Love to Laugh and Learn

Fun and interesting learning activities to do with the children in your life

Earth Day: Gardening with Children

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Earth Day: Gardening with Children

As Earth Day approaches, I want to share, with you, the joys of gardening with children. My love of gardening came from my father. He was raised on a farm in West Virginia, and although he married and became an electrical engineer, his love of the land never faded. As I was growing up, Dad and Mom always planted a garden. Sometimes it was small and other times it was huge. Digging in the dirt, playing with worms and watching the plants, start as small seedlings and grow large enough to produce the food for our table, was a treat. I will admit that the weeding and breaking bushel after bushel of green beans got a bit tedious at times; but the vegetables we grew in our garden were better than anything we bought at the store.

I don’t have the green thumb that my Dad and Mom have but I continue to try. A few years ago, because of several health issues my husband has, we decided to try our hand at organic gardening. We chose the Square Foot Gardening method, as taught by Mel Bartholomew. It can be a little expensive in the beginning but I love it because I don’t need a rototiller to break up the ground. It is always soft, loose and easy to work in. And since it’s so easy to work with, it makes gardening with children a breeze.

One of the areas I fail miserably at is having the time to take care of my garden the way it needs to be. I work full time and I live far enough from my workplace that I don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to gardening. It’s mid-April and this is what my garden currently looks like:

Gardening with Children: Garden Needs Work
Gardening with Children: Garden Needs Work

I know, I was taught better than that. I should all ready have my onions and radishes in the ground. I was hoping to have my little helper (my great-nephew) last weekend but he and his mom were busy. Even though he wasn’t able to help me this past weekend, I can share the fun we had getting the garden ready two years ago.

Jeremiah was 21 months old, so as you can see, you can start gardening with your children when they are quite young. Here is one of the reasons that the Square Foot Gardening method works well when gardening with children; the dirt was so soft and loose that he was easily able to help me pull out weeds and old plants. He also helped me loosen the dirt by digging and raking. At first, he wasn’t too sure about getting dirt on his hands but the longer we worked the more he got into it. And I really mean he got INTO it! LOL!

Gardening with Children: Digging in the Garden
Gardening with Children: Digging in the Garden

There is so much learning that can happen while gardening. Realizing that vegetables grow on plants before they get to the store can be a lesson in itself. You can discuss how worms and certain bugs help the garden while other bugs hurt it. Learning about weather, and how the garden needs rain and sunshine to grow, are other lessons. You might find that your child is willing to try different vegetables when they have had a hand in growing and caring for them. One unexpected thing you might find growing, while working in the garden with your child, is the bond between the two of you. So put on some old clothes, grab some rakes and shovels and start growing your own memories.

Gardening with Children: Lessons to learn and memories to make.

Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard

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Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard
with free downloadable activities




I’ve always enjoyed holidays (decorating, dressing in festive outfits or colors) so I have always enjoyed celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. As I was deciding what I wanted to put into my Saint Patrick’s Day post I realized I didn’t really know why we celebrate it. Oh, you will see me dressed in green, possibly with a shamrock somewhere on my outfit, but I wasn’t sure why. I thought some of you might be in the same predicament, so my post is going to cover some of the history of Saint Patrick’s Day.

Contents

Introducing Saint Patrick’s Day
Storyboard
Story Time
Related Posts
Acknowledgements

Introducing Saint Patrick’s Day

You might think that your child is too young to be learning history but, in reality, the earlier you introduce it and the more fun you have with it, the more likely they will enjoy it. As I state in every learning activity, I like to start with a book. Books are fun. The excitement in a child’s eyes, when they get to see or experience something they read in a book, is priceless.

I’ve listed and reviewed several picture books below in the story time section. Each of them covers some aspect of the history and meanings behind Saint Patrick’s Day. You should be able to pick most of them up at your local library. Here are 3 of my favorites, I would recommend, for beginning this learning activity:

Story Time

For 4 to 8 yrs old: St. Patrick’s Day (Holiday Histories) by Jennifer Blizin Gillis

For 6 to 8 yrs old: Saint Patrick’s Day (Holidays and Celebrations) by Ann Heinrichs Includes Irish poems, songs, a recipe and a craft.

