May 22, 2013

Identifying Numbers : Activity #1 inspired by Kumon Magnetic Board

numberactivitypreschooler

This Identifying numbers activity  is inspired by Kumon  MAGNECTIC BOARD ,I saw at the Family Favorites….  KUMON stall  last year. Kumon  MAGNECTIC BOARD would cost anything around $35 to 50 dollars online, tried to make my own simple version with Milk jug lids costing a dollar .

materialsnumberactivity#1

Materials Required:
Milk jug lids
Number stickers (Large and Small)
Strip of paper/Wall borders
Container
identifyingnumbersactivity
Instructions:
Peel and stick large number stickers 1 to 10 on the strip.
Now stick small number sticker on each lid
Put all the lids with number stickers in a container.
Ask your child to pick a lid from the container and recognize the number.
Once he /she recognizes the number , let them put the lids below the corresponding number on the strip .
Note: I used wall borders bought at Dollar store but you can always make strips out of white paper.I asked Ashrith to put lids below the corresponding number but he chose to put it on the number strip itself. It works both ways as long as your child is enjoying working with numbers.
Would you try this activity with your little one? If yes….don’t forget to start collecting lids.Coming soon…many summer activities,So stay in tune.

categories Kids activities( Ages 4 and up), Kids Activities(Ages 2 to 3) | comments 0 Comments
May 16, 2013

Preschool Teacher Appreciation Door Banner

teacherdoorbanner
I can’t believe this is the last week of Ashrith’s Preschool and next year he will be going to Kindergarten.He had wonderful experience at Preschool and his teachers are the most loving , caring ,with great sense of humor and a huge heart.
This handmade banner is simple, easy to make and can instantly put a smile on teacher‘s face.
Materials Required:
White Poster Board Paper (bought at Dollar store)
Neon Letters Pads ( ArtSkills brand bought at Rite-aid)
Foam Letters ( Creatology dotted letters stickers bought at Michaels)
Blue Construction Paper (bought at Dollar store)
Pencil
Black Marker
materialsteacherbanner

Instructions:
Choose Neon letters “THANKS  “ and place them on the white paper  using repositionable” Peel and Stick” back. Once satisfied with the position, use glue stick on the entire back surface to make permanent. Press and smooth. These letters are 4” and easy to read.
Use marker to write the rest of the sentence.
Use foam stickers for teacher’s names.
Make fishes out of blue poster paper and glue them to second white poster board.
Write kids names on the fishes using black marker.

Note:  Names of teachers and students have been obscrued due to security reasons. Ashrith’s Preschool class is called Blue fish class ,so used blue fishes and ship to decorate. You can choose any theme for the door banner.

We went in early ,before teachers arrived so we could surprise them .This is a one of our parting gift to the teachers and of course gift cards :)

preschoolbanner

Thank you! Teachers for helping Ashrith and his friends swim through.

categories Gifts & Favors, Mom's View, School Activities | comments 0 Comments
May 12, 2013

Mother’s Day Hand Print Flowers

mothersdayhandprinting

I would like to share an activity which mom and child can make with their handprints . Using few paints make a lovely art to display.
Materials Required:
Pink Poster Paper
Red and Green color paints
Brush
Hand(Mom and Child)
Instructions:
Using green paint and brush make stems and grass .
Dip the hands in red paint or use a brush to paint hand completely.
Make a child’s hand print as a little flower and mom’s hand print as big flower.

I hope you enjoy making handprints as much as we did !

categories Kids activities( Ages 4 and up), Kids Activities(Ages 2 to 3), Kids Craft | comments 0 Comments
May 12, 2013

Hip Hip Hooray ,Its Happy Mother’s Day

Wishing all Mothers a very Happy Mother’s Day !

mothersdaydrawing

                                   Ashrith made this drawing for me on easel board.Is’nt it cute.

flowersformothersday

                        My niece Sharanya made this for her Mom.

Honoring Moms with something Handmade on Mother’s Day  is special …maybe a  drawing ,card, craft or preparing any special dish.

