Toddler Meals

D is for Dolphin

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today’s first non-fiction selection is Dolphin Baby by Nicola Davies. This book is written like a story that follows baby dolphin from birth to adulthood. Additional information is placed to the side on each side, in case your little is extra interested:)

Today’s second non-fiction selection is Dolphin Talk: Whistles, Clicks, and Clapping Jaws by Wendy Pfeffer. This book takes great measures to relate to the young reader, by comparing dolphin communication to human communication. A very interesting read:)

“D” is for Dolphin Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print two copies of D is for Dolphin Coloring Page from Education.com.
  • Use one copy to cut a dolphin template and the other to cut a D template.
  • On white card stock, trace and cut out letter D.
  • On gray craft foam, trace and cut out dolphin. Use pen to create fin details.
  • Provide blue paint, brush, and paint apron, glue stick, and wiggly eye.

Student Assembly

  • Paint D blue. Set aside until dry.
  • Paste dolphin in place.
  • Paste wiggly eye in place.

We had a play date with William’s friend Carter today, so we included him in our letter craft and snack:)

Feed the Dolphin Counting Mat

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Choose a number card at random. Name the number. If the student doesn’t remember the number name, find the number on the puzzle and count together to find the number name.
  • Place that number of fish on the counting mat.
  • Count the fish aloud together to check work.

Ocean Bingo

This free Ocean Bingo Printable made by Little Miss Kim’s Class can be downloaded from her Teachers Pay Teachers page. We laminated ours for durability and used fish crackers as place markers.

Dolphin Snack

Dolphin Snack
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. 1 banana
  2. 1/3 c blueberries
  3. 6 graham cracker fish
Instructions
  1. Trim tip of banana stem, so it has a fresh smooth tip. Slice stem in half across the length to make the dolphin's mouth. About halfway down the banana, cut the banana, taking care to make the cut edge straight enough for the banana to stand. Draw an eye on each side of the banana with a black permanent marker.
  2. Place the banana is a small dish. Wash and place blueberries around banana to look like water.
  3. Place a fish cracker in the dolphins mouth and the rest over the blueberries, so they look like they are swimming in the water.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

D is for Dog

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today’s fiction selection is Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman. This book is a great early reader that preschoolers love, with all the repetition, focus on opposites like up/down, day/night, colors, etc.

Today’s non-fiction selection is Pet Dogs Up Close by Erika L. Shores. This book was a compromise. I was looking for a non-fiction book that wasn’t all about breed/s or training. This is what I found, but please let me know if you find something better!!!

ABC Puppy Chow Activity

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Choose a letter at random out of the bowl. 
  • Name the letter, with adult help as needed.
  • Name a few words that begin with that letter, with adult help as needed.
  • Identify the letter on the worksheet and circle it.

Dog Shape Craft

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Color dog as desired.
  • Cut out or ask your grown up to cut out the shapes.
  • Identify all the shapes by name and group those that are the same. Use the puzzle as a reference as needed.
  • Paste the shapes to craft paper.
  • Paste wiggly eyes in place.
  • Write and as your grown up to name and date you work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Dog Number Puzzles

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Match dog house and puzzle numbers.
  • Count the number of dogs on each dog card and match it with the dog house with which it corresponds.
  • Count the dots on each bone and match it with the dog house and dog cards with which it corresponds. 

Lunch: Hot Dog Cars

Inspired by Go, Dog. Go!

Hot Dog Cars
Yields 1
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Ingredients
  1. 1 hot dog
  2. 1 hot dog bun
  3. 4 bread and butter pickles
  4. 2 grapes, halved
  5. 4 toothpicks
Instructions
  1. Cook hot dog according to package instructions and place inside bun.
  2. Use toothpicks to secure pickle and grape wheels to hot dog bun.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/
Love,

b

C is for Colors

Dear Sis,

Science: Flower Dying

We placed our flowers in our dyed water before bed last night, so we could observe the changes in the morning and throughout the day.

Materials

  • white flowers
  • scissors, to shorten stems
  • 7 small jars water
  • food coloring

Our discussion went something like this…

    “What do plants eat?”

    “Sunshine.”

    “What do plants drink?”

    “Water.”

    “If we put color in the water, what will happen when the plants drink it?”

    “I don’t know Mama.”

    “You’ll know soon.”

Balloon Color Matching Mat

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Have student name colors as they work. 
  • Clean up, by requesting certain colors by name.

