Easter Egg Hunt

Are you having a super fun Spring Break?!

We decided to stay in town, get some things repaired (joy!), and just do fun things in the city.  We're having fun, except we can't stray too far from home - we have a couple of sick boys here!  Whatever you decided to do, I hope you're having a fun {and healthy} time!

 

On Wednesday before Spring Break, our pre-k'ers had an Easter celebration.  In Circle, we read:

(Because of the snow day on Monday and no school due to Good Friday, we did not start a new Letter of the Week.)

 

We decorated our little Charlie Brown tree with glittery Easter egg ornaments.  It was hard for the kids to push the ribbon onto the branches, but we had two very patient big kid helpers to assist them!

In Centers, we...

- painted with foam brushes

- sculpted with playdough

- decorated our Easter bags with stamps and stickers, then stuffed them with green, shredded paper

- played the Bunny and Egg ABC file folder game

- played in the sandbox and housekeeping

 

We also worked in pairs to match up patterned plastic eggs.

 

What holiday would it be in our class if we didn't somehow incorporate a science experiment?!  For this one, we used marshmallow Peeps.  As you can see in the picture, the one on the left is what we started with - a normal-sized, pink Peep.  We placed it in the microwave for 10 seconds, and repeated this 3 or 4 times.  It's hard to tell, but on the right, our Peep grew!  The heat expanded the marshmallow to 2 or 3 times its original size.  The kids LOVED this experiment, and our big kid helpers pretty much conducted the whole thing!

 

Toward the end of class, we had our egg hunt.  Since the grass outside was still wet, we decided to just have it in the Block Room, and I think the kids were fine with that.  (As long as they got some eggs, I don't think it mattered where their hunt was located!)

 

We also read an adorable story, complete with tiny animal figures hidden inside its thick, board book style pages:

 

I hope you all had a joyous Easter, filled with happy family celebrations!  We went to church, and then back home for a quiet family brunch.  We played a game of hot/cold with the kids, to find their Easter baskets.  The Easter bunny is running out of good places to hide their baskets at our house!  He may have to use a litte more creativity next year...

 

Enjoy the rest of your Spring Break!  See you on Monday!

10 {Snowy} Day Activities Round-Up

Ok, first of all, is this crazy weather, or what?!  Here we are at the end of March, and we've gotten about 5 inches of snow, with more falling as I type.  Last year at this time, we were experiencing 80 degree temperatures, and enjoying the beginning of a no-jacket, warmer-than-usual spring.  This is complete madness, I tell you!

 

Whew.  Now that I've gotten that out of my system, I'd like to share some fun, inside activities that you can do with your kid using materials you probably already have at home.  (Because we don't need to make a special trip to get craft supplies in this mess!)

 

Today (Monday) is a snow day for our class, and your kiddo will probably want to play in the snow a little bit.  So you'll indulge, then warm them up with hot chocolate, a snuggly blanket and some tv.  You might play Barbies or Legos and watch a movie, but then what?!  At my house, my daughter isn't satisfied with tv.  She'd rather be doing something hands-on.  Are your kiddos like that?

 

Here are some fun things to do while it's freezing outside!

 

At breakfast or lunch, give your kid some magic milk!  No, this isn't just for St. Patrick's Day.  You could use your child's favorite color or something with a springtime feel - yellow or orange, maybe?  Details on this super-easy, yet super-exciting trick are over at Feels Like Home.

 

Hop over to Make and Takes for an adorable bunny craft made out of plastic Easter eggs.  So cute!

 

Make an Easter card or two (or three!) for out-of-town relatives, neighbors or friends.  Inner Child Fun shares the details for this quick and easy craft.  No inkpads?  No problem!  Washable markers work just as well when "painted" on little fingers!

 

Kids Activities Blog shows how to make this festive pencil-stamped Easter egg.  Again, I think markers would work for this just as well as an inkpad.

 

Got some of those marshmallowy peeps hangin' around your house?  Do some easy science experiments with them!  Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas gives the deets on this activity, as well as a few experiments with eggs.

 

Make these adorable bunny ears with your kid using construction paper, glue, scissors and a stapler or tape.  This and other sweet Easter activities, crafts and printables are over at Kaboose.

 

Isn't this little bunny family too cute?!  I think this would be a good one for my own family to try at home!  I love it!  Head over to iVillage to check it out!

 

DLTK supplies a printable template and instructions for how to make this "egg-cellent" wreath, just in time for Easter!

 

Practice letter recognition with this idea from No Time for Flash Cards.  If you don't have letter magnets, just write letters on a piece of paper, cut them apart, and stuff them into the eggs!

 

Oh. my. goodness.  You have got to go over to Creativity in Progress to find out how she made plastic Easter eggs into these darling little tea cups!  And seriously - what child, boy or girl, doesn't like a tea party?!  Craft up a few of these, grab a blanket and some stuffies, and have a seat on the floor for some some good ol' pretend play with your little one!

 

If you still need more ideas for keeping your kid occupied, because let's face it, we may be inside for a couple days, check out Inner Child Fun's 50 Ways to Keep Kids Entertained During a Blizzard.

 

Whatever you decide to do today, have fun, giggle a lot, and enjoy this day with your child.  Hug them, kiss them, and make sure they know just how special they are to you!

 

See you soon!