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Scrap Paper Monsters

Scrap Paper Monsters

Posted by on Oct 21, 2016 in Activities for Halloween, Literacy Activities, Motor Skills, Picture Book Activities | 0 comments

Have you read any books by Rebecca and Ed Emberley? Chances are, you have. They are a father daughter team who have created some pretty fantastic books. Their surprise twists on old classics, as well as their unique artwork,  set their books apart. My kids really enjoyed the book Go Away, Big Green Monster! so I made some feltboard pieces for them to retell the story, which you can check out here. We recently read and acted out the book If You’re A Monster And You Know It ; it was a hit with my five and two-year-old. Like most of the Emberley books, the illustrations consist of vibrant paper die-cuts, which were the inspiration behind this project!

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Exploring Fall Colours

Exploring Fall Colours

Posted by on Oct 7, 2016 in Fall Crafts and Activities, paint printing, Painting, Picture Book Activities, Science Activities | 0 comments

Fall is such a beautiful time of year: the crisp, cool air; pumpkins swelling on serpentine vines; the moon, luminous and full; and, of course, the patchwork of colourful leaves blanketing the ground. leaf-art-2Yes, fall is definitely my favourite time of year! I’m pretty sure my bugs love it too, judging by how many times we had to stop on our way home from the bus stop in order to inspect and collect leaves. When we got home, my bugs didn’t want to part with their leaf collections, so we brought them inside and put them in a bowl on the table.

The next day I read the books Leaf Man, and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf, by Lois Ehlert aloud to them. I displayed the books on the table, along with the leaves they had collected, and set out some other fall inspired materials as well. I didn’t give my bugs any instructions, I just invited them to explore and create. The result? Lots of lovely and unique artwork, some discoveries in colour mixing and matching, and an hour filled with inquiring minds and busy hands.

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Spring Picture Books: A Dozen Eggs-ellent Picks

Spring Picture Books: A Dozen Eggs-ellent Picks

Posted by on Apr 9, 2014 in Easter Activities, Literacy Activities, Picture Book Activities, Spring Crafts and Activities | 0 comments

Like most people, when I think of Spring, new beginnings and rejuvenation comes to mind: trees budding, tulips bursting with colour, bits of green sprouting up amidst a boring brown canvas, plump robins hopping across the yard, enticing mud puddles and wriggling worms… and eggs. I think of eggs.

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Learning with Russian Matryoshka Dolls

Learning with Russian Matryoshka Dolls

Posted by on Feb 23, 2014 in Motor Skills, Olympics, Painting, Picture Book Activities | 0 comments

Thanks to this year’s winter Olympics being held in Sochi, my bugs have been interested in learning more about Russia. It all started one morning when M asked me casually, “mommy, can we drive to Russia today?” which led me to show him where Russia is located in relation to us on the world map. When I pointed out that our countries are separated by an ocean and therefore we’d have to fly on a plane to get there, he responded by saying,”No, we could drive there if we had a submarine car.” Haha! Kids say the most witty and unexpected things sometimes!

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