Our Daily Reading

Today’s fiction selection is The Color Kitten by Margaret Wise Brown. These little kitties start the story with only three colors: blue, red, and yellow. In a quest to make green, they learn how to make a lot of different colors:)

Today’s hands-on book is Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet. William enjoys this very engaging book about how secondary colors are made from primary colors. It was a great segue to our next activity!

Paint Mixing Shape Activity

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Review shape and color names of each puzzle piece.
  • One bag at a time, ask student to identify the shape, find the corresponding puzzle piece, and name the color.
  • Add a bit of paint to the bag to make the color and let the student mix and/or spread it inside the shape.
  • Once we had paint in all the bags we moved to the floor and matched the puzzle shapes with the bag shapes again.
  • Then I called out a shape name and William retrieved it and told me what color it was and whether it was a primary color or a mixed color. For mixed colors, I had him tell me which colors were used to make it.

Snack: Rainbow Fruit Kabobs

Just before we could head to the kitchen to make our snack, baby sister woke up and crashed our lesson. So we ended up having fruit kabobs with our lunch instead:)

Love,

b

C is for Car

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Today we read two non-fiction books. If you have a little boy, car books are a dime a dozen. I wanted to take the opportunity for education in an area that interests him enough to keep him focused. You might want to tone it down with a fiction selection, if your little isn’t so car enthusiastic:) 

First we read, How a Car is Made by Sam Aloian from the Engineering Our World series. This book follows car construction through a factory assembly line.

Next, we read The History of the Car by Elizabeth Raum from the Inventions That Changed the World  series. To a twenty-first century kid, the idea that people used to travel by foot or horse and wagon is a bit mind blowing. As a history lover, I love watching William connect to history in his own unique areas of interest!

Snack: Apple Cars

William was excited to see cars on his breakfast plate this morning. Apple cars paired well with our sausage and leftover Honey Apple Challah french toast, from Rosh Hashanah dinner last night:)

Apple cars are easy to make. They look more proportionate with larger apple slices:) The grapes are secured with tooth picks.

Wheels on the Car Color Matching Activity

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Place color coordinating wheel markers on the corresponding car, saying the color name aloud.
  • Review during clean up, by asking your student to put away one color at a time.

Shape Roads to Drive

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Name shape, and discuss its features. For instance, a square has four equal sides. Count them together.
  • Drive the shape roads… of course!

Car Number Tracing & Counting Cards

Parent Preparation

Our Process

  • Name the number.
  • Have student trace it with their fingers, then a car.
  • Park the correct number of cars in the adjacent parking lot, counting aloud as they work.

Love,

b

C is for Cat

Dear Sis,

William is very excited for your arrival later today. It motivated him through lessons very quickly, so he can play with Baby Em when she gets here:)

Our Daily Reading

Today’s fiction selection is one of William’s favorites right now. Max the Brave by Ed Vere is about a kitty who is going to show his bravery by chasing mice… too bad he doesn’t know what mouse looks like.

Today’s non-fiction selection is from The Cat in the Hat Learning Library: What Cat is That? By Tish Rabe. In true Cat-in-the-Hat style, the book is written in rhyme and is loaded with great information about wild and domesticated cats.

Breakfast: Cat Bagel

Cat Bagel
Serves 1
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Ingredients
  1. half a bagel
  2. 2 T flavored cream cheese
  3. 2 strawberry slices
  4. 3 raisins
  5. 6 pretzel sticks
Instructions
  1. Spread cream cheese over bagel, taking care to fill in the center, so it doesn't show.
  2. Add strawberry slice ears, eye and nose raisins, and pretzel whiskers.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/

“C” is for Cat Letter Craft

Activity Materials

  • Print C is for Cat Letter Craft Template from Miss Maren’s Monkeys Blog, on card stock. 
    • Cut out “C,” ear, and nose portions of the template. We skipped the paper eye and whisker portions of the template.
  • Supply a sheet craft paper for cat (black, brown, gray, orange, white), a second sheet of craft paper for mounting, pink craft paper for nose, 2 large wiggly eyes, a pipe cleaner cut into six portions for whiskers.
  • Crayons optional to add pattern to cat. William wanted to add white stripes to his orange cat.

