Fun Activities for Kids, Families, and Teachers

I am not sure where I got this years ago but I loved it. Teach your children to sing bird songs as well as recognize them. Pair this with a bird book and learn all about the birds in your area or while traveling!
Karen

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Bird Song Mnemonics & Phonetics
Technically, mnemonics are gimmicks we use to remember songs and calls, while
phonetics are actually what the bird is saying. For example, pewees say
“pewee” and Phoebes say “phoebe” so those are phonetics. Barred owls say “who cooks for you”, but not really. That’s a mnemonic. I think that we all use the two interchangeably. There are also comparative sounds, i.e., when we compare a song or call to something. For example, a red-breasted nuthatch sounds like a tin horn or a common grackle sounds like a rusty pump handle. Of course, all of this takes a great deal of imagination and creativity, but that’s the fun of it, right?

MNEMONICS FOR COMMON BIRDS

Blue Jay–”jay”
American Crow–”caw”
Carolina Chickadee–”feebee feebay, chick’adee-dee-dee” Read More

Hi everyone! As you know I am a proud Story Time Felts consultant, and one of my team members gave me a great idea! Lisa Braverman held one of these on her Educational Toy Factory blog and it looked like fun!

Anyone who makes a comment on ANY of my posts on this blog in the month of April will be entered to win a precut and assembled Bug Book quiet book (in honor of Earth Day!) from me! Just comment on any post and I will choose a winner at the end of the month.

Click on the images to read about this great product in another window!

The Bug Book is one of my favorite felt activity books that Story Time Felts offers. It not only has 43 creepy crawly bugs and 5 different environments, it also comes with extensive paperwork explaining each bug, its habitat and other information. If you are a teacher or homeschooler, you will be able to create a unit for Spring around this great set. It is also on sale in April!

Let me know what you think in the comments or if you have any fun activities for kids related to BUGS!!

Happy posting, and good luck in the contest! Take a look around this blog, there are many fun activities for kids to try out!

I will contact the winner May 1st!

PS: Special shoutout to my Mompack friends! Thanks for visiting!

Hi everyone! My mother’s club friend Karen Baker sent the following to the group and I thought I’d share. Karen got this from a friend, who got it from a friend, so we do not know the original author to give credit - if you know, let me know! Any more ideas? Add them in the Comments! This is great. Thanks Karen!
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50 At Home Preschool Activities ˆ
When you run out of ideas, try some of these!

1. Button Sorting ˆ Buy a bag of buttons at your local craft store and
have your child sort them however s/he wants to, by color, size,
number of threading holes, etc. An older child can count the sorted
piles. I use little plastic cups from the party store that I think
are for condiments or something. But they are shallow and non breakable.

2. Placemat per Night ˆ Buy a stack of blank paper placemats from the
party supply store. Have your preschooler color a new placemat to eat
off of for the evening. S/he can make a new one each night as make on
for other family members. Great during dinner prep.

3. Wash Day ˆ This sounds silly, but kids adore it. Fill a large
bucket with some mild soap, like Ivory. Allow your child to wash
washcloths or dish towels. Provide another bucket (or rinse the first
out) to rinse, and then hang them with clothes pins and a string in
the bathroom. This helps the child learn that clothes get clean via a
process, not just “magic”.

Read More