Learning Is Child's Play

BLACK FRIDAY!

2011-11-25T14:18:00.107-06:00

If y'all remember, I am a Independent Consultant for Story Time Felts and More! I personally think we have the most beautiful felts around. They are made in America out of super soft 1/4 inch flannel and they are even washable!

Today Story Time Felts is having their MOST "Awesomest" Sale of the year! It's the first time Story Time Felts has ever had a BLACK FRIDAY Sale! So you know they are going to do it BIG! Now, if you haven't been watching my facebook page, I'm going to show you a few of the fabulous goodies up for SALE! This sale is going on now until 11:pm tonight over at my Story Time Felts & More's Consultants website!

First up is the Aesop's Fables w/CD Set

Regular Price $34.99

Special Price $19.99 uncut

Aesop first told these fables in the 7th century BC, and we still tell them to our children today! These Stories teach valuable lessons such as "honesty is the best policy" and many, many more. There are 15 fables in all. Book includes five felt pages, 57 felt figures, stories, and the CD

Fashion Dolls Uncut

Regular Price: $17.99

Special Price: $11.99

On the job or on the slopes, on the town or on the beach this set is sure to make any young lady very happy! Felt dolls are so much better than paper dolls! Girls will have hours and "years" of fun because of our felts durably! Forty items of clothing and four beautiful dolls on regular felt offer dozens of dress combinations!

Classic Fairy Tales

Regular Price: $27.99

Special Price: $19.99 / uncut

Five all time favorite fairy tales can be told with this comprehensive set. You and your child or children can tell these fabulous favorites:

* Goldilocks and the 3 Bears

* The 3 Little Pigs

* The Gingerbread Man (my favorite!!)

* Billy Goats Gruff

and

* Little Red Riding Hood

And here are a few more:

Baby Kari

Crazy Good Deal

Regular Price: $27.99

Special Price: $6.99

Create-a-Face

Regular Price: $24.99

Special Price: $14.99

Butterflies

Regular Price: $11.99

Special Price: $ 5.99

Friend Dolls

Regular Price: $3.99 each

Special Price: $2.00 each

And those are just a few! We have "3" pages filled with "going, going until they're gone items!!

Hurry over to my Consultant Page HERE and click Shop! Then Click on the BLACK FRIDAY button on the top left! If you need any help with your orders or have any questions please contact me at: laleighma1@cobridge.tv

Happy Shopping!
Laura

Found Freebies!

2011-08-20T12:54:00.002-05:00

Are you a Freebie Lover like me? I bet you are ;) Most Mommies and Teachers LOVE anything Free! Right? Oh Yeah! Here is an excellent site with LOTS of Fantastic FREE goodies! It's called:

Freeology

It has lots and lots of fabulous printables! Like...

Classroom Posters and Signs!

AND

Alphabet Printables

AND

Awards and Certificates

Number Printables

Reading Goodies

Coloring Pages

Environmental Printables

Grammar Goodies

Plus Lots More!

Now, scoot over there and get yourself some awesome Freebies and don't forget to share ! ;)

Make Every Day a Child's Play Day!

Laura

Circle Time Seating Idea

2011-08-03T11:20:00.001-05:00

I know Ms Deborah's post from Teach Preschool will be all over Facebook today, because this idea is SO awesome!

(picture from TeachPreschool.org)

Circle Time is a great way to start your day at school, but sometimes not everyone is happy about where they end up sitting! The complaints I've heard.... "I can't see you Ms. Laura because ______ is too big!" or "_____ is touching me!" or "I'm being smushed!" or "I can't hear you Ms. Laura because _____ won't stop talking to me!"

I know we have all tried different ways to get the kids sitting comfortably and paying attention during Circle Time, right? I've tried putting tape strips on the carpet with their names. I've tried using contact paper pictures with their names on it, but they don't stay long and well, it kind of messes up the rug too!

I've "chalked" seating spots; used laminated construction paper and mini note pads with Velcro on the back and I've even purchased mini rugs, BUT this idea that came from someone on her Teach Preschool Facebook page is Rocking!!

Using Place Mats to Sit On!

Is that a crazy good idea or what?! You know it is! Wow! I can't believe I had never thought of using them! Wow!

What ideas have you tried to control seating at Circle Time? Please share! :)

Thanks! Have a Child's Play Day!

Laura

2011-01-09T21:09:00.001-06:00

ImageChef.com I Am Awesome

Ghost Rhyming Game

2010-10-30T17:06:00.001-05:00

I made this game myself and wanted to get at least "1" cute item on the blog before the end of Halloween! I barely made it didn’t I? Gees! I hope you like it .

I scanned the images and printed out a set for my Mom's class. They came out just fine, yeah! I used white tag-board and will of course laminate them for durability. I stored them in a little velour pumpkin bag that I picked up last year at the Dollar Tree. Sorry there isn’t a picture of it because my Hubby took the camera to the hunting camp! Go figure!

Ghost/Toast & Thumb/Drum

Flag/Bag & Door/Store

Pig/Wig & Wink/Drink

Skate/Gate & Mice/Ice

Cheese/Squeeze & Soap/Rope

Moon/Spoon & Truck/Duck

King/Ring

Happy Halloween!

An All About Me "Ms. Laura" Book

2010-09-24T12:27:00.008-05:00

When my class did our "All About Me" unit each child made their own book at home, with the help of their parents. I scheduled a few kids at a time to bring their books, so they could "read" them to the class. This way I wouldn't be overwhelmed with having all of them at once. Each book was unique in its own way and totally fabulous! I so wished I had taken pictures of each and every one, but I didn't! Teachers and parents, take pictures of everything, seriously! Living in this digital age it now can be done and stored on a disk! I love that! But, when I was a younger teacher I couldn't afford to take so many pictures. I did get help from the parents via my Giving Tree.

