Make-It Topic Boots

Imaginative

• Make a boot store have the children place out boots, have money and a cash register, place out shoe boxes

Language

• Place out boots and read the poem
• I have two boots, how about you, I have two boots, how about you, I have two boots, how about you, Stomp with your boots like I do. Note: Two boots can be replaced with 'Tennis shoes', 'big shoes', 'old shoes', 'new shoes' 'blue shoes', etc.) 

•  Read “Puss in Boots”
• Read “Boots for Beth”

       Art 

• Place boots upside down on a rack and have paper and crayons do sole rubbings
• Use the boots to dip in paint and make prints on the paper 
• Place out a shape of a boot in mac-tack have different shapes and items for the children to make a boot
• Use the laces to paint with
• Get some cheap rubber boots allow the children to decorate with stickers and markers

Water/Sand

• Have a boot washing station
• Add boots to the sand table with spoons place holes in the bottom of some for strainers

Gross Motor

• Do a boot search hide a boot and have the children find them
• Place a bunch of boots in a pile and have the children find the matching boot 
• Put on boots and have the children make tracks in the snow if none is out place out flour on a large sheet of paper and walk

Science/Curiosity

• Place out measuring tapes allow the children to measure the boots
• Grow a garden in an old boot 
• Place out the different materials such as rubber, fur, hide, laces and have the children explore materials boots are made of

Blocks 

• Place out different work boots and large blocks for building with

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor 

• Place out pictures of situations such as winter rain and work and different boots allow the children to place the boots to that situation
• Place out outlines of boots ranging in size allow the children to place in orders small to large 
• Match boots in colors and designs
• Have the children lace up boots

     Music 

• Add boots and wooden dowels for boot drums and dances

     Quiet 

• Place out boots and characters on a flannel board allow the children to make their stories

     Cooking 

• Make shoe potato cookies 
•  1 pkg butterscotch chips, 6 oz peanuts,1 3/4 can shoe string potatoes Melt the chips over low heat. Add remaining ingredients Drop onto wax paper chill 

• Make a hiking trail mix for snack

      Field trip 

• Go to a boot store
• Take a walk in boots
• Go puddle jumping

Make-it Topic - Hibernation

Imaginative

• Use a box and pillows place out costumes have the children be hibernating animals tents can be used also
• Have paper berries attached to a wall, let the children pick berries for winter 
• Place out pillows, blankets and flashlights, allow the children to pretend to be outside hibernating

Language

• Read the poem time for sleeping use flannel boards to help tell the poem 
• Now, it’s time for sleeping
  The bears go in their caves
  It keeps them warm and cozy
  Time for lazy days
  When the snow is gone & the sun comes out to play
  The bears will wake up from their sleep and then go on to play. 

• Read “What’s Hibernation”
• Read “Wake me in the spring” discuss what favourite things the children do in the winter 
• Read “Bear snores on” 
• Make flannel board animals for a story of the Mitten by Jan Brett

Art

• Place out leaves, branches, a small box or cup allow the children to make a den
• Make pom-pom creatures 
• Place a picture of a bear allow the children to paint it
• Place out a half of Styrofoam ball for a porcupine allow the children to stick toothpicks in and glue on eyes place out paint if desired 
• Place out different magazine pictures of animals, have the children make a collage
• Place an animal sticker on a paper, allow the children to paint, color, glue sprinkle to help it hibernate
• Make snow pictures using cotton balls

Water/Sand

• Add small animals, cups and boxes to the sand table 
• Place a small amount of fish, gravel or sand in the bottom of the water add snails, snakes, lizards for hibernating in use spoons and sifts
• Add leaves to the table with bugs and ladles

Gross Motor

• Hibernating animal hunt, hide plastic animals around, show the children photos of the animals to find
• Musical hibernation, place out different color mats, play music, have the children dance as different animals when the music stops they “hibernate” on a mat 
• Go on a bear hunt singing the song 
• Place out different size boxes and baskets have the children try to fit in each one 
• Have a hibernation day have the children wear their pyjamas, make forts out of pillows and blankets eat berries and bears for snack