For 8 yrs old and up: St. Patrick’s Day (Best Holiday Books) by Dorothy Rhodes Freeman

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Storyboard

Getting to tell or “read” a story by yourself seems to be one of the many joys of childhood. At least my 3 year old great-nephew really likes to take books, look at the pictures and make up his own story. In light of that, I thought making up a storyboard, about Saint Patrick, might be a fun way to celebrate this special holiday.

This activity will work best after reading at least one of the suggested books. I have created 2 versions of the storyboard. One version is for the younger child. It has all the pictures on it. The other version has several pictures missing from the storyboard. This is to encourage the child to work on sequence of events as well as retelling the story. I recommend laminating the storyboard and cards so they last longer.

After reading a book or two about Saint Patrick, take out the storyboard and cards. Have the child look over the storyboard. See if they can match or put the pictures in order (depending on the age of the child) and explain what happened in the story.

Click on the pictures below to download your free storyboards and cards.
F.Y.I. – The first page is the set of cards that will need to be cut apart.
The second page is the storyboard. The third page gives short storylines for each piece of the story; so you can help direct the storytelling.

Storyboard for Younger Child

Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick's Day Storyboard for the Younger Child
Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard for the Younger Child

Storyboard for Older Child (yes there is a difference, open them and see)

Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick's Day Storyboard for the Older Child
Enjoy learning about Saint Patrick and this special holiday with this fun Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard for the Older Child

Alternative ways to Play:

  1. After the child has gone through the storyboard a few times try this different way of playing. Give the child the storyboard and then turn all the cards facedown. Have the child pick out one card and see if he/she can find where it should go on the storyboard.
  2. For multiple children: Print off a storyboard and set of cards for each child playing. Give each child a storyboard. Take the cards, shuffle them and place them upside down in a pile in the middle of the table. Take turns picking a card off the top of the pile. Place it on your board and tell the part of the story it represents. If you all ready have that card, place it face up in a discard pile. The turn goes to the next child. The first child to fill his/her board and tells the story wins. If you get to the end of the stack and no one has filled their storyboard then shuffle the discard deck and put it upside down in the center of the table again. Keep going until someone fills their board.

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Story Time

St. Patrick’s Day by Gail Gibbons
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8yrs old
I like this book for introducing the younger child to Saint Patrick and the meanings behind the holiday. It gives quite a bit of history but, with only a few sentences per page and lots of pictures, it should hold a younger child’s interest. The story covers the fact that Saint Patrick was kidnapped and forced to be a slave, in Ireland, but then escaped. It tells of his devotion to God and how he felt he should return to Ireland and tell the people about God. You child will learn the meanings behind some of the symbols we use when celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day. Sit down with your little one and enjoy learning about Saint Patrick.

St. Patrick’s Day (Best Holiday Books) by Dorothy Rhodes Freeman
Reading Level: Ages 8 and up
This picture book is for a little older child. I am very impressed with the details it gives, about Saint Patrick, while keeping it enjoyable. Your child will learn, in a little more detail, of the struggles of Saint Patrick and how he felt God’s hand on him. There is information on several of the legends surrounding Saint Patrick. Your child is encouraged to decide which ones might be true. There is information on the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day and some of the symbols associated with it. If your child is interested in learning a few more details about Saint Patrick, this is a good book to pick up.

St. Patrick’s Day (Holiday Histories) by Jennifer Blizin Gillis
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8 yrs old
This is my favorite St. Patrick’s Day book for younger children. It has a wonderful mixture of photos and illustrations, to keep little eyes interested, as you are reading. This simple little book does a great job of covering the major points on the history of Saint Patrick. The information is clear and concise so your little one will get an idea of what St. Patrick’s Day is all about. One of the facts this story brought out (and I hadn’t thought about) is that there are now more people of Irish descent in the United States than there are in Ireland. I highly recommend sharing this book with the little ones in your life. You will be surprised how much they learn about Saint Patrick.