I made a tree into a "Giving Tree" bulletin board and placed it right by my front door. It was simply an apple tree poster that I had gotten from Scholastic. I put apples, which I cut from tag board, on the tree. Each apple had different things we needed or used often in our class! The parents could just grab one on their way out and it worked very well. I never had to ask for stuff very often...well not much anyway ;)

But, back to the All About Me books! I made this one 12 years ago, so don't giggle too hard at the pics! Thank you ;) My own kids still get a good laugh at it today. It has become a mini scrapbook in time for us. Each page is in the shape of an apple, which I made from red poster board. But any shape would work just find. One of my students made their book using the different letters in their name. It was really cool! (I wished I had thought of that) I laminated my pages and brought the whole thing to Kinko's to have it bound. It wasn't much and it has lasted all this time, even with many little hands flipping through it over and over again! It was well worth the cost.

Looking back, I wished I hadn't handwritten the wording but would have printed it out with the computer. That way I could have caught any typos too. Gees! And it would have been more uniformed and much neater looking. I decided on the content from a page that I will add at the bottom. So here it is, just to get your brain brimming with ideas on what YOU could do!

Here is the page I sent home for the parents. It is from Leap Frog Press, now known as Frogstreet Press! Yup it's that old! ;)

And here is a fabulous link up to another great PDF file/printable on All About Me!

Mrs. Kilburn Kiddos

And here are some more links to sites with All About Me Ideas:

Alphabet Soup ME Songs

Hummingbird Educational Resources

Preschool Education

Child's Play

Leave me a comment if you "Like!"

Laura

Never Forget 9/11!

2010-09-11T15:54:00.001-05:00

A Donut Felt How to!

2010-08-25T11:15:00.001-05:00

I have always wanted to make my own felt foods. This one is easy enough even for me! A great "starter" project :)

See Delicious Felt Donut and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

Laura

Teaching Heart's Back To School Party!

2010-08-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

Teaching Heart has always been one of my favorite sites for all holidays, themes or anything classroom related! Colleen's awesome talents and fabulous ideas are right at my fingertips and usually just a click away!

One day I'd like to learn how to make my own printables, but until then I will continue visiting her site for the latest and greatest goodies. She has tons of Freebies (my ALL time favorite!) and CD's you can purchase that are filled to the brim with terrific content!

As a PreK Teacher, although retired, the beginning of school was always the scariest for me! Yes, even after 28 years that period before the big day was very exciting, but also very scary! Teaching Heart's CD's, ideas, shares and freebies made me feel more secure, more confident and better prepared for the 1st day of school AND all throughout the year!!

I still enjoy all of her terrific ideas on making learning fun and I know you will to! So click on the links below and join her facebook page and enter her Big Back To School Party for a chance to WIN tons of her product! And when you do, and you know you will ;), tell her Laura from Learning Is Child's Play sent you!

Teaching Mom Blog

Teaching Heart Facebook Page

Primary Teacher Timesaver Product Page

Back to School Page

Laura

School Has Begun!

2010-08-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

My son started school last Thursday and my daughter started today! Where did the summer go?? This is the first time we didn't even get away for a "mini" vacation! My Grand has been sick, I was working a second job, hubby was working too and our favorite spots on the gulf were closed due to BP's oil spill!!

Ever since the kids were little we have always managed to get away for at least a weekend, but not this year! So sad! Poor things don't even have anything to write about for their "What Did You Do This Summer" essay! Hopefully we will get to plan one for Labor day! I hope so! I really, really hope so! All work and No play makes a Mama and her kiddos "Grumpy!" ;)

I hope those of you who still have some time left before school starts, get to enjoy a little family summer fun!

Laura

New Orleans Students Challenge Schools on Use of Oil

2010-08-02T11:46:00.000-05:00

New Orleans Students Challenge Schools on Use of Oil Center for Ecoliteracy

This was a great read and an excellent way to get students involved in whats happening in their enviroment!

Laura

Cancer Sucks!

2010-07-30T21:01:00.001-05:00

My daughter and I visited my Grand today, she was awake and alert, but barely. This strong, dynamic, classy lady has simply "melted" away, right before our eyes! In 9 months she has lost so much weight and become so thin that the veins in her hands are bugling out.

She is slowly drifting away from us ...body, mind and soul. It is heart wrenching to watch and brings me to tears every time I say goodbye, not knowing if "this" will be the last time I see her! Cancer is a horrible, horrible disease! :(

Laura

The Grands!

2010-07-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

I am heading to spend the weekend with my Grand! This gal is so strong! We were told that she only had 2 weeks to 6 months to live and last week she is going on 9 months!! A lot of stuff has happened in those 9 months...good and bad...but Wow!

So I'm off to visit and enjoy the time God has given us! Have a Super Blessed Weekend!

Laura

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-04T18:35:00.001-05:00

My your flag always fly high, Your people stand strong and tall!

May God Bless our Country, May we continue to live as a "Christian" nation,
One that our fore fathers would be proud of!

May we abide by and protect our Constitution!

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The Constitution of the United States of America

Here is another link to get a Pocket-sized copy of the Constitution for FREE! here

Happy Independence Day to Us All!

Laura

National Anthem by 5 little girls!! amazing...

2010-07-04T18:32:00.001-05:00

BP is just Sickening!

