Birthday Party Video

Brooke and Kate had an I Spy birthday Party

This is the front of their invitations: I took my own I Spy picture (notice the picture of Brooke and Kate on the I Spy page) and it reads "I Spy with my Little Eye 2 birthday girls who are turning 5, a cake, a game, and a balloon to take." The inside of the invitation had all the details.

At the party we had an I Spy puzzle and books

A make-your-own I Spy Bottle where the children found 10 items in the big bucket and make a bottle to take.

The Balloon Fairy


And an I Spy Game where the children had to find objects on the floor. The caller would say, "I Spy with my little eye something green" and the kids would move to stand on something green. Then the caller would say, "I spy with my little eye something that lives on a farm" and the kids would move to another picture. More than one child can stand on an object at a time and there were at least 3 options for each category. I adapted the idea from our Hullabaloo game and it worked perfectly. The pictures on the floor are stickers on pieces of white paper.

A video of the party is below. Just so you know, the party was right after preschool on March 9th which was Ash Wednesday. You'll notice the kids have ashes on their foreheads - they did that at preschool, not at the party! Just so you know! :) But it would make for a unique party idea!

Birthday Lunch

Birthday Lunch today included a 5- sandwich, 5 Oreos, 5 Fig Newtons, 5 cake, 5 carrots, 5 strawberries and 5 Kiwi all with a pretty bow!

Going to the Park

I found this great listening game at The Listening Room. They post a new listening activity each week for preschool and school age children. This one is called Listening at the Park.

objective: a. to listen to clues about objects on the game board b. to give auditory clues about objects on the game board by describing gender, colors, actions, etc.

Points to Remember 1. you will need a die and 2 game pieces

Lesson: 1. Player 1 begins by placing a token on the start space at the top of the gameboard and rolling the die. Player 2 then chooses a card from the face down pile. Without showing it to Player 1, Player 2 describes the item on the gameboard.

2. Player 1 must then LISTEN and find the matching item on the gameboard. When the item is found Player 1 can move his token the indicated number of spaces.

3. Play then passes to Player 2

Modifications:

1. Grandpa and Brooke played this game, you can have more members of the family join in the fun. 2. Create your own game board of an I spy page or a busy scene from a magazine.

Sequence and re-telling

objective:
a. to retell a story
b. to sequence the events of a story
c. to listen and recognize parts of a story


Points to remember:
1. Story re-telling is a 5 year old skill; don't press you child if this is difficult and she is under that age of 5.
Lesson
1. Using the 6 cards, make up a story about the pictures. Here is mine:

The cow, the pig and the sheep decided to make a snowman. The cow rolled a big snowball for the bottom, the pig rolled a medium snowball for the middle, and the sheep rolled a small snowball for the head.

The animals put their snowballs together to make a snowman. They put mittens and a scarf on the snowman. They gave him a carrot for a nose.

After making the snowman, the cow and the pig and the sheep got very, very cold.

The farmer came outside and said, "You animals should put on a hat so you are no cold!"

The cow put on a hat, the pig put on a hat, the sheep put on a hat, and the snowman put on a hat. Now the farmer is cold.

2. Once you tell your child the story, have your child retell the story using the picture cards.

3. Your child will not tell it exactly the same but as long as their is a part for each picture, I am happy. Brooke's story went like this:
"The cow made the bottom, the pig made the ____ (I gave her the word middle) and the sheep made the face. Put on gloves and scarf and nose. They are so cold. Man says you need to wear a hat. The cow put on a hat, the pig put on a hat, the sheep put on hat, the snowman put on hat. The man is cold."

4. Next work on listening to a part of the story. Put the cards face up in order on the table. Slip a sticker under one of the cards without your child seeing. Say the sentences for that card. You child will then pick up the card that goes with the sentence and find a sticker is she is correct.

Modifications:

1. Use with any 4-6 picture sequence cards. Here is on on a monkey we have done before.
2. Practice this at night by talking about the events of your day in sequential order.

Rhyming Cards

objective:
a. listen for rhyming words
b. pronounce each word correctly

Points to Remember:
1. I have read the books Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham with Brooke many times. Make sure your child is familiar with the books - it will make it easier to find the rhymes.
Lesson:
1. I found these cute Dr. Seuss Rhyming Cards at Activity Mom and we used them to play a matching game.
2. I put all 18 of the cards on the floor
3. I began the rhyme by saying, "I will not eat it with a goat, I will not eat it in a _____"
4. Your child will say boat and pick up the 2 cards
5. Reinforce the rhyme by saying "goat and boat rhyme"
6. Have your child say, goat and boat
7. Repeat, "I will not eat it in the rain, I will not eat it on a _____"


Modifications:
1. By saying the line from the book Green Eggs and Ham, it makes it easier for your child. Try having her match rhymes without the clue from the book.
2. Use the cards to play Go Fish

Lunch on March 2nd to Celebrate Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss's lunch today to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday: Cat in the Hat (starwberries and pound cake with a cat in the top), green hard boiled egg, ham, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' birthday so we celebrated at dinner tonight. Of course, green eggs and ham were on the menu. My son commented, "I thought the ham was supposed to to be green too." Well, I did the best I could!

I love the Cat in the Hat treats. They are strawberries and pound cake layed to look like the hat from The Cat in the Hat. I have little cat toothpicks that I stuck in the top - so it really is a cat in a hat!