zoo animals

Sign of the Month- Penguin

Our theme this month is Polar Animals and while we are very busy making snacks that look like our furry friends, we are also making the cutest penguin and polar bear crafts! Need some cuddle time? Try this fabulous polar animal books!

Did you know that;

Penguins are birds with black and white feathers and a funny waddle. But unlike most birds, penguins are not able to fly -- in the air that is. Penguins spend as much as 75% of their time underwater, searching for food in the ocean. When they are in the water, they dive and flap their wings. It looks just like they are flying!

Penguins are shaped like a torpedo. Their body is built for the most efficient swimming with their average speed in the water being about 15 miles per hour.

penguin sign language

photo credit

Now that you have learned a bit about these beautiful creatures, just wait until your little ones try to "waddle" like the sign for Penguin... too cute!

Check our other sign language posts here.

Monthly signs are submitted by guest blogger, Laura Berg, My Smart Hands,

Posted by momstown guest on 02/14/2013 - 18:21

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Polar Animals- Walrus Craft

After you have enjoyed some polar snacks it's time to get creative with these cute walrus crafts!

walrus craft

Materials:

Brown construction paper

White paper

Googly eyes

Markers

Yarn

Instructions:

1. Have brown circles precut (each walrus needs one large circle for the body and two smaller circles for heads and arms).

2. Glue large circle in the middle of the large paper.

3. Glue one smaller circle for the head.

4. Cut one smaller circle in half and glue them on for arms (overlapping on the body).

5. Decorate the walrus' face with googly eyes, whiskers and a nose.

Submitted by momstown Mississauga

Another option is to use paper plates. Here are the instructions.

walrus paper plate craft

Posted by momstown team on 02/11/2013 - 12:33

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Chinese New Year- Making a Paper Snake

The Chinese New Year is fast approaching and even you don’t celebrate it, you can teach your kids a little about it.

This year is the year of the Snake. In the Chinese Zodiac there are 12 signs. The snake is the 6th sign.
Here are a couple of fun crafts you can do with your kids for the Chinese new year as well as some great Chinese recipes or Fortune cookies to enjoy!

Being the year of the snake, why not have your little ones make their own. It is an easy craft that all ages will enjoy.

chinese new year, paper snake

Materials:

construction paper (2 or 3 colors)
small scrap of red construction paper
scissors,
scotch tape or glue,
wiggly eyes (optional)
black marker

Instructions:

1. Cut about 16 strips of construction paper 2 inches wide and 10 inches long

2. Make your first strip of construction paper into a ring and tape or glue it together

3. Slide your next strip of construction paper through the ring and tape or glue it into a ring

4. Repeat the process until you have a long chain of construction paper rings.

Tongue:

chinese new year, paper snake

5. Cut a tongue shape from red construction paper (Y shaped)

6. Fold a small tab at the end and glue it onto the head (the front construction paper ring)

Eyes:

7. Glue on wiggly eyes or draw eyes on with a marker. You can even make the eyes out of construction paper.

submitted by momstown Milton

Posted by momstown team on 02/09/2013 - 15:29

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Paper Tube Tiger Puppet Craft for Preschoolers

This simple paper tube tiger craft for preschoolers would be great to include in an animal, zoo, or circus theme, and it's perfect as a quick and easy craft idea for preschoolers using supplies you probably already have at home. In our case, it was inspired by the news that the new series "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" would be aired on Kids CBC starting this October.

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood is an animated program featuring the adventures of Daniel, a four year old tiger. Based on "Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood," Daniel is the son of the the striped Daniel the Tiger puppet featured on the original Mr. Rogers show. Set in the Neighbourhood of Make-Believe, the Trolley, Katerina Kitty Cat, O the Owl, and many other familiar Mr. Rogers characters also make appearances on the show.

We were able to see a sneak peak of a couple of episodes a few weeks ago, and it was a huge hit with both the adults and kids who saw it. Beyond the obvious nostalgia factor for any of us who grew up on the original show, Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood features sweet songs, charming animation, valuable lessons, and scenarios such as the first day of school that are relatable to the lives of most preschoolers.

To honour the original show and the launch of the new one, it only seemed fitting to make a puppet.

Here's what you need to make your own trr-iffic paper tube tiger:

a paper tube
orange construction paper
scraps of brown and pink construction paper
a brown marker
googlie eyes
glue
scissors

1. Cut a rectangle out of orange construction paper that is length of the tube, and wide enough to wrap around the paper tube with a bit of overhang. Glue paper onto tube:

2. Cut strips of brown construction paper, and glue onto your tube to form the tiger's stripes. Alternately, you can just draw on stripes with your brown marker:

3. Cut a circle out of orange construction paper. Glue on googlie eyes, and a pink construction paper nose:

4. Cut two small orange semi-circles, and glue on the top sides of the tiger's head to form his ears. Use your brown marker to add a mouth, stripes, and other features to your tiger's face:

5. Glue face to the top of your paper tube:

6. Cut two arms, and one long tail out of orange construction paper. Use your brown marker to add stripes:

7. Glue arms onto sides for the paper tube, and the tail to the back. Put on a puppet show of your own, or take your tiger for a tour of your own neighbourhood:

Did you watch Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood as a kid?

Posted by momstown Teach on 09/26/2012 - 21:28

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Create mosaic art with preschoolers - an adventure in art

My kids love watching Pirates: Adventures in Art on Kids' CBC. It's such an innovative way for kids to learn about different art styles (while cheering on their favourite pirates against Queen Conformia!). The mosaic form is one that kids can easily replicate in a variety of ways.

Most preschoolers LOVE to use scissors - so get yours out and you can create a fun mosaic piece!

penguin mosaic

What you need:

Lots of construction paper or foam in different colours
Scissors
Gluestick

You'll want to choose a design that's appropriate for your child's age. The Penguin pictured here was done by a 5 year old - 3 year olds will need to start a bit smaller so their finished piece doesn't take hours (unless you've got an awfully patient 3 year old!)

mosaic ghost

Draw out the shape of the design you are making with marker on a piece of construction paper. Have your child decide what colours they'd like to use to make the design, and write the colours in the marked areas. This will help them and also let them practice colour word recognition!

mosaic egg

Then get cutting! Straight lines are easiest for little ones so cutting paper into cubes is a great way to start. Once you've got a big pile of squares, start gluing them into the picture. It's usually easiest to start in the middle and work your way out.

foam mosaic

If your little mosaic artist decides just to go freestyle - no worries! Art is all about the creative process and you want kids to enjoy it and feel successful - that's what the Pirates celebrate as they go on their Adventures!

Posted by Teacher Mom on 07/20/2012 - 14:34

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