Learning Haven

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  • Soapy Snowman Sculptures


    Snowmen that even folks without snow can make!

    Most children love doing anything which includes dough
    or clay. This one is bound to become a fast favorite!


    Materials:

    • 2 cups Ivory Snow detergent
    • 1/2 cup water
    • Extra things for your snowman:



      • Toothpicks
      Popsicle sticks or small sticks

      Buttons
      Felt Scraps
      Small beads
      Yarn
      Pipe cleaners

    Instructions:

    Make your “snow” by mixing the Ivory snow with the water and beating it with a hand mixer until the consistency of dough.

    Immediately shape into 3 snowman shape balls. The head a
    little smaller than the middle, etc.. You can use toothpicks to hold the balls together as you stack them on top each other.

    Now add your arms and eyes. Use twigs or popsicle sticks for arms, buttons or small beads for eyes. Make a scarf out of felt scraps or crochet a yarn chain. We used pompoms and
    pipe cleaners to make earmuffs. A orange pipe cleaner cut and folded into a small triangle was our nose.

    These look cute on a stand or mantle.

  • Reindeer Magnet


    Supplies:

    Small Dog Biscuit
    Hot Glue – adults only
    Small wiggle eyes
    Small Red Pom Pom
    Brown Chenille – cut into 2 – 2-3 inch strips
    Magnet Strip

    Work on the dog biscuit vertically. Glue
    the red pom pom onto the bottom -where the dog biscuit indents- for the
    nose. Glue the wiggle eyes into the middle of the biscuit. Bend the
    chenille into antlers and  glue them to the top, back of the biscuit.
    Glue the magnet onto the back.

     

    NOTE: Use TACKY craft glue for these projects
    not Elmer’s glue.


  • Homemade Watercolors

    Make Your Own Watercolor Paints


    Save money by making this substitute for those expensive paint sets you buy
    in stores.

    Materials:

    • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons baking soda
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1/4 tablespoon glycerin
    • plastic bottle caps or paint pans, or Styrofoam egg carton
    • red, yellow and blue food coloring

    Instructions:

    1. Mix vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl. 


    2. When mixture stops foaming, add cornstarch and glycerin, mixing well. 

    3. Pour mixture into bottle caps or paint pans.
      Add several drops of a different food coloring to each pan or cap or
      carton cup. 
    4. Stir until the color is well-mixed. Be sure to add plenty of
      coloring, since the tint will lighten upon drying. Mix primary colors to make
      secondary colors. For intense colors, try kool-aid or food coloring paste
      (Wilton makes great food coloring pastes). 

    5. Let set overnight to harden.

    These paints tend to be more powdery than the store sets.

    More craft fun:

    Kid’s Kreate!

  • Lincoln’s Log Cabin


    MATERIALS:

    • small empty milk
      carton
    • pretzels or twigs
    • craft glue
    • small square
      crackers or anything you can use for the roof.
    • shiny paper for
      windows or any add ons you would like.

    INSTRUCTIONS:

    1. Wash the cartons
      and glue the opening shut.
    2. You can paint the
      carton first if you like, brown.
    3. Glue pretzels or
      small twigs to the sides of the cabin to resemble
      logs. Leave small squares for windows and a door.
      You can cut these open or make windows and doors
      out of construction paper.
    4. Use small square
      crackers or whatever you think would look good on
      the roof. We used black construction paper
      squares to represent tar paper.
    5. Set your cabin on
      a piece of cardboard covered with green or brown
      construction paper. Add things like grass and
      small trees to make it look like Lincoln’s home.


  • Grow Edible Crystals




    This
    fun project combines science with art. Crystals are beautiful to look at
    and study. Now you can grow your own, draw them and then eat them!

    Materials:

    • 1 c. sugar
    • 1/2 c water
    • Popsicle Stick

    Method:

    • Put the sugar and water in a small
      saucepan. 
    • Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. 
    • Bring to the boil,
      stirring constantly. 
    • When it starts to boil stop stirring and let boil
      1 minute. 
    • Put either a popsicle stick in a glass or tie a string to
      the middle of one and lay the stick across the top of the glass.
      Letting the string dangle to the bottom of the glass.
    • Slowly pour the
      syrup into the glass. You might want to run hot water over the glass
      first or use something plastic.
    • Let stand, until cool, and watch your crystals form

  • Snow Ice Cream Recipes


    You can
    only enjoy this in the winter with plenty of snow around! A treat Laura
    Ingalls would have enjoyed!

    Watch for that first
    fresh snow and have some old fashion fun!

    Snow
    Ice Cream

    1 cup milk

    1 egg, beaten

    1/2 cup

    sugar

    dash of salt

    1 teaspoon vanilla

    clean snow

    Mix all the
    ingredients except the snow. Mix well. Add clean, fresh snow till
    absorbed.


  • Worm Sandwiches Recipes


    What garden doesn’t have worms? Here
    is a interesting snack for a Garden Unit or Garden Party Theme.

    hot dogs

    hamburger buns

    Cut the hot dogs into thin slices,
    lengthwise.

    Score the edges, about three cuts per slice.


    Boil or microwave the “worms” until the slices curl.
    Arrange three or four worms on a bun.


