Germ Detectives

When doing a co-op preschool at our house we started the year off with a lesson on germs.
You've got to watch out for young children who like to lick everything in sight, including their own runny noses.
I started by telling them that germs are little pieces of dirt that are invisible.  They get everywhere and like to try to sneak into your body to make you sick but you can do things to keep the germs away.
1. Sneeze and cough in your elbow or a tissue
2. Scrub your hands
3. Go to the doctor each fall for a check-up (and for a flu vaccine- but you don't need to tell them that)
4. Eat healthy (things that grow in a garden, fruits and vegatables)
5. Exercise - play sports move around
For this lesson we are going to focus on the first two.

SNEEZE on your KNEES
Teach kids that if there is not a tissue around they should try to cough in their elbow or on their knees - not on their hands.  I know one teacher who took a handful of glitter (or you could use larger confetti or cut up paper) and she pretended to sneeze on the class and released the glitter. She showed her class how tiny it was and how it got everywhere from just one sneeze. She reminded them that Germs are invisible and anytime you sneeze that many germs fly out so you should try to trap them in your elbow.

For our preschool we made paper sack puppets. I let the kids put band-aids on them to show they should cover up owies to not let germs get in.  Then I had them make their puppet sneeze and cough into the child's elbow for practice.  They had a blast doing this. Later, during snack time, one of the boys sneezed for real into their elbow and I praised him for remembering.

HAND WASHING- Germs are Invisible
We talked about germs again and how germs are invisible (hiding) dirt that can make you sick. Before the kids came I used a special lotion (that only shows up when using a black light) on a doll and applied it to certain "Hot Spots" around the house. During circle time I passed around the doll that was sick and they each held it and the girls gave it kisses to make it feel better. We played with instruments (including recorder flutes) for a few minutes. 
DETECTIVE TIPS:
I told them we were going to be detectives searching for germs. I asked if they could see any. "No." Then I told them to follow me to my detective lab (the bathroom) to search for hiding germs.  I used my special “detective light” (black light) to show them the sick baby and how it was covered in hidden germs (the special lotion lit up).

Then we checked their hands and saw germs all over. I showed them the light switch, sink faucet, toilet handle and seat, keyboard and mouse and the flute all had hiding germs. I told them we needed to clean up to get rid of the germs so we used Clorox wipes to clean everything then washed our hands. We used the black light again and saw that we missed a lot of germs so we cleaned everything again and I showed them how to make sure they got all the spots on their hands.

Teach them to sing the ABC's or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -SLOWLY- while soaping and scrubbing their hands under water and drying hands well with a towel. 

Say BOO to the FLU: A program by Clorox has great germ fighting activities and a FREE printable Handwashing Chart

Here are some sites to get the hidden germs (invisible ink spray, lotion or powder) that will show up under a black light:
Glo Germ, Germ Juice, Glitter Bug (Brevis)
Click here for Black Light info or I've seen some sold at Home Depot, or if you want to brave the mall check out the Hot Topic store.

I read this easy to understand book to our class: Germs are Not for Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick and illustrated by Marieka Heinlen.

You could also try reading these Germ books:

If you plan to use them just once check your library for a copy (watch out for germ covered books ;).

If you are a teacher and plan to use this each year you may want to purchase a copy to reuse.

The Magic School Bus: Inside Ralphie, A Book about Germs by Joanna Cole and John Speirs.

Bill Nye the Science Guy's Great Big Book of Tiny Germs  would be great for older grade school to high school kids. "Germs, germs, everywhere! Did you know that: - Some germs are good for you, or even delicious? - There are more germs on Earth than all other living things combined? - Your body is constantly fighting germs, even when you aren't sick? Now you know! Find out how more about germs and how to stay healthy, with eleven cool experiments."

CIRCLE TIME SONG:
Wash, Wash, Wash Your Hands

Produced by Stamford, CT Public Schools- Springdale Elementary School – 10/01/08
(Sing to Row, Row, Row Your Boat)

1. Wash, Wash, Wash your hands
Several times a day
Soap and water always work
To Send the germs away
2. Dry, Dry, Dry your hands
Every time you wash
If you dry them every time
The germs you're sure to squash
3. Blow, Blow, Blow your nose
Then go wash your hands
Boogers running down your face
Really isn't grand
4. Cover, Cover, Cover your cough
Please use your arm
Keep the germs away from friends
So they can do no harm

Linked to Tip Junkie's Tip Me Tuesday
Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrapup
Blue Cricket Designs Show and Tell
Fingerprints on the Fridge, Feature Yourself Friday
Hookin' Up with House of Hepworths
30 Handmade Days Pity Party

Topsy Turvy Dr. Seuss Party

Ashlee, of the blog I'm Topsy Turvy, created this splendiferous Dr. Seuss Party for her daughter.
Take a look at the amazing decorations, treats, games and favors she made.

