Lil Sprouts Book Club: Squanto's Suggestion

As you probably have gathered by now, I love teaching American history to kids.  I think the thing I love the most about it is that most children think it's boring.  It's a challenge as a teacher, and I fully accept it!  History is even better taught when you can mix in applicable lessons that can be used today.  For instance, the suggestions that Squanto gave to the Pilgrims to help them with farming.  These were life saving suggestions because the Pilgrims needed to survive their first winter.  Conditions were tough, and so different than they were used to back in England.  While I'm on my "I love history, please teach it" soap box, I also think it is important to teach the truth behind events like the first Thanksgiving.  What the relationship between settlers and the Native Americans was really like, their struggles, their discoveries, and more.

Books like Squanto's Journey is a great mixture of content, but still with a picture book feel.  Each year we read this book, it reminds me of how much we have to be thankful for and the journey that those before us have taken.

Here's where I mix in a great little science activity.  Squanto suggested to the Pilgrims to use the resource of fish from the close by Atlantic Ocean to help their farming yields.  He showed them how to catch the fish, ground it up, and use it as fertilizer.  We do the same thing in our class, with the help of a local nursery (or Home Depot or Lowe's) for the fish emulsion.

On our free printable you will find the materials you need, and a student reflection sheet.  We follow the seed packet directions for planting the corn, and label our emulsion fertilized pots with a fish tag.  The other pot (or control) is not labeled.  This is a great activity to send home for students to watch over the holidays, or something to do as a family too!

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And the President is.....Grace!

As you wake up this morning you are probably a little groggy from all of the late night presidential election coverage. Sitting on the edge of your seat as each poll is tallied and votes are determined. All of the debates, campaigning, and political advertisements all lead up to this, the announcement of our newest President. In our state of Florida it was neck and neck the entire way. While it is exciting to include little ones in the democratic process it is also a little overwhelming for them to understand. Between the electoral college and the determination of battleground states it is enough to make my adult head swim. I think as parents and teachers the most important things our little ones can take away from this process is:

 The importance of making our voice be heard by exercising our privilege to vote. 

They too can dream big and achieve, maybe even one day becoming President themselves.

One of my favorite books to read to help my little one understand the concept of voting is  

Grace for President, by Kelly DiPucchio 

"Where are the girls?"

When Grace's teacher reveals that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides that she is going to be the first. She starts off her political career as a candidate in the school's mock election! This is an empowering story which illustrates the importance of dreaming big and believing in yourself, the value of hard work, courage and independent thought. This colorful story offers a fun introduction to the American Electoral System. Which can serve as a starting point for curious young politicians in the making, it is an inspiring example of how we as a country choose our leaders.

So as the conversation begins today and a new leader is announced, ask your students and children What would you do if you were President? You might be surprised at some of their answers.

For our older friends I love using the book So You Want to Be President, by Judith St. George

It offers a comical look at the role of President of The United States and takes a look throughout history at past Presidents, offering comical and sometimes embarrassing facts.

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: So Many Monsters

 

Everyone knows I am a Target addict, it's really not a secret any more, I just can't help myself. Ever since they started with the dollar bins right as you enter the store... game over! You can find the best little deals and seasonal items. In fact I scored a few Halloween goodies I thought I would share. For my little man these $1 board books are ideal, they can be dropped, smashed, drooled on and it doesn't bust our budget, at just $1 they are the perfect addition to any toddlers library. The text is simple and the pages are few but they are great for indentifying objects and introducing higher order thinking skills.

Can you show me where the mosters eyes are? 

How many teeth does he have? 

Where is the green monster?

These discovery questions help to satisfy your little ones ever expanding vocabulary.

And teachers don't discount these basic little books, they even have a place in the classroom. They are great for teaching sentence structure, parts of speech, grammar skills, the list goes on and on.

I also scored these super cute BINGO cards in the $1 section. My little ones had a lot of fun playing this one, using candy corn as their markers....My son's candy corn didn't last long. This would be a great adjective activity. Have your little one describe using adjectives the item they land on and you try to guess what they are describing before they can mark it off on their board.

For a fun little afternoon project we made a super cute Monster frame, I picked up a green glitter frame at Target and a few different sized google eyes from Hobby Lobby. They were stickers so my daughter did this entirely on her own. Just peel and stick, she randomly placed them along the frame.

We just love the monster theme. There are so many cute projects out there. In fact we have found a few of our favorites just for you, stop by our Pinterest board for a little monster inspiration.