2010-07-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

I still can't believe this is happening to our beautiful coastlines and marshes! The whole thing seems so surreal!? How in the world could something like this have even happened in this day and age!?

Today via PBS, BP has 2 more "options" to try and stop this oil leak! The meter above was from the PBS site and shows how much oil has leaked into the Gulf already! It is just Sickening!!!

BP's chief of Gulf Coast restoration Bob Dudley called the well polluting the Gulf of Mexico "just a very unusual problem." Oh my goodness! This is SO Not "just an unusual problem!" It looks to me to be a Terrible, Horrible Very Bad "Problem!"

The links below tell this horrific story of the Gulf Spill Disaster far better then I could ever do. But be advised you may need a whole box of tissues to read some of it, I know I did! :( It truly is the worse oil spill in the US and not just for the Gulf areas, but for us "all!"

So Sad! So Sad!

* Jean-Michel Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society (facebook page)

Everything is connected and this event connects and touches us all.

Jean-Michel Cousteau

* The Gulf Oil Spill: 7 Ways to Help

* AP Tries to Put Gulf Oil Spill in Perspective, Fails Miserably...

"The amount of oil spilled so far could only fill the cavernous New Orleans Superdome about one-seventh of the way up. On the other hand, it could fill 15 Washington Monuments and two-thirds of the way up a 16th. If the oil were poured on a football field -- complete with endzones -- it would measure nearly 100 yards high."

* In Photos: Haunting images of the gulf oil disaster

* The Cry of the Oil-Soaked Pelican

Tears! Tears! Tears!

* BP Recasts Spill Size As Oil Fouls Louisiana Marshes

Please Pray for Our Once Beautiful Marshes, Wetlands and Coastlines

Laura

I Want One Of These!

2010-06-22T22:02:00.000-05:00

There is a fabulous, awesome and super cool give-away going on at Southern Hospitality Blog! I had to post a little blurb about it for a chance to win this:

A Silhouette Craft Cutter!

It is one of the neatest things I've seen in a while! Perfect for making all kinds of paper crafts, vinyls and even glass etching! Wow! I always wanted to make stuff with glass etching , but was afraid too because of the chemicals involved! Dang! If I win, I could now!

So go here to leave a comment and get Your chance to win too! Tell Rhonda that I sent you! ;)

Thanks!

Hugs and Kisses.....Laura

(casting crowns)A Tribute To Our Soldiers

2010-05-31T11:46:00.002-05:00

Thank You to All the Brave Men and Women Who Gave Their Lives
to Keep Us Safe!

Laura

Web Freebies for Teachers, Homeschoolers and Kids!

2010-05-07T13:36:00.001-05:00

FREE Poster from Educational Tours

FREE Child Safety Kit from ADT

LOTS of Freebies for Teachers

FREE Worksheets

FREE Lesson Plans

Art and Design Freebies

Highlights Magazine Freebies

FREE eBooks for Children

LOTS of Free Printable Activities

FREE Tools and Templates

FREEBIES for Educators

FREE Fonts

FREE Printable Games, Crafts, Cards and More!!

FREEBIES for Homeschoolers

FREE Braille Alphabet Card

Suite 101 Freebie Links

Smokey the Bear Freebies to Print and Play

Environmental Kids Club

FREE Potty Training DVD

The Lorax Activity Book Printable

FREE Milk Matters Book

FREE Lego Monthly Magazine Sign Up

Have a Wonderful and Wacky Weekend!

Laura

Updates On Life!

2010-04-24T11:57:00.001-05:00

I am off to visit my Grand for the weekend and just wanted to fill you in on my where abouts! I've been busy with the store, updating new product and even have a GuideCraft Give-Away in the works! Thank You Rob!! So keep a look out for that...Coming Soon!

My Grand is "91" and she is a hoot! A rebel from the 40's and a Sassy Lady! She is dying from cancer, but my Dad and Uncle have chosen not to tell her, so she could be at peace in her last days. I wasn't too sure about that at first, but I see it as an act of kindness now. She has her salvation and stuff in order already, even down to the dress she wants to be buried in, so I'm pretty sure she "does" know.

The Doctors told us she could be here for 2 weeks or for up 6 months. It's been almost 3 months now and she is still kicking! :) She was always a fighter and she is still fighting today! The cancer is in her brain and spine and is slowly making her skin and bone. Cancer, is a horrible thing! I lost my favorite Aunt ( her daughter and my Dad's only Sister) to breast cancer in 1993, because it had spread to her brain. It was quick and she just went to sleep and never woke up. When I go, I hope it's just like that!

I like to always look for the best in everything and even in the face of death there "Is" a best! My Grand has never been close to us kids. There are 3 of us... Me-Laura, the oldest, Sister-Belinda, middle child and Brother-Champ, the baby. She was always closer to my Aunts kids, the one who passed from breast cancer, and would hang with them. To make a l*o*n*g story short...this is finally "Our" time.

My Sister and I spend the weekends at her house taking care of her and just talk! She is bedridden because she can't use her legs anymore so we watch Lawrence Welk reruns, go through photos, watch Joel and other great Preachers and are making up for all the years that we have missed and She is too, making up for lost time! Her words! :)

So, I'm off to visit her for the weekend and just wanted to let you all know what has been happening in our lives. Please be in Prayer for her and our family. Thank you and have a Blessed weekend!

Laura

"Grand" Christmas 2009

Facebook Fan Page!

2010-04-07T21:38:00.001-05:00

If you haven't joined my facebook page, please do! I seem to have an easier time updating there and posting the rocking finds I come across! Please share me with your friends too!

Bear Hugs and Butterfly Kisses to You All!