Please send in a picture of  your little one’s special gift  to you or write about it  . I would be happy to showcase it here for others to enjoy  too.

categories Festivals & Holidays, Gifts & Favors, Mom's View | comments 1 Comment
May 3, 2013

My Trip to Shirdi Sai Baba Temple ,Pittsburgh

Pittsburgbabatemple

ganeshstatuebabatemple

SaistatuePA

litalamp

Hello all my Sai devotees , I visited Sai Temple in Pittsburgh ..the Ugadi weekend.It was a beautiful day and there are two things memorable about this trip. Firstly,I feel proud as a mother because my 4 year old son did everything in the temple before me , like the sastang namskar,touching holy feet of Baba. If you notice in the pic above he is saying Om Sai Ram.Constant Thursday bhajan and puja at home have helped Ashrith develop devotion and faith in SAI.I want to write more on this topic but not right now …just come back to read more on developing faith and devotion in kids …soon :)
Secondly, I met an elderly lady in the temple,a huge Sai devotee,who shared about BABA temple in Coimbatore.
The Sri Naga Sai Temple in Coimbatore where SAI appeared as a shining and lustrous Cobra small in size but possessing an unusually big hoad with divine marks of Tripundra, Shanka and Chakra.Another speciality of this mandir is that the stick that has been used by baba has been brought from Shirdi.The holy stick is being used to bless all devotees who visit the shrine.For more info on temple visit here.
Another interesting thing she told me was about reading Sri Sai Satcharita (holy book).On completion of the book most of us distribute BABA books ,which she has also done couple of times but now she sends a cheque to India for orphan kids education especially for buying their school supplies.Next time you finish reading the book ,pls think about donating ,as Baba alaways said “Charity is ornament of hand and give charity as much as you can afford”
Love Sai + Love Everyone=Get Loved by all.
Universal Sai Friends pls share your story ,experience and thoughts here as good thoughts always inspire us to follow ,SAI RAM !

categories Harrisburg In & Around, Mom's View, Temples | comments 1 Comment
May 1, 2013

Spring Activity : Dandelion Fun

What a beautiful weather outside, Ashrith and me were walking in the neighbourhood today ,oh my !he knows so much about spring season. We were looking at the green grass , enjoying the nature especially  flowers….the dandelions .I asked him, if he wants to blow the dandelions ?He said, “ I want to blow and make a wish” .He knows about the dandelions and wishes connection through a recent episode of Ni Hao Kai-Lan .

He took a dandelion in his hand and wished for biggest submarine …….I have no idea where did that come from ……………Little ones are the most innocent -cute people and I love that !

dandelionfun

Note: Avoid this activity if you have any kind of pollen allergies and watch out for the bees too.

One of my  pledge to go green was get out of the house and enjoy a walk …….and that’s what we exactly  did ,Hooray!

Are you looking for outdoor fun activities ? Do come back and check as I am coming up with many fun activities soon.

categories Go Green, Kids activities( Ages 4 and up), Kids Activities(Ages 2 to 3) | comments 0 Comments
April 22, 2013

Happy Earth Day : Pledge to Go Green !

Earthdaywithkids

We celebrate Earth Day today 22nd April ,Monday.
“The world grows smaller and smaller, more and more inter-dependent. Today more than ever before life must be characterised by a sense of universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life.” H.H. the Dalai Lama
We and our children can act thoughtfully and become aware of the many opportunities we each have every day to “help our earth.”
The 3 R’s are Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: When we “RRR,” we save the earth’s precious natural resources.