Science/Curiosity

• Place out different mittens have the children see what feels warmer
• Place a piece of ice in the open and another in a cloth see which melts faster, this can be done with an ice in a baggy and one in Lard 
• Place out fir for the children to feel and discuss why the animal stays warm
• If possible place out a nest of a bird and bee with magnifier glasses allow the children explore it 
• Bring a box outside, have the children sit in the box, is it warmer or colder in the box
• Place out different dried berries with photos of non-dried fruit

Blocks

• Place out little boxes and animals
• Use different size sticks for building with
•  If possible, suspend a dark color sheet or piece of fabric over the block area to make it a bit dark. Add small stuffed or other toy animals, snakes, frogs and bees in the block area and encourage the children to make winter homes for them to sleep in
• Use the straws and connectors for the children to build their own caves

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• Place out pictures of caves, frozen water, trees,  mud and a house have pictures of animals and people, encourage the children to place the animals where they hibernate
• Place out tweezers, foam cups with  pom-poms and a bin of  plastic leaves encourage the children to pick up the pom-poms using tweezers and place in the cups for the “bugs” to sleep 
• Play a memory game of animals
• Place out play dough and animals to create with
• Use animal counters and different size containers, allow the children to count how many animals fit in one container
• Cut photos of animals in different ways, have the children place them back together

Music

• Sing the song Little bear do the actions 
• Are you sleeping
  Are you sleeping
  Little bear
  Little Bear
  You will sleep all winter
  Through the cold, cold winter,
  Little bear
  Are you sleeping
  Are you sleeping
  Little bear
  You will wake in springtime
  In the warm, warm springtime,
  Little bear
  Little bear

Quiet

• Place out a blanket between chairs add some pillows and books add a flannel board with animals 
• Use a small child pool fill with string confetti and books

Cooking

• Use a metal bear shaped cookie cutter to make fun shaped Jell-O, sandwiches, or cookies 
• Make a trail mix for the hibernating children

Field trip

• Helen Schuler nature center
• Local pet store
• Invite a conservation officer to talk 
• Birds of prey center

Holiday Hazards

Keeping children safe during the holidays:

Festive Foods

• Keep nuts and candies well out of reach
• Remind visitors to keep any alcoholic beverages out of reach
• Check the ingredients before giving anything to your child

Christmas Trees

• Pine needles can pierce skin or become lodged in throats, they can also cause a fire risk
• Ensure your child cannot pull the tree over

Decorations

• Place decorations with small detachable pieces up high
• Ensure heavy or fragile decorations cannot fall off onto your child
• Knowing which Christmas plants are poisonous - and keeping them well away.
• Ensure lit Menorahs and Christmas candles are constantly supervised, out of reach, and in a secure place
• Remember candy canes are a choking hazard as well

Toys

• Check toys thoroughly before passing to your child
• Ensure they are age appropriate
• Have not been recalled
• Do not have cords or ribbons which could pose a strangulation risk
• Do not contain sharp or jagged edges, or small easily detachable parts
• Are non-toxic
• Keep track of and dispose of all toy packaging (especially the small wires and plastic tabs used to hold the toy in place)

Sourced from What's Up Kids magazine, 2007 Holiday issue

Cool Whines

Five ways to help your preschooler express herself, nicely:
by Liz Bruckner


Go on the offense
We've all been there: Your child suddenly doesn't want to leave the mall or eat what is being served for dinner or is disappointed by a gift - and expresses her displeasure about the circumstance through whining.  To avoid reliving similarly paintful moments, lay the foundation for acceptable behaviours before outings and celebrations. "Say something like, 'Grandma might give you a fit and it is important that you give her a bit thank-you, no matter what it is. That will make her feel so good,'" Brown Braun (a child development and behaviour specialist) says. "It is a good way to encourage gratitude and minimize whines."


Consider the conditions
"Sometimes children acting unsavory is about more than just the behaviour; it can be their response to an environment sabotaging their abilities to be their best selves. Whether it's too many late nights, parties, junk food, visits with friends or family or even highly distracted parents, a lack of regular structure can and does impact children," Brown Braun explains. The fix: Do what you can to anticipate your child's thresholds and breaking points, and try not to let children get past them.


