Lower Case Alphabet Art ~ D'Nealian letters

My youngest and I just finished up his lower case letters and sounds! Well I shouldn’t say finished because we continue to work on them but the letters are up! He has the bottom bed of a bunk so they are posted on the underside of the top bunk. We review them every night and he has all of the sounds down pat and now is blending words when I touch the letters. I think I will take them down soon so we can move them around to make words. It has been so fun!

When my older two boys made an “alphabet wall” we only did the uppercase letters. They had no problem learning the lowercase letters as well but I really wanted to do the lowercase this time with my youngest to change it up. I searched all over for good bubble lowercase font that was in d’nealian print (the ones with the tails that many schools teach to transition in to cursive). I couldn’t find them anywhere but I did find a decent bubble letter font that I could convert with a little white out and sharpie! I probably could have figured out how to do it on the computer but I much prefer sitting down at the table with some white out and a sharpie than sitting at a computer! So if you are not familiar with d’nealian that is why many of the letters have little tails. I figure that if I am going to do lowercase I might as well teach it the same way their kindergarten teacher will.

I wanted to make this easy to reproduce so all you have to do is gather the supplies (most of them you will have at home) and print off the alphabet pages. Card stock is probably best but we just used white copy paper and that worked just fine but not as durable. Each letter has a type of painting, printing or rubbing to do that starts with the same sound as the letter (ex. a is apple prints, b is bubble wrap prints, etc). While you are doing the “alphabet art” discuss the sound that the letter makes. Cut it out when it is dry and post it somewhere to practice. You can do one a week or whatever works for you. You can also check out what else we have done with the letters by going here!

  

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this….

Lower Case Alphabet Art (D’Nealian Letters)
for pre-readers…

Kindergarten Readiness Skills (and IDEAS to do at home to prepare!)

Kindergarten Readiness Skills for Your Child

Kindergarten is a big step for kiddos (and their parents)! It has also changed a ton since we went to kindergarten! I have poured over tons of resources and consulted with a few kindergarten teachers to make a list of skills that are beneficial for your kiddo to know before entering kindergarten. After the skills listed for each category, I have given a list of ideas and activities that you can do at home to practice these skills. 

There are two things I want you to remember when reading through this list:
The first is that kids develop develop at different rates so don't stress if they aren’t quite there yet on some of the skills– their kindergarten teacher will continue to work on these skills!

The second is that play is so important! They have many years ahead of them to be in school so when you work on the skills make it playful and fun and don't over do it!   

For a printable list go here!

Ok, now for the kindergarten readiness list of skills...

Play and Learn with Goldfish (Seedlings ages 2-5)

A favorite snack for kiddos is often goldfish so buy the colored ones and have some fun with them & use them as a learning tool! We had fun counting goldfish, sorting them and then making Goldfish Bowl art project with them. Many were eaten as well. I rarely buy the Goldfish Colors so they thought of this as a special treat – sometimes it’s the little things!

Zany Letter Z (Alphabet Wall)

My boys love animals so Z was a hit with zebras and zoos! My sister just got back from Africa and it was her birthday so I called my mom all excited that I had her cake covered. I had bought a zebra cake for our letter Z snack but thought it would be a bit much for the boys and I to eat the whole thing so the timing was perfect for sharing! 

We also had fun with zig zags. Zigs zags were fun to do crayon rubbings over and also great cutting practice. We tried some zipper printing but it did not work out so well – we had plenty to do anyhow! 

p.s. This is our last letter for the Alphabet Wall! It has been so much fun for the boys and I! Let us know what you liked.

For the rest of the Alphabet, go HERE!

Enjoy this
Zany Z
for (Seedlings ~ preschool age)...

What we did for the Zany Letter Z?...

Quirky Letter Q (Alphabet Wall)

Q is a fun and quirky letter. Although the kiddos might not understand it yet, it is good to talk to them about the letter q being paired next to the u to make the “qu” sound. We had some fun with q-tips, quilts, quarters and quills for the letter Q.

For the rest of the Alphabet, go HERE!

Enjoy this
Quirky Q
for (Seedlings ~ preschool age)...

What we did for the Quirky Letter Q?...

Christmas Treasure Hunt (Seedlings ages 2-10)

We have had elves this Christmas that have had some fun things to do this December! Yesterday they showed up with this fun Christmas Treasure Hunt! At the end the elves had left an ornament craft and some candy canes but you can leave whatever Christmas treasure you want! Share in the comments what treasure you (or your elves) will leave! 

p.s. I will post next November how I made our elves and all of the fun things our elves have done! Follow by email to make sure you don't miss!

Outstanding Letter O (Alphabet Wall)

The letter O is fun because it is easy to spot and to draw. Firefly (3) cannot draw many letters but he is sure proud of his O! For the letter O we made the color orange and did some octopus art. We also played with cheerios (or O’s as we called them this week). Have fun with the letter O!

For the rest of the Alphabet, go HERE!