1. The amazing Cat in the Hat cake made out of fondant that nobody realized was a cake.

2. Truffula Trees made of feather boas

3. Pin the Hat on the Cat game

4. The Cat in the PARTY Hat invitation

5. Green Eggs and Ham Suckers

6. Hand made pendant necklaces featuring Dr. Seuss Books

1. Cake Pops in the shape of Cat in the Hat- Hats

2. Thing 1, Thing 2 Cupcakes with cotton Candy tops
3. Fun treat table with Fish in a Dish and Seuss colored candy
4. 1 Fish, 2 Fish Soap Party Favors (I need to make some of these for my 1 Fish 2 Fish themed bathroom)

For more details on how she created everything, go to I'm Topsy Turvey's blog.

IN SEARCH OF DR. SEUSS (Blog Posts)

ObSEUSSed is searching for Dr. Seuss related blog posts to add to my Dr. Seuss collection and to create a place for all Dr. Seuss fans to gather their ideas. If you have a Dr. Seuss activity, lesson plan, craft, nursery / room decor or party posted online, please add it to one of the ObSEUSSed link collections on the tabs at the top of this page.  Go to the Seuss Celebrations page  where this party is linked.

Quick Pumpkin Activities

If you don't have time to carve a pumpkin this Halloween (or if you want to avoid the mess) try some of these quick pumpkin activities.

FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS:

Start with a book at bed time. This one is great for toddlers too.

It has been a traditional rhyme since my mom was a little girl. She taught it to me and I'm sure most people have heard it.  The poem, "5 Little Pumpkins," can be found in this cute book by Dan Yaccarino or below. Remember to clap your hands (or really turn out the light) at the part where you say "Out went the light"

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, "Oh, my it's getting late!"
The second one said, "There are witches in the air."
The third one said, "But we don't care."
The fourth one said, "Let's run, let's run!"
The fifth one said, "Isn't Halloween fun?"
Then woooooo went the wind
And OUT went the lights.
And those five little pumpkins rolled right out of sight.

Another Quick Idea
REAL ORANGE PUMPKINS:

Get some cute Clementine oranges and give your kids some permanent markers to decorate faces on them.

Under adult supervision my 4 & 6 year old loved this. Then they gave a bag to our neighbors.

PIPE CLEANER PUMPKIN: Use pipe cleaners to decorate a pumpkin in under 5 minutes. Curl a few or leave them straight.  Use siscors to cut them (they are way too hard to pull apart by hand - trust me, I've tried. Remember there is a wire under that fuzz).

POTATO HEAD PUMPKIN: Use pieces from Mr. Potato Head toy or buy pieces at the store that have a little bit longer and pointy tip. You can find them all over. I've seen them at Target and WalMart.  Our kids like to change the look every day for a fresh spooky surprise.  Or try 4 faces at once (on each side) so you can rotate it to your favorite each day.

PUMPKIN PRETZEL KISSES: These are a favorite new treat.  The kids did all the work for these. I preheated the oven to 350 degrees. My 6 year old lined up pretzels on a cookie tray, my 4 year old unwrapped all the kisses (Pumpkin Spice, Candy Corn and Carmel Apple flavors) then set one one each pretzel.  Then I popped them in the oven for 5 minutes to melt, took them out and pushed them down a little with the bottom of a spoon.  The carmel ones got messy and stuck to the tray but the others turned out great.

Here is one of my little helpers and my cute little 3-month-old pumpkin.

Linking up to Today's Creative, Get Your Craft On
Skip To My Lou, Made By You Monday
Ain't She Crazy Theme Party Thursday 
Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrapup Party

10 Apples Up on Top, Dr. Seuss Link Collection

sA friend told me about the amazing blog, I Can Teach My Child!

Jenae created this fun activity to help her son explore the Dr. Seuss book 10 Apples Up On Top.

