Kid Care Day Care and Preschool

2009-03-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Time to think spring

2009-03-18T07:45:00.001-07:00

St Patrick's Day fun

2009-03-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

print the black an white one up and have the child use dots from the office store that you have written the letters on and match them with the dots on the snake. Then you help the child cut it out on the line staple a string on the head and they have a twirlly.

print this out and have the child draw a line from the number to the correct number of shamrocks
print this up and let the child see if he can help him find his pot of gold

Those smart little ones

2009-03-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here you will find a story that shows how very smart are children are. This little boy knows when him mother is ready for fun and when she is not quite there yet just by a glance.

The Leprechaun Trap

2009-03-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Look what I found on the internet, a story by a friend of mine from church, and it is perfect for this month. Teresa is a local author and my children have enjoyed her stories both in school and at church. She has had several childrens books published so look for more of her work.

By Teresa Bateman

Michael O’Connor was a thief, and proud of it.

“There’s no one in Ireland cleverer than I am,” he declared. “Why, taking gold from the foolish is as easy as plucking apples from a tree. There are days when I think I could outwit even the leprechauns.”

Michael had long believed that cleverness was better than hard work and honesty, and he smiled as he fingered the two gold coins in his pocket.

At that moment, he heard someone coming along the path behind him. He sneaked into the trees, then parted the leaves to see what luck would bring. His eyes widened, for there, striding along as if he owned the world, was a leprechaun!

Leaping out, Michael grabbed the wee man by the back of his jacket. “Now I’ve got you!” he shouted. “And I’ll not let you go until you’ve given me your gold— and your name,” he added, for he knew that a leprechaun’s name was his bond.

The leprechaun hung there, pitiful and powerless. “Name is Daniel,” he squeaked as Michael tightened his grip. “And all right, I’ll give you what gold I have, only let me go.”

“I’ll not release you until I see the gold,” Michael said prudently.

With a sorrowful wave of the leprechaun’s hand, a tiny pot appeared nearby.
Michael O’Connor dropped his captive, seized the crock, then frowned when he saw only three gold coins inside.

What’s this?” Michael asked. “Is this all the gold you have?”

Daniel sighed. “Aye, and I’m lucky to have even that. My brother Liam’s the clever one. He has a mountain of gold coins, and is always bragging how nobody can outwit him. Now he’ll laugh at me for having been outwitted myself.”

Michael’s eyes gleamed. “You say Liam has gold?” he asked.

“Aye,” Daniel replied. “And he’s always coming home with more that he’s tricked from one person or another. How he laughs at me and my three coins!”

At that, Michael grinned. “It seems you’re a small fish and there’s a bigger one in the pond,” he said. “I’ll throw you back if you help me teach your brother a lesson.”

Daniel frowned. “It would be nice if this time I were the clever one,” he said slowly. “All right.

I’ll teach you how to build a leprechaun trap,” he declared, “and see how my brother deals with that!”

So the pact was made, and they hurried to Michael’s cottage. Under Daniel’s direction, Michael built a wooden trap with a door that would snap shut when something entered and with sturdy walls that offered no escape. Now all they needed was bait.

Daniel suggested shamrocks. “Leprechauns love them,” he insisted.

They hurried to a nearby meadow where Michael fell to his knees in the hot afternoon sun to scout about for shamrocks.

“I’d help you,” Daniel shouted from the shade of a nearby tree, “only I would never be able to resist the things myself. Best I just stay here.”

Finally, red and sweating, Michael clutched in his hand four drooping shamrocks. These he placed in the trap, and Michael and Daniel settled down to wait the night away.

The next morning the trap was sprung, but when Michael eagerly pried it open he found only a rabbit, which hopped away. The shamrocks had been eaten.

“Too bad,” Daniel said. “You’d best take my wee pot of gold, and I’ll be on my way. No need to tell you more leprechaun secrets or let on about better bait.”

“Better bait?” Michael picked up the leprechaun and said, “Tell me more, or you’ll wish you did.”

Daniel sagged in his hands. “Rainbows,” he admitted. “Leprechauns love rainbows. Why do you suppose we hide pots of gold at the ends of them?”

“And where would I get a rainbow to toss into the trap?” Michael bellowed.

“Easy,” the leprechaun replied. “On a sunny day like today you’ll find a beautiful rainbow in the waterfall just down the river from here. It’s one of my brother’s favorite spots.”

Michael dragged the trap out of the bushes, then hauled the heavy thing half a mile to the waterfall, Daniel riding on top and giving directions.

Michael was scratched, hot, and exhausted by the time they arrived, but he didn’t care once he saw the rainbow dancing in the waterfall.

“Just set the trap out under the falls,” Daniel advised. “I’ll tell you where. With luck, Liam’s gold will be yours before noon!”

Michael dragged the trap into the river. At first the cool water felt wonderful, but soon he was frozen through. He thought of the gold, however, and refused to quit. When the trap was finally set, Michael stumbled, half-drowned, back to the warm rock where the leprechaun was dipping his toes in the water.

Michael flopped down and fell into a shivering doze. He awoke to Daniel’s shout.
“You’ve caught something!”

Back into the freezing water went Michael O’Connor. He retrieved the trap, but when he upended it on the bank, three trout tumbled out and wriggled past his feet into the river again.

Michael scowled. “I should just take your gold and be done with the matter.”

“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying all along?” Daniel agreed. “Settle for my three coins. It’s not your fault if Liam’s cleverer than you are.”

At this, Michael’s eyes flashed. “Nobody’s cleverer than I am,” he declared. “I just need the right bait.” He glared at Daniel.

“Well, gold’s the best bait,” Daniel said hesitantly, “but I didn’t think you’d want to use it.”

“No problem,” Michael replied. “I’ll just use your pot of gold.”

