Letter M Crafts

Here are three letter M craft ideas we enjoyed recently!

Monkey Masks

Print out the template HERE, color, cut, and play!

Marshmallow Painting

I found a bubble letter M through google and printed it out. Then we dipped large marshmallows in paint and painted away!

 They got to enjoy a treat of one CLEAN marshmallow :)

We used large marshmallows because that's what we had on hand. You could use a variety of sizes. You could also glue the marshmallows on the M.

Monster M

We got some cutting practice in with this one. Then I just let the kids create!

For more ideas than you'll probably ever be able to use, check out the Letter M Activities page over at The Measured Mom! Love her site.

Love our happy wall!

F is for Fish and Frog

This week I had hoped to get a fish for our schoolroom but that never happened. I still plan to get fish as soon as we can find a really good deal on a small fish tank with a filter (so if you happen to know of one...).

We still learned about the letter F and Jack did wonderfully! The letters are really starting to click with him. Here are two things we did this week outside of the Letter of the Week curriculum that we really enjoyed...

We learned a little about the life cycle of a frog. Jack cut out (with a little help!) and pasted this chart together.

We had already done some coloring earlier and getting Jack to color more than one thing is just not worth the effort. But he loves to cut and paste!

This fish craft I found in a random little craft book I have in my stash. It was a HUGE hit!

Marie made the third one completely on her own.

Supplies:

• Construction paper
• Tissue paper
• Glue
• Scissors
• Googly eyes
• Markers/crayons/glitter/etc (optional)

Directions:

Draw the shape of the fish and have the kids cut it out and glue an eye on. Then cut out shapes (or have kids cut out) from different types of paper (we used construction paper and tissue paper) and have the kids glue them on the fish. Let them decorate as desired. Cut out strips from the tissue paper and have them glue the strips as a tail.

Hours of fun will follow this super simple craft! Who knew?

Linking up here:

Christmas Crafts

The kids did a lot of crafts at Sunday School, MOPS, and random other places but I'm going to just show you what we did around here. I love that the side of my fridge is covered in glittery, Christmasy-ness!

These are simple and would be a great way to pass the couple of days next week while the kids are off school and eagerly awaiting Christmas!

The Hand Angel

We talked about the angel Gabriel coming to Mary and Joseph. We used finger paint to paint each hand then put glitter on the paint before it dried. The kids glued on cotton balls and drew their own interpretation of what an angel might look like. Jack thought it important that his had ears, while Marie thought arms and legs were essential and ears looked weird.

(I'm learning that it really is better to let the kids do as much of their own crafts as possible, even if they end up looking a little… strange. But in this case, I did quite a bit of helping with the paint because hand print crafts are dear to me, and because paint all over everything is not ideal. I still highly recommend giving your kids freedom to do their own crafts with minimal interruption from you in most cases!)

Coloring Pages

Use Do-A-Dot markers for this one.

I've mentioned before, my girl LOVES to color. HERE (within these awesome packets) are some we really enjoyed that also had more than just coloring to them.

Christmas Tree Name Puzzle

We've been working hard to help Jack learn the letters in his name. He usually recognizes his name but that's the extent of it. So when I found this idea HERE, I knew we had to do it! And I had no doubt Marie would thoroughly enjoy it.

I had Jack trace his name on the pieces (Marie wrote her name herself), and then they cut their own pieces out and glued them on. Marie spent a significant amount of time using every color of glitter we have, while Jack took about 2 minutes to decorate his.

Nativity Scene

The top picture is Marie's from 2 years ago while the bottom is Jack's he did the other day. Since he had already done two manger scenes with popsicle sticks other places, I stuck with the simple. He also loves to cut and clue, but isn't big on decorating.

Birth of Jesus Mini Book

Cutting out the pieces for this was kinda a pain, but otherwise I really liked how this helped the kids tell the story themselves. And it's super cute.

((THANK YOU to the amazing women who came up with and put together these crafts/activities!!))

Books

I highly recommend these books be read in your home every year!

• The Candymaker's Gift (I talk about this more HERE).
• The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (When the Grinch realizes that Christmas… perhaps… is a little bit more, he doesn't specify what exactly. Today we were able to talk about what "more" Christmas is really about.)
• The Jesus Storybook Bible (This is a must-have for all littles, year-round).

Merry Christmas!!

Craft Time {Easter Edition}

Last year we made stained glass crosses.

Look how little my big kids were! How has it been almost a year already?!?

Even after Easter, you'll have an excellent reminder of what Christ did for us hanging on your window! Ours were up well into summer.

Last week we made lambs at our playdate:

Perfect to go along with the verse we learned last week...

Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

Today we plan on doing this Sunday School type craft:

Source: christianpreschoolprintables.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

And later on this week we'll be making this cross craft:

Source: inlightofthetruth.blogspot.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

Looking forward to celebrating our risen Savior!

