Free Preschool Worksheet- Mailbox Magazine

The Mailbox magazine is one of my favorite magazines! It features lots of activities for children.

Right now they have this free worksheet available online. I did it with S yesterday and even at 2 1/2 she could figure it out.

It's an easy matching activity. The child has to match the baby animal to thier mother. Because my daughter is too little to cut, I pre-cut out the squares at the bottom for her.

First, we talked about all of the mother animals. I would point to them and ask her what it was. Then we matched them. She was able to match the animals pretty easily. She did need help with the hen because the chick looks a bit different from its mother.

Click here to see the worksheet.

Website- Baby Half Off

I found this website through a friend suggestion on Facebook. They feature children and infant items at a 50% off discount. Everyday at 8 am MST, they post new products. Make sure you check it out early because quantities are limited and once items sell out, they're gone for good.

Letter of the Week- Letter "T"

I made a Letter of the Week wall hanging for S's new playroom. I just used a large poster frame and flipped the paper that was inside to the back and wrote "Letter of the Week".

In honor of Thanksgiving, I decided to make the letter of the week- T. Our first activity was to have S decorate a letter T that I had written on a piece of paper. We used tissue paper, (because it began with the letter T) and glued it all over the letter. When it was dried, I cut it out and taped it on out Letter Board.



Then, I had S color pictures that started with the letter T and taped them up on the board as well. I also had her trace a letter T on a dotted line. She had lots of fun!

If anyone has some letter T songs, I would love to learn them!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day.

Product Review- Pampered Chef

I just recently purchased a Mini Loaf stoneware pan from a Pampered Chef party and I love it!!! I made a homemade pear bread and it cooked beautifully in it. It's so easy to clean as well. I purchased a nylon pan scrapper to clean it (which only costs $2.75 for a set of 3). All you do is use hot water and the scrapper. Comes off fast and effectively.

My bread recipe called to bake for an hour and 15 minutes, but I only had to cook it for an hour and it was perfect.

Here is the Pear Bread recipe I used:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pear-bread-i/detail.aspx

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 cups peeled shredded pears
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the bowl.
2. In a separate bowl combine the oil, eggs, sugar, grated pears, pecans, and vanilla. Blend well. Add to well of dry ingredients. Stir until just moistened. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x5x3 inch loaf pans.
3. Bake in a preheated 325 degree F (165 degrees C) oven for one hour and 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack before removing from the loaf pans.

Crafty Mom Activity- Felt Bowtie Pasta & Sauce

Materials Needed:
Red & Tan Felt
Pinking Shears
Needle and Thread

First, cut out a rectangle from the tan felt. It can be any size you wish.

Then, use the pinking shears to cut both short sides of your rectangle.

Fold in half lengthwise. While still folded, fold the side closest to you back to the bottom of the rectangle. Repeat on the opposite side.

Stitch in the center just enough to hold it together, but make sure it is sewn on tightly. Repeat as many times as you would like to make a big bowl of bowtie pasta.

To make the sauce, just cutout a shape with the red felt and place it on top. Yum!

JC Penney- $10 off $10 online purchase

This offer is available until 12/18/09.

Visit jcpenney.com and use the code: GR8VALUE to get $10 off your online purchase of $10 or more. Shipping is not included.

Thanksgiving Activity- Native American Necklaces

This activity is probably better to do in two parts- one to dye the pasta, then another to string them.

Items needed:

Coffee can with lid, rubbing alcohol, food coloring, cookie sheet lined with paper towels, 1/2 c. measuring cup, slotted spoon or strainer, yarn and pasta. I chose Mezzi Rigatoni because they had a bigger hole and were shorter so they were easier for a toddler to hold.

First, pour 1/2 c. of rubbing alcohol into the coffee can. Add a few drops of your choice of food coloring. Add pasta. I kept pouring it until the pasta was just over the rubbing alcohol. Close lid, TIGHTLY and shake until coated. For darker colored pasta add more food coloring and let sit in the can for a few extra minutes.

Remove pasta from can with slotted spoon or pour into a strainer. Place on top of the paper towels and let dry. Because of the rubbing alcohol, the pasta will dry faster. Mine were dry in about 10 minutes.

Repeat with as many colors as you would like.

After the pasta is dry, you can start stringing it on. For younger kids, I like to add tape to the top of the string to make it easier to string it. Encourage your child to make a pattern for added learning! (I like to sneak the learning in.. they'll never know! lol)

When necklace is the desired lenght, tie ends together and cut excess string.

Ta Da!

Rainy Day Ideas- Dried Pastas & Rice

My 2 and a half year old daughter, S loves this fun rainy day activity!

All you need is a container, (I used a clear baking dish.) and a variety of dried pasta, rice and beans. Mix them all together and let your child have fun exploring the different textures. This has kept Sophia busy for up to 35-40 minutes... Quite the feat for a 2.5 year old!!!

Just use caution with children under 3 or those who still mouth items.

This is my first post on Crafty Mom. I'm going to be sharing recipes, art projects, product reviews, local and online bargain shopping hints- everything that you can do or use for your family. Please check back soon for my first post!

Can't wait!

~Shannon