Listen up
If your immediate response to a whiny preschooler is to ignore the issue, you may be encouraging the behaviour. "When you ignore, ignore, ignore, eventually you snap, respond negatively in frustration or give in. That teaches children that if they keep at it for long enough, they'll get what they want," says Brown Braun. There's always a reason for whining, she adds. "Unless you spend the time communicating with your child to uncover the problem, it never gets resolved."


Praise a pleasant voice
Try to make a habit of praising a child when she uses her normal voice in non-whiny situations, suggests Brown Braun. "Say something like, 'That's such a great voice! I am happy to listen when you use that voice," she says. Then, should a whining scenario arise, saying something like, 'When you're ready to use a regular voice, I'll be ready to listen,' will help remind your child to be consistent," adds Brown Braun. And even if you refuse a request, let your daughter know that you really appreciated the manner in which she asked.

Provide some undivided attention
We get it: You've had a hard day, but rather than snap when your child starts whining the moment you walk in the door, set aside a few minutes to focus on her alone. "Take a deep breath, put your keys down, forget about dinner and spend that time intensely focused on  your child," says Brown Braun. "It may not be easy, but buckling down and doing this meets your child's need for attention." Plus, once she feels heard, she's much more likely to respond positively to any requests while you get your family's evening routine started.


Canadian Family, November 2011 issue, page 30

Building Active Habits

As parent, we teach children healthy habits while they are young, habits like brushing their teeth, buckling up in the car and choosing healthy food. Daily physical activity is another habit that we want to become so automatic that children won't feel quite "right" unless they've done it. If your children think that going to play outdoors means taking their pocket video game out on the porch, it may be time to rethink the habits they're forming.

Expect activity

Your expectations send powerful messages. Welcome children's activity and let them know that you expect them to like to move, whether they are two or sixteen years old, girls or boys, talented at sports or not.

Honour individuality

Not everyone can develop a high level of skill. Not everyone wants to be part of a team. But everyone can find a physical activity they enjoy and can practice on a regular basis. That includes children with disabilities. Help your children discover activities that suit their abilities and interests.

Show your approval

Children thrive on positive feedback so give them lots of encouragement for being active. Help them notice how good they feel when they move their body. They don't have to run the fastest or throw the farthest; emphasize their effort and progress instead. Be accepting of the action and noise that comes with physical activity. If you can't allow it indoors, make sure that children get opportunities to run around outdoors or in a gym.

Get involved

Your involvement will make activities more fun for children. Play hide-and-seek with your toddler, throw the ball back and forth with your preschooler, walk the dog with your eight year old, shoot baskets with your teenager. You might decide to take up a sport, like bowling or karate, as a family. Or plan an active family vacation around hiking and swimming. By sharing these fun times with your children, you demonstrate the importance you put on activity at the same time that you strengthen family ties.

Make it easy to be active

You don't have to enroll your children in a course every day of the week to encourage activity. In fact, in the case of your children, free play is more in tune with their stage of development and they will usually choose to move. However, you cannot count on your older children getting enough physical activity in school, especially if they take the bus or get a ride. Here are some ways you can help children build active habits:

• Provide suitable space - Make a safe space in your home where children can play actively. Go often to the park, local rink and swimming pool.
• Make time - Leave some time unscheduled so there's room for free, unstructured play. Limit screen time (television, computer, video games). If you can't find a long block of time for physical activity, look for a few ten-minute periods each day.
• Provide equipment - Simple, low-cost equipment - balls, skipping ropes, Frisbee, etc. - will stimulate active play. An obstacle course, built with boxes, hoops and boards, can also get children moving in different ways. Make sure you supply the necessary protective gear (bike helmet, hockey pads, etc.) for whatever activity they are doing. If your budget is limited, choose a sport, like soccer, which requires minimal equipment.
• Teach skills - At a young age, give y our children opportunities to learn and practice basic skills like running, jumping, climbing, throwing, catching, biking, swimming and skating. They might be too embarrassed to learn when they're older if everyone else already knows how.
• Provide supervision - When you're not doing the activity with your children you want to be sure they are safe. Get together with other parents to see if you can take turns supervising at the park or walking to school.

Be active yourself

Your example speaks more loudly to children than your words. Show them your commitment to fitness by finding opportunities to be active: take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the end of the parking lot and walk back, do floor exercises during TV commercials, get up and stretch at the computer. They'll understand that adults like to move too when they see you go for a walk with a friend, take a yoga class or make a date to go dancing.