“You can use it, but it won’t tempt Liam,” Daniel said. “If it did, he’d have already tricked me out of it. To trap my brother you’d need much more gold. That’s why I didn’t suggest it before.”

This stopped Michael, but only for a moment. Then he pulled the two gold coins from his pocket. “Would these help?” he asked.

“It’s better,” Daniel admitted, “but Liam has a mountain of gold. It would take more than five coins to interest him.”

Michael hurried home and dragged out the small chest where he kept all of his ill-gotten gains. He hauled it to the river and opened it in front of Daniel.

“Will this do?” he panted.
“Ah, there’s a glorious sight,” Daniel declared. “Add that to the rest, and it’s sure to fetch Liam.”

Michael O’Connor placed the gold in the trap and settled down to wait. But after an afternoon in the hot sun, a night on the stony ground, and a morning in the river, he was worn out. First his head nodded, then it sagged, then he was asleep entirely.

A small voice came out of a nearby bush. “It’s a grand trap you have there, Daniel.”

“Aye, Liam. The man’s a dab hand at making a trap. It’s a fine one indeed.”

“No better than our own,” Liam replied with a grin.

An hour later Michael’s eyes fluttered open. He looked around in bewilderment. The leprechaun was gone, and all the gold as well.

For, indeed, it had been a fine leprechaun trap.

Hippo's are people too.

2009-03-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Home made playdoe

2009-03-08T08:53:00.000-07:00

CHILDREN'S PLAY DOUGH

1 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
1 c. water with food coloring added
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tbsp. oil

Mix all together in medium saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat until ball forms. Don't let it get too dry. This doesn't take long to cook. Store it in a seal able plastic bag.

The Value of a Child

2009-03-06T16:33:00.001-08:00

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even count college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.99 a year, $741.38 a month or $171.08 a week. That is a mere $24.24 a day. Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich"; It is just the opposite. What do you get from your $160,140?

Naming rights

Glimpses of God every day

Giggles under the covers every night

More love than your heart can hold

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs

Endless wonder over ricks, ants, clouds and warm cookies

A hand to hold, usually covered with jam

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain

Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day

You never have to be a grown up

You get to finger paint, carve pumpkins, play hide and seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop believing in Santa

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching cartoons and going to Disney movies

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodles wreath's for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mothers Day and cards with backward letters for Fathers Day

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, firts date and first time behind the wheel

You get to be immortal

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in you obituary called grandchildren

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communication, and human sexuality that no college can match

Shamrock

2009-03-05T06:50:00.000-08:00

print on colored paper, cut the hearts out and glue in place.

Leprechaun

2009-03-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

Color, cut, match the shapes and attach with brads.

Trick-or-Treat bags

2008-10-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

I think the parents like these more oras much as the kids. They should be dated for a keep sake.And here is how: You need a 21x10 inch piece of black canvas, two 3x10 pieces of contrast and what ever you are using for the straps, about 18 inches each.
Using a 1/4 inch seam sew the contrasting on to each end press.

Fold so that the contrasting fabric is front to front and sew the side seams.

Then the fun part, paint the child's foot and press (without wiggling if possible) the foot onto the front of the bag with the heal to the top.

Let it dry completely and use a permanent marker to draw the eyes.

I like the square the bottom about one inch.

Add your straps and TaDa. You can use two embroidery floss to put their name date on if you want.

0-My 17 year old daughter wants one for a school bag!!

Calander days

2008-10-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

Copy these on orange paper and write the monthly numbers on them then cut them out and use them for your calender days.

Color coded

2008-08-21T10:14:00.000-07:00

How cute are we? Can you tell us apart?

Here are some of the great kids I watch.

2008-08-21T09:53:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving

2008-08-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Pilgrims fled an evil king, they wanted to be free.
To the new world strange to them they went across the sea.
With the people of this new land we must brothers be.
In this land free to choose whats best for me.

Mayflower

2008-08-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

2008-08-18T07:56:00.000-07:00

2008-08-18T07:54:00.000-07:00

Squirrel

2008-08-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Color, cut out the tails and have the children decide which one goes on the squirrel.

Owl Puppet

2008-08-18T07:36:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving Turkey

2008-08-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Have Children color the turkey and they copy the tail feathers on different colored paper have the children cut them out and then add to the back of the turkey.

Calendar Days

2008-08-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

For use on a poster board calendar.

The Only Star

2008-08-18T06:38:00.000-07:00

Draw a Christmas tree shape on a 18"x12" piece of card stalk. Cut out the ornaments and allow the children to decorate the tree as you tell the story. Use this to discuss how it feels to be left out or how we are all special in our own way or how being different is not a bad thing.

The Ugly Duckling

2008-08-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

Copy on card stalk so the children can tell you the story and put the pictures in order.

Leafy Patterns

2008-08-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Cut the leafs on the bottom out and glue them in the correct box to complete the pattern.

Dressing the Gingerbread Boy

2008-08-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

Copy onto card stock. Use a hole punch to put holes on all of the x marks on the clothes and paper doll. Wrap one end of a 18" piece of yarn. Position the pants on the paper doll and attach the other end of the yarn to the doll through pants and doll. The child will then lace in and out all around attaching the clothes to the doll.

Farm Animals

2008-08-17T21:04:00.001-07:00

Animals for the Down on the Farm guessing game.

I am short and fat and brown or black or pink.
I like to roll in the mud but I don't really stink.
I squeal a lot and wiggle my curly tail.
My food goes in a troth but I'd gladly eat from a pail.

I have a great big belly and make a sound like "moo".
I swish my long tail so all the flies will shoo.
I eat grass in the field to make the milk you drink.
What kind of animal am I? What do you think?

I'm covered in wool until the farmer brings the sheers.
With my shepherd dog on duty