tot school tuesday Archives - Mine for the Making

Tot School Tuesday: Top 10 Educational Shows on Netflix

September 17, 2013 4 Comments

Hi there!

Welcome to Tot School Tuesdays… soon to be Teach Me Tuesdays! Tot School Tuesdays is growing! Rather than just honing in on activities and idea for tots, we are doing to focus on all things kid-friendly and educational. Teach Me Tuesdays seems to encompass that, so I hope you are all love the name change.

Today I am sharing the Top 10 Educational Shows on Netflix for your kiddos. Generally, there’s not a whole lot of TV watching in our house. We don’t have cable or satellite TV… we watch movies and Netflix if the TV is on. We find this more affordable for our family and honestly, we’re busy doing other things so it’s just not necessary. There are times, however, that our daughter watches TV. Typically a show in the morning while she is eating breakfast and a show during lunch and/or rest time. Saturdays are a little more “lax” on TV privileges as well. I LOVE the selection of educational series and shows that Netflix offers and they are our go-to shows that we allow our 5 year old to watch.

1. Leap Frog

*Teaches math, phonics, shapes, reading, alphabet and more! Suggested age: Preschool through first grade.

2. Word Girl

*Teaches vocabulary, reading, and reading comprehension. Suggested age: Kindergarten through third grade.

3. Super Why

*Teaches spelling, reading, reading comprehension, vocabulary, parts of a story, and more! Suggested age: Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

4. Pinky Dinky Doo

*Teaches vocabulary, reading, reading comprehension, parts of a story, rhyming words, and more! Suggested age: Preschool through 2nd grade.

5. Wild Kratts

*Teaches science including animals and places around the world. Suggested age: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

6. Magic School Bus

*Teaches science including animals, insects, sound, light, earth, electricity and so much more! Suggested age: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

7. School House Rock

*Teaches everything form math to parts of speech to grammar and critical thinking skills all while using song and rhyme. Suggested age: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

8. Justin Time

*Teaches science and nature through imaginary journeys. Suggested ages: Preschool through first grade.

9. Quiz Time

*Teaches preschool and kindergarten skills using a game show style. Suggested age: Preschool and Kindergarten.

10. Sammy’s Story Shop

*Teaches reading, reading comprehension, parts of a story, story genres and more. Suggested age: Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Do your kiddos watch any of these shows? I highly recommend them! My daughter learned her letter sounds from Leap Frog after watching the show 2 times… the songs are so cute and catchy and really make learning fun! Many of these shows have free educational games online too…just Google search the title of the show!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Filed Under: educational, kid-friendly, Teach Me Tuesday, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Hardware Store Pumpkins

September 10, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hello there!

It’s been rainy here in Arizona for the past couple of days and it’s really helped cool us down. Definitely a nice change! This change in weather has gotten me SUPER excited for fall! How about you? I’m also excited for today’s Tot School Tuesday post! My bloggy buddy, Kelsey from Tattered & Inked, is sharing the perfect kid-friendly project to kick off fall- Hardware Store Pumpkins!

Hello there Mine for the Making friends!!

I’m so excited to be hanging out over here today not only because Kara is such a fun person to be hanging with but also because I have a way cute project to share that the kiddos will love!!

(my hubby even got in on the action!) I’ve had the itch to start getting fall decor out for a few weeks…I know, I know, a lot of people are on the fence about breaking out fall so soon.

But I’m hoping that bringing fall into the house will convince Arkansas to bring the fall weather outside :)

So because I’ve had the fall ‘bug’ over here, I broke out a fun little pumpkin craft to do with the family!!
Who can resist pumpkins, right???

So check out these cuties:

Yup, those gorgeous little pumpkins are made from things you can find at a hardware store!!

I can’t take full credit as my seven year old is quickly becoming her own little DIY-er and spied these cute little bun feet in the lumber aisle.

She immediately saw them & told me they should be pumpkins!

What do you think?

Do you see pumpkins out of those little guys?

I loved the idea so we snatched up four of them so we could each make one.

(If you go looking, they were in the lumber aisle with all the furniture legs & appliques)

The kiddos got to work designing their own little pumpkins…

Here’s the run-down on supplies that you need:

*Bun foot (we got ours at Lowes)

*Paint (we used plain acrylic paints)

*Foam Brush

*Wire (I had a random spool but hardware stores have it too!!)