Laura

Happy 25th Anniversary to "The Very Busy Spider!"

2010-03-19T14:57:00.004-05:00

I LOVE Eric Carle books and today is one of his greatest 25th anniversary...The Very Busy Spider!

*The Very Busy Spider in the classroom here

* Printables from Making Learning Fun here

* Hubbards Cupboard here

* Awesome art ideas from blog Artolazzi here

* 90 Fabulous ideas from Lesson Planet here

* A Child's Place - Book Ideas here

* Ask Kids has a whole page dedicated to web links here

* Step by Step Childcare Spider Theme here

* No Time For Flashcards has Spider goodies to eat and make here

* A KDG Unit on Spiders, free download here

* Free Bingo game from Free Printables here

We LOVE You Eric Carle!

Laura

A Wonderful Freebie For St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-13T12:59:00.002-06:00

I know, like me, everyone loves a good "freebie" ...yes? Of course! March has come in a like a Lion so in all it's fury here's a little goodie to get us back on our feet....an eBook "Irish for a Day!" The eBook is offered from "Fave Crafts.com" and You can get the free download here. They have wonderful craft ideas for every holiday and for every skill level. Their is an awesome Crafting With Kids section, plus great ideas for us grown-ups too!

Laura

Lots of Teaching Ideas

2010-02-06T11:53:00.003-06:00

KinderArt has a wonderful list of online resources available to help you teach your child or teach your classes "Art." Excellent articles, book reviews, free printables (my favorite) and much more. Go HERE to visit their site.

Enjoy!

Have a Child's Play Day!

Laura :)

A Sweet Treat!

2010-02-05T08:27:00.001-06:00

Make and Takes has a great "how to" on her blog for making Chocolate Dipped Cupid Hearts. They are so sweet and prefect for class parties or to give all your special valentines! Go Here to learn how :)

(photo from Make and Takes Blog)

Have a Child's Play Day!

Laura

ABC Songs!

2010-02-04T19:21:00.001-06:00

Did you know that YouTube has tons of wonderful videos for you to share, watch and sing along with your kids while teaching them! Awesome! Here are a few that you might enjoy!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

ABC Song on YouTube

Alphabet Song. "Let's sing with TOONBO"

Lets Start Smart Alphabet and Letter Sounds ABCDE Song

Learn how to read ABC Alphabet - Nice Video song

The Alphabet ABCs

This is just a "FEW" of them and there are way too many to post! I had such fun searching and I know you will too!

                                                           Have Fun!
                                                             Laura

cathie filian: Make it: Kids Valentine Wreath

2010-02-04T16:51:00.000-06:00

Hey Ya'll! I'm trying the "share" button on Google, so let me know if it works or not!

cathie filian: Make it: Kids Valentine Wreath

I think this idea would be great for the kiddo's, but I would use foam hearts! :)

I LOVE My Felts!

2010-01-23T15:42:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! Did you know that I am also a Story Time Felt Consultant? We have an Awesome array of felt goodies for your classrooms, children and grandchildren!

Totally Rocking Felts such as Felt Dress Ups (like paper dolls, but made of felt), Quiet Books, Felts for all types of stories from Fairy Tales, Bible Stories,... Make Believe and Educational, Early Learning Felts, Masks and Mitts (felt puppets), Toggles (felt books that open and close) and so much more! We even offer Music CDs!

Please look over our catalog HERE and let "Me" be "Your" Story Time Felt Consultant!

Have a Happy Learning Is Child's Play Day!

Laura

Wow! Blogging is Hard!

2010-01-20T10:15:00.000-06:00

I just never realized that blogging would be so hard!I belong to some pretty awesome blogs and they all seem to make this look so easy! It seems like each one of them have the "gift!" Me, I'm not so sure!

How do they come up with topics to discuss? When do they find time to do everything...the thoughts,the photo's, the researching, the posting, the spell checking (Thank You Myra!) along with working, cleaning, cooking, shopping and everyday stuff? It's really a lot harder then I thought!

I would like to share "Links" that I find, those that I have used or others that I found to be useful. I wanted to share ideas I've had over the years and things I've done with my PreK classes...but All of my stuff is still packed up! :( I want to share "People" that I've found on the web and fell in Love with! There are SO many Moms/ Teachers/ Crafters and wonderfully beautiful people in the blogging world and I would love to share them with You. But is this type of sharing...Blogging?

The art of blogging is a magical place to be! There is so much to learn and so much to do! I would really appreciate ANY input you could give me on "How I should go about this or what you think about it!" Thank you SO very much for following me and I hope I don't disappoint you!

Ms. Laura

Waiting on the World to Change- Cover

2010-01-17T17:39:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm back! I still have a Love/Hate relationship with this dang thing, but I think we have everything fixed... Only time will tell!

My super cute Nephew and his friends got together and posted a song on YouTube. It's pretty dang good too! My Nephew is the one singing. They all did an excellent job! Take a peek and leave them a comment. I know they would really enjoy hearing what you have to say! Don't forget to tell them I sent you!

I HATE Computer Problems!

2010-01-16T11:35:00.001-06:00

My New and Wonderful Followers, I am having a horrible time with my HP! I am having to "Recover" my whole computer and It is so not fun! UGH! I don't know how or why this is happening to me...well not true! I..yes,me..I'm always fussing at my kids about downloading stuff and then I go and do it...Oh Man!!

I downloaded the "Make Yourself Into A Cartoon" from Facebook and I didn't like it. It had a tool bar with it, that I didn't like either, so I uninstalled it! No problem right? Wrong? When I uninstalled the program my whole computer changed! The font was too small , the graphics were all wrong and it was acting strange! I love to play Pogo and even my pogo mini looked weird, even for me! The pages weren't loading right and lots of my goodies were missing!

