Music Monday-Catch The Moon

I will conclude the Month-O-Elizabeth Mitchell with the darling album and board book: Catch The Moon (yes, that's right, a 2-for-1). This album is not only an Elizabeth Mitchell album but was a combination effort with the lovely Lisa Loeb.


 
Catch the Moon is a dreamy board book about two little girls, Ruby West and Ella Jane, playing with the moon: "...They send the star and moon back home And dream by star moon light." With night-time water color  illustrations by Elizabeth Mitchell's mother this is a great book to add to your bed-time collection. The following link from Elizabeth Mitchell's website allows you to read the book on the web http://www.youaremyflower.org/ctm/index.html

Several familiar songs such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Big Rock Candy Mountain, and Little Red Caboose are included among the 13 sweet songs on this album. The complete list of delightful songs on this album are: Big Rock Candy Mountain, Little Red Caboose, Oh Susanna, Catch the Moon, La Manita, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Stop and Go, New Morning, Oh Groundhog, Butterfly, Donguri/Rolling Acorn, Free Little Bird, and Fais Do Do.




Finally, the following links are to videos with Lisa and Elizabeth singing songs from this album:
Catch the Moon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epRWUbgw9V4
Stop and Go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m37oqM9qkGk

Happy Loeb/Mitchelling!!!

Recipe - Fresh Apple Cake

As we come to the end of apple month some people are all appled-out! This apple cake calls for fresh apples, and is a nice change of pace for those of us who try to eat seasonal produce. When you try to eat seasonally it is easy to get tired of eating the same fruits and veggies in the same ways...yummy recipes come at a premium! This delightful, yet EASY recipe was given to me by my mother. It one of my favorite fall desserts and due to its simplicity, it is easy to let your wee ones do most of the "work." (If you are a teacher and your school has an oven, this is an easy dish to make with your students.)
Enjoy!

Fresh Apple Cake

Ingredients ~ 1 cup oil, 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups firmly packed grated apples, and 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions ~ Grease then lightly flour 9"x13" casserole dish. Mix oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Stir. Add apples and walnuts. Stir. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes. Can be served warm or cool...is great with a glass of milk, apple cider, apple juice or hot chocolate!

*My blog has "sugar" and "spice" in its name for a reason... Prior to baking this cake I usually sprinkle cinnamon, a little nutmeg, and brown sugar over the top, not only because it makes the cake extra yummy, but also because I add those three ingredients to just about every recipe I can!  : p

Happy Apple Caking!!!

Music Monday-You Are My Little Bird

My internet went out. Grrr. So my Music Monday is more of a Thursday thang this week! :)

Well into the month of September as well as the month-o-Elizabeth Mitchell and we come to her lovely album You Are My Little Bird. This album was my first exposure to Elizabeth Mitchell and her music...I have never turned back!




This album is so completely relaxing and pleasant that I listen to it on a regular basis. One of my favorite songs on the album is Three Little Birds. Many of you are probably familiar with this Bob Marley song: "...don't worry, about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be all right..." and many of your little ones were introduced to it in the popular movie Shark Tale. The message of this sweet and simple song as expressed in the chorus is great for children to learn. I often sing this song while driving in the car with my little ones and while doing things in my classroom as a constant reminder that whatever is going on in life, everything is going to be fine.

Another of my favorites is If You Listen..."If you listen, you can hear, birds sing and flowers grow, if you listen you can hear, my love for you just grow..." The lyrics are few and sweet which make it an easy song to learn so you can sing it to your little ones before bed or while snuggling them on a rocking chair.

I simply cannot say enough about how restful and pleasant each and every song on this album is. If you have not been turned on to Elizabeth Mitchell up to this point, I highly recommend giving this album a chance. It is great to use in a classroom or at home. The complete list of songs on this album are: Little Liza Jane, Who's My Pretty Baby, Zousan, Little Bird, Little Bird, Three Little Birds, What Goes On, Pom Na Tu Ri, Buckeye Jim, Peace Like A River, Los Pollitos, Winter's Come And Gone, Little Wing, Lily Pond, The North Wind, If You Listen, Down In The Valley, and Grassy Grass Grass.