St. Patrick’s Day (Celebrations in My World) by Molly Aloian
Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
I like books that actually teach history an interesting way. Your children will enjoy a lot of great photographs while learning about Saint Patrick. This book covers Saint Patrick’s kidnapping as a young teenager and his calling to return to Ireland. Your children will learn of some of the ways we still celebrate the holiday today. I enjoyed this book because not only does it cover the history but also some of the music and food of Ireland.

Saint Patrick’s Day (Holidays and Celebrations) by Ann Heinrichs
Reading Level: Ages 6 to 8 yrs old
If you are interested in teaching your child about Saint Patrick’s Day, this is a great little book. It is broken up into one or two page chapters with just a few sentences on each page. There are lots of illustrations to enjoy. Your child will learn about who Saint Patrick was and the love he had for the Irish people. You will learn a couple of the legends surrounding Saint Patrick. Enjoy Irish poems and a recipe for Irish Soda Bread.

St. Patrick’s Day (Library of Holidays) by Amy Margaret
Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8 yrs old
If you are wanting your children to learn about some of the history behind Saint Patrick’s Day, this is a great book to share with them. The book covers the story of Saint Patrick being kidnapped and taken to Ireland. Your children will learn of his concern for the Irish people. They will also learn about some of the symbols surrounding Saint Patrick’s Day. This is a great book for your 5 to 8 year old to learn more about the reasons for the holiday.

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Related Posts

Learning Activities for the Color Green

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Acknowledgements

Dancing Crayon Designs

Some of the images for the Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard were created by Dancing Crayon Designs

Artistic-Educational-Clip-Art-Purple-dragon2x2 copy

Some of the images for the Saint Patrick’s Day Storyboard were created by Artistic Educational Clip Art

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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss




Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss, born Theodor Seuss Geisel, lives in the hearts and memories of many. As his birthday approaches, on March 2nd, we reflect back on how he has touched so many lives.

We each have our likes and our dislikes among his books. One of my favorites is “Hop on Pop”. I love it, especially for early readers, because there are so many “word families” for them to recognize.

I have a love/hate relationship with “Green Eggs and Ham”. The story is kind of fun, but when you have a child that likes to be read the same book over and over again, this one gets a bit monotonous. I do enjoy it enough that I would share it with my preschool classes. It illustrates a lesson I taught my own children; you need to taste something before you decide you don’t like it. Every year, I would make green eggs and ham, at school, for the children to try. I’m not talking about cutesy candies that look like green eggs and ham; I mean we actually ate green eggs and ham.

Green Eggs and Ham

Here is how I created our green eggs and ham. First, I purchased a piece of ham. I place the ham in a shallow dish or bowl and cover it with water that I have colored with green liquid food coloring. I let it sit overnight to absorb as much green as possible.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Green Ham
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Green Ham

I would have the children help make the green cheesy scrambled eggs. First, they would break the eggs into a bowl and mix them up. I would then ask them what color the eggs were. At this point they look yellow. Next I pulled out the blue food coloring. Yes, blue! I’m throwing in a little color lesson.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: mixed eggs
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: mixed eggs

I ask them what color they think the eggs will turn when I add the food coloring. Some will guess blue but others will come up with the correct answer. We will have covered mixing colors earlier in the year so I hope several of them will remember. I add a little milk and then I let them tear up some American cheese slices and add it to the mixture. I have an electric pan so I would first fry up the ham and then cook the cheesy scrambled eggs. The majority of the kids LOVE them and would ask for seconds and thirds. I would make sure that everyone at least tasted it because that was the whole point of the story.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs & Ham
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs & Ham

What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? Do you have a favorite craft or activity you like to do?

Click the picture below for a downloadable recipe for Green Eggs and Ham:

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham recipe card
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham recipe card

Police Officers: Love to Learn About Community Helpers

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Police Officers: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
with free printables




It’s time to have fun learning about police officers. Police officers are there to protect and take care of us. Children need to learn this early because you never know when they might need a police officer’s help.

I like to start learning activities with a book. You can find several books about police officers in the Story Time section, below. Pick a couple out and share them with your child.

