Send a pic to a Parent!

Mom or Dad worrying about Timmy's behavior or whether they're feeling sick today?  Send them a pic showing Timmy smiling, helping, playing, whatever.  Remember that parents are worried about their little guys whenever they are away from them.  If you send a pic it could brighten up their day!  You could just take a minute every few days to snap a pic and send it to a mom or dad to make their day.  😀📷

Disney Educator's Guides FREE

Disney has free educators guides that can be downloaded.  These guides are made for the classroom but can be easily adapted to make a great monthly theme. Using these also means that you can show the corresponding movies without copyright issues.  They have lots of great content, including power points, printable activities and games.
   The guides include Jungle Book, Moana, Bears, Chimpanzee, African Cats and more.

Pencil Monster DIY ~ Halloween or Whenever! VIDEO

My friend Maria makes some great craft DIYs.  She made this video the other day and I thought it would be a really fun project.  The littles will need some help with this, but this is when I like to put the bigger kids to work helping with certain steps or any pre-prep I might want to do.

And Yes! I let kids use glue guns.  After 15 years of glue gun use I have had a few kids with red fingers, but no major catastrophes.  Low temp of course.  Those cheapie ones at the dollar tree don't get too hot, but they work well.

Do You Know Who You Are?

Almost every time I am at a store or a mall I hear parents screaming for their kids, or kids screaming for their parents.  Kids wander off.  It happens.

Have you ever had the experience of trying to help one of those kids find their parent?  They are terrified and not often a lot of help.

We are always connected to phones or devices, and able to get a hold of anyone at a moments notice, but kids usually are not.  Especially younger kids.  We don't need to know phone numbers and for that reason we often don't think to teach them to kids.

Things Kids NEED To Know, If They Are Lost....

• Their name.  First & Last
• Their parent's name. First & Last
• Their parent's phone number.

Yes, they need to know these things!  And yes, they can memorize a phone number with repetitive help.  We all used to do it!  It's a skill we have lost, but it's important for kids.  It could also make them feel just a little bit better if they got lost. And would be a great help to anyone trying to get them back to their grown-ups.

How to teach it.......

• Make it into a song.
• Make a game of it.
• Set a group goal and when everyone has it there's a popcorn party or some other group prize.  Make a chart!
• Set an individual goal and have each child pick for a prize box or get to be first in line, etc.

What to do with those left over Easter Eggs? Make Maracas! - VIDEO

I found this fun video where she does a super easy project of making Maracas from leftover Easter Eggs.  Ask your families for their leftover eggs, and maybe some rice too.  I'd use spoons instead of forks.  You could also use masking tape on the egg and that way the kids can decorate it with markers or paint.

Moon Sand Recipe

Have you seen this moon sand?  It's so fun to play with, but very expensive if you buy it in the store.  "Happy Time" has an easy, and cheap, recipe to make it.

She has a lot of other fun videos with activities and recipes you can use.

Engaging Children in After School Programs ~ Professional Development VIDEO

While searching You Tube, I came across this great video that includes several ways to engage kids in your program.   I couldn't have said it better myself!