He is not here; he has risen, just as He said! Matthew 28:6

Easter on Pinterest for the Littles

I have a confession to make...

(That is if you haven't figured it out already!)

I'm not creative.

People are often commenting on how creative I am, but the truth is, I love pinterest and utilizing all of everybody else's creativity!

Now that that's out of the way... I've been searching for weeks for good ways to help my kiddos focus on Easter... some packets and activities that aren't all eggs and bunnies.

*For those who don't know - my kids are 4, 2, and 7 months*

Ahead is a list of all sorts of creativity that I had nothing to do with but am enjoying! (Click the pictures).

This first link is a simple and excellent way to get your babies thinking about and discussing Jesus. The most important thing we can do!

Source: shauna-lynn.blogspot.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

Here is a fun little game. We are Jacobs' so there's gotta be a game!

Source: christianpreschoolprintables.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

This packet is perfect for Marie's age. We've already done most of it!

Source: mamaslearningcorner.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

I love that there aren't any eggs or bunnies in this preschool pack! "R is for Risen."

Source: teachersnotebook.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

We're huge fans of coloring pages!

Source: biblestoryprintables.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

This is something we did last year that we plan to continue on Easter Sunday...

Source: motherhoodonadime.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

There's so much that I need to stop here. Go to my "Resurrection Day" pinboard for even more ideas! I definitely just printed a good 50 pages of fun.

Look for a craft idea or two sometime at the end of the week.

How are you focusing on Christ this Easter?

((Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you talented momma's out there for providing all this free fun!))

Rainbow Pasta

At our last playdate, we read about Noah and talked about how God created rainbows to remind us that He promised to never flood the whole earth again, and that He always keeps His promises.

The craft was pasta rainbows!

To dye pasta:

1. Gather materials:

• Box of pasta
• Rubbing alcohol/white vinegar (I used vinegar bc I had some, but word on the web is the rubbing alcohol works best)
• Liquid food coloring
• Ziplock bags

2. Fill 6 bags with evenly distributed pasta.
3. Pour in alcohol/vinegar (I put in just enough to coat but some directions say to fully cover. I skimped because I'm cheap!)
4. Add drops of food coloring (I used the back of the food coloring box to figure out how to best make the orange and purple). Be fairly generous.
5. Rub the pasta around in the bag to coat, then place the bags on a cookie sheet covered in foil in case of leakage.
6. Let sit for a few hours, turn once or twice.

7. Once they have set for a few hours, empty the bags by color onto the cookie sheet/sheets (drain any excess liquid first!) to dry overnight.

I spread it out on 3 different cookie sheets, but had to take this pic first!

I just love all the color!

Grab some paper and glue and make some rainbows! (Remember "Roy G. Biv"?)

And thank God for the beautiful reminder that He always keeps His promises!

Linking up HERE and HERE.

Hearts, hearts, everywhere!

Valentine's Day never meant a whole lot to me. But now that I have kids and am homeschooling, I can't get enough of it! So if you're like me and trying to stuff in as many hearts as possible before the big day (tomorrow for those who weren't sure!), here's some ideas.

Craft:

Paper heart necklaces.

Perfect for today or tomorrow because you probably have all the supplies that you need already. Excellent way to work on fine motor skills and sorting/patterns. Find the directions HERE.

((Refer to THIS post to find a quick list of other Valentine's crafts))

Verse:

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

If you go to my church (First Baptist of Elkhart), your kid is either learning or has learned this verse. Set the verse to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat and he/she will have it down in no time! Make sure to spend some time talking to your babies about how much you love them, and how God loves them even more!

School:

Just today I found these two pins on Pinterest...

Source: moneysavingmom.com via Rachael on Pinterest

Source: moneysavingmom.com via Rachael on Pinterest

(Thanks, Rachel!)

Of course I immediately printed out a handful of must-do activities and put the kids to work. I saved some for tomorrow.

Most of this stuff was a little easy for Marie but she still enjoyed the review. It was perfect for Jack. I'm so proud of these babies!!

Read:

This is Derek and my all-time favorite book. The first time we read it, we were just dating and we were in a library in New York City. We sat down against some book shelves and read it aloud.

One of those memories I hope never fades.

We've been reading this to our babies since Marie was still in the womb.

Bake:

Does puppy chow count as baking? I don't care. This picture has been taunting me for days. Unfortunately (read: fortunately), I don't have all I need to make this so we won't be making this. But I had to share so someone out there can enjoy this whilst I only dream.

Source: lifeloveandsugar.com via Derek Lindsay on Pinterest

There, I just planned your Valentine's Day with your kids. You're welcome.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate."

• Fridays

• Craft time

• Babies getting along

• Friendship

• 2-year-old "smiles"

• Duck, duck, goose

• Puppet shows