Purple Cow Time

A quick, easy and nutritious snack that fits well with a book about farm animals, harvest time, farmers, and Thanksgiving.

Purple Cow Milkshake

1 cup cold milk 1/3 cup cold grape juice
2 – 4 small scoops of vanilla ice cream

Measure and pour milk and grape juice together. Let your child stir and admire the color! Add the ice cream and a straw. Enjoy!!

Conversation - Where do we get milk?
How is ice cream made?
Name some things that are hot, cold.
Why do we keep milk or ice cream cold or frozen?
What does melted ice cream taste like?

The Color Purple

Take a field trip to a Farmer's Market or grocery store to find purple fruits and vegetables. Take pictures with a digital camera and use them to make a book about the color purple. Write the names of fruits and veggies that are purple.

Read the book, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Use a magazine to find things that are purple. Cut them out and paste in a notebook. Label the items with a purple marker.

Let's Sing

The Getting Ready Song (sung to the tune of Mulberry Bush)

First we need to wash our hands, wash our hands, wash our hands.
First we need to wash our hands and make sure we are ready.

Then we have to make our snack, make our snack, make our snack.
Then we have to make our snack and put it all together.

Next we get to eat it up, eat it up, eat it up.
Next we get to eat it up. Yum! Yum! It’s so tasty.

Snack time with your child should be a no stress fun time to enjoy each other and a tasty snack. Keep it simple, easy and flexible.
Your child might request the same snack several times. This is great. Children like repetition. That is one way they gain confidence in themselves. You as a parent are your child’s first teacher. Make learning a fun time. Take time to listen to your child and encourage conversation as you learn.
Use the song above to begin snack time. Then while you eat together talk about what you did. What was first? Next? Etc. Be accepting and try to see what was important to your child. Listen to the answers and guide accordingly. The one right answer is not the only answer. Your child’s perception might be different.
When asked, “What was first?” The answer might be, “I got the peanut butter.” Not “I washed my hands.” Start where your child is. Develop a good attitude toward learning while you build confidence.

Shake-A-Face Pudding

What You Need

A clear jar with a tight fitting lid
2 cups cold milk
Vanilla pudding 1 pkg.

For the facial features use:
M&M’s for eyes
1/2 banana slice nose
Colored coconut hair
Or chocolate chip hair
2 pretzels ears
Apricot slice eyebrows
Gummy worm mouth
What to Do

Open the pudding package and let your child pour the pudding into the jar. I use a plastic peanut butter jar.
Measure 2 cups of milk (your child can watch the 2 cup line and tell you when the milk touches the line) and pour into jar.
Tighten the lid. And shake! Shake! Shake!
Shake the jar in an up-and-down motion holding it with both hands until thickened. (3 to 5 minutes). Younger children can roll the jar on the floor.

When the pudding begins to thicken pour the pudding into 2 bowls. (Store the remainder of the pudding in the refrigerator.) Now add the facial features to the pudding.

Directions: 1. Pour instant pudding mix into jar. 2. Measure milk and pour into jar. 3. Tighten the lid. 4. Shake the jar in an up-and-down motion for 5 minutes or until thickened. (Count 1 to 10, rest, and repeat several times.) 5. Remove lid and eat with a spoon directly from the jar.

Coconut can be colored with a few drops of food coloring. Add drops of food coloring to 1 tablespoon water to make desired color. Fill a pint jar 3/4 full of shredded coconut. Add the colored water. Close the jar and shake until coconut is evenly tinted. Spread the colored coconut on several paper towels to dry.


Let’s Learn

Activity 1

Now, what to do while shaking and rolling the jar on the floor back and forth between you and your child. Practice counting together to 10. Sing songs together.

The Shake-A-Face Pudding Song

1 shake-a, 2 shake-a, 3 big shakum ups,
4 shake-a, 5 shake-a, 6 big shakum ups,
7 shake-a, 8 shake-a, 9 big shakum ups,
10 yummy shakes of pudding!

(Sing to the 10 Little Indians or make up your own tune)

Owl Counting page

Let's Learn

What You Need

Paper - for the story sheet and words
Post-its - for the owls
Scissors
Glue Stick
Crayons
Clear Tape - to reinforce the strip and slots
Pencil

What To Do

Color a background of blue sky and grass. Add a tree.

Make and print the words for the owl story and number strip.

Cut out and glue the words to the story sheet. Cut the number strip on the dotted lines.

Apply clear tape to the number strip and the slit area. Insert the number strip into the cut slits and glue the number strip ends together.

This is a quick project. It does not have to be typed and printed. It can be handwritten. What is easiest for you and your child? Use what you have around the house.

The numbers rotate from 1 to 5. Put the owls in the tree to match the number selected on the strip. Say the rhyme and move the the number strip and owls to agree. Take turns with your child to move the owls to match the number selected. Then put the owls in the tree. Count them together and move the number strip to match the number of owls.

Draw 2 sets of eyes on the Post-its. Cut apart and color to make 5 owls.

Owls and owlets!

Owls

High in a tree.
I can see,
1 (one) little owl looking at me.


What You Need

1 graham cracker
Almond Butter
Plastic knife
Assorted cereal shapes, fruit and nuts

What to do


Spread the cracker with the almond butter.
Place the eyes, beak and any other features using cereals, crackers, nuts, fresh and dried fruits.

Let’s Learn

Read some books about owls to your child and discuss the features and habits of owls. Nocturnal is a good word to explore and explain.
Make a book about nocturnal animals.
Make a book about night things- moon, stars, bats, owls, people who work at night, etc.