Have fun

Everyone finds it easier to keep doing something when it's fun. If one activity doesn't work, try another till you find something that suits you and your family. You're building active habits that will last a lifetime.

Prepared by the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs (FRP Canada). www.familyservicecanada.org / www.frp.ca 

Make-it Topic - Vacation

Imaginative

• Set up an airport for the children to go on vacation, include suit cases, hats, old cameras, cars
•  Set up a Hawaiian destination use leis and shells place a sheet out for pretend sand
• Set up a vacation boat using a big box and place out different things in the box
• Set up a travel agency using books, calculators, pens pencils, phones suit cases and fun shirts to buy

Language 

• Pack an ABC suitcase use pictures of different items with in the alphabet and pack a suit case ex. A- alligator purse B- bubble gum C- camera D-doll and so on 
• Read “The night before summer vacation”
• Read “Oh the places you go” by Dr. Seuss discuss where they go in a day
• Read “Just a snowy vacation” 
• Place out a map and discuss the places on the map and where the children have been

Art

• Make postcards
• Use old stamps to make a stamp collage 
• Make painted paper airplanes 
• Use magazines allow the children to cut out destination photos attach to mack-tack cut out in a country shape 
• Collect different travel guides from chamber of commerce, AAA, and tourist web pages. Allow the children to cut out the pictures and create their own travel itinerary 
• Use tissue boxes to make a train for the animals to travel in 
• Gather large boxes have a group decorating party to make trains, boat, planes; have paints, felts, material and buttons with glue to use
• Make a travel diary to take home 
• Place out paper in the shape of a suit case have pictures of clothes the children can cut out and paste in their suit case

Water/Sand

• Place boats and people in the water table
• Make a beach in the sand table using shells, balls, shovels, and buckets 
• Place camels in the sand table

Gross Motor

• Let’s pretend to be plane/boat/train/car to music 
• Have a relay of packing a suit case
• Place out mats with pictures of different places like mountains, beach, Eiffel tower, zoo have the children crawl, dance, jump to different places
• Play a find the suit case game using clues around the house

Science/Curiosity

• Ocean in a bottle: Collect a water bottle for each child. Have the children fill the bottom of their bottle with sand (about two inches). Drop shells into the bottle and then fill with blue soapy water. Super glue the bottle lid shut. As the children shake the bottle the soapy water will look like waves and the sand will be mixed up. Once the children quit shaking the sand will once again settle to the bottom
• Object exploration: Bring nature items into the classroom from different area of the country. Such as sand, pine cones, snow, hay, flowers, etc. Let the children examine the objects and guess where they would have to travel to find them. 
• Sink or float have items for a beach vacation do they sink or float 
• Place out ice to see what happens

Blocks

• Have cars, boats, planes, and people 
• Have animals for a zoo to be set up

Conceptual/Table top/Fine motor

• What should I bring place out pictures of different destinations that are hot and cold have items such as skis beach balls and ask the children what item they would take skis to the mountains, beach ball to the beach etc. 
• Match the suit cases file folder game
• Have a file folder game with stamps and an airplane, boat, or train at the end encourage the children to roll a dice and count trying to get to the end 
• Lace and trace suit cases, and clothes
• Place out a doll trace out with clothes have the children dress for a vacation
• Place out play dough for making a travel machine

Music

• Sing the vacation song 
• Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the plane (zoom zoom)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the plane (zoom zoom)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation Oh we're goin' on a vacation
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the plane (zoom zoom)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the train (chug a chug)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the train (chug a chug)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation Oh we're goin' on a vacation
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation on the train (chug a chug).
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation in our car (honk honk)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation in our car (honk honk)
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation Oh we're goin' on a vacation
  Oh we're goin' on a vacation in our car (honk honk)
  Include other modes of transportation such as a boat

Quiet

• Use a flannel board for the children to make their own vacation story

Cooking

• Make food from around the world and sample them 
• Sushi use rice crab, avocado, and rice paper to roll the ingredients or use sea weed paper

Field trip

• Go to the airport to watch the planes 
• Visit a travel agency Take a city trip using the bus