snow in a bucket or large bowl, bring indoors and dump into the container or kitchen sink (the kitchen sink works great because you leave the drain open and when the snow melts it will just drain out). Make as many trips as needed until you have a sufficient amount of snow.  Once you are finished, the kids can play in the snow before it all melts and they don’t have to get all bundled up and go out in the cold. They can even build miniature snowmen.

 

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Martin Luther King Jr. Daycare and preschool activities

Posted on January 7, 2012 by CCDAdmin
Martin Luther King, 1964

Martin Luther King Jr.

When planning activities and lesson for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, remember that small kids do not grasp the concept of racism and civil rights, therefore, it is probably best to provide hands-on activities such as the people chain . While you’re making the people chain, divide the kids into 2 groups for a game that is played with legos and involves unfair rules.

Another activity is to get a poster board and glue a picture of Martin Luther King Jr. in the center of the board. Since rainbows are regarded as symbols of dreams coming true have the kids make colorful handprints around the photo of Martin Luther King Jr. forming an arc, or you can trace their hands onto colored paper and cut them out and glue them.

Check out my freebie section for some FREE MLK Posters, Bookmarks, Stickers, Door Hangers, Fact Sheets, and DVD(US) check what you want and add to cart, create an account and place order, completely free of charge.

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Reindeer food

Posted on December 23, 2011 by CCDAdmin
Reindeer food

Reindeer Food

Today is the last day of daycare before break. We are making reindeer food and doing crafts. The kids enjoy making reindeer food. I give them a paper bowl with about 1/2 cup of oats. I set out colored glitter and leftover cookie sprinkles and let them add them to their bowl of oats and stir with a spoon. When they get their reindeer food just the way they want it I let them transfer it into a plastic baggie. Then I staple the reindeer poem (print out, cut out, fold over baggie and staple) to the outside of the baggie. We are also making good use out of our accumulated shipping paper today!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a New Year full of Happiness!!

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