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JDaniel4s Mom

growing & learning with him

Deirdre Smith writes/owns JDaniel4’s Mom. After twenty years as a elementary school and technology resource teacher in Northern Virginia, she became a stay at home mom in upstate South Carolina. Her blog features ways she and her 5 year old are exploring learning, crafting, creating healthy meals and living life to its fullest. Deirdre can also be found on twitter as @jdaniel4smom and on her blog's FB page. You can also check her out on Google+.

Signs of Spring Fingerplays

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See, See, See

See, see, see (shade eyes with hands)
Three birds are in a tree (hold up three fingers)
One can chirp (point to thumb)
And one can sing (point to index finger)
One is just a tiny thing. (point to middle finger, then rockbaby bird in arms)
See, See, See Three birds are in a tree (hold up three fingers)
Look, look, look (shade eyes)
Three ducks are in a brook (hold up three fingers)
One is white, and one is brown. One is swimming upside down (point to a finger each time)
Look, look, look Three ducks are in a brook. (hold up three fingers)

Taken from Spring Time Theme

Bunny in the Ground

Here is a bunny with ears so funny (make bunny ears)
And here is his hole in the ground (make a circle with fingers)
When a noise he hears (put hand to ear)
He pricks up his ears, (hold bunny ears up straight)
And he jumps in his hole in the ground! (make hole with one hand and stick finger in it)

Spring Training- Getting Ready For Egg Hunts

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Practice Egg Hunt

We started spring training for egg hunts last week by searching for some of JDaniel’s plastic balls around the second floor of the house. I gave him a plastic basket to collect them in and carefully explained what he needed to do. He had trouble at first finding them even if they were in plain sight. He needed guidance to know what part of the room to look in and once he was there what furniture it was on. After two days of playing find the ball inside, we moved outdoors. He really seemed to be able to find the balls quickly and loved placing them in the basket. When I tried to play find the ball with him over the weekend he was not interested. Yesterday he started playing the game by himself. JDaniel hides the eggs and then finds them. I guess he understood and enjoyed it more than I thought.

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I Need a Lifeguard in the Bathtub!

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SITS is holding a Back to Blogging Event this week. Each day bloggers are asked to select a particular thing to share. Today the we were at to share a blog entry title we were proud of. I like many of my titles, but this one is attached to a fun post too.

JDaniel has been sitting in a tub seat for over a year. He really loves it now. When I first put him in it, he cried and cried. Now that he is a chunky two year old, he doesn’t fit in the tub seat well. He also fusses about the toys that are out of his reach.
I decided that he needed to try and sit in tub on his own. Well, he didn’t want to be in the tub without the seat. He cried and cried about being in the tub. The first night I just took him out and told him we would try again in a day or two. The second time he was placed in the tub he was still fussing. I was frustrated about the crying about the tub and the fact I had forgotten to bring a diaper into the bathroom with me. I called down the steps to my husband and asked him to come watch JDaniel while I got a diaper. He came up stairs right a way. I left him trying to calm JDaniel down. When I returned all I could see was JDaniel sitting in the tub and no husband. We have glass doors that slide to close the tub off when you are using the shower. The front door was open to bathe Daniel and the back door was shut. I looked around the front door to the back on the tub and there my husband was squatting with his pants rolled up. It was the funniest thing to see. JDaniel has been talking about it all day. “Daddy in tub! Daddy in tub!” he says.
Later that night I asked him where he came up with the idea. He commented that he did the same thing when we first used the tub seat. I had forgotten that’s what JDaniel would need.

Seeing Green at the Grocery Store- St. Patrick’s Day Activity

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St. Patrick's Day Grocery Store Hunt with Paint Chips

I picked up these paint chips at my local Lowe’s store. I love that they have a window you can use to see an object behind the paint chip and see if it matches. The little window made it a great tool to take to the grocery store and look for green foods. JDaniel loves to have something to do while sitting in the cart. This activity was a lot of fun.
St. Patrick's Day Grocery Store Color Hunt - Acorn Squash

Sometimes I would hand JDaniel the item to test.

St. Patrick's Day Grocery Store Color Hunt - BroccoliSometimes I would hold the card up to the food and have him tell me if it matched.

We looked like we were having so much fun another mother of a two-year-old mentioned she would like to try this activity with her child.

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A Wee Little Man Came Visiting

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A little man came to visit my house weeks ago and has been waiting for JDaniel and me to show him the town. Flat Stanley came with the snow in the middle of February and due to a lot of things happening in my family he sat quietly and waited for us to work on his project.

 

Visiting the Liberty Bridge in Greenville, South Carolina

On Friday JDaniel and I took him to down to Greenville to see the Liberty Bridge and Falls Park. We all stayed dry and really enjoyed checking out the bridge and the falls.

Flat Stanley visiting the Reedy River in Downtown Greenville

Can you tell I let JDaniel do most of the coloring?