*Needlenose pliers

*Pencil

*Hot Glue Gun

*Twine & fabric for leaves if desired.

First step, paint your pumpkins in your desired colors.

We did three orange and one white (Guess which was my mine!!)

They took several coats to get fully covered.

Once your pumpkins are painted, put a dot of hot glue right at the base of where the screw is.

Stick one end of your twine into the glue and then twirl it around the screw to cover it.

Put a dot of glue on the top & secure the end of the twine to it.

Now you have a cute little covered stem!!!

To add the little ‘vines’, I used my wire and needlenose pliers to wrap the wire around a pencil.

This created a fun little spiral loop to add to the stem.

Then just wrap it around the base of the screw a couple of times to secure.

Little man & Little miss wanted to add leaves to the pumpkins so I cute a few leaf shapes out of burlap & fabric and then hot-glued them next to the ‘stem’.

They were super proud of their pumpkins!!!

I love how unique each of ours turned out!!

Hubby did the pretty orange one, little man did ‘tiger stripes’ and little miss did polka dots.

I opted for a pretty white pumpkin :)

To add polka dots, just dab a little bit of white paint onto the pumpkins with a round pouncer. Super easy & adds a really cute touch.

Are you loving these cute little pumpkins??

It made for a great family craft night & now I have some more pumpkins to add to the fall craziness going on over here!

It’s amazing what can happen when you think a little outside the box.

I love it when something becomes something entirely new just by adding a bit of creativity!

Now make a break for your nearest hardware store & snatch up some bun feet :)

Kara, thank you so much for letting me hijack your blog for the day- you’re amazing!!

I’d love to have you guys come visit me, so stop by the blog or visit me on Facebook to keep the fun going!

Like me on Facebook. Follow me on Pinterest. Subscribe to my feed.

Cutest lil pumpkins, right?! Thanks so much for sharing, Kelsey!! Definitly hop over to Tattered & Inked for more fun! I love Kelsey’s DIY projects and beautiful furniture transformations!

Okay now it’s your turn to link up your kid-friendly projects, ideas, and activities! And be sure to visit my partner in crime, See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School Tuesday fun!

Oh! I almost forgot! Tot School Tuesday will be changing to Teach Me Tuesdays in October!

Filed Under: crafts, decor, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday, tutorial

Tot School Tuesday: Life Skills Jar

September 3, 2013 1 Comment

Hello there!

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! We are starting off the week with a Tot School Tuesday post…

Today I will be showing you our Life Skills Jar! This learning activity can be manipulated for a child at almost any age; mine caters to my 5 year old. This is a great activity for kids because it has them practice simple skills that they will need throughout life.

Here are a few examples of life skills:

Practice brushing your teeth.
Wipe down the kitchen table after a meal.
Make your own lunch.
Bake something for a friend (with help from a parent depending on age).
Sweep the playroom floor.
Pull weeds in the garden.

Are you ready to make a Life Skills Jar for your kiddos too? It’s so easy!

You’ll need: a jar, popsicle sticks, a marker, twine, a chalkboard label and chalk (both optional but fun), and a list of age-appropriate life skill tasks.

How to make the Life Skills Jar: Stick the chalkboard label on the front of the jar and write “Life Skills Jar” on it with chalk. Write life skill tasks on each popsicle stick. Put the sticks in the jar (task side down in the jar). Tie a piece of twine around the top of the jar to make it pretty. DONE!

We use our Life Skills Jar as a part of our homeschool routine and it is separate from chores. There are lots of chores than can be considered life skills, but for the purpose of the negative tone the word “chores” has, we keep the two separate. In other words, the tasks my daughter has as chores (feed the pets, set the table, unload the dishwasher) are not repeated in the Life Skills Jar. And typically we use the Life Skills Jar 2-3 times a week, while chores are completed daily. Just have your kiddo pick out a popsicle stick, read the task, and complete it! Easy-peasy!

There’s a great age-appropriate list of life skills HERE.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Tot School Tuesday! Please be sure to link up your kid-friendly ideas, crafts, and activities below so we can check them out! And then head on over to See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas!

See you tomorrow for a fun sewing post!

Filed Under: educational, home school, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Make it Yourself Ribbon Dancer

August 27, 2013 2 Comments

Hi there my sweet friends!

