Picnic Craft for Kids

March 13, 2015March 14, 2015 by Kat ♥ 5 Comments

As the weather gets warmer, picnic season arrives. I love soaking in the sun as I eat my meals. Honestly, I think sunshine may make food taste better 🙂 .

This week, I taught the children in my daycare class how to weave paper. With help, even the preschoolers were able to make beautiful “picnic blankets.” Help get your children or students excited for picnic weather by making this craft.

Picnic Blanket Craft

Supplies:

Construction paper in contrasting colors
Scissors
Old magazines or sales-papers
Glue

Directions:

Fold one sheet of paper in half width-wise (like a hamburger)
Face the open end away from you and the crease towards you
Cut strips approximately 1 inch apart, stopping about 1/2-1 inch from the edge

Cut 1-inch strips width-wise from the other piece of paper

Begin weaving the individual strips through the other piece of paper. The strips should be alternated to make a checkered pattern. If one strip begins under the other paper, the next one will begin over the other paper.

Continue weaving until you have filled the paper

Cut pictures of food from a magazine or sales-paper and glue them to your picnic blanket

Happy Fiesta Friday!

Positive Negation

February 25, 2015February 24, 2015 by Kat ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

“Miss Kat, can we go outside today?”

I glance from the deceptively sunny sky to the snowy white parking lot and shake my head. “Sorry, but no, we can’t.”

According to the weather app, temps have settled below the thirties. By law, I cannot take the children to the play-lot, despite their hyperactive cabin fever. The students, of course, are disappointed, longing to run off their energy. Not understanding that slippery dangers await beyond the windowpane, they assume I am simply a mean adult, trying to ruin their day.

When did “no” become synonymous with “hate?” I am just as guilty as the children. I ask the teacher for extra credit and whine when none is offered. I am upset when a coworker can’t cover for me. Obviously, the state highway patrol hates me since they won’t let me break the speed limit.

If any New Testament saint had reason to feel unloved, it was Paul. He cried out to God three times to be relieved of his “thorn in the flesh.” Nonetheless, God outright said, “No.” The remarkable fact is found in Second Corinthians 12:7-10, however. According to these verses, Paul’s malady ended up being an asset; it allowed God’s strength to be made perfect.

When I don’t let the kids go outside, I am protecting them from sliding on the icy steps. When the authorities admonish me to slow down, they are protecting me from causing a wreck. Likewise, when God said “no” to Paul, He was protecting Paul from conceit.

When God tells us “no,” He is not being a cruel dictator; He is a sovereign, loving Protector. As hard as it is, we must trust God’s statement in Isaiah 55:8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” He is bringing it all together to make us more like His Son.

Top Ten Tuesday: Valentine’s Day Puns

February 10, 2015February 9, 2015 by Kat ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Maybe you hate the color red. Perhaps are miserably single. Possibly you are allergic to roses. Whatever your reasons are for wanting a unconventional Valentine’s Day greeting, I’ve got you covered!

I used the following puns to make cards with the children at daycare, and the Valentines turned out adorable. Sadly, I didn’t take pictures. However, I included links to posts on other blogs which made crafts similar to mine.

Ten Valentine’s Day Puns

1. I’d snap at the chance to be your valentine. (from Skip to My Lou)

2. You’re the Purrr-fect Valentine! (from Crafty Morning)

3. Hogs and Kisses! (from Kids Soup)

4. Won’t Chew Be Mine? (from Cupcake Cutiees)

5. No one holds a candle to you! (from ??? I can’t find the original source!)

6. You’re so sweet! (from Kayla’s Daily Doodle)

7. You’re the apple of my eye! (from Carly Skinner)

8. Waddle you say…will you be my Valentine? (from ??? couldn’t find original source, again)

(You could also do this with ducks)

9. I’m stuck on you (from Kiwi and Company)

10. No lion, you’re grrrrrreat! (from Little Family Fun)

The Backstories

February 5, 2015February 3, 2015 by Kat ♥ 1 Comment

While I would never verbally attest to such an absurd fact, I often act as if I am the only person who has problems. I may not be gracious to others in their time of need, but when I am upset, I expect the entire world to take pity on me. Too often, I forget that we each have a different story. We each have our own trials and problems.

Today at work, I asked a mother if her daughter would be coming to daycare on an upcoming no-school day. The mom turned to her daughter, “Would you rather come to daycare or spend the night with Grandma?”

Before I could remark about how fun a day with Grandma would be, the girl’s face filled with disgust.”Can’t I just go to a friend’s house?”

The mom relented a little. “Well, you wouldn’t have to spend the night with Grandma; we could just take you over there early in the morning.”

The girl’s lip curled even farther. “I guess I will just come to daycare,” she sighed.

I was astounded. As a child, I jumped at a chance to stay with Grandma. With my maternal grandma, I could eat Mickey Mouse pancakes, swim, and play board games. My paternal grandma always had ice cream and took me shopping. If all else failed, I just stayed with my best friend’s grandma and helped her bake cookies. Grandma was always better than daycare.

But now I realize that these children’s lives are different than mine. In fact, I am often astonished when they begin to open up and tell me their stories. One fifth grade boy has a father, step-mother, and siblings in Nevada that he sees once a year. A brilliant bibliophile transferred to the middle school last month because the bullying was so intense at her old school. I will never forget the look of excitement on another boy’s face when he said to me, “My mom–my REAL mom–is coming today.” One mother at the high school has been putting off brain surgery because she wants to see her son graduate in three months. She has been told that she will probably not live through the surgery, but they know that she will not live without it. The operation is scheduled for next week.

So when I get carried away like I am the only one who has problems, remind me that I don’t know what others are facing. We don’t always show our struggles.

Rainy Day Monsters

January 14, 2015 by Kat ♥ 3 Comments

For the past two weeks, it has been too rainy and cold to take the daycare students to the playground. Not only are the students starting to get cabin fever, but the teachers are ready for change of scenery too! Today, the temperatures dropped even lower, and the wet roads turned to sheets of ice. As a result, school was cancelled. Daycare, of course, was still open.

I created the following activity to keep the students entertained, and they loved it! I hope your children enjoy it just as much!

Below are some of the mischievous monsters that we drew on this dreary day.

How do you beat the winter blues?

Top Ten Tuesday: Game Night

January 6, 2015January 3, 2015 by Kat ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

If you have ever played a game with me, you don’t need to read the next few sentences; you know how competitive I am. You know that I get testy and impatient. You know that my usually soft voice slowly rises. You know that I always play to dominate, not just win, the game.

During my month-long Christmas break, I have played many board games and card games with family, friends, and daycare students. Below are my favorite games from the past few weeks.

Ten Most Enjoyable Games I Have Played This Month

1. The Logo Game
2. Othello
3. Balderdash
4. Backgammon
5. Such and Such
6. Baloney
7. Apples to Apples
8. Mastermind
9. Bananagrams
10. Telestrations

Other games I played during Christmas break:

Checkers
Uno
Cribbage
Monopoly
Boggle
Yahtzee

Kat's 9 Lives

Capturing Every Good Time

Tag: daycare

Picnic Craft for Kids

Positive Negation

Top Ten Tuesday: Valentine’s Day Puns

Rainy Day Monsters

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