Friday, January 25, 2013

MMM themes

List of themes:
  • Apples (x2)
  • Trees (x2)
  • Pumpkins / orange
  • Silver and gold / stars
  • Gray / rain
  • Cupcake birthday party
  • Halloween Party
  • Thanksgiving Party
  • Christmas Party
  • Music play
  • Eric Carle (x2)
  • Valentine's Day prep
  • Cooking: Rice Krispie Treats
  • Dr Seuss
  •  Friendship
  • Easter
Possibly Future Themes:
  • Flags (Betsy Ross book)
  • Planting seeds
  • Wind (pinwheels or kites, parachute, bubbles)
  • Other spring ideas:  flowers, bugs
  • Rain (with puddle jumping??)
  • Making ice cream
  • Bees & honey
  • Slumber party!
  • Camping 
  • Firemen and fire safety
  • Police officers
  • School (mid August)
  • Beach (ffield trip with books, ideas for sand play)  
  • Water (great for play in kiddie pool) 
  • Snowmen (might have to wait until next year!)

Monday, January 21, 2013

Eric Carle Extras (Work in Progress)

Of course there were more awesome Eric Carle themed ideas than we could possibly do even in the two weeks.  Here are some links to explore!

More about Eric Carle:
The Offical Eric Carle Web Site
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
The Art of Eric Carle (book)


CRAFTS!!
GENERAL:
Collage
Painting tissue paper with food coloring
Experimenting with shade and tools


BUGS:
No sew caterpillar from a sock
Caterpillar from an egg carton     (scroll down)
Caterpillar from pony beads on a pipe cleaner 
Balloon print caterpillar
Paper plate and spoon butterfly
Stained glass butterfly
Foot print butterflies
Clothespin and pony bead butterfly
Toilet paper roll butterfly
Paper bag spider
30 different bug crafts

OTHER ANIMALS:
Seahorse from a paper plate
Brown Bear hand print book

VIDEOS!!
This play list has 6 Eric Carle stories.  Eric Carle reads The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear himself, but the others are read by other people. 




ACTIVITIES!!
Very Hungry Caterpillar counting coloring sheets
Butterfly coloring sheet
Very Hungry Caterpillar Sensory Tub 
Live Butterfly Garden
Soap cloud (Little Cloud)


UNITS!!
Totally Tots
Mom to 2 Posh Divas - scroll to the bottom for links to almost 100 crafts and activities
Grouchy Ladybug unit
Brown Bear unit from 1+1+1=1
Hungry Caterpillar unit from 1+1+1=1
Eric Carle Author Study on Make Learning Fun
Brown Bear on Make Learning Fun
Hungry Caterpillar on Make Learning Fun

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Valentine Books



Valentine's Day:
Lilly's Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes
Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart by Jane O'Connor
Valentine Mice by Bethany Roberts
Happy Valentine's Day Mouse by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Where is Baby's Valentine? by Karen Katz
Max's Valentine by Rosemary Wells
Pinkalicious: Pink of Hearts
One Heart: A Valentine Counting Book by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Hearts:
I Spy Little Hearts by Jean Marzollo



Love:
Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis
Baby Max and Ruby: Love by Rosemary Wells
I Love You Stinky Face
The Runaway Bunny
Mama, Do You Love Me?
Guess How Much I Love You
Baby, I Love You
How Do I Love You?
I Love You Through and Through
Who Do You Love?
Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story
The Velveteen Rabbit
How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You?
The I LOVE YOU Book by Todd Parr

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Stars / Silver / Gold

I stuck to stories about stars in the sky, but there are many stories about star fish out there. 

Stars:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Rosemary Wells
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Annie Kubler
I am a Star by Jean Marzollo
Fancy Nancy: Sees Stars by Jane O'Connor
I Like Stars by Margeret Wise Brown (Step into Reading series)
Five Wishing Stars by Treesha Runnells
On a Starry Night by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Stars by Mary Lyn Ray
Seeing Stars: Shining Star Light by Charles Hobson
Five Shiny Stars by Gabriella Buckingham
Stars! Stars! Stars! by Bob Barner
Our Stars by Anne Rockwell
The Big Dipper by Franklyn M Barnley
Zoo in the Sky: A Book of Animal Constellations by Jacqueline Mitton
Find the Constellations by H. A. Rey
The Stars by H. A Rey (I had these two by H.A. Rey growing up)
How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
The Sneetches by Dr Suess (not about stars in the sky, but had to include it because I love it and stars play an important role)
Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle (controversial themes of creation and one nude illustration) 



Silver / Gold
Siliverlicious by Victoria Kann
Goldilicous by Victoria Kann


I couldn't find anything else that looked good searching "silver" and "gold."  But here is what I have for color books we have read.

Colors:
Hello Kitty, Hello Color
Cat's Colors by Jane Caberea
A Red Train by Bernette Ford
My First Colors: Let's Learn Them All by Dawn Sirett (DK Publishers)
My Many Colored Days by Dr Suess (also about emotions)
Happy Baby Colors by Roger Priddy
Bright Baby Colors by Roger Priddy
My First Colors Board Book by Angela Wilkes
Spicy Hot Colors by Sherry Shahan
Color Zoo by Lois Elhert (also about shapes)
Color Farm by Lois Elhert (also about shapes)
I Love Colors by Margaret Miller
Baby's Colors by Karen Katz
Maisy's Colors by Lucy Cousins
Kipper's Book of Colors by Mick Inkpen