Up Next! Owl Be Watching You!

Bear Heads! Yum!

Bear Heads!

What is that? A yummy snack for hungry tummies and courageous snackmakers.

What you need

Rice cakes 1 - head
Peanut butter 1 Tablespoon
Vanilla wafers 2 - ears
Raisins 2 - eyes
Candy kiss – nose
Mini chocolate chips – mouth
A knife
A plate

What to do

Use a knife to spread peanut butter in the rice cake. Attach the ears, eyes, nose and mouth. The mouth can be made by using the mini chips to make the mouth or a smile.

Choose a theme.

What are your child’s interests?
Teddy bears? Bears?
Learn and sing the Teddy Bears Picnic song.
Pack up your teddy bear and snack goodies and head for the park or the backyard. If it is too warm outside spread a cloth on the floor and picnic on the floor while you learn or listen to the song. Read a book about bears.
Checkout the library and see what is available about bears.

Let’s Learn

Shapes

It is all about circles today. Look at the snack items and discuss their shape. Look for round shapes around you. Make a list using words and pictures.

Bear Puppets

Use small paper plates for the bears head and add features with construction paper. Or even newspaper that can be colored by you and your child. Old crayons with the paper removed are good to color the plates and newsprint. Hold the crayons by the side and color large areas. Encourage your child to color in sweeping motions crossing from the left to the right side of their body or right to left. Put a newspaper under the paper plate.
Add circle ears and use a black marker to add round eyes and nose.

Positional Words – The Teddy Bear game

I see a teddy bear going somewhere. ( Dance the bear on the floor)
Where do you see him go?

Over the chair, (hold the bear over the chair)

under the chair, (hold the bear under the chair)

around the chair, (hold the bear and walk around the chair)

through the chair. (hold and pass the bear through the chair)


Poem or book

I See A Bear

I see a little red bear.

I see a little blue bear.

I see a little yellow bear.

I see an orange bear.

I see a little purple bear.

I see a little white bear.

I see a little black bear.

I see a little green bear

Red, blue, yellow, orange,

Purple, white, black, green,

These are all the bears I’ve seen.

Use for beginning sounds, (S, L, B) or color words.



Counting to ten

___Child’s Name__ Teddy Bear Puppets

1 little, 2 little, 3 little teddy bears,

4 little, 5 little, 6 little teddy bears,

7 little, 8 little, 9 little teddy bears,

10 little teddy bear puppets!

Counting, number recognition

Let’s Learn!

What can you do with it? Many things can be taught when you have your child’s attention with this snack activity. What is your focus? Eye hand coordination? Color words? Beginning sounds? Letter recognition? Number words or number recognition. Writing practice? Action words(verbs)? Prereading and prewriting skills. Reading and wring. All of these can be practiced with making bugs on a log.
How?
The eye hand coordination is in holding that slippery celery and a knife or spoon to corral the peanut butter. What a fun way to strengthen those pincer muscles that will need to hold a pencil, crayon or marker. Those same muscles that control putting the food in our mouth need to be strong to put words on paper.

Color words

Have several small pieces of paper precut to use. Make a color word book. One color on each page. Crayons require more muscle to use than markers.

A blue bug (Encourage your child to draw with a blue crayon)
A green bug
A yellow bug, etc.

Make a Book

Or for an older child, use a learning poem.

Bugs

Bugs have a head.
Bugs have a thorax.
Bugs have an abdomen, too.
Add 2 antenna
And 6 tiny legs
And see what a bug can do.

Make your own book about bugs to read to or with your child. A younger child can learn from a chart or book with the words put on it by you. Letter recognition. Circle all the letter a’s, or b’s on the chart.

Action words

Observe a bug in a jar for a few minutes while eating or making the snack.
Then,
Add paper and pencil and keen observation.

A bug can _________.

Talk about what a bug can do. Have your child write the words or draw the pictures (depending on age and skill level). A bug can walk, climb, fly, stop, sleep, eat, etc.

Remember this is a fun learning activity. No pressure, lots of help and quality time together. The bug on a log shown in the picture has 3 dried cranberry body parts, 2 dried apricot slices for antenna and 6 cheerio legs. Enjoy!

Why Bugs on a Log?

This is one of my favorite snacks because...
it is easy, nutritious, versatile and tasty. Celery is crunchy, inexpensive, and durable to stand up to small hands.

Celery can be spread with peanut butter, cream cheese, almond butter, pimiento cheese, hummus, cottage cheese and the list goes on…
What is your child’s preference? Or yours?


A fun snack time is the perfect time to experiment with new and different foods.
Children are usually more willing to try new foods when they are involved in the preparation. Choose a good time when you are both rested and snack hungry.

Getting Ready

Have all items gathered and prepared beforehand so everything goes smoothly. Include your child in as much of the preparation as you think your child can handle.
Together with your child prepare the celery by washing and drying the stalks using paper or kitchen towels. If your child is too young to use a knife(even a plastic one) then precut the celery. Stress good hygiene
Wash hands, wear an apron, smock or kitchen towel.

Bugs On A Log


What you need:

celery sticks
peanut butter (or spread of your choice)
raisins (or bugs you choose)

What to do:

1. Wash and dry the celery and cut it into pieces (3 to 5 inches long).
2. Spread peanut butter in groove shaped section of celery. You can use a knife or spoon.
3. Push raisins into peanut butter.
Now, eat and enjoy!

Raisins are traditionally used but also craisins, sunflower seeds, dried cherries or blueberries, peanuts, granola clusters, dried fruit pieces(apricots, apples, dates). What would you like to introduce to your child’s palate this week?