Happy Elizabeth Mitchelling!!!

Quick Tip - Left Handed Scissors

Dou you have a little one who is left-handed? Purchase a pair of left-handed scissors! It makes cutting so much easier. If you are a teacher I recommend keeping a few pairs in your class for left-handed students. Be sure to inform their parents where you picked yours up since they aren't sold everywhere and many parents don't know where to get them or even know they exist!



Happy Cutting!!!

Literature Highlight & Activity - Dappled Apples

The last few mornings I have loved the fresh crisp smell of fall in the air... with the start of fall many classrooms are doing activities involving apples. One book I must read each and every fall is the the lovely book Dappled Apples by Jan Carr.




The words in this book flow with delightful rhymes and alliteration..."flutter, flitter, gold as glitter, colors crackle round the tree....pumpkin pile-up...evil fairy, Yikes! She's scary! Patched-up pirate, Who is he?..." From jumping in piles of fall leaves to pumpkin patches and trick-or-treating this book highlights all the reasons children (and adults) love the fall. The illustrations are made of bright, colorful cut-paper collages that give the reader a 3-D effect.

I read Dappled Apples several times during the fall season and do the following after each phase of the book:

After reading the first part about apples: take your child to an apple orchard. Children love the act of picking their own apples just like the children in the book. It teaches your children about seasonal foods and where apples come from.

After reading about fall leaves: go outside and pile up leaves with your children. Then join them in a leave jumping (which usually also ends up in leaf throwing) party.

After reading about the pumpkin patch, take your children to a pumpkin patch. Pack the following items: crayons (or other drawing utensils), paper, and a clipboard. (You don't HAVE to take a clipboard, anything hard will work, but children LOVE using clipboards, plus with the wind that comes in the fall it will be easier to hold your children's paper... so I highly recommend purchasing one... or several if you are a teacher. I will continue to post activities where children do things outside and will need clipboards.) While at the pumpkin patch have your children go on a hunt for interesting looking pumpkins. Once they find their favorite unique pumpkin have them draw a picture of it (or of a whole group of pumpkins). If you have a little extra cash, I also recommend buying the pumpkins. It is always fun to actually take one of the pumpkins home.



After reading the part about trick-or-treating have your children sit around your art table (my art table is our dining room table covered in a plastic table cloth I purchased at a dollar store). Place scissors (I recommend children's scissors, also if you can get some scissors with different blades they are really fun to use), construction paper, and glue at the table. Then have your children make their own cut-paper collage pictures of Halloween costumes.

Happy Dappled Apple-ing!!!

Music Monday-You Are My Sunshine

For the Month-o-Elizabeth Mitchell Music the next c.d. filled with wonderful children's music is her darling album: You Are My Sunshine.

This album is loaded with fabulous music for your children AND YOU! There is a great rendition of the traditional alphabet song called Alphabet Dub that is still to the traditional tune (making it easy for children to sing along to) but the background instruments as well as some of the sound effects make it an enjoyable song for adults as well. Who knew the alphabet song could be SO COOL!?! (Elizabeth Mitchell.. that's who!)

Some of the well-known songs are splendid versions of You Are My Sunshine, Skip to My Lou, and Froggy Went A Courtin. Shortly before my grandfather passed away from Cancer the hospice nurses would visit with a guitar and sing, among other songs, You Are My Sunshine. Every time I hear that song I think of those precious memories of spending time with him in his bedroom as a child singing that song, not knowing how many more days we would have with him. So it is extra special to me that thanks to this lovely version of the song, my daughter now knows the lyrics to the song and enjoys it as much as I do, only for different reasons.

