Name recognition activities

We have done a few different name recognition activities.

 

 

First, I put wrote her name on a sheet of printer paper and

slipped it into a page protector. Then we made play dough "snakes"

to spell out her name.

 

 

 

Next I gave her cookie cutters that spelled out her name.

She had fun cutting out the letters and putting them in the correct order

to make her name.

 

We love Target's dollar zone. They have foam cut outs for every holiday.

I usually pick them up to use for different activities, such as math or

matching. In this photo, I wrote her name on the bunnies and mixed them up.

Then she put them in the correct order to spell out her name.

 

 

She really loves her letter magnets.
For this activity, I just wrote her name on a sheet of paper and

put it on the refrigerator with her magnets below it.

She spelled out her name, then asked me how to spell other words as well.

 

For the next activity, I wrote her name on a 3x5 index card, then the letters of her name on

clothes pins. This is not only good for name recognition, but for fine motor skills as well.

 

The last activity was simply writing her name on a sheet of paper,

and having her glue fruit loops on the outline.  (While eating a few, of course!)

 

As you can see, these activities are very simple, yet will help your child recognize their name!

Please share a link if you have done any name recognition activities!

Live, Laugh, Love - a great (& meaningful) Phrase.

I have this phrase all over my house. LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE. So many people are in a rush... they plop their kids down in front of the tv so they can wash the dishes, shuck the corn, feed the pets, do the laundry, etc... They don't realize it, but they are forcing their children to miss out on lots of valuable learning time! You don't have to be sitting at the table
teaching them how to read and write 24 hours a day for them to learn - LIVING is learning! Even a very young child loves to "help" with chores like folding laundry. (Sure, you will need to refold it, but making them feel a part of your every day life is important.. and those times you would plop them in front of the tv are minutes of your child's life that you will never get back.) My 2 year old loves helping me put laundry in and starting the washer and dryer. We talk about what we're doing as we do it. She loves shucking corn, throwing food to the cows at my Mama's and gathering chicken eggs at my in-laws. She feeds our cat and guinea pig. She helps fold laundry and put it away. She loves to help me bake. Does it get a little messier than I'd like? Sure! But the messes won't be around forever.
One day she will be grown and I will be alone to do my baking and cleaning. I treasure the moments I have with her now. My son will be 18 in June and my other daughter will be 16 in May. We've made lots of memories and will make more, but I am so glad to have spent time with them while they were little. Every second counts. You hear it in songs and on tv, and some people just hear it and move on. But it is true. Every minute we are given in life is gold. Treat it that way. Remember that while we're so busy rushing around, our kids are learning, and growing. Take your time. Live life to the fullest, because at the end, all you have left are your memories.

Strawberry Jam!

Today we made strawberry jam with the strawberries

that we picked at the farm.

(Recipe at the bottom of this post.)

 

K mashing the berries

B mashing the berries

K putting the lids in the pot to boil

K mixing pectin and sugar

K mixing the jam

B mixing the jam

let it boil for one minute

Tada! Homemade strawberry jam. :)

Listening for the beautiful "pop" letting me know that

the jars have sealed. :)

 

Strawberry Jam

 

- 6 cups crushed strawberries

- 4.5 cups sugar

- 3 TBS light pectin

 

- large pot for boiling jam

- small pot for boiling lids

- dish towel

- oven mitt or pot holder

- wooden spoon

- heat proof measuring cup with funnel

- 8 half pint jars with lids

- jar funnel

- magnet stick to pick lids up out of water

 

Wash all of your jars and place them in the oven set at 250. This sterilizes

the jars as well as making them ready for the hot jam to be poured into them.

Wash and hull strawberries. Put in a bowl and crush with a potato masher or pulse in

a food crusher. Pour into a large pot. Mix pectin with 1/4 cup of sugar. Stir pectin and

sugar mixture into berries, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Add the rest of the sugar. Stir and return to a hard boil for one minute.

Remove from heat after one minute. Skim the top, removing any pieces of

berry or foam. Boil lids for one minute to sterilize. Take jars out of the oven,

and place onto the dish towel. Pour the hot jam into the jars with a heat proof measuring

cup with a spout. Make sure the glass rims are clean and free from spills, or the jars won't seal.

Place the lids on and screw the rings on tightly.

That's it! Listen for the "pop" sound letting you know that the jars have sealed,

and you are done! :)

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Strawberry Pickin' !

 By the way, my 2 year old in the picture above ^ didn't like strawberries until

we went and picked them! Then she couldn't stop eating them!!

 

 

For More Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 minutes for Mom!

Sensory Color Bowls

Sensory color bowls

green (split pea base), orange (dyed rice base),

 and red (shredded paper base).

 

Color Baths!

Working on a different color each week, we've been incorporating baths!

Just add a few drops of food dye in whatever color you are working on.

Then, you can paint the color word on the wall, search the house for toys in the color

and cut shapes out of foam or felt to stick to the wall.

Here are our color baths.