Thursday Games: Flip the Fish

Each Thursday we'll bring you a fun game to play with your kids!

This week's game is...

Flip the Fish

Newspapers
scissors
pen
finishing line (tape measure
masking tape or jumprope)

Cut large newspaper fish in preparation - you could also use construction paper. If you have lots of kids let them decorate anad put their names on them. Lay out your start and finish lines. Give each child a newspaper folded in half, and have them line up with their fish. Now they have to flap the newspaper vigourously to make the fish "swim" along the floor. the winner is the first across the line. Larger groups could do a relay race with the children taking over from one another on the start and finish lines.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our game ideas

Crafty Wednesday: Balloon Person

Each Wednesday we'll bring you a fun craft to make with your kids!

This week's craft is...

Balloon Person

Balloon
construction paper
tape
yarn
markers

Blow up the balloon to make a small head. Cut out an outfit for the body(one piece). Take strips of paper and fold accordian style to make legs and arms. Tape the arms and legs to the outfit. Then make shoes and glue on to the bottom of the feet. Trace the child's hands, cut out and glue to the end of the arms. Draw a face on the balloon and attach yarn or crepe paper with tape for the head. Also, attach a long piece of yarn to the top so you can hang it up!

Visit The Idea Box for all of our crafty ideas

Tuesday Recipe: Apple Frosty

Each Tuesday we'll bring you a tasty recipe or craft recipe to make with your kids!

This week's recipe is...

Apple Frosty

1 yellow apple
1 peeled banana
1/4 C. milk
3 ice cubes

Peel and core apple. Peel banana. Blend all ingredients in blender. YUM!

Visit The Idea Box for all of our kid's recipes and craft recipe ideas

Monday Music: Five Little Firefighters

Each Monday we'll bring you a fun song to sing with your kids!

This week's song is...

Five Little Firefighters

Five little firefighters (show five fingers)

Sleeping in a row. (rest cheeks on hands and close eyes)

Ring goes the bell... Down the pole they go. (Pretend to slide down the pole)

They jump on the engine (Jump up)

And put out the fire. (Pretend to squirt with a hose)

Now they're back home... My, but they sure are tired. (Stretch and Yawn.)

On my head my hands I place. (Hands on head)

On my shoulders, on my face. (Hands on shoulders and then on face)

On my hips, (on hips) and at my side, (on side) then behind me they will hide... (hands beside)

I will hold them up soooo high, Quickly make my fingers fly (wiggle fingers)

Hold them out in front of me, Swiftly clap the...one, two three! (Clap, clap, clap)

Visit The Idea Box for all of our music and song ideas

Friday Activity: Animal mix-ups

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Animal mix-ups

colored construction paper or crayons
poster board or recipe cards
clear contact paper
scissors

Color on poster board (recipe cards work also) or cut out animals from construction paper and mount on poster board (turtle, penguin, bear,tiger, hippo). Separate heads from the bodies. Cover the body cards and the heads with the clear contact paper. Now what your child use their imagination as the try the heads on all the different bodies.

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Thursday Games: Hot Coconut

Each Thursday we'll bring you a fun game to play with your kids!

This week's game is...

Hot Coconut

Have children sit in a circle. This game is played just like 'Hot Potato'. Some grocery stores will score the coconuts - and they may leak when you play the game. Try to get one that isn't scored, or just drill a hole and drain the milk before you play.

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Crafty Wednesday: Macaroni Pictures

Each Wednesday we'll bring you a fun craft to make with your kids! July 8th was the day the Liberty Bell cracked! Here's a fun craft to commemorate that.

This week's craft is...

Macaroni Pictures

Construction paper
macaroni
glue
and paint

Have a child glue macaroni on construction paper to form whatever the child would want to make. After the glue dries let the child paint his picture if he would like to. You could use different types of macaroni. If you would perfer, the child can use a paper plate if you didn't have construction paper.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our crafty ideas

Tuesday Recipe: Apple Sandwich

Each Tuesday we'll bring you a tasty recipe or craft recipe to make with your kids!

This week's recipe is...

Apple Sandwich

1 apple
peanut butter

This is a great after school snack. Have an adult peel and core apple, slice apple in thin slices. Then spread with peanut butter and top with another slice of apple!

Visit The Idea Box for all of our kid's recipes and craft recipe ideas

Monday Music: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

This week's song is...

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.

One for the master,
One for the dame,

And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir,
Three bags full.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our music and song ideas

Enter our giveaway!

Your daily activities, recipes, music and crafts will resume next week. Meanwhile, please be sure and enter our giveaway on the site! You can win some cool baby prizes:

July Giveaway!