We still have something things to do for him before he heads home to New Hampshire, but at least he got to see some of our town.

 

 

St. Patrick’s Day Finger Plays

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Leprechaun Fingerplay

Leprechaun, leprechaun,
Hiding in the hay. (Hide pointer finger under opposite hand.)
Leprechaun, leprechaun,
Don’t you run away. (Hop pointer finger around.)
Leprechaun, leprechaun,
Let’s go out and play. (Hop both pointer fingers together.)
Leprechaun, leprechaun,
It’s St. Patrick’s Day! (Dance pointer fingers up and down.)

This Little Leprechaun

This little leprechaun slid down the rainbow, (Point to thumb.)
This little leprechaun stayed home. (Point to index finger.)
This little leprechaun picked a shamrock, (Point to middle finger.)
This little leprechaun found some gold. (Point to ring finger.)
This little leprechaun cried, “See if you can catch me,” (Point to little finger.)
As he ran home. (Wiggle little finger.)

Taken from http://www.preschooleducation.com/spatrick.shtml

Hands On Thank You Notes

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Kids can use a hand print instead of signing their name on their thank you notes.
My sister Michelle used to have her children’s hand traced at the bottom of their thank you notes. It was a great alternative to having them scribble all over the card. Yesterday afternoon I finally sat down to write thank you notes for all of JDaniel’s wonderful birthday gifts. Last night after dinner we sat down to do his hand tracings. He loved that he was getting to leave a handprint on the cards that were going out to thank his friends and family. JDaniel was very patient as I traced his hand over and over again.

 

 

Shearing or Plucking A Sheep

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When I visit the other Muffin Tin Monday blogs, I get to see some of the crafts they do as a part of a group called Tot School. They always look great and fit a theme each mom has picked for the week. Since I am focusing on lions and lambs this week, I thought I would have JDaniel make a lamb with cotton balls and a paper plate on Sunday night.

 

JDaniel was excited about doing a project. He carefully placed each cotton ball on the plate after I put a dab of glue on it. JDaniel rushed in the kitchen to show my husband when he was done. They hung it on the refrigerator in a prominent spot that was easy for him to see.

Monday morning the lamb was brought into the living room and placed on the coffee table. Then the shearing or plucking of the lamb began. JDaniel slowly pulled off all the cotton balls and placed them on the table. When he was finished, he walked away.
I asked him if he wanted to glue the cotton back on the plate. JDaniel told me, “No.” It was a fun and cute craft while it lasted.

I learned two lessons. One enjoys the process of making the craft. Two hang craft projects up high on the refrigerator.

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JDaniel’s Birthday Was A Success!

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JDaniel had a wonderful birthday. From having his Cozy Coupe waiting for him when he came down to breakfast, to getting to wear his special Curious George birthday shirt, time at the zoo, eating cupcakes, and opening gifts he loved it all. There was a meltdown when mama won’t let him open the GeoTrax gift his friend Jake gave him until naptime was over and a really short nap so that he would get to play with his new toy. Dinner with my mom and two phone calls from sets relatives singing him Happy Birthday ended his day with a bang. By the time his head hit the mattress, he was filled with wonderful memories of turning two.

 

Monkey Cupcakes

 

Here is picture of his monkey cupcakes.

 

Looking at the alligator

 

This is Jake and JDaniel looking for the alligator!

 

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Birthday Songs and Fingerplays

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The Birthday Song
Oh, do you know the birthday girl (boy) The birthday girl, the birthday girl, Oh, do you know the birthday girl, Her (his) name is __________.
Do you know how old she is How old she is, how old she is? Do you know how old she is She is ___________ years old.

Birthday Doo Dah

Zippity – sung to “Zippity Doo dah”
Zippity dooh dah, zippity ay,my oh my what a wonderful day,plenty of sunshine comin’ your way (you way!)zippity dooh dah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Taken from http://stepbystepcc.com/holidays/birthday.html
Five Candles on the Cake
Five candles on a birthday cake
Five, and not one more.
You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion]
And that leaves four!
Four candles on a birthday cake
There for all to see.
You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion]
And that makes three!
Three candles on a birthday cake
Standing straight and true.
You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion]
And that leaves two!
Two candles on a birthday cake
Helping us have fun.
You may blow one candle out, [make blowing sound and motion]
And that leaves one!
One candle on a birthday cake
We know its task is done.
You may blow this candle out, [make blowing sound and motion]And that leaves none!
Taken from http://earlylit.net/wordpress/category/storytime-component/fingerplays-and-rhymes/
Birthdays
Birthday candles, one-two-three (hold up fingers on the count)
Birthday candles just for me! (point to self)
Last year two, next year four (hold up 2 fingers on left hand and 4 on right)
Birthday candles I want more! (hold up all fingers)

Taken from http://leland22201.tripod.com/id3.html

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