So, as any Mom would do, I tried to"fix" it! I tried to Restore and couldn't. I tried to set things back to the Default, but that didn't work either. I called HP and asked for help, but found out my warranty had expire ..last month! Plus, I didn't have any Disc's because this computer has Vista and I was supposed to "back" them up, which I never got around to doing either! UGH!!!!

So....I had to order and pay for recovery disc, buy an extended warranty and redo all of my "stuff!" Well I'm sure you know after a while, you can accumulate a lot of "stuff!' It has been a long 2 days! At least we are back safely online...I hope!

Hopefully, I can get back in a groove next week. Have a wonderful MLK Holiday!

Ms. Laura

It's Carnival Time!

2010-01-08T13:31:00.000-06:00

Yes indeed, It's Mardi Gras here in Louisiana! The time of King Cakes, Parades, Fancy Costume Balls and some good old fun! Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning "farewell to the flesh." It's a Catholic holiday but you don't have to be Catholic to enjoy the fun! Mardi Gras likely has its roots in pre-Christian traditions based on the seasons. Some believe the festival represented the few days added to the lunar calendar to make it coincide with the solar calendar; since these days were outside the calendar, rules and customs were not obeyed. Others see it as a late-winter celebration designed to welcome the coming spring. As early as the middle of the second century, the Romans observed a Fast of 40 Days, which was preceded by a brief season of feasting, costumes and merrymaking.

The Carnival season kicks off with the Epiphany, also known as Twelfth Night, Three Kings' Day and, in the Eastern churches, Theophany. Epiphany, which falls on January 6, 12 days after Christmas, celebrates the visit of the Wise Men bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. In cultures that celebrate Carnival, Epiphany kicks off a series of parties leading up to Mardi Gras.

Epiphany is also traditionally when celebrants serve King's Cake, a custom that began in France in the 12th century. Legend has it that the cakes were made in a circle to represent the circular routes that the Wise Men took to find Jesus, in order to confuse King Herod and foil his plans of killing the Christ Child. In the early days, a coin or bean was hidden inside the cake, and whoever found the item was said to have good luck in the coming year. In Louisiana, bakers now put a small baby, representing the Christ Child, in the cake; the recipient is then expected to host the next King Cake party.

Here are some links for making the Fabulous Louisiana King Cake!

Gumbo Pages

About.com / Southern Food

Mardi Gras Day

Cookie Madness Blog .

Kids King Cake Using Refrigerator Biscuits

Instructables King Cake

King "Cup" Cake

Let me know if you liked these! I have lots more goodies to help you and your kiddo's celebrate Mardi Gras to come!

Have a Child's Play Day!

Love,

Ms. Laura

The Color Pink: For All Grown Up Girls!

2010-01-08T11:10:00.000-06:00

Deborah Stewart, from "Little Fingers That Play", posted this beautiful and touching song today. With her permission I had to share it with you! Please share it with your Breast Cancer Survivor Friends too!

The Color Pink

View more presentations from Deborah Stewart.

Thank Ms. Deborah!

Laura

Happy New Year 2010!

2009-12-30T09:32:00.002-06:00

Wow! Christmas time seems like it takes forever to arrive and then "Bam" it's gone! It happens so fast and ends so quickly, to me anyway! Now we are on the threshold of a New Year! Another Wow! 2010, can you believe it!?

So much has gone on this last year in Our lives and the Nations lives. Good and Bad, but mostly I'd like to think Good. I like the little diddy or song that says "You can't have a Rainbow, without a little rain!" I personally would like "less" rain this year, but "more" rainbows! ;) God is funny that way, because you can't have those wonderful moments of beautiful rainbows unless you have a little rain first. I guess we really do appreciate them far more that way. He always does know what's best! ;)

May God bless each of Us in this New Year with Rainbow Blessings, Excellent Health, Butterflies in Your Tummy Love, Safety for Our Families and Country, and Extreme Abundance!

Thank You For Blessing My Life With Your Friendship!

Ms. Laura

Make Everyday A Child's Play Day!

I SPY Christmas Ornaments

2009-12-21T20:21:00.003-06:00

I LOVE "I Spy" books! They are written by Jean Marzollo and we have had almost all of them! But sadly as my kids grew, I passed the books on to their younger family members. I still Love them, though! I guess I'll never grow up...is that bad? I don't think so!

I like just looking at all the wonderful goodies that Jean uses in her books. I always wondered how the "I Spy" books where made, did you too? Where in the world does she find all of those neat things? Where does she keep them when she isn't using them for her books? Questions I pondered!

Well, in all actuality the wonderful photographs are created by Walter Wick and then Jean writes the riddles that go with them! What a wonderful collaboration!

On Jean's site her fans came up with a great Christmas gift idea! Ms.Pamela Squires and Ms.Ranee Lyman Valentine made "I Spy Ornaments!" They are truly fabulous! She has even made up a little poem to go with the gift! (see below)

Using empty craft ornament balls she filled one half way with sparkling Polypellets, which she found at Walmart in the craft section. I would think you could also use artificial snow if you couldn't find the pellets. Then she put in her "I Spy" items, glued the halves together, added a beautiful Christmas ribbon and the poem.

Here is the poem :
"I spy 2 snowflakes, a star from the night, A golden ring, and a Christmas light; A holly leaf, a snowman, a little white dove, 2 bells, a present, and a heart full of love."

For more information on this neat-o Christmas craft click here !