Welcome to Tot School Tuesday, a day to share all things kid-friendly! Sometimes we focus on an activity or a craft and sometimes we focus on an educational project. Today is all about making something simple and fun for your little girls to play with!

I am sharing a Make it Yourself Ribbon Dancer! Do you remember these from when you were a little girl? Every time the ribbon dancer commercial came on I begged and begged my mom for one. What little girl wouldn’t want to twirl and dance and spin with a long piece of ribbon?

This project will take you about 10 minutes to make and cost you about 5 dollars. TOTALLY worth the fun it will bring your little girl. Here’s what you need to make your own:

3 yards of satin ribbon

1/4 inch wide wooden dowel (14 inches long)

duct tape

hot glue gun and sticks

lighter

Make it yourself:

Wrap the wooden dowel in duct tape.

Put a bead of hot glue at one end of the satin ribbon and place the end of the dowel on top.

Roll the dowel on the ribbon and add a few more beads of hot glue as you roll.

Using the lighter, heat the opposite end of the satin ribbon to prevent fraying.

DONE!

Now it’s ready to be danced with…

My Luci girl LOVES her ribbon dancer. I even let her pick the ribbon for it. Remember how I told you yesterday that she loves all things Hello Kitty. Can you guess what ribbon she chose for her ribbon dancer?

Yep. You guessed it. Hello Kitty. And if you missed Luci’s Hello Kitty fashion post yesterday, check it out HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to check out my partner in crime for more Tot School Tuesday fun, See Vanessa Craft. And link up all of your kid-friendly ideas below…

Filed Under: kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday, tutorial

Tot School Tuesday: Friendship Bracelets

August 20, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hello there and welcome to Tot School Tuesday! Don’t let the title fool you…we share activities and crafts for kids of all ages, including tots, preschoolers, and kindgarteners!

I am so excited to have some cute guests over to share their kid-friendly creative ideas and their brand new KID craft site! Not only will you get to peek at the site, but the Sew Crafty Kids are sharing a Friendship Bracelet tutorial with us today!

Hello, my name is Angelina and I blog over at JoJo and Eloise. I am so excited to be here today with you. Kara was so Sweet to invite us over to share our Brand New Site, that we just recently launched called, Sew-Crafty Kids!

It is FUN place for Kids and by Kids.

You will find everything from, step by step VIDEO tutorials, picture post and product reviews.

We would LOVE for you to join us on our Crafty Adventures and get connected with us on,

Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

We hope you enjoy today’s Felt Flower, Freindship Bracelets.

For some more Crafty fun you can check out our Pom Pom Ring Video Tutorial.

We would also like to thank Kara for having us over!!!

Hope to see you again soon!

Okay how FUN is that? A site by kids (and their cute momma) for kids?! It’s loaded with crafty ideas that your kiddos are sure to love, so be sure you pop on over to Sew-Crafty Kids to check it out!!

Okay, it’s your turn to share your kid-friendly ideas, crafts, and activities in our linky party below! Then head on over to See Vanessa Craft for even more Tot School ideas!

Filed Under: crafts, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday, vlog

Tot School Tuesday: Top 10 Back to School Books

August 13, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hello there and welcome to another Tot School Tuesday where I share kid-friendly crafts, activities, and educational ideas.

If you’ve been around MFTM for a while, you know that I used to be an elementary school teacher (specializing in early childhood development) and you know that I LOVE children’s literature. Today I thought I would share my favorite top 10 back to school books. These books are great as read alouds for the little ones and great for the older kiddos to read themselves. These books can be found at your local library or you can book hoard like me and “buy all the books” on Amazon.

First Day Jitters by Julie Danneburg

A cute story about a girl named Sarah Jane who is nervous about the first day of school. The ending makes you laugh out loud and want to read it again.

Fancy Nancy: Jo-Jo’s First Day Jitters by Jane O’Connor

We LOVE Fancy Nancy in this house. With the fancy vocabulary and fun illustrations you’re sure to love this book.

I Am Too Absolutely Small For School (Charlie and Lola) by Lauren Child

Lola isn’t so sure about starting school but luckily her big brother Charlie is there to convince her that school is fun.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Such a cute story about a little raccoon seeking reassurance from his mother before his first day of venturing out in the world.

David Goes to School by David Shannon

David’s antics are sure to keep his teacher busy and the kids laughing.

If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

We love Laura Numeroff books and this one is a must read for back to school season. Join the silly mouse as each item he needs for school leads to another that is just as important.