Content:

Playtime
Fun Sheet
Craft
Story Time
Related Posts
Acknowledgements

Playtime

There are many wonderful toys out there that can encourage imaginative play, while learning about police officers. Lego and Playmobil both have police themed sets. Your child might have a simple police car that they like to play with. We used to have a community helper doll set that we used in our preschool classes. I plan to get some for my home so my grandson and great-nephew will have them to play with.

I love the use of dress-up clothes. When I was teaching preschool, the boys loved to dress-up as much as the girls did. I pick up inexpensive costumes once Halloween is over. I picked up a play set with handcuffs, a walkie talkie and a toy gun at the Dollar Tree. You can read my post, “Let’s Play with Toy Guns”, to see why I believe that was a good addition to our dress-up bin.

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Fun Sheet

Police Officer Fun Sheet - Help the officer find the equipment she needs to do her job.
Police Officer Fun Sheet – Help the officer find the equipment she needs to do her job.

I have created a fun sheet to do with your child. Have your child color the police officer and then color only the items that the police officer would use. Don’t color the items that the police officer would not use. Click on the picture to get the downloadable fun sheet.

The fun sheet is a great way for your child to develop their fine motor skills, as they color. They will learn to follow directions and will also reinforce what they have learned about police officers.

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Craft

Police Car Craft

Learn About Police Officers using this free printable.

Materials Needed

Police Car template
markers, crayons or paints

Instructions

  1. Print the police car template.
  2. Do a Google search for your local police cars. (We have several different styles here in Indianapolis)
  3. Let your child color or paint the police car to match their favorite one. My favorite police cars are the black and white ones.
Police Car Craft – Do a Google search for your local police cars. Then let your child color or paint the police car to match their favorite one. There is a free printable included in this post.

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Story Time

A Day in the Life of a Police Officer (Kids’ Career Library) by Mary Bowman-Kruhm and Claudine G. Wirths

Reading Level: Ages 5 and up
If your child is looking for a little more information about police officers and not just a simple introduction, this would be the book to go to. This book explains the responsibilities of police officers and the equipment they need but with a little more detail than some of the other books. If you have an inquisitive child that loves to sit and listen, I would recommend this book.

A Day with Police Officers by Jan Kottke

Reading Level: Ages 2 – 6 yrs old
This is a great book to introduce your little one to the responsibilities of police officers. It has very simple text but covers the basic information your child will need. The illustrations are actual pictures of police officers on the job.

On another note, I was surprised when I picked up this book at the library. It came in a plastic bag with some paperwork and a DVD. I thought it was a movie of the book but that’s not what it was as all. It was actually a video of someone using American Sign Language to share the book with deaf children. It turns out there is an organization called The Shared Reading Project. The video is to help parents be able to effectively share books with their deaf child so they can become lifelong readers. You can search your library’s website for The Shared Reading Project and you will find several titles to choose from.

I’m Going to Be a Police Officer by Edith Kunhardt

Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
This story is about a little girl and boy whose daddy is a police officer. They get to go to work with him one day and they share all the things that their daddy does on the job. You will see some of the tools he uses and the many different aspects of his job. The illustrations are actual photographs of the police officer at work and with his family. This is a fun way to learn about police officers.

Police Officer (Benchmark Rebus: Jobs in Town) by Dana Meachen Rau

Reading Level: 3 – 6 yrs old
I love the books by Dana Meachen Rau that are put out by Benchmark Rebus. They are so simple and easy to understand. I like the fact that they use pictures instead of words as part of the text. It will make your little one proud that they are helping with the story. In this book we learn about the many things that police officers do and the equipment they use. This is a very cute book to introduce the job of police officers to your child.

Police Officers Help (Our Community Helpers) by Dee Ready

Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
This is a great book to introduce your child to the responsibilities of a police officer. The illustrations are actual pictures of police officers doing their many jobs. The text is simple; just a few clear sentences to each illustration. Once you share this book with your child, they will have a better understanding of what police officers do and the things they need to perform their jobs.

Police Officers, A to Z (Community Helpers (Walker) by Jean Johnson

Reading Level: Ages 5 to 8 yrs old
Every letter of the alphabet represents something a police officer uses or does. There are a lot of wonderful pictures of police officers at work. The illustrations are in black and white but they are still very interesting. There is quite a bit of information about police officers including an extra section in the back called “More About Police Officers”. I would recommend this book whether learning about police officers or just wanting to reinforce alphabet recognition.