The full list of songs are as follows (again, ALL are fabulous!! I listen to this album even when by myself): So Glad I'm Here, Skip to My Lou, Ladybug Picnic, Hey Bo Diddley, Crawdad, Alphabet Dub, Car Car, Ooby Dooby, You Are My Sunshine, Goin Down the Road, Black Jack Baby, Jubilee, Here Comes My Baby, 3 is the Magic Number, Froggy Went a Courtin, and Goodnight Irene.



Happy Listening!!!

Recipe - Rice Pudding

Every so often when I was growing up my sweet mother would make this yummy treat. My mom always forced us to eat healthy food growing up... (imagine a school field trip... all my friends eating twinkies and juice boxes and there I was pulling out my smelly tuna fish with sprouts sandwich! Don't get me wrong, I like tuna fish sandwiches, but it didn't compare to what other children hand. Plus people could always smell it coming out of the little sandwich bag.) This recipe is very yummy and healthier than some other rice pudding recipes you may find.

Nana's Rice Pudding

Ingredients ~ 1/2 cup powdered milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 & 1/2 cups milk, dash of salt, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups cooked rice (white, brown or a combination of both) I always make a little extra in case I decide to add more to it before I bake it, cinnamon, raisons, chopped walnuts (sometimes I make it without walnuts if I don't want it crunchy... but my mother "always likes a little crunch."), and nutmeg

Directions ~ Mix powdered milk and sugar. Add 1/2 cup milk and stir. Add dash of salt, egg, vanilla and stir. Spray oven safe bowl with non-stick cooking spray (I no longer purchase this since there is propellant in it, and I'm not fond of eating propellant, so I lightly grease everything with a little Crisco). Pour mixture into bowl. Pour rice into bowl and stir. Add milk and stir. If it looks too liquidy to you feel free to add the extra rice I recommended above. Add raisons, walnuts, and cinnamon to taste and stir. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Cook at 350F stirring several times while baking. Bake for 30 minutes. If it doesn't look done, keep baking. It shouldn't need to bake longer than 45 minutes, the longer it bakes the less "pudding"-like it will be so monitor it closely towards the end or it will be too dry. (If you do over bake it, just add a little milk to the individual bowls you serve it in to help soften it.)

After I dish up my pudding I always sprinkle a little white sugar/brown sugar/cinnamon mixture on the top of each serving to add a little extra SWEET!

Happy Baking!!!

Classroom Management - Free Choice

Whether at home or in the classroom there are times when both you and the children need some unstructured, no-adult-needed, "down time." When I say "unstructured" I don't mean free reign, I mean, free to choose to do whatever they like out of a pre-established set of choices and associated expectations for proper use of materials.

Directions for implementation:

1. Designate an area of your home or classroom as your "free choice" area. This step is crucial. If you don't have an established area it will likely turn into free choice headache plus (meaning some things will be for free choice but over time other things that you don't want used as free choice will likely start to show up there and/or it will get messy and ultimately it ruins the beauty of having free choice). The area can be any size you want. A corner of a room, a single shelf on a book case, a box kept in the same place in the same closet, etc. If you are at home and have a play room, designate part of the room for this, not the entire room.
*A point of clarification, this designated area is where you store the free choice activities, you can certainly have them use the materials wherever you would like.

2. Place one (yes one and ONLY one) free choice activity in that area (this is just to begin, you will add more later). If you start with more than one it won't work so well.. but I will explain later. I recommend starting with jigsaw puzzles, because they are inexpensive to purchase, easy to find, easy for children to do without guidance, you can find puzzles designed for any age and they are GREAT for development. My daughter has been doing puzzles since she was knee-high to a grasshopper.. he he... and she has gotten very good at them over time to the point of helping my husband and me with 500+ piece puzzles.

3. Take a picture of the free choice spot/area. Print off a copy of the picture (laminate it on cardstock if you can, if you can't, paste it on cardstock and either self-laminate with duct tape or put it inside a baggie). Then tape/tack/whatever it to your area. It needs to be in an area where the children can see it for they will use it as a guide every time they clean up so they know where to return the materials so the area stays organized.