My Teacher Sleeps in School by Leatie Weiss

A cute story about the silly things students assume about their teachers.

Little Critter: First Day of School by Mercer Mayer

Little Critter has a lot to do to get ready for the first day of school and he is a bit nervous.

Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois

Franklin is ready for his first day of school…until it’s time to get on the bus.

Countdown to the First Day of School by AnnMarie Harris

A cute book that counts down to the first day of school and talks about all the things you need to do to get ready for the first day.

There you have it… our 10 favorite back to school books. There are TONS of great children’s literature out there…I encourage you to snoop around your public library (I love searching for books online too). If you click on the titles of the books above, it will take you to directly to Amazon so that you can price check and read more about what the books are about.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you find this post helpful while you are looking for new books to read with your kids. Be sure to link up your kid-friendly ideas, crafts and activities below and visit See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas!

Filed Under: book, educational, kid-friendly, linky party, school, tot school tuesday, Uncategorized

Tot School Tuesday: My 10 Favorite Homeschool Blogs

August 6, 2013 4 Comments

Hi there and welcome to Tot School Tuesday!

I’ve had a lot of people ask me where I look when I run out of ideas of things to do with my daughter or lessons and activities to do for homeschool. I thought I would share my 10 favorite homeschool blogs with you. These blogs are great resources and I highly suggest visiting each one of them.

Confessions of a Homeschooler

No Time for Flashcards

1 + 1 + 1 = 1

The Homeschool Classroom

Hip Homeschool Moms

123 Homeschool 4 Me

Art Club Blog

Adventures in Homeschooling

The Unlikely Homeschool

The Homeschool Scientist

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you found this post helpful. And if you are not a homeschooler, don’t let this post detour you! There are educational learning experiences that you can provide your kiddos in the comfort of your own home…or even your backyard! The next time you hear “I’ bored…there’s nothin’ to do.” you have an immediate go-to list of fun and educational blogs.

Link up your kid-friendly crafts, activities, and ideas below and then visit See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas!

Filed Under: educational, home school, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: Robot Creativity

July 30, 2013 1 Comment

Hello there and welcome to another Tot School Tuesday!

Today one of my bloggy buddies is here to share a super fun *play project* she did with her son. I know you’re going to love it! Let’s welcome Sarah of Craft Quickies!
Hello, Mine for the Making readers! My name is Sarah and I blog at Craft Quickies. I am so honored to be here posting today! Last month Kara shared her Easy S’mores Bites in my S’mores Saturdays series on my blog of s’mores inspired recipes, and today I get to return the favor with my post on Crafting with Kids: Robot Creativity.

This is a simple little post and activity, but my boy and I had a great time doing it one afternoon, and I hope that you will as well! He was inspired to “make himself a robot” from an episode of Curious George on PBS Kids. I will be honest with you: almost all of his little projects and experiments are inspired by PBS kids. Those shows are seriously the best!

After watching the episode where George turns himself into a robot to amuse his dog friend, Huntley, my son kept trying to make himself into a robot. He is very independent and a free thinker, so I just let him do his thing. He tried tape and paper and wrapping rope and clothes around himself, but never with much success. And then he walked into the room beaming with pride and looking like this…..
I just love watching his mind at work. At that point I decided to step in and help all of his robot dreams come true. I simply grabbed some construction paper, wrapping paper, scissors, and tape. Wrap, cut, and tape! Before I knew it I had a tiny robot running all around my house. Too much fun!!

If you want to do this with your little one then you may be interested in reading a picture book or two about robots first. You could even turn it into a lesson on the letter R and make your robot red. The sky is the limit! Here are some mom-and-kid-tested robot book recommendations that I collected from friends:
* Oh No!: Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World by Mac Barnett
* Boy and Bot by Ame Dyckman
* Cookiebot!: A Harry and Horsie Adventure by Katie Van Camp
* The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara
* Robot Zot! by Jon Scieszka

If you team up with your little ones to make your own robots I would love for you to share pictures of them on my Facebook page!
Silly little robot…..