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: It's Pumpkin Patch Time

It's that time of year the pumpkin patches are popping up all over town. They are filled with all sorts of types of pumpkins big ones, small ones, bumpy ones,smooth ones each one very unique. I love taking my kids to the pumpkin patch each year. They get so excited to see all of the pumpkins.

Today's book club selection is a great little story that could lead in to a great math lesson on pumpkins. How many seeds in a  pumpkin, by Margaret McNamara is a fun pumpkin-themed story that explores basic math and science concepts. The kids in Mr. Tiffin's class are asked "How many seeds are in a pumpkin?"  What kid wouldn't want to cut open a big round pumpkin and find out? While they all have their own ideas about which ones might have the most, they are surprised by what they find out in the end. The story explores skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment. This book makes a wonderful addition to any math or science lesson, and it's a fun way to reinforce counting skills at home. 

So as you head to the pumpkin patch with your little ones this fall take the opportunity to add a little math and fun into your pumpkin hunting. Bring a measuring tape with you and send your kids on a little pumpkin scavenger hunt. Just use the freebie printable below and let your kids have some math fun!

 

And when you are done picking out the perfect pumpkin don't forget to help your little ones count all those seeds. Lay down some wax paper and draw circles on it with a sharpie marker, have kids make a pile of 10 seeds within each circle. This will make counting time a whole lot easier! To further your pumpkin math experience don't forget to compare pumpkin sizes and seed counts.

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: The Fungus That Ate My School

There is nothing better than seeing kids loving to learn.  Marcy and I had the best time watching our mini scientists the other day as they discovered new things.  We even heard these little ones use the word hypothesis to one another.  How cute is that?  I think it warmed my heart even more to see two little girls dressed up as scientists and really enjoying the subject.  A field of study that has been dominated by men for centuries, is open to many possibilities for these little girls now.  

They had a great time learning about solids and liquids, and even making spooky slime that tested the limits of these two states of matter.  Many of you have made slime, sometimes called Oobleck, in your class or even at home.  It was a fun twist to tie it in to Halloween!  On Friday we will launch our Halloween Mad About Science kit with this activity and more!

A great way to extend this science lesson is to read The Fungus That Ate My School by Arthur Dorros.  The humorous tale of a relentless fungus that takes over an elementary school will leave your mini scientists giggling.  The book is full of onomatopoeias,  great dialogue, and vivid pictures.

After making some spooky slime with your kids encourage them to write about this concoction taking over their school.  They can draw pictures or write a creative story.  

Visit us on Friday for a chance to win a Mad About Science kit which includes this experiment, reflection prompts, and more.  It's going to be frighteningly fun!

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: Flashing Fire Engines

As we welcome in October and cooler temperatures we prepare to start spending the cooler days inside keeping warm. With heaters, fireplaces and candles being used frequently it is important to teach our young ones safety skills that will keep them safe whether they are at a friends house, a bonfire or simply trying to keep warm by the fireplace. Next week is fire prevention week, most schools will have fire drills and talk about fire safety. It is important to go over these skills with your little ones both at school and at home. The easiest way to start a safety conversation is through a story.  Our story this week is Flashing Fire Engines by Tony Mitton a cute rhyming story about fire engines and firemen. Illustrated with bright bold pictures, it is the perfect opportunity to introduce some new vocabulary words to your little one at home and start talking fire safety.

"Big Bold fire engines, waiting day and night, Ready for a rescue or a blazing fire to fight. As soon as there's a fire alarm, the engines start to roar. The firefighters jump aboard..it rumbles out the door."

The sing song tone is delightful to little ones and helps to make a scary topic a little easier to understand. This story will help open up the lines of communication for you in a non threatening way. Encourage your little one to ask questions and point out things that they notice. Ask them questions like, "What do you think firemen use a mask for?" or "Why do they carry a large hose?" Starting a learning discussion might just save your child's life one day.

After introducing fire safety with your little ones you should use your community as a resource. Reach out to a local fire department and stop by to take a tour. Having your children meet the firemen, see the equipment and big trucks.This will help them to be less fearful the next time they hear a siren or God forbid are in a fire and are being rescued by a fireman.
Local children's museums are also a great resource, some have role play stations where they can actually dress up like a firefighter, play on a firetruck and even try to evacuate a smoke (netting) filled room by crawling low and finding a door. We recently visited the Chicago Children's Museum while on vacation and our oldest, Kaitlyn, had a great time exploring the fire station, she dressed up, slid down a fire pole and even practiced evacuating.
By talking, visiting and role playing a very overwhelming frightening topic becomes much easier and less scary to start discussing.
After introducing fire safety and what firemen do, go over some fire safety rules of your own. Talk about the importance of never touching matches or fire (candles, fire pit or fire place) or placing anything on or near the stove. Work together to find a safe spot for your family to meet in the front and back yards if there ever was a fire. Two locations are important in case one is inaccessible.  Practice crawling low throughout your house and feeling the doors to see if they are hot. Show your kids how to get out as fast as they can and go to the safe spot outside. The more you practice the better chance you have of your child staying calm and surviving a house fire.