4. Show the area to your children. This step is also crucial. If done well you won't have to re-teach this area over and over again. Have the children sit down in front of the area and tell them it is the new free choice area. Explain that when, and only when, you tell them they can have free choice time (feel free to name it whatever you want.. I have heard it called "self directed" "free time" "explore time" "discovery" etc. just find one term and always use the same term) they can come to this area and use the materials that are there. Explain that these are the only materials they can use during this time, that the materials will always be kept there, and that this is where the materials will be returned at the end of free choice. Show them the picture you took of the area and explain that you expect the area to look the same as in the picture after they have finished cleaning up from free choice EVERY time.

5. While they are still in the area give them directions as to how you want the children to use the puzzles (or whatever activity you have in that area). If you want them to be careful opening and closing boxes, tell them that and demonstrate how you want them to open and close them. Think through your expectations, share them with the children, and demonstrate them.

6. After you have set your ground rules, let the children use the materials. Once this is well established you now have free time of your own. However, for the first few "gos" I recommend finding something somewhat close to the children that you can do so you can still monitor their use of the materials. In doing so you can correct any behaviors immediately so they know the rules are set in stone.

7. Once their free time is up have the children practice putting the materials away the way you demonstrated. If they struggle to do it correctly, have them do it again. If they still don't do it right. Do it for them then have them do it again. (You can later put a timer or a clock in the area with the end time marked so they can see how much time they have... if you choose to do this, it CAN be shown and taught at any time. Just make sure you teach the children about it so they know how they can use it. Also... I always give my children a verbal warning a few minutes in advance so they can mentally prepare themselves for the end of free time and aren't surprised when it is over.)

8. Once you have success with the first activity (and I suggest doing it at least twice), add another activity. You will need to repeat *taking the picture of the area (if you add things that aren't in the picture the picture is useless), *teaching the children where the materials are kept in the area, *how to use the materials and *how to put the materials away correctly.

Puzzles, wooden building blocks, Lego's, K'Nex, Lincoln Logs and board games all work well for activity choices. Some people use sand and water trays. I think these types of messy activities are great for children to explore, but I don't use them for free choice because my view of free choice are activities that are easy to clean up.

Here are a few of links with specific items I have used that work well but there are thousands out there to choose from:



Happy Free Time!!!

Curriculum Suggestion-[Fill in the blank] of the month!

Teachers are constantly bombarded with covering all the required curriculum. Between state standards, district mandates and school/grade level traditions it can be hard to find time to squeeze in anything else. However, I am a firm believer that you must include curriculum that you are passionate about. The types of things that made you want to become a teacher in the first place! If this is lost, it can be easy to get burnt out in a hurry. This is what led me to today's post: [Fill in the blank] of the month!

(For you non-teaching mommies or daddies out there this is an easy thing to do at home as well...minus a couple of the obvious differences between classroom and home.. adjust accordingly to what makes sense for your situation.)

One of my first posts was about how to name tables in your classroom. I mentioned I would later discuss what I used my author tables for... this is that promised post.

I love literature, especially children's literature and familiarizing children with specific authors and illustrators, so I made sure I could spend time each month focusing on authors. The implementation was easy... here is what I did (keep in mind you can alter this to whatever you want!)...

1. I set up the author tables (for details click on: http://sugarnspicesnailsntales.blogspot.com/2009/08/classroom-management-author-tables.html )

2. At the beginning of the month I announce to the class the author of the month. Since entire classroom tables were dedicated to each author, the children sitting at the author of the month table would shriek with joy that their table was chosen for the month.

