The great OUTDOOR TOY CHALLENGE!

My good friend, E stepped up to my outdoor challenge and headed to "Sally's" (Salvation Army) to replenish her outdoor toys.  She says:
"$2.33, I'm super impressed!  The plastic spatula is because I didn't see any metal on this trip:)  Cheese knife, 3 wooden spoons, 1 metal spoon, 1 spatula, 1 tongs, 1 grater."
 

Five stars for her and these great finds!!  Who's next?  Email me your pics and I'll post em!

PS) Another great thing about these outdoor toys--they are wonderful vocabulary builders--tongs, grater, spatula....all words a child will learn as they play with these items!

Rabbit Footprints

Today we made some rabbit footprint stamps.  I looked up the shape on the internet, cut them out of paper, then Q traced them on cardboard and I cut them out.  We hotglued them onto a base and used spools for handles.  We headed outside with purple paint and I stamped the rabbit prints on the patio.  They turned out less cool than I had hoped--there weren't super clear lines and you couldn't see the toes that well.  But Q liked em, and that's all that mattered.  Then we got her feet painty, which she LOVED, and we put her footprints next to them. 

 

 

And then she labeled her footprints and the rabbit footprints--she sounded out most of "rabbit" herself-I just helped with the double "bb" part.  Then we talked a bit about some similarities/differences and I wrote down our observations.  Then she played in the paint and made footprints and handprints all over the sidewalk--this was a huge hit--and it was washable paint, so I was happy to indulge her!  After her painting frenzy we washed her off with the hose and left the prints for Daddy to see.  

5 Little Bunnies Fingerplay

During circle time the kids and I love participating in some simple rhymes and fingerplays together, and I change them out so that they pertain to our theme or season.  One we are doing right now is 5 Little Bunnies.  You could use your 5 fingers, but I like to use manipulative for the kids to be involved. 

 I made 5 Flannel Knot Bunnies (tutorial HERE) and we keep them tied up in a nice green scarf with "flowers" growing in it--we call it the meadow.  The kids love helping me untie the little bundle. 

Then I read the fingerplay and they help the bunnies hop away.  Through this rhyme they are getting phonemic awareness skills (rhyming words, word endings) and math skills (subtraction). 

I have watercolor cards (again recycled from Q's paintings from school) that I draw on with crayons.  I do simple pictures so the kids will know which rhyme goes with that particular card.  

 On the back I write the words.  This one is not my neatest example of work ever, but pretend you don't notice that, okay?  Thanks. 

5 Little bunnies, brown is what they wore (or whatever color flannel you use!)
1 Hopped away and then there were 4.
4 hopping bunnies, sweet as they could be.
1 hopped away and then there were 3.
3 hopping bunnies with so much to do.
1 hopped to the cabbage patch and then there were 2.
2 hopping bunnies playing in the sun.  
1 hopped into a hole and then there was 1.
I hopping bunny, as cute as a penny.
He hopped under the garden gate, and then there weren't any. 

What Rabbits Do

We are studying rabbits right now.  I made up a game for us to play during our circle time--needed something that could include an 18 month and 4 year old.  I cut some of Q's watercolors (I save them for projects) into rabbit shapes using a cookie cutter.  Then I wrote different things rabbits do on them.  When we play the game, we put on our rabbit ears (headbands with ears that we have).  We take turns drawing a rabbit, then we do what the rabbit card says.  We have fun acting out the different actions.  For example, for "Eat" we "hop" all around the living room to different parts of the garden and pretend to eat beans, carrots, cabbage, parsley, etc.  The kids' favorite is "dig."  Both kids love this game and get very into playing it!  They learn some great vocabulary words, exercise their large and small muscles and use some pretend play!

Exodus Story--burning bush

Here is the set up I used for the burning bush story.

Moses with the egyptian soldier he kills:

We have a gold playsilk for "sand" and have Moses "bury" the soldier in the sand. 

Moses runs away to Midian and becomes a shepherd.  Notice his shepherd's staff and sheep.  I needlefelted the sheep using two different patterns.  Quinn let me know that one of them looks nothing like a sheep.  Thanks....  If you aren't a needlefelter I have a cardboard and yarn tutorial posted along with my nativity post that would work, or I've also just used cotton balls or packing peanuts for sheep. 

Then he sees the burning bush and hears from God.  We read the story from our children's Bible. 

I love to include children in the set up of the scenes from the stories.  This helps build understanding and memory, allows them to have ownership, and also promotes fine motor skills.  For the burning bush I have a piece of branch with holes drilled in.  Smaller branches fit in, and then can be decorated with red tulle. 

 

Sand and mudpie kitchen toys....toys for outside play

I buy all our outside toys--for our sandbox, waterplay, and mudpie kitchen secondhand.  My favorite spots are Goodwills and Salvation Army, where you can get the greatest stuff at a killer price.

Here are some of the items I never pass up:
-metal bread pans
-metal sifter (this is actually my old broken one, but I see them there for a buck all the time!)
-metal teapots (I can NEVER pass one up....We have two inside, one outside and I give remainers as gifts to other outside-loving birthday kids...)
-tin dishes
-cheese grater (.49!)
-bamboo or wooden utensils (.29!)
-wooden dishes
-random utensils (.49!)
-cast iron pans
-cake pans
-muffin tins

 

All of these items are so much more appealing than the standard plastic items you buy at the dollar store  or big box stores--I know this for a fact, because we have some of the plastic stuff, and visiting kiddos ALWAYS choose the real, thrift-store purchased stuff over the plastic.  Plus buying used items means you don't create a market for MORE plastic consumption on this planet and your money spent at the thrift store goes to a good cause.  You can get the same amount of items (if not more!) for the same amount of money.  Try it!!  I dare ya! 

  

I do try to look for items that won't rust--so tin or stainless.  It's humid here in Houston and wet and so stuff rusts easily.  I do try and stay away from plastic, and I choose to incorporate a few pieces of breakable dishes...I believe it's important to teach children to handle items carefully...and for them to know how to respond if something DOES get broken.  So we do have some glass bottles, a glass coffee pot, etc.  

I also have a bunch of silverware in our mudpie kitchen--mine came from hand-me-downs, but you can get GREAT deals at the thrift store.  

 Also the "real stuff" typically has many more uses than plastic items and stands up to wear better.  Look at my girl lovin' her cheese grater to break up pieces of tree bark for some concoction she's cooking....

So this spring as you replenish your outside toys, I challenge you to decide on the amount you'd spend at the dollar store and head to a thrift store instead, and see what you can get for your $$$!

Finishing up our Winter/Hibernating unit....

Q and I took down and put away most of our winter items last week.  We started our spring studies today.  Rabbits!