Student Assembly

  • Trace and cut out or have your grown up trace and cut out the “C,” 2 ears, and a tail from cat colored sheet of craft paper. Trace and cut out nose from pink craft paper.
  • Paste “C,” ears, and tail to the mounting sheet of craft paper.
  • Optional: Add stripes, patches, or spots with crayons, as desired.
  • Paste on wiggly eyes and whiskers.
  • Write or ask your grown up to title, name, and date your work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Cat Matching Memory Game

Print Cat Matching Memory Game from Sunny Day Family, on card stock. To finish the game for use, cut cats out, back them with scrapbook paper, and laminate them for durability.

Matching Game

  • Place half of the cards face up and half the cards face down.
  • During turn, player flips a face down card and finds its face up match.

We played this version once before moving onto small scale memory game play.

Memory Game

  • Choose 4-6 pairs of cards. Shuffle and place all face down.
  • During turn, flip two cards. If they match, the player keeps them and has the opportunity to flip two more cards in search of another match. Continue until a match is not made.
  • Play transfers to the second player. Process is the same. 
  • When all cards are collected, they player with the most cards wins.

Cat Whisker Lacing Cards

Print Cat Whisker Lacing Cards form Your Therapy Source, on card stock. Cut out cats, laminate, and punch two holes on each side of nose with hole puncher. Supply pipe cleaners cut in half, for lacing.

Love,

b

B is for Buttons

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

The first fiction selection is the widely popular book, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean and Eric Litwin. As Pete’s favorite shirt loses buttons, your students gets some counting practice, and learns from Pete’s positive attitude that rotten luck is no reason to cry.

The second fiction selection, Grandma’s Button Box by Linda Williams Aber, is a story about a girl who spills her grandmother’s button box, while she is out. She and her cousins work together to find and sort all the buttons before she returns. Another great math story!

 “b” is for Button Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print b if for Button Printable from Tag Sis, You’re It!
  • Supply crayons, scissors, glue stick and liquid glue, assorted buttons, and a sheet of craft paper.

Student Assembly

  • Color “b” with crayons.
  • Cut out or ask your grown up to cut out your “b.”
  • Paste “b” to sheet of craft paper with glue stick.
  • Glue buttons to “b” with liquid glue.
  • Write or ask your grown up to title, name, and date your work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Pete the Cat Groovy Buttons Game

Game Play

2-4 Players

Set Up for Each Player

  • Cat figure place marker
  • 1 Button Jar
  • 2 Buttons (to place on Jar)

Rules of Play

  • Youngest player spins first.
  • Land on Green: add suggested number of Buttons to Jar.
  • Land on Red: remove suggested number of Buttons from Jar and place them on Pete’s Shirt.
  • Land on Blue: trade Jars with Player of choice.
  • Land on Blank Green Space of Pete’s Shirt: take all the Buttons on the Shirt.

Game End

  • Play ends when all buttons are collected.
  • Any buttons remaining on Pete’s Shirt are divided among players, starting with the youngest player.
  • Player with the most buttons wins!

Pete the Cat Groovy Buttons Game helps your student practice counting and number recognition for numbers 1-5.

Button Shape Sorting Jars

Activity Materials

Our Process

  • Review shapes using Shape Puzzle.
  • Read shape names on jars to student and have them place the corresponding shape over the name. The Flower Jar will be the only one without a shape.
  • Ask student to short buttons into the correct jar, saying the color and shape of each button as they go.

Lunch: Button Sandwiches

I used a glass to cut circles of bread and a drinking straw to create the button holes. William wanted PB&J, so I cut the bread first and then made the sandwiches. For ham or turkey and cheese, it would be easier to make the sandwich first and then cut it into a round. Just pull off the top slice and create the button holes before serving.

Love,

b

B is for Bear

Dear Sis,

Our Daily Reading

Our fiction selection for the day was, There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins. Poor mouse has an uninvited guest in his chair! Mouse rants in rhyme until finally, he gives up. When mouse leaves, bear goes home to find mouse asleep in his bed. Even little ones find the humor!

Our non-fiction selection for the day was, Brown Bears by Kate Riggs. This book is a quick read, so your little won’t be over whelmed with information. 