Thanks again to Kara for having me post today for Tot School Tuesday! I would love for you to come visit me over at Craft Quickies, where I blog about a little bit of everything, including recipes, sewing, jewelry, parties, and holidays. Here are a few of my favorite past posts. Have a lovely day!
Minnie Mouse Headband, Triple Stack Pearl Earrings, S’mores Shake, How to Train Your Dragon Birthday Party
Does Sarah not have the cutest kiddos? And what a FUN activity…I know my daughter would love turning herself into a robot like Curious George (we are huge Curious George fans too). I also love all of the ideas that can spin off from the *play project* as Sarah explained…the sky really is the limit!

Thanks so much to Sarah for sharing and be sure to check out Craft Quickies for TONS of awesome recipes, crafts, and party ideas!

Now it’s your turn to link up your kid-friendly ideas, crafts, projects, and more! After you link up, head over to See Vanessa Craft for even more Tot School ideas!

Filed Under: crafts, kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday

Tot School Tuesday: PVC Pipe Phones

July 23, 2013 1 Comment

Can you even believe it? Two kid-friendly posts in one day?! Feeling like a rockstar…okay not really. I’m feeling tired LOL!

Welcome to Tot School Tuesday with See Vanessa Craft and Mine for the Making!

Today I am going to show you how to make PVC Pipe Phones for your littles!

I used the PVC Pipe Phones in my classroom with my first graders! They are awesome tools to help and encourage beginner readers. Heck they are just FUN to play with in general!! I’m confident ages 3-8 will enjoy using these. It is less than $3 for the supplies to make 1 and they can be purchased at Home Depot. The saw needed is an inexpensive tool if you don’t have one.

Supplies:

(2) 90* Elbow PVC

PVC Pipe (that fits flush with the elbow pieces…mine was 1″)

Duct Tape

Plastic Pipe Saw

Ready to make your PVC Pipe Phones?

I found a 1.5 foot PVC pipe (1″) at Home Depot for &1.67 and I bought 4 elbow pieces ($0.67 each). Home Depot also has a great selection of Duct Tape, but I have a bunch on hand so I used that.

Cut your PVC pipe into 4 inch long pieces (I cut 2 so I could make 2 phones).

Wrap Duct Tape around the middle of the 4 inch pipe.

Fit the elbow pieces on each end.

DONE!

We use the PVC Pipe Phones to practice letter sounds, sounding out sight words, and eventually we can use them for reading books! My daughter loves to play with hers…in fact she played with them for a good hour yesterday. These phone create a great sound that really makes the littles feel like they’re chatting on a phone. They are so fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to visit See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas and to congratulate her on her sweet new bundle of joy…Miss Amelia!

Now it’s your turn to link up your kid-friendly ideas, activities, and crafts! We can’t wait to see what you and the kids have been up to!

Filed Under: kid-friendly, linky party, tot school tuesday, tutorial

Tot School Tuesday: Veggie Monster Face Pizzas

July 16, 2013 Leave a Comment

Hi there!

It’s Tuesday so you know what that means…

Today I am sharing how I paired up a children’s book and fun food craft! Let’s read Night of the Veggie Monster and make some Veggie Monster Face Pizzas with the kiddos!

I teach a preschool cooking class once a week, so I am constantly looking for fun books that can be paired up with cooking in the kitchen. We checked Night of the Veggie Monster out from our local library. It’s a cute children’s book about eating your veggies! The kids and I talked about where vegetables come from, our favorite vegetables, and trying new veggies. Then we practiced slicing veggies (with kid-safe knives) and grading mozzarella cheese for our pizzas. Each child made their own monster faces using the veggies they had prepared. We popped them in the oven for about 8-10 minutes at 200* and they were ready to eat!

There is a list of ingredients we used to make our Veggie Monster Face Pizzas, but feel free to be as creative as you want!

Ingredients:

English Muffins

Pizza or spaghetti sauce

Bell peppers (sliced)

Black olives (sliced)

Carrots (shredded)

Mozzarella cheese (shredded)

I think it’s so important to get our kiddos in the kitchen… to teach them about the foods we eat, how to make healthy food choices, how to prepare foods and so on. My five year old loves to cook, bake, prepare food, and she even loves to wash the dishes! Start them young, make it fun, and it won’t be a chore later on down the road.

Let’s teach our kiddos out to cook healthy meals! Do you bring your kids into the kitchen with you? What are your favorite things to cook or bake with your kids?

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to stop over at See Vanessa Craft for more Tot School ideas and link you YOUR kid-friendly ideas, crafts and activities below! We can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to with your kiddos!

Filed Under: educational, kid-friendly, recipe, tot school tuesday

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