Get the conversation started in your family with the freebie below. Just save and print the image.

Get your older children involved by having them draw an evacuation map of the house, make sure they include a map key and label their exits and meeting places.

We hope that you are encouraged to address this very important topic with your family!
For more Family friendly resources please visit: Fire Safety Tips
Check out our pinterest board for a few more activities on fire safety.





edible fire snack
grape halves, pretzel sticks and slices of american cheese to look like flames








Use old boxes to create your own fire station

Use your hand print to create a team of firefighters who can help put out the flame!

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Lil Sprouts Book Club: The Little Scarecrow Boy

This week we've been all about scarecrows around our house.  Due to being married to a former farmer and my son's bedroom being stocked in all things farm, we have a lot of scarecrow examples throughout books, pictures, toys, etc.  I heard some teachers at school talking about scarecrow books and activities the other day, so I decided to jump on the theme.

One of the books that I was introduced to was The Little Scarecrow Boy by renowned children's author Margaret Wise Brown.  It's a great tale just like her Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, but David Diaz's artwork, might move it up a notch on my favorites list.  What a touching story it is of a little scarecrow boy who just wants to be like his daddy.  His daddy is a fierce scarecrow, and his son just doesn't have the knack for keeping the crows away just yet.  His dad reminds him that he can be a fierce scarecrow when he is older.  Reading the story brought a smile to my face because my son hears this a lot from his daddy.  He asks to mow the lawn, hammer, saw, grill, and so much more.  My husband gently reminds him that he can do all these things when he is a little bit older.  He patiently waits and watches his daddy in action.  The little scarecrow boy did just that too, until one day he goes out into the field alone.  With a sweet ending and beautiful illustrations, you will be swept into the fall season after reading.  

We used this mask to act out the story after we read it a couple of times.  I had the cardboard mask forms (found at a craft store) from another project.  I used paper from our scrap basket (I think I've said before that I find a scrap basket in my home and classroom to be invaluable for projects).  We glued pieces here and there, and our scarecrow slowly came to life.  Of course when we were almost done I found a pattern on a great scrapbooking website.

Of course any reason to break out the candy corn is a great activity in my eyes!  We headed to the kitchen and concocted a Scarecrow Snack.  A yummy afternoon snack!  The scarecrow bags are getting decorated for my son's preschool class to enjoy this snack too.  Have fun celebrating this season with your children!

Add scarecrow crafts to your fall bulletin boards by using Simply Sprout's Fall Bulletin Board Kit.

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We're Ready For Some Football!

Football is part of my genetic makeup, and football season is part of what makes the South a special place to live.  We cherish the season that has us memorizing schedules and rosters, picking out cute game day attire, planning tailgate menus weeks in advance, and making us feel like we are indefinitely a college student.  Even if you're not a Southerner, it's hard to imagine a region of America that doesn't get excited about this time of year.

I was raised by a 40 year veteran football coach, who never played a down himself, but taught his players and his own children to give it your all.  He nurtured young people to compete fairly, play hard, and be the best person that you can be.  I think these are such valuable life lessons on and off the field. 

I came across this great little book about all those lessons and more.  Gunner, Football Hero by James E. Ransome follows the lofty ambitions of a young boy who just wants to play football.  He makes the Pee Wee football team as the third string quarterback, but spends more time on the bench than throwing any passes.  However, the story is about so much more than the obvious and has a fourth quarter thrill of an ending!  This is a great read for all age groups, especially during this time of year.

While we're on the subject of football, who doesn't love the concession stand food?  Your kids will get a kick out of listening to this story while enjoying some popcorn!  Make a football stencil on a file folder, and have students trace it on two sheets of brown paper.  After cutting the two pieces out, have them use a hole puncher to punch holes along the bottom of the football.  Pass out white ribbon or yarn and have them practice their fine motor skills by lacing it through the holes.  Tie a knot at both ends.  We used a white crayon to draw a football's eight laces. 

Instead of popcorn you could have students fill the football with adjectives that describe someone with good sportsmanship.  It's important to teach children that competition can be fun and build strong character!

Marcy and I cheer for opposing teams, but we know in the end that having fun on Saturdays is what matters most!

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