Enjoy this
Outstanding O
for (Seedlings ~ preschool age)...

What we did for the Outstanding Letter O?...

Cardboard and Art Christmas Tree Ornaments (20 Days of a Kid-Made Christmas: Ornaments)

A couple days ago I shared our Yarn Christmas Tree Cards that we made out of re-purposing “free paintings” and today I wanted to share with you how we made simple Tree Ornaments with the same batch of art! I received a star ornament a few years ago from a neighbor that was made from removing the top layer of corrugated cardboard and I love it! We have since made several projects with same technique for cardboard – I just think it looks so cool. This tree ornament was inspired by that star!

Inspiration!

  

Enjoy this single stem idea of
Cardboard and Art Christmas Tree Ornaments
for Sprouts ages 2-5!

Yarn Christmas Tree Cards (Single Stem Post)

 

I love "free painting" where kiddos can use different tools and just create! We have done ice, worm, sponge, shaving cream, marble, credit card, veggie, bubble, comb, kool-aid, feather, pool noodle, q-tip and many more types of painting! I unfortunately have a problem with saving much of this artwork because it really does look cool. So to try and widdle down some of my piles (yes, I am a piler) we will be using some of this free painting to create new art! Over the next couple weeks I will share what we have done! 

First I will share with you these fun Yarn Christmas Tree Cards. This is a great project because the kiddos artwork is re-purposed and it also is fun to use yarn and practice sewing! They yarn also gives it a nice texture. Oh and my favorite thing about this is it is a nice combo of a kid and adult craft (it takes some teamwork)! 

Enjoy this single stem idea of
Yarn Christmas Tree Cards
for Seedlings ages 2-5!

The Stuff

The FUN!

“Free paintings” (if you don’t have any then create some using the ideas given above) Scissors Pencil Hole punch Yarn Tape Plastic needle (or just tape around the end of the yarn) Tacky glue Blank cards and envelopes Heavy book

1. Cut triangles from “free paintings”. 2. On the back of the triangles mark a dot where your kiddo should hole punch. 3. Kiddo punches holes (they may need a little help with this). 4. Cut a piece of yarn and tape it to the back of the triangle. 5. Either use a plastic needle or put a little tape around the end. 6. Teach your kiddo how to sew the yarn through the holes while pulling the yarn all the way through each time. *I found it best to do one at the same time they were doing one so they could glance over to mine and also so I didn’t take over theirs when they were going through the holes a bit crazy. The crazy turned out pretty cute! 7. When finished sewing, tape the yarn to the back and trim if needed. 8. Put tacky glue all over the back. 9. Put on the front part of a blank card. You can add a star too if you want. 10. Put a heavy book on top until it is dry. Give these fun homemade Christmas Cards to someone this year!

Now for the Pictures:

Gather the "free painting"

1. Cut triangles from “free paintings”.

2. On the back of the triangles mark a dot
where your kiddo should hole punch.

3. Kiddo punches holes
(they may need a little help with this).

4. Cut a piece of yarn and tape
it to the back of the triangle. 5. Either use a plastic needle or
put a little tape around the end.

6. Teach your kiddo how to sew the yarn
through the holes while pulling the yarn
all the way through each time.

7. When finished sewing, tape the yarn
to the back and trim if needed.

8. Put tacky glue all over the back.

9. Put on the front part of a blank card.
You can add a star too if you want.

10. Put a heavy book on top until it is dry.

Give these fun homemade Christmas Cards
to someone special this year!

 
Please BRAINSTORM your ideas/suggestions in the COMMENTS below for the Yarn Christmas Tree Cards

Merry Christmas and Happy Card Making
~Sara

Yummy Letter Y (Alphabet Wall)

As we are nearing the end of the alphabet the boys are really into the sounds and finding all of the letters. Roly Poly is letter obsessed and is constantly making letter sounds, singing letter songs that we have done or telling me what words start with what letter. Firefly likes to point out letters when we are reading books or when he sees them on signs. It is so fun! 

We did some fun things with the letter Y! The boys played with yarn by creating yarn pictures on sand paper, sewed paper trees with yarn and put some yarn on their alphabet wall Y. We also had some fun with the color yellow, did some yoga (which was quite entertaining) and did a yeast rising experiment!

For the rest of the Alphabet, go HERE!

Enjoy this
Yummy Y
for (Seedlings ~ preschool age)...

What we did for the Yummy Letter Y?...

Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt and Mr. Turkey Potato Head

Well, we have another treasure hunt for you…one for Thanksgiving! This one my friend Maria compiled with the help of Real Treasure Hunts. The hunt she created can be found and printed from here. My 7 year old solved the clues right away with no help but my 3 and 5 year old needed a little help. If you don't have one of the places for the clues you can just take out a clue but make sure you shift where you will hide the next one.