I love how this lets him have a hands-on manipulative to help him learn counting while he plays along with the book.

Click here to see how Jenae created this fun activity so you can make your own. 




Dr. Seuss Link Collection:

I love looking at other bloggers' Dr. Seuss themed posts. I decided to use the page tabs of my blog to start 3 Linky Lists of great Dr. Seuss themed blog posts. If you know any bloggers who have fun Dr. Seuss ideas, tell them to add their link here.

Take a look at the right column to see what lists I am collecting. I'd love to have the utlimate Dr. Seuss collection with quick thumbnail pics and a title for everyone to reference. Share your Dr. Seuss blog posts on ObSEUSSed and tell your friends.

Seuss Central - Link up Dr. Seuss book activities,lessons, games, printables, worksheets
Seuss Celebrations - Link up Dr. Seuss themed parties, baby showers, treats, cakes
Seuss Style - Link up Dr. Seuss decorated playrooms, classrooms, or a baby nursery

Halloween Life-Size Jack Skellington

Our favorite Halloween decoration we've made is this life-size Jack Skellington from Disney & Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.  My husband cut PVC pipes to make his skinny frame and I found fabric to sew for his suit and face. I cut black felt for his face and used foam paper and white-out to make the bat tie, then we added gloves for his hands.  To make it even spookier, we sat him at our Player Piano and turned on the Halloween Music so it looks like Jack is reallly playing the piano. We set him in our big picture window so the kids and parents can see him as they walk up the porch to Trick-or-treat. The little kids are so amazed that Jack is playing the piano all by himself.

   
Check out these cute cupcakes on Disney's Family.com


From Disney.com

Last year they came out with a Christmas book about the movie story. The Nightmare Before Christmas. In case your not familiar with the story it is about Jack Skellington who lives in Halloween land, but he finds out about Santa Claus and wants to take his place and leave spooky gifts for children because he wants to bring them Halloween cheer but things don't work out very well. Our kids, ages 7 & 5, love it but younger kids might be scared so use your judgement before introducing it to them.

Linking to

Tatertots and Jello Fall Linky Party

Blue Cricket Design

Somewhat Simple's Strut Your Stuff Thurs.

Hooking Up with House of Hepworth on Thurs.

Life As Lori, Get Your Craft on Thurs.

Fingerprints on the Fridge, Feature Yourself Friday

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

 



American Girl Doll; Lanie Loves to Read

Our daughter started 1st grade this year.  She has loved school and especially loves exploring new chapter books.

The American Girl book, Kit Learns a Lesson, was her very first chapter book this summer.  She originally saw the Kit Kittredge movie, which we checked out at the library then decided to buy because she loved it so much.  The movie gave her a great introduction to the 30's time period where she learned more about the Great Depression, soup kitchens and taking in house borders. I loved the good example Kit set, with her enthusiasm to write for the newspaper and to help her friends.  The book helped my daughter to notice more details and she enjoyed telling me how it was different from the movie.

This year, the American Girl "Doll of the Year" is Lanie, "an energetic girl who discovers the the world in her own backyard." She loves the outdoors.

Our daughter has seen her friends with their American Girl dolls, watches the movies and has started reading the books.... so of course she started asking for a doll of her own.


It so happens that grandma calls our daughter "Lanie" as a nickname and the doll looks just like her so I really wanted to get her this doll for her 7th birthday this year.  We told her it was a really special doll that you could only get in big cities and that you had to be really responsible to show you can take care of it.  The dolls are pricey, (I've never spent this much on a toy for our daughter before) but when I see how the doll's character helps her get excited about reading, learning new things and setting a good example, I think it is worth every penny.

My husband recently took a business trip to NYC and decided now was the time to get the doll.  He went to the American Girl store by himself, got the doll, then walked around NYC carrying his big red bag. (What a great dad!)  When he got home he gave her the doll and she was estatic.  She immediately had a bond with the doll and wanted to dress up like her. 

"Lanie" can't wait to read the book about Lanie. It is above her reading level so I plan to read it a loud to her.  Here are a few pics of her experience.

Lanie with Lanie

I'm participating in the Book Blogger Hop at Crazy for Books. This is my first time on a Book Blog Hop and the questions this week asked how we promote our blog. I use twitter, facebook, promote on craft linky parties and leave comments on other fun blogs I've read. My blog is new and I'm exploring how to promote in the book blog arena. I'd love your tips.