UPDATED LINKS 12/10:

This Little Project

I Spy Ornament Activity Book

Craft Goodies I Spy

I Spy Flash Game

I Spy / Scholastic Printables and Activities

Scholastic I Spy Games

Printable From 19th Century Children's Book

First School / I Spy Shapes and Game

Highlights Kids / Hidden Pictures

Merry Christmas Blessings to You and Your Family!

Ms. Laura

My Candy Wreaths Are Ready!

2009-12-19T12:10:00.002-06:00

I love making these because they are so pretty, but also because they are so quick! A fellow teacher taught me how to do this years ago, during nap-time! Since then, I've made them almost every year. They are great for every occasion, but I just Love them at Christmas time!

You can use wire coat hangers as the base, but I can never get my circle to look like a circle! So I buy my rings from the craft store. They come in all sizes, from ever so tiny to super big. I get the 6 in ones for my smaller wreaths and the 10 or 9 inch ones for my larger ones. Do not get anything bigger, unless you just want a "Super" big wreath and you have lots of candy!;)

I am not very good at giving written directions, yet...so I've found a link that tells you everything you'll need to know here . I hope you have as much fun as I do making these! Everyone loves getting them too, so you will be a big hit..as always I'm sure! :)

Let me know if you like this idea, by leaving a comment!

Have Very Merry Christmas!

Ms. Laura

On the 9th Day...

2009-12-16T07:35:00.000-06:00

On the 9th Day of Christmas....
OK, I know it's not the 9th day of Christmas, but it is 9 days until Christmas! ;) This lovely blogger from s*e*i Lifestyle : Paper Beyond Scrapbooking had the most interesting idea....something I could actually do in no time at all! It's a "Paper" Stocking! Read all the details here : On the 9th Day...

Merry Christmas!

Ms. Laura

Evan-Moor Educational Publishers at eNotes: Documents tagged with early childhood

2009-12-14T08:56:00.000-06:00

If you don't know it yet, I am a "Freebie" lover! I know that everyone enjoys something that is Free, am I right? Yes indeed! Well, while I was searching for something great to share with you guys, I came upon this neat little site....eNotes. They have lots of Free goodies, mostly samples, but really good ones! ;) So, let me know if you find something that you love too!

Evan-Moor Educational Publishers at eNotes: Documents tagged with early childhood

Ms. Laura

Surprise Ball Christmas Ornaments

2009-12-12T14:39:00.000-06:00

A wonderful blogger , "Alpha Mom" has posted the neatest ornament and I just had to share it! I myself have always wanted to make these cuties for my kiddo's but never did! :( My guess is, mine would never have turned out as fabulous as hers though!

This would have been perfect for my Sisters kids when they were little. She has 6 boys and it was hard trying to come of with ideas every year that wouldn't break me!

                   http://www.alphamom.com/holiday/2009/12/surprise_ball_christmas_orname.php

So, pop over there and check this out along with all the other wonderful ideas she has to share! When you do, leave a comment and tell her that "We" sent you!

                                                                      Merry Christmas!
                                                                        Ms. Laura

A FREE Printable Storybook Link

2009-12-09T15:16:00.001-06:00

I was visiting a site that Teach Preschool told me about when...What did my wandering eyes see...A FREE Storybook that you can print out! Oh yeah! I'm ALL about the FREE, don't ya know! You can even include a child's name, Boy or Girl! Super Cool!

http://www.25daysofholidayfun.com/

Merry Christmas!

Ms. Laura

Making a Garland from Cranberries and Popcorn

2009-12-05T12:54:00.002-06:00

My parents didn't have a lot of money when I was little, but my Mom always made the holidays fun for us kids! One of my favorite Christmas memories was making cranberry and popcorn garlands for the tree.

First, Mom would buy fresh cranberries from our local grocery store and then we would cook lots of popcorn, right from the stove and in a big pot! Not from a bag tossed in the microwave! Come on now, how many times do kids make popcorn the old fashion way these days! This in itself will be a memorable event!

To string the Cranberries and Popcorn you will also need a large needle and some dental floss or fishing line. Watch out with those needles with the kiddo's though...I do remember pricking my fingers ...a lot! We used plain old sewing thread when were where kids too, but I think the latter will work better. It won't break as easily and won't twist up as much either.

And then, away you go, stringing the berries and the popcorn! My sister and I would sit for hours (could have been shorter...you know...being a kid and all, lol) just making this garland. What a great memory!

Remember to Make Everyday, A Child's Play Kinda Day!

Merry Christmas!!

Ms. Laura

The Princess and The Frog

2009-12-03T08:10:00.000-06:00

Need a good movie to watch with you kids this holiday? December 11, 2009 , "The Princess and The Frog" rated G, will come out in theaters. It "looks" like it will be some good clean fun! Something movie markers NEED to make more of! Don't you agree?

The movie is set in New Orleans! Yeah! This is my neck of the woods. Being from Louisiana is starting to be a rather positive "thang" lately! Lots of producers are beginning to see what a great and diverse area we truly are!

The story is based on "The Frog Prince" but with a twist! Ya know anything that is set in Louisiana has to have that! Am I right? The film, "The Princess and the Frog," is about an African-American young lady named Tiana who meets a frog prince trying to become human again. Their chance encounter and a kiss lead them into the lively Louisiana bayous. Here is a little clip...too funny! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvUJka2jkSA&feature=player_embedded

Have a "Hoppy" Holiday!!
Ms. Laura

It's Christmas Time!!