You can have any “treasure” you want at the end of the hunt. Maria had some turkey crafts for her kiddos as the treasure. I put 3 feathers (one for each kid) with each clue and then the treasure at the end was the rest of the supplies to create a Mr. (or Mrs.) Turkey Potato Head. I’m pretty darn sure that these quite possibly could be my favorite turkey craft we have ever done (and we have done quite a few)! As well as using potatoes for the heads I also got an acorn squash and a fake carvable pumpkin (clearance for $2 after Halloween). I wanted to see which item worked the best and they all were great. 

Have fun with the treasure hunt and I really think you should try the Potato Heads – just a few easy supplies! If you make one, please post it to the Brainstorm in Bloom facebook page – it will make my day! 

Enjoy this single stem idea of
Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt
and
Mr. Turkey Potato Head
for all ages!

eXcellent Letter X (Alphabet Wall)

When you try and think of X-words there really are not that many out there and certainly not ones that 3-5 year olds understand. We had many X ideas that we did though that were quite fun! We really focused on X-rays and xylophones. I was thinking it would be fun to do some sort of X marks the spot game and tie in some pirate treasure hunt activities but we didn’t fit it in.  
 
For the rest of the Alphabet, go HERE!

Enjoy this
eXcellent X for
(Seedlings ~ preschool age)...

What we did for the eXcellent Letter X?...

Wonderful Letter W (Alphabet Wall)

We had fun with the letter W a couple weeks ago (with other festivities and projects I am a bit behind in posts)! There is actually quite a bit to do with the letter W. There are worms (a family favorite), watercolors, watermelon, wheels, water cycle and more! We had some fun eating, crafting and playing with wagon wheel noodles so pick some up next time you are at the store. 

For the rest of the Alphabet, go HERE!

Enjoy this
Wonderful W for
(Seedlings ~ preschool age)...

What we did for the Wonderful Letter W?...

2 x 4 (or 2 x 6) Silly Pumpkins (Single Stem Idea)

Working with wood is my current obsession (although I have a pile of copper and beads that are calling my name as well – not enough time in the day)! I just finished building a custom dining room table for a friend (I will post pics later). I am currently building a boat bookshelf for my mom and will soon be building our bathroom vanity and linen closet! I love wood and building and encourage every woman (and man) out there to at least try one building project – it is so rewarding and much easier than you think! Beats sewing any day in my book! 

Anyhow, this wood project anyone can look at and say yes I can tackle that. It is actually really hard to call a wood project because you are just making one (or 2) cuts and doing a little sanding. The wood isn’t even the focal part of it but it is a fun canvas for the kids (or you) to work on! This is a combo of two ideas (2 x 4 Pumpkins and Silly Pumpkins) that I pinned to my Halloween Pinterest board while thinking of ideas for Hornet’s 1^st grade Fall Party. I couldn’t get either idea out of my brain so I put them together and 2 x 4 Silly Pumpkins is what we have!

p.s. I have cut and sanded 25 of these for his class to make so I will be sure to add a pic of their creations after the party! (I knew saving the scraps from building our deck 5 years ago would some day come in handy).

Enjoy this single stem idea of
2 x 4 (or 2 x 6) Silly Pumpkins

The Stuff

The FUN!

2 x 4 scrap (or 2 x 6) Orange Paint White and Black paper Scissors Glue Paint brush Stick (for a stem) Raffia (yarn or ribbon) Chop saw Sander (or sand paper) Drill (w/bit the size of the stick stem)

ADULT: 1. Cut 2 x 4 (or 2 x 6) to size. Mine ranged from 6” to 12”. 2. Sand the edges. 3. Drill a hole the size of the stick in the top of the 2 x 4 for the stem. You can cut the stick if it is too long (or just break it).   KIDDOS: 4. Paint the board orange. 5. Cut out white and black for the silly pumpkin face. Check out the pic below for ideas. 6. Paint glue over the front of the face (not sure if this step is necessary but it helped all of the face pieces lay flat and look nice). 7. Put glue in stem hole and put stem in. 8. Tie raffia around the stem (I did a double knot) and then find a fun spot to display!

Now For the Pictures...

The 2 x4 Pumpkins inspiration

The Silly Face Pumpkins inspiration

Which led to the 2 x 4 Silly Pumpkins!

1. ADULT - Cut 2 x 4 (or 2 x 6) to size. Mine ranged from 6” to 12”.

2. Sand the edges.

3. Drill a hole the size of the stick in the top of the 2 x 4 for the stem.

4. KIDDOS - Paint the board orange.

5. Cut out white and black for the silly pumpkin face.

6. Paint glue over the front of the face
(not sure if this step is necessary but it
helped all of the face pieces lay flat and look nice).

7. Put glue in stem hole and put stem in.

8. Tie raffia around the stem (I did a double knot)
and then find a fun spot to display!

Please BRAINSTORM your ideas/suggestions in the COMMENTS below for the
2 x 4 (or 2 x 6) Silly Pumpkins
Happy Crafting
~Sara