We Need Police Officers (Helpers in Our Community) by Lola M. Schaefer

Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
This is a simple little book that makes a great introduction to police officers. There is just one sentence per page. Each page shows a picture and explains something about police officers. You get information about the jobs they do and the things they need to carry out their work.

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Related Posts

Community Helpers – Overview
Doctors: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
Dentists: Love to Learn About Community Helpers
Firefighters: Love to Learn About Community Helpers

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Acknowledgements

Cara's Clips Credit Button
Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Cara’s Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Cara-Taylor-8656

Charlotte's Clips and Kindergarten Kids

Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Charlotte’s Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Charlottes-Clips-4150

Polliwog Place

Images for Doctor’s Bag Craft and part of Fun Sheet created by Polliwog Place
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Polliwog-Place

whimsy-clips-by-laura-strickland-square
Some of the images for the Fun Sheet were created by Whimsy Clips
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Whimsy-Clips
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Let’s Play with Toy Guns

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Let’s Play with Toy Guns

I believe toy guns are getting a bad rap. I must say I hadn’t given it a lot of thought before but now I have a grandson and a couple of great-nephews, so an interest in guns is something we are going to have to deal with.

I raised two girls so guns were never a big subject around our house. We played with water guns and bubble blowing guns but that was about it. But when I was a little girl, I had a cap gun. I wore it in my holster as I strutted around in my cowgirl boots and hat. I loved playing with my cap gun when I was really young. As I got older, I was allowed to use our BB gun. I have always been fascinated with guns but I am definitely not a violent person. The first time I shot a bird, I cried. (We were trying to keep sparrows out of the purple martins’ birdhouse.) It only stunned him, so he eventually flew away but I didn’t shoot at any more birds.

Let's play with toy guns.
Let’s play with toy guns.

The idea of toy guns around the house hit me the other day because I was adding pieces to our dress-up clothes. I had purchased a soldier outfit and a police officer outfit. I was looking for a badge at the Dollar Tree when I ran across a package with a toy gun, a badge and a pretend walkie talkie. I hesitated because I have heard all the controversy about playing with guns and the possibility of instilling violence in our children, but are we missing a teaching opportunity?

My son-in-law serves in the army. Carrying a gun is part of his job. I have deep respect for all of the individuals serving in our armed forces. They carry guns to protect us and people in other countries. I believe that teaching our children how the military men and women are protecting us is a wonderful lesson. Yes, it is sad that there are wars but it is wonderful that there are people willing to put their lives on the line for others.

Then there are the police officers. They also carry guns as part of their jobs and put their lives on the line for others. Teaching respect for our police officers and learning about how they serve us are just a couple of lessons that can be incorporated into your child’s play with toy guns.

There are people that use guns to hunt for food. Wild game is healthy for you and is fairly cheap, in comparison to store bought meat. Many people around the world depend on hunting for their food. They don’t have or can’t afford to run to the grocery store to pick up something.

Lessons that can be slipped in while the children are playing with their toy guns:

  1.  Respect for our military and police.
  2.  Serving and protecting others.
  3.  Honoring our veterans.
  4.  Our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment.
  5.  How to properly handle a gun.
  6.  Where our food comes from.
  7.  The benefits of forgiveness and the consequences of revenge.

If we are worried about how our children will grow up and handle guns, shouldn’t we be talking with them about it, while they are young? Rather than avoiding or not allowing the opportunity for role playing and discussion, we should be giving them the opportunity to play and explore.

As children turn into young teens, many start playing violent video games or start sharing their interest of guns with their peers. Is this who and what you want to influence your child about the use of guns?

Some parents are worried that allowing their children to play with toy guns will create violent adults. According to an article on WebMD, titled Toy Guns: Do They Lead to Real-Life Violence?, “studies show no link between playing with toy weapons in childhood and aggression in adulthood”.

So let the kids play with their toy guns and let’s use the opportunity to instruct and raise more gun responsible teens and adults.