2009-12-01T08:20:00.002-06:00

Ho-Ho-Ho! It's that time of year again, Christmas! I love this season, don't you? I found a little happy to get us started on this whirlwind holiday! Turn up your speakers! :)

Oh What a Merry Christmas Day(Mickey's Christmas Carol)

Merry Christmas!
Laura

Great Ideas From a Wonderful Gal!

2009-11-23T10:29:00.001-06:00

Cathie Filian has been a favorite of mine since I found her on HGTV, hosting the show"Creative Juice!" My cable carrier or the HGTV peeps don't have many craft shows, that I find anyway, mostly House Decorating stuff! OK, but not what I want to see! Cathie does say her show comes on in the mornings, but I'm usually off at work! Go figure!

She has some wonderful ideas that I wanted to share with ya'll and I know you are going love her too!
Here are a few to get your juices going! Yum,Yum and Fun, Fun!

http://tiny.cc/hvhHX

Orange and Clove Candle Holders

http://tiny.cc/roGW8

Thanksgiving Tips and Tricks

http://tiny.cc/3mOh2

Enjoy!

Laura

Happy Thanksgiving Holidays Everybody!!

2009-11-23T07:52:00.002-06:00

Can you believe it! Thanksgiving holidays are here and the kids are out of school for a whole week! What to do, What to do? How will I keep them entertained and busy? My kiddo's are 13 and 15 and they say they are too old for "My" idea of fun! HA! I love making goodies and decorating for the holidays! My kids...not so much!

We used to have loads of fun when they where younger or at least I thought we were! I wanted to make memories for them and hopefully when they have their own kid's they will remember what fun we did have! Right now they are "Teenagers!" UGH! Just when I thought we could do more, because they are older and we can "go" places, do more things and make more things...they become the "T" word! Oh, what a twisted turn of fate! Just kidding! I'm gonna "make" them have fun if it kills us all! :)

Make Today A Child's Play Day!

Laura

Domino Day

2009-11-16T08:17:00.000-06:00

Saturday, November 14, 2009 was Domino Day! So, here are some interesting links on the history of Domino Day and some fun links to make your own!

I saw this on ABC News and found it on YouTube! It is taken in the Netherlands and set a new world record using over 4 million dominoes! Wow!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X8uW2ezFKY

Domino Day 2009

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_Day

The 2009 event is entitled 'The World in Domino - The Show with the Flow'. It was the 11th edition of the show; it showed different aspects of the world with the display moving from continent to continent. The design uses 4.8 million dominoes. 4,345,028 dominoes were needed to be toppled in order to break the standing world record. Even though part of the final section of the piece did not fall, and three builder's challenges failed, the amount of dominoes toppled was 4,491,863 and the record was broken.

How to Play Dominoes:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/dominoes/rules.shtml

Printable Domino Games:
Here you will find lots of different types of dominoes to print out for free. Themes include shapes, math, letters,
shapes and much more
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/dominoes/

Make Your Very Own Customized Domino's from dltk.com. Use these for a Thanksgiving Day theme:
http://www.dltk-cards.com/dominos/index.htm

First-School:
Domino math printable activities and worksheet to learn to count, to write numerals, and basic addition equations to number 12. These are suitable for preschool, kindergarten, and first grade.
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/printables/dominoes-math.htm

Billy Bear 4 Kids has a set of free Bear Printable Domino's:
http://www.billybear4kids.com/worksheets/start-animals.html

Lucy Learns has lots of excellent printable Domino Games. They also have a Domino Generator so you can upload your Own images! Now that sounds like fun! Image having a Domino's game with the whole family on it for Thanksgiving Day! I'm going to try this one!
http://www.lucylearns.com/domino-printables.html

Printable Kids Trivia Games Information. This one is my favorite, because it has lots and lots of wonderful links to Free printable games! Awesome!:
http://www.printable-calorie-quiz-weblink.co.cc/free-printable-dominoes-games/#

Have Fun and Make Today a Child's Play Day!

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street!

2009-11-10T15:42:00.000-06:00

Can you believe that Sesame Street is 40 years old! I remember watching that show as a kid, then later as a young adult with my class of Pre-k, and then with my own kids! I loved Grover, Big Bird and Ernie! My favorite song was "Rubber Duckie" and my favorite clip was The "Hh" with the horse who couldn't talk ..."with all this hair in is mouth!"

Elmo was my son's favorite! The theme for his 1st birthday was "Elmo!" I couldn't find anything with Elmo on it for the party, of course, so I ended up making all the stuff myself! But the next year, Elmo was everywhere! My luck!

"Loga" got his first Elmo that day and he carried that little guy everywhere! Elmo taught him how to sing the alphabet and they became forever friends! Ahhh, memories!

I spotted by the Official Sesame Street site and guess what? If you order one of the 40th Birthday items , you get a FREE t-shirt with the Google Sesame Street Logo on it! I got mine!!

Sesame Street Store:
http://store.sesamestreet.org/Dept.aspx?cp=21415_21453

Is That Cool or What!?

Here are some great links for Sesame Street Ideas! Enjoy!

Sesame Street
* http://www.sesamestreet.org/games/art%20printables

dltk Crafts
* http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/cartoons/sesamestreet.html

Coloring Pages For Kids
* http://coloringpagesforkids.info/sesame-street-coloring-

PBS Kids
* http://pbskids.org/sesame/

Here are some Old fun Clips of the Early years of Sesame Street from IMDb : The Internet Movie Database!

Ernie has to set Rubber Duckie down to play
*http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi3513122841/

Ernie sings to his rubber duck in the bath.
*http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi660602905/

Twelve ladybugs have a picnic.
* http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi1786511385/

Please fill free to share this Blog with your friends!
Thanks!
Laura

Make Everyday Child's Play Day!