3. Immediately after making the announcement I would read a story by the author (if you are teaching older grades and using chapter books, just read the first chapter) so the students would have an instant connection with the author. Followed by a little biography about the author making connections to the lives of the students (if possible). In addition, when possible I would show a dvd or computer clip of the author or an episode (or part of an episode) of Reading Rainbow or of a Scholastic video if the author and/or book by the author was highlighted. I don't like to use a lot of television in the classroom. However, showing the authors talking or watching a spotlight about a book is okay as it helps children connect with the author/book. I can promise you many students tune out while a teacher is verbally providing a bio but those same students will glue their eyes to the t.v. just because of the novelty of it in a classroom.

4. The students at the author table received special priveleges all month (nothing exciting, just the first to line up, things like that... seems small but can be a big deal in primary grades).

5. I made sure to read books by the author throughout the entire month and had a display of books by the author in my classroom library. If you have a small classroom, find a small spot on a counter or even an extra desk and make it your author spotlight by putting a picture and name of the author above or below where you have your book display (you can use an extra copy of the table sign described in my earlier post), it can be as simple or elaborate as you want. Even the simple use of a chair with some fabric draped over it with the author's name and picture taped to it will work. Just place the books on the seat and around the legs. If you have questions and would like some additional suggestions simply post a question and I will address it as soon as I can!

6. Along with reading books throughout the month I would use coloring sheets or other book related activities as fillers whenever possible. Usually the best worksheets (i.e. by best I mean the worksheets are don't look homemade) are available on the author's or publisher's website. For example, the Junie B. Jones website (author Barbara Park) has a Junie B. mask, wordsearch and other printables: http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb

Below are resources for the author bio/book spotlight mentioned above.



*Where the Wild Things Are dvds has an interview with Maurice Sendak*

The following are just a few author websites that have bios/videos/etc. that you may find helpful:
http://www.janbrett.com/
http://www.loislowry.com/
http://www.toddparr.com/
http://www.judyblume.com/
http://www.roalddahl.com/

Most websites are simply the authorsname.com like those above. I made the list short since they are pretty easy to find. You can also refer to my previous post which has a list of authors at the bottom of the post: http://sugarnspicesnailsntales.blogspot.com/2009/08/classroom-management-author-tables.html

Recipe - Oreo Cookies

A great back to school treat and activity is to bake homemade oreos. My dear friend Michelle shared this recipe with me a few years ago and it is ALWAYS a hit, plus little ones think it is neat to make their own oreos. You must follow the directions EXACTLY, but it is super easy.

Homemade Oreos

Ingredients for Cookies ~ 2 devil's food cake mixes, 1 & 1/2 cups shortening, 4 eggs
Ingredients for Filling ~ 2 cups powdered sugar, 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (softened), 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons milk

Directions ~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. *Since you bake these for precisely 9 minutes you MUST preheat your oven.* Combine mixes, shortening and eggs. Scoop out dough and form into balls. You will want to make your balls as close to the same size as possible. Place dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9 minutes. Remove cookies from oven. Cookies will NOT look done. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Place on rack to cool. Combine remaining ingredients. Spread filling between 2 cookies.

This recipe makes approximately 38 decently sized oreos (76 individual cookies).

I am such a bakaholic/cookieandbakedgoodseatingaholic that I have to plan on sharing my goodies.. which usually means doubling a recipe... or I will eat them all in little to no time. However, this recipe makes enough to share without doubling... even for me!

Happy Baking!!!

Rainy Day Activities

At home or at school it is always a good idea to have access to ideas for a "rainy day." Many of the activities I will post on this blog can be used as a rainy day activity (my music drawings for example. Click this link to see what I am referring to: http://sugarnspicesnailsntales.blogspot.com/2009/08/art-activity-music-drawings.html )

Collecting ideas is easy, it is the organization and updating that is easily left behind... when this happens many rainy days can go by without actually using these days to have fun with your children/students. Here are a couple of suggestions that have worked for me:

1. Purchase a three-ring binger, a hole punch, dividers with tabs, and some plastic storage sheets to keep in the binder. When you have a good idea on my blog or elsewhere you can print out the idea and place it in your binder. As you begin to collect ideas use the dividers to categorize your ideas. If you are really organized you can also include an index at the front of your binder. Simply write down a list of your tabs and leave space under each tab name. As you add items to your binder you can write in the activities under the tab name in your index. The plastic storage sheets can be used to put your printed out ideas if you access your binder frequently. If you don't I would save the storage sheets to store games or activities that you have created to keep the entire project together (for example if you make a paper BINGO game you could keep the boards, call cards, and paper markers...if you choose to use markers over cereal or candy... all in the storage sheet so you know where to find it when you need it).