Every Family can do something to “Go Green”.
Small Steps as to make our world a better place to live now and for our future generations.
In my opinion there is no theory required to teach Kids about Earth Day and going Green. Kids learn watching us and if we follow few small steps such as
#Separating Plastics and Paper from our Trash
#Using your own bags when shopping
#Washing laundry in cold water
#Turn off the water while brushing and doing dishes.
#Turn out the lights when u leave a room.
#Buy Organic produce from local Farmers Market.
#Get out of the house or gym and enjoy a walk in the park.
Ashrith my 4 year old has been following and learning about Recycling from me. Before going to the recycle bin, I show him all the milk bottles and other and allow him trash them in the recycle bin.
My favorite spot for him to learn about various things to recycle is the Target Store. As the picture suggests these bins have logos on it and Ashrith enjoys to tell me what goes into each bin .
These are a few steps, I take to go green,What are your green plans? Any tips and suggestions are welcome.
Please feel free to leave your comments.

categories Go Green, Kids activities( Ages 4 and up) | comments 1 Comment
April 21, 2013

Earth day Craft : Sparkling Earth

earthdaycraftearthdaycraftidea

Materials Required:
Black and white Poster/Construction Paper
Green,Blue and white paint
Glitter(gold or silver)
Sponges
Star stickers
Scissors
Glue

EarthdaycrafttimeInstructions:
Using Scissors cut a cirlce out of white construction paper.
Now ask your child to sponge paint the white paper using green and blue paints to resemble the earth.(Dabbing paint is the trick.)
Add glitter over the wet paint.Let it sit to dry for some time.
Take a Black Rectangle Construction Paper and glue the earth in the center .
Decorate with star stickers to resemble the sky.
Note: If you have a older kid like my 9 yr old niece Sharanya ,you can have them paint white stars.
What a lovely way to teach your children about Earth Day and showcase their art.What have you been doing this Earth Day ?Please leave your comments.

categories Go Green, Kids activities( Ages 4 and up), Kids Activities(Ages 2 to 3), Kids Craft | comments 0 Comments
April 21, 2013

Spring Season Activity :Simple Painting

springpainting

My four year old son came back from Preschool ,so excited , shared everything he learnt about Spring.After a while,he asked me for a paper and some paints.I did’nt know what he was upto but after twenty mins he came back and suprised me with this lovely seasonal picture.When I asked him what his painting is all about ,he described the trees, flowers and birds chirping……….It’s Spring Mom….It’s Spring!
Through the painting , one thing is for sure ,he is listening to his teachers!!Yipee
Materials Required:
Sheet of Paper
Any Art Materials (crayons,paints,color pencils)
Instructions:
Talk to your child about a season and ask him/her to draw something seen in that season.
Like shown in the pic …SPRING is all about flowers, trees,birds etc.
Using any art materials ,kids can make a lovely seasonal picture.

I am posting this picture with a thought that it might help other parents to teach thier kids about seasons and encourage them to paint as well.Do you plan to do this seasonal painting with your child ,if you do so ,Pls comeback and share your experience .

categories Kids activities( Ages 4 and up), Kids Activities(Ages 2 to 3), Kids Craft | comments 0 Comments
April 19, 2013

Sri Rama Navami celebrations and traditions

 Wishing all my Friends,Family and Readers a Happy SRIRAMA NAVAMI !
It’s  a wonderful feeling to share my celebrations at home  but today my  friend Kalpana was kind enough to send the pics and share her traditions . Lucky for me and all my readers to witness the puja.
sriramanavmipuja

 Lord Rama decorated with flowers , fruits and Prasadam

108NAMESSRIRAMA

108 names of Lord Rama chanted and silverflowers were offered.

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Mangalaarathi after 108 naamvali . Aarathi  …….looks so lively !

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA  Traditional food : Vadapappu and Panakam offered as prasadam.

sriramastorybookReading stories and reciting shlokas  in praise of Lord Sri Rama is a tradition.The book in the pic is almost 40 years old book ,rarely found in stores now .It is a 100-Year-Old, Kalpana’s Family Tradition  to read this book every Saturday.

RAMAKOTI

Writing Raama Naamam is a tradition, It is said that the word “Ram” is more powerful than the Lord himself.One can write in any language ..( above it is written in Telugu )

Thanks Kalpana !   Hope , did justice in interpreting your pics.

What do you do on SriRama Navami ?Please feel free to comment about your festival traditions and send pictures.Everyone would love to see them.

categories Festivals & Holidays, Food & Recipes | comments 0 Comments
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