Parenting | Book Reviews | Obvious Letters

2009-11-03T15:59:00.001-06:00

Parenting | Book Reviews | Obvious Letters

Posted using ShareThis

Parenting | Ages

2009-11-03T15:58:00.001-06:00

Another great read from Familycorner.com!

Reading to Very Young Children

Sure, reading is critical to a child's success and development and we know experts advise us to start reading to babies as early as six months. But no one said it would be easy! In this article, find some tips to help offset the frustration factor of reading to a baby. Click on the link below to read the rest of this article!

http://www.familycorner.com/parenting/ages/young_readers.shtml

Posted using ShareThis

Fall

2009-11-03T15:55:00.001-06:00

Fall & Autumn Crafts for Kids | Plastic Cup Crow

I found this cutie craft on Familycorner.com along with some other great Fall ideas! It's a Cup! Now how easy is that! Love it!

Posted using ShareThis

Last Minute Halloween Printables!

2009-10-30T08:51:00.000-05:00

Well, it's almost here...Halloween! Yikes! Do you have enough candy? Is your costume ready? Are your kids costumes ready? Do you have your treat bags ready for the kids? Here is a good idea , make your kids "loot" bag out of an old pillow case! Just let the kiddo's decorate it and "Bam!" or "Boo!" you've got a huge bag to carry all that yummy candy in! Plus it won't break !

Here are a few last minute Printables I've found for you! You could use them in your classroom or just have some on hand when the Grand-kids stop by! Print all of them and you could make a little gift book for your youngkins!

Halloween Jack - o' - Lantern Coloring Page:
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/halloween-jack-o-lantern-coloring-page/

Halloween Sign of Spider Webs Coloring Page:
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/halloween-sign-of-spider-webs-coloring-page/

Halloween Bats Coloring Page:
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/halloween-bats-coloring-page/

Treat Kids to Fun Coloring Page:
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/treat-kids-to-fun-coloring-page/

Halloween Message Game Coloring Page:
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/halloween-message-game-coloring-page/

Stand Up Witch Coloring Page:
http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/print/stand-up-witch-coloring-page/

Have "Spook"-tacular Halloween! ;)

Scholastic Marketing

2009-10-28T17:46:00.000-05:00

Hi Y'all!

Yes, if you didn't already know, I am a southerner! I just received this advertisement from Scholastic and No, I am not a paid spokesmen for the product. But, I have used Similasan before and by Joe, it Works! Finally an over-the-counter medicine for Ear-aches! Some of you may not know about it, so that is why I've posted it.

My daughter gets ear infections every time she gets a cold! We all hoped she would grow out of this, but she hasn't yet. She just turned "13" and guess what... she had a to go to the Doctors ON her birthday! Bless her heart! Making the big "13" , becoming a real teenager and being sick was not exactly what she had in mind! It was not her idea of a very good birthday present!

Turns out she had a Sinus infection, which also turned into an Ear infection! Thank heavens for the medication and the Similasan. It really helped with the pain and for that I was extremely happy! So was she....Bless Her Heart! :)

Monster's Everywhere!

2009-10-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

I am so excited about my favorite book, "Where The Wild Things Are", being turned into a movie! I have loved that book , since I started teaching Pre-K at the young age of 18! Oh yeah, that was a long time ago! ;)

I even used the book for a class project, during my short college days. The class was Voice and Diction, the project was to show the use of inflection in speaking. We had to choose an article or something and read it out loud, using what we had learned. What a prefect book for that! The book was a hit and I got an A! :)

It was the scariest thing I had ever done, at the time! Standing up in front of a classroom full of people, was not something I was very good at! I had to put in ALL that inflection and emotion to get the grade! I felt like a big goof-ball! But we get older and life throws us other scary things...like kids and husbands!

So in honor of the Movie, "Where The Wild Things Are" here are some great links for totally awesome craft ideas and lesson plans!

United Teaching Discoveries

http://discoveries.unitedteaching.com/2009/08/where-wild-things-are-crafts-and.html

Fantasy Jr.

http://www.fantasyjr.com/where-the-wild-things-are-lesson-plans-and-movie-news/

Craftster.org

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.phpaction=tags;sa=showtopics;tag=where_the_wild_things_are

Preschool Education

http://www.preschooleducation.com/amonster.shtml

Small Step

http://www.smallstep.gov/kids/html/printable_rumpus.html

Making Learning Fun

http://www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/WhereTheWildThingsArePrintables.htm

Make Everyday A "Child's Play" Kinda Day!

Laura

Halloween Fun Ideas

2009-10-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

I received this update from my ALL time favorite magazines, Family Fun today! One of my "Parents" (Mom of a child I taught) gave me a subscription to them years ago and I've been a faithful follower ever since!

This week one of their videos is how to make Spooky Decorations! The first one is "Witch Crash!" It is so easy and quick! I'm going to give it a try myself...pictures soon to follow! If you do it as well, send me a photo and I'll post it on the blog! ;)

So sorry, I removed the video because it changed from the Witch Crash to something else! Too Sad! :(

If you have friends you think would be interested in this blog, please feel free to pass it on!

Laura

Today Is The Day!

2009-10-14T08:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, It truly is! My first post on the blog! How cool is that! It has been a while since I signed up to join the many excellent bloggers out there and yes I am scared! Fears of "What will I say?," "What will I do?" I have followed great bloggers, but never tried my own hand at it! My goal is to give parents, teachers or anyone with young people in their lives helpful ideas and fabulous links to make "Learning Child's Play!" Please come along with me on this journey in the Blogging world!