Breakfast: Bear Toast

Bear Toast
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Ingredients
  1. 1 slice bread
  2. 1 T peanut butter
  3. 3 banana slices
  4. 3 blueberries
Instructions
  1. Lightly toast bread.
  2. Spread with peanut butter.
  3. Top with banana slices and blueberries to make bear facial features.
Tag Sis, You're It! http://www.tagsisyoureit.com/

We had a midwife appointment today, so I made William’s toast to go. He was eating and listening to his daily reading during my 38 week check up. What can I say? Moms multi-task! Midwife Linda and the receptionist couldn’t get over how cute his breakfast was!

“B” is for Bear Letter Craft

Parent Preparation

  • Print Bear Parts and Upper Case B Templates from DLTK’s Educational Activities. Color and Black and White versions are available for both. We opted to bring the B is Black and White and the Part Parts in Color.
  • Cut out the Bear Parts. We didn’t use all the bear parts. We skipped the eye brows and tongue and traded the paper eyes for wiggly ones.
  • Supply a brown crayon, glue stick, and 2 large wiggly eyes.

Student Assembly

  • Color the letter B with a brown crayon.
  • Paste the dark ear circle onto the larger ear circles and paste the dark nose circle to the oval snout. 
  • Paste the ears, snout, and paws in place. 
  • Paste the wiggly eyes.
  • Write or ask your grown up to title, name, and date your work, for your homeschool portfolio.

Bear Counting Clip Cards

Activity Materials

Our Process

Today we didn’t incorporate our numeral puzzle because we were in a mall lounge waiting for Build-a-Bear to open. 

  • Shuffle cards.
  • First, ask student what color the bears are.
  • Then, ask student to count the bears.
  • Next, ask student to find the correct numeral. My student has little to no number recognition at this point, so I read the numbers to him slowly, pointing to each one, and then asked him to identify the correct number.
  • Finally, we put the cards in sequential order.

September Field Trip

Built-a-Bear Workshop

As part of our schooling process, I decided that I wanted to make sure we had a field trip each month. Family friends John and Susan gave us some Build-a-Bear Workshop gift cards a few months ago, so I thought B is for Bear day would be the perfect opportunity to put them to use. Ironically, William chose a dinosaur for himself and a rabbit for baby sister… neither of which begin with letter B!

Afterward, William played in the mall play area for the better part of a half an hour and we had food court pizza as a special treat for lunch. It was toddler heaven!

Gummy Bear Pattern Strips

Activity Materials

  • Print Gummy Bear Patterns from Pre Kinders, on card stock.
    • Cut out and laminate for durability.
  • Supply gummy bears. I bought two bags because I realized there were hardly any green and white in them!

Our Process

  • Sort gummy bears by color.
  • Work through as many pattern strips as your student has patience for. I bribed mine with the promise of 3 gummy bears to eat after the completion of a pattern:)

When William was all tucked in for nap today, next to his new dinosaur, he smiled and said, “We had a good day Mama.” Afterward, I went to my room, to make the bed, since we left for our appointment before Daddy was up. When I was done making the bed, I tidied a few other things, and realized that William had placed baby sister’s new rabbit in her crib. Sometimes that kid makes my heart melt!!!

Love,

b

 

Mac n Cheese… Can You Guess the Secret Ingredient?

Dear Sis,

Today we made Macaroni and Cheese with a secret ingredient. One would never guess it was butternut squash!!!!!

 

Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese
Serves 8
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Ingredients
  1. 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  2. 2 c chicken stock
  3. 2 t dijon mustard
  4. 2 c shredded Gouda
  5. 3 c shredded Cheddar, divided
  6. 1 c whole milk
  7. 3/4 c greek yogurt
  8. 1 pound mini penne, cooked
  9. 2 T butter, melted
  10. 1 c Italian breadcrumbs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 and grease a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
  2. Simmer squash in stock for 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
  3. Stir in mustard and 2 c each gouda and cheddar until melted and smooth. Stir in milk and yogurt until smooth.
  4. Stir in cooked pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into prepared casserole dish.
  5. Top with a mixture of breadcrumbs, remaining c of cheddar, and melted butter.
  6. Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly and warmed through.
Notes
  1. When smaller batches are desired, I used two 8x8 pans and freeze one for later. Don't bake the one for the freezer until it is thawed and ready to go on serving day.
Adapted from The Ultimate New Mom's Cookbook by Aurora Satler & Allison Childress
Adapted from The Ultimate New Mom's Cookbook by Aurora Satler & Allison Childress
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This is my new favorite mac n cheese recipe! Though I probably still use my old one on time crunch days:)

Love,

b