  • Crochet Snowflake

    Everyone loves handmade ornaments on a tree. This beautiful little crochet
    snowflake is just perfect for Christmas. Hang them on the tree or tie them on a
    package. I will be doing them in metallic thread as well. I will be adding some
    beading as well to mine. Original pattern was designed by Julie Buldoc. USED
    WITH PERMISSION


    Pretty Snowflake

    Materials Needed

    Small amount white cotton crochet thread size 10.
    Size 7 steel crochet hook
    Fabric Stiffener
    Straight pins
    Foam Board
    Waxed Paper
    A paper towel
    Tapestry Needle
    Ornament hanger

    Gauge 10sc=1″
    Finished Size 4″ diameter
    Skill Level Beginner

    Instructions :
    RND 1: Ch6, join w/slst to first ch to form ring. Ch3. 2dc in ring. Ch6, join w/slst
    to 6th ch from hook. *3dc in ring. Ch6, join w/slst to 6th ch from hook. Rep
    from * 4 times more. You should now have 6 ch6 loops around.


    RND 2: Slst into the next dc. Ch3. 2dc, ch5, 2dc in
    next ch6 lp. *Sk next dc. Dc in next dc. Sk next dc. 2dc, ch5, 2dc in next ch6
    lp. Rep from * around. Join w/slst to top of ch3.

    RND 3: Ch3. Sk next 2 dc. Dc, ch3, dc, ch5, dc, ch3, dc
    in next ch5 sp. Sk next 2 dc. *Dc in next dc. Sk next 2 dc. Dc, ch3, dc, ch5,
    dc, ch3, dc in next ch5 sp. Sk next 2 dc. Rep from * around. Join w/slst to top
    of ch3.

    RND 4: Ch3. Sc in next ch3 sp. Dc, ch3, dc, ch3, dc,
    ch5, dc, ch3, dc, ch3, dc in next ch5 sp. Sc in next ch3 sp. Ch3. Sk next dc.
    *Sc in next dc. Sc in next ch3 sp. Dc, ch3, dc, ch3, dc, ch5, dc, ch3, dc, ch3,
    dc in next ch5 sp. Sc in next ch3 sp. Ch3. Sk next dc. Rep from * around. Join
    w/slst to first base of ch3. Fasten off. Weave all ends into work. Stiffen with
    fabric stiffener. Attach hanger to one of the points.

    To Stiffen Snowflake:

    1. Pin waxed paper to foam board to protect it.
    2. Pour 1-2 tbsp fabric stiffener into a small bowl, I
      used a custard cup.
    3. Dip snowflake into fabric stiffener and completely
      soak it till it’s dripping wet.
    4. Pat excess stiffener off with paper towel, do not
      wring the snowflake.
    5. Lay the snowflake onto the waxed paper covered board
      and stretch and pin it into shape.
    6. Allow to dry overnight! Be patient for best results.
    7. When dry, remove from board and attach hanger. If
      you like, you can sprinkle irredesent flakes on it while it is still wet for
      a sparkly effect.

      Hint: If you plan to make a bunch of snowflakes,
      crochet them all first, then use a large foam board and use a larger amount
      of stiffener. In other words, stiffen them all at once.




  • ABC Uppercase Letters

    To start with a child’s education, it’s essential to familiarize him/her with the alphabets. Thus, teaching the ABC uppercase letters or capital letters happen to be the foremost step of doing so. It’s not only sufficient for kids to recite the letters in order but it’s essential to recognize them out of sequence. After this, they need to learn the sounds represented by the alphabets and then to master the art of writing the ABC uppercase letters followed by the lowercase ones.

    Children Psychology Related To Learning

    Be it teaching ABC uppercase letters or some other lesson, what is most important while teaching a kid is to make it fun so that he / she would be an eager and active participant in the process. There are several expensive products and programs in the market that can aid you in the process, but they are absolutely not required. There are three simple keys to make your preschoolers learn the English ABC uppercase letters – to make it fun, real and regular.

    It can be a game, a song or a craft – you can resort to any or all of them to make the learning of alphabets enjoyable for your kindergarten kid so that it does not seem forced on him / her. A forcefully learnt lesson is less likely to be retained by a child in the long run.


    It’s also essential to make the thing “Real”, which implies that it would not only cater to their senses of seeing and hearing but would also appeal to more subtle ones like touching, tasting, etc. Furthermore, you need to make the lesson a regular habit as your preschooler tends to learn incredibly fast and forget equally quickly. This does not imply that you need to devote a specific part of the day for this but it can very well take place at the kitchen table or at the departmental store.

    The Methods Of Teaching ABC Uppercase Letters

    There are several manufacturers of alphabet blocks in the market who produce ABC uppercase letters, numerals, numeral names, etc. These are crafted from basswood and use child-safe ink. However, to teach your child, you can also make separate alphabets or alphabet books on your own with the help of construction papers. Apart from this conventional mode of teaching you can resort to ABC game, alphabet memory game, alphabet bingo or can sing the alphabet song or even design alphabet cookies for your kid to eat! You should also make hand gestures, body postures and use phonetics while teaching alphabet to your child.

    So it’s no more an ordeal for your preschooler to learn the ABC uppercase letters – now it’s fun.


  • Vocabulary Exercises Ideas


    Other exercises can include word searches, crossword
    puzzles, complete the paragraph etc. You can also use the words to teach other
    aspects of Language arts, such as opposites, compound words, nouns, adjectives
    etc, The type of exercise you do is up to you, and the list of words available.


    Links:

    This list of links provides useful sites for compiling
    word searches, crosswords and various other vocabulary exercises.

    Exercise 1: Using Context to Define Words

    Exercise 2: Word Puzzle

    Exercise 3: Scrambled Words

    Other Exercise Suggestions

    Sea Turtles Passage