Sponsored by: Snuggin Go™ and Rebel Ink Baby  (Congratulations to Betty Storm of Iowa for winning June's giveaway!)  Enter to win this wonderful package that will keep your baby in style! A comfy car safety seat product and stylish clothing for your little one. This prize package includes the following:  Snuggin Go™  Great car seat safety product! These seats are specifically designed for crash safety and to minimize impact. Snuggin Go has been crash safety tested utilizing the government's car safety standard as a reference. All child seats tested with Snuggin Go performed within the normal requirements for injury specified by this test. In addition, Snuggin Go TM, when used properly can provide proper positioning for newborns so they are safe, comfortable, and breathing right for the whole trip.  Valued at $44.95 to $49.95  Rebel Ink Baby  This is a great gift for those who like to have fun and make a statement! Rebel Ink Baby is a stylish and humorous black clothing line. With groovy sayings like "Fight For Your Right to Potty", "My Auntie Rocks!" and much more, it's a fun style with personality. Apparel available in infant and toddler sizes.  Valued at $14.00 to $24.00  This fun prize package was provided by the following sponsors:  Snuggin Go™ and Rebel Ink Baby  To enter this giveaway, fill in your name and valid email address here. One entry per day per person. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Must be 18 or older to enter. Entries will be accepted through July 31, 2009, midnight CST.

Friday Activity: Alphabet Book

Each Friday we'll bring you a fun activity to do with your kids!

This week's activity is...

Alphabet Book

Duo Tang folder
white paper
old magazines

I have been working on letter and sound recognition with my preschoolers. One fun way to do this is to make an Alphabet Book. Each week we choose a new letter to work on. I write the upper and lower case letter on a piece of white paper, then we go through old magazines to find pictures that begin with that letter. I let them cut them out and glue them on the paper which helps them improve their cutting skills too! I use my 3 hole punch and put it into a folder to make a book. They love to look at it over and over.

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Thursday Games: Bottle Bowling

Each Thursday we'll bring you a fun game to play with your kids!

This week's game is...

Bottle Bowling

Empty pop bottles
paper
tape
tennis ball or other

Decorate soda bottles with paper to look like bowling pins. Create variations of what a "good" score could be. For example, knocking down least amount of pins, knocking down most, one side, certain ones, etc. Most importantly, enjoy the time together. You can also add a little bit of water to the empty 2 liter bottles. You can also decorate them for holidays/special occasions (Put pumpkins on bottles for Halloween, you can also use a pumpkin to bowl with) Be creative!

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Crafty Wednesday: Freedom Bell

Each Wednesday we'll bring you a fun craft to make with your kids! July 8th was the day the Liberty Bell cracked! Here's a fun craft to commemorate that.

This week's craft is...

Freedom Bell

Pattern of a bell
poster board
foil

This is a simple and easy craft to make for little ones. Trace the pattern of a bell onto poster board. Allow children to cut out. Using silver or gold foil, cover the bell. Across the front write "Freedom". For the Liberty Bell, you can draw a crack with a black marker.

Visit The Idea Box for all of our crafty ideas

Tuesday Recipe: Clean Mud

Each Tuesday we'll bring you a tasty recipe or craft recipe to make with your kids!

This week's recipe is...

Clean Mud

warm water (warm enough to melt soap)
1 bar dove soap
1 roll white toilet paper

Have the children tear up the toilet paper into little bits (the smaller the better). Using a cheese grater, grate the bar of soap into a big bowl. Add the torn up toilet paper to the bowl. Add the warm water a little bit at a time while mixing the toilet paper and the soap together. You have added enough water when the mixture begins to feel like a thick cool whip. Do not make the mixture soupy. The more you play with it the fluffier it becomes. The kids have an absolute blast with it!

Visit The Idea Box for all of our kid's recipes and craft recipe ideas

Monday Music: ABC Action Poem

Each Monday we'll bring you a fun song to sing with your kids!

This week's song is...

ABC Action Poem

left to the window (put left hand out)

right to the door (put right hand out)

up to the ceiling (put both hands up in air)

down to the floor (bring hands down and pat floor)

kiss me mommy (bring left hand to mouth)

kiss me daddy (bring right hand to mouth)

for I know my ABC's...

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y AND Z - now I know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me. (clap while singing the abc's)

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Fourth of July

I apologize for not posting your daily tips this week! It's been a crazy week around here working on projects and enjoying the summer with the kids. As you know, this weekend in the US we celebrate American Independence Day, the Fourth of July! I'd like to remind everyone of the fun crafts, recipes and activities we have available for this patriotic holiday. 

Please be sure to stop by our 4th of July section to get some last minute ideas.

In Other News:

* Our Holidays and Special Days have been updated for July, so stop by the site to check them out on our left side bar. 

* Also, our June contest winner has been drawn. Congratulations to Betty Storm of Iowa for winning the fun prizes offered up by our friends at FamilyCorner.com.  We thank them for sponsoring and making this giveaway possible. Stop by their site to see what goodies they have to offer for the 4th!

* Go ahead and keep entering our daily contest. We haven't updated the prize yet, but your entries will be counted for July!

* If you own a small business and offer products related to young children and would like to sponsor one of our contests, please contact Amanda.

Remember to celebrate the Fourth safely and keep children away from fireworks. Have a great holiday!