Preschool Powol Packets

How much time do you spend in the car with your children every week?  Do you capitalize on that time so it is fun and educational?  Today I'm sharing six ways to use that time to strengthen early reading and literacy skills!  You can also play these games when you're waiting in line at grocery stores, outside the bathroom, or even just for fun outside! #1: Keep the Story Going!  Each person takes turns telling 1-3 sentences in a story.  See how crazy your story can be! #2:  Name "Poems!"  Choose one person's name, for example, Sarah.  Take turns thinking of a word that starts with each letter in her name.  For example, the first person says a word that starts with "S" and the next person says a word that starts with "A."  Continue until everyone has had a turn with their name. #3:  Does That Rhyme?  Each person takes turns telling two words to the group and asking, "Does that rhyme?"  The words can be real or made up!  Fo

How do you bring a penguin science experiment into a penguin theme?  With this super easy and very  visual, very fun, hands-on science project! We've been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins as a read aloud book this month.  Of course, it has brought up all sorts of penguin questions!  Do they really like to toboggan?  Do penguins have feathers? Do they really build nests? Can they actually drink salt water? And, of course, how do they stay warm? Our penguin science experiment demonstrates one facet of staying warm.  Penguins, like most birds, have a special oil gland (officially called the uropygial gland or the preen gland) that secretes oils and waxes to cover the penguins' feathers.  Wet feathers would make the birds much colder than dry feathers!  When the penguins feathers are covered with oils and waxes, they feathers are "water-proof," and the penguins stay much warmer. To demonstrate how oil can keep feathers dry, we did this Penguin Science Exper

How do you tie Halloween science, and a huge age range of kiddos into one experiment that could last over an hour?  With a Frozen Halloween Ghost Bubbles science project, of course! This science experiment pairs hands-on learning and experimentation with one of our favorite Holidays! Making these frozen Halloween Bubbles has become a bit of a tradition for us: we usually include them as part of a special Halloween Science day the week of Halloween--nothing screams Halloween more than awesome "creepy" bubbles flowing out of a cup and onto your bare skin! And, of course, my kids thought they looked like ghosts!! Our kids love to pop them, but it is really easy to make them last longer so you can actually hold the bubbles too!  And everyone, from the toddlers to adults, wants in on the action!! Halloween Science Experiment Ghost Bubbles To make your own Frozen Halloween Bubbles, you will need these Simple Supplies: * plastic tubing * cups

What do you do when you're learning about ancient Egypt and don't want to make a real mummy?  Make a mummy craft, of course! We have been talking about ancient Egypt for almost a month in our history lessons.  One of the most fascinating aspects of ancient Egypt is the mummifying process.  We are lucky enough that we have even seen real mummies from Egypt in our science museum here in Houston! In the past, we have "mummified" apples, but this time we wanted an activity that could be completed in under 20 minutes because we were sharing it with other families in our homeschool group.  We decided on making these cute mummies instead of a doing a lab that could take over a week. Making these mummies was the perfect activity!  Kids from preschool age up to nine had a great time designing their own mummies and gluing them together!  To make your own, you will need these Simple Supplies: * plastic spoons * wiggly eyes * torn fabric (We used white and crea

There are a lot of electronic devices for kids on the market, and it can be hard to choose the right one for your children.  LeapFrog's new Leap Pad Platinum stands out among tablets and toys as an exceptional solution for parents, teachers, and children! We have used a lot of electronic toys, tablets, and other devices for children, and I am happy to say that the LeapPad Platinum is our favorite so far.  Today I'm sharing 5 reasons to love this tablet! #1:  It is EASY for children to learn with!  The design and apps are very child-friendly and intuitive.  For example, my kids created their own avatars by themselves using pictures they took of themselves with the LeapPad Platinum.  They also figured out how to navigate the screens and use every single app and demo I put on the tablet by themselves.  The stylus is attached to the center, which makes it easy for left- and right-handed children to use too! #2:  Children feel like they are playing while they learn eve