Turkey Crafts!

  Thanksgiving is so close and most work places (and schools and day-cares) are closed for at least part of the week. If you are looking for some fun projects to do with the kiddos when they are home look no further! 
   We had so much fun at school this week with the 'turkey' theme. If you want more detailed instructions for any of these crafts, click on over to my facebook page!

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Coffee Filter/Toilet Paper Roll Turkey

Handprint Turkey

 

 Paper Bag Turkey

Turkey Cupcakes

Paper Plate Turkey

Preschool Daily Helpers!

    I love this project because it was cheap, effective and adorable!  I needed a way to keep track of who was line leader, caboose, lunch helper, door holder, etc. in my preschool class so I made this chart to use every morning during circle time.  The kids LOVE it. The best part is that there are not enough 'helpers' for everyone to have a job every day so they have to earn the privilege to be a helper....and you better believe I use that to my advantage!

 

Materials:

• poster sized styrofoam board
• gift card holders
• tongue depressors or popsicle sticks
• heavy duty cardstock
• black sharpie
• glue gun (or heavy duty glue)
• velcro stickers (optional)

    Start by purchasing a poster sized styrofoam board and some gift card holders (I got both of these at the dollar store!).  Decide how many daily helpers you will need each day and how many extras you will need to store the extra names.  Before you are ready to glue, arrange the holders on the poster board until you are happy with the overall look.

    Now, cut the bottom rounded section off of the gift card holder so you have a flat bottom to hold the helper sticks in place.  Glue the bottom 1/2" of the holders shut so the sticks don't slip through.  Then attach the holders to the poster board with some heavy duty glue or a glue gun.  I also added several velcro stickers on the back of the board so I could stick it to the bottom carpeted section of my classroom at school.

   Make the name sticks by writing each child's name on heavy duty cardstock and cutting them to size.  Hot glue them to the top of the popsicle sticks and let them dry for a few minutes.

   Draw pictures and the name of the helpers on cardstock (this helps the kids recognize their job) and cut them to fit on top of each helper pocket.  I also hot glued these into place.

   Now you are ready to start your daily helper routine! It is a great way for kids to feel comfortable in a regular routine and to work toward a goal of being a helper.  Not only does it provoke some great conversation about helping out and earning a reward but it also gives them something to look forward to at circle time everyday.

Spooky Halloween Door!

  The school I work at is having a Halloween door decorating contest, so of course, my first thought was to get the kids involved! They loved making these Q-tip skeleton hands and the white painted ghosts. The contest begins soon and whoever gets the most votes will win a class set of books and a pizza party! Wish us luck!!!

 

Materials:

• Yellow & Black Butcher Block Paper (or construction paper)
• Orange, White& Black Construction Paper
• Q-tips
• White Paint
• Green Tissue Paper
• Elmer's Glue 
• Black Paint Pen

    I made the skeleton hands the day before I assembled the door because they require a good amount of Elmer's glue that needs to dry overnight.   Allow the kids to trace their hand on a half sheet of black construction paper, some may need extra help with this, but encourage them to try. Use a pencil on the black construction paper so you can see the outline.
   Then, allow the kids to coat the hand, generously, with Elmer's glue.  Use Q-tips of various sizes  and let the kids assemble the 'bones' on their hand.  Pre-cut several Q-tips ahead of time; I kept some whole and cut some into halves and thirds.  You can account for about 6-7 Q-tips per child.

 To make the ghosts, I just taped large sheets of black butcher block paper to the tables and allowed the kids to use white paint to fill in ghost shapes I drew on the paper. Drawing a ghost shape is easy, it's basically a sheet with waves on the bottom :)
   These turned out great and I let the kids sprinkle some ghost shimmer (glitter) onto the wet paint. They really shine on the door and the kids love them. I added the faces once they dried with a black paint pen. I'll let each child bring one home when we take them down, as well as the skeleton hand that I labeled so each child can bring their own home!

   As for the rest of the door, I googled an image search for a 'haunted house' and drew the shape onto a black piece of construction paper with a regular pencil. I then cut out the windows and doors and taped it to the door and added a yellow moon shape behind it, also in construction paper. The hill was made the same way. 
   The yellow butcher paper covers two thirds of the door and the green tissue paper, crinkled up, covers the bottom third.  The graves were made out of white construction paper, sharpie and a gray crayon. The pumpkins were drawn with sharpie on an orange piece on construction paper and a green piece or curled gift ribbon was taped behind them.
   I added the graves, then the kid's skeleton hands on top of the graves...They took a few pieces of rolled up tape each but they are staying up :)
  I hope you enjoyed my Halloween door!!! I'm so excited to see if we win the pizza party, I might just buy pizza for my kids anyway...they helped and they deserve it!
       Happy Halloween!

DIY Thomas the Train Brick Tunnel

  My son LOVES Thomas the Train right now and any other mom experiencing this stage of childhood is also experiencing the cost. Thomas is adorable.  I have to admit they are pretty durable but they are pricey! We have found several pieces at the thrift store that I was able to clean but whenever we splurge and buy any new piece my stomach turns a little bit. However, we can create many awesome Thomas accessories at home! Check it out!

 Materials:

• Shoebox
• Paint (red, brown and green)
• Large, flat tipped paintbrush
• Trains (of any sort)
• Scissors

   First, I cut the two 'tunnel' holes into either side of the upside down shoe box. You can cut them into any shape, but I made ours rounded becuase it was easier not to have to make a sharp corner turn with the scissors. 
   Now, paint your tunnel however you want to. You could just let your child paint all over with no pattern, or if they're old enough (my almost 3 year old did this) you can show them a new kind of painting technique. We used modified stippling technique. To achieve this, dab the end of a flat paintbrush against the outside of the shoebox over and over.  I showed my little guy that if you dipped the brush in brown then red that it would give it a shadow effect. He got it and our bricks turned out really great!
  Then, he decided we needed trees on the outside of the tunnel. Easy Peasy.  Just use the same stippling technique as you did with the bricks, but with green paint.
  After the tunnel has dried you are ready to play! Just set the tunnel over your Thomas tracks (or any train or truck or car for that matter) and enjoy the hours of entertainment! We have already made an egg carton tunnel and a paper towel roll castle (posts coming soon) all using recycled materials!
                                                              Happy Tunnel Making!!!