2. You can do basically the same thing as above only write/print the ideas on index cards and keep them in an index box... this is less convenient for storing pre-made games/activities, but it still works.

3. Same thing as above only use a shoe box, gift box, or other box so you can store activities and ideas all in the same place. Organize as you desire depending on the size of box and contents.

4. Purchase some books. The use of books that already have activity ideas in them is a fast and easy way to accumulate and store ideas. Plus you can keep them on your bookshelf (on my bookshelves at home and in the classroom I have books as well as binders). Here are a few book suggestions:



Finally, regardless of the choice of books, binders, or boxes, always keep them in the same designated place so you can access them quickly. It is also helpful to have a little storage bin stocked with crayons, paper, markers, glitter, glue etc. so you have materials ready when you need them. This doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't have to be done at the same time. Add one item a week and you will be surprised at how quickly you have a little craft center. I recently found a great way to store my craft supplies at home:



The drawers have lids and handles so you can pull out an entire drawer dedicated to one or more items and carry it where you are going to do your activitying/crafting. When you are done using the supplies simply put them back in the drawer, close the lid (which is attached) and easily slide it back into its place. This has worked wonders for my daughter at home...no more cramming things into drawers that won't close.

Happy Rainy Days!

Miscellaneous Quick Tip - Vases

At home or in a classroom it is always a good idea to keep a couple small vases in an easily accessible place. Then, when your little ones come in with small flower/twig/leaf/weed bouquet you have a place to put them (most bouquets are way too small to put in a regular sized vase). If they aren't displayed it can be disappointing to the child.

I always keep mine under the kitchen sink so I can pull it out and fill it with water in an instant. You may want a narrow one with a little height and a clear one about the size of an 8oz cup with a wide opening for small handfuls of clover, flower petals, or similar.

Happy Flower/Weed/Twig Arranging!!!

Quick Tip - Coloring inside the lines

When my daughter was three she attended a daycare for a couple hours a week. One day she came home and was distressed about coloring inside the lines. The "teacher" said she shouldn't "scribble" and needed to "color inside the lines." Needless to say I was upset... and thus today's post!

If you are the parent of a preschooler, let him/her color anyway she/he wants to color. Just the manipulation of and basic hand-eye coordination used when coloring with crayons/markers/pencils is a good start for children this age. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT push the "color inside the lines" bit.. that will come with age and maturity.

Teachers, if you teach in the primary grades (K-3) your students likely have many opportunities to color. This goes back to an earlier post about art vs. skill-focused projects... If the purpose of the coloring sheet is to work on eye-hand coordination and controlling writing utensils by all means, teach them how to color inside the lines. INSIST that they try their best to "stay inside the lines." However, if you are NOT teaching a skill, and the child is coloring for the sake of coloring or to create a piece of art, let them color however they wish. Let them express themselves while they are still young enough to feel good about their coloring regardless of how "messy" you as the adult view it. (You never know if you have the next Jackson Pollock in your room and you would hate to stifle his/her creativity at such an early age!!)

With that said... simply saying "color inside the lines" or "stay inside the lines" is NOT teaching the children a skill. You need to demonstrate coloring. You need to "think out loud" while you color on the board or on an overhead. Walk around the room and give one-on-one assistance to your students. Then.... have days where they can color for colorings sake... for the sake of being a child... cuz dagnabit sometimes it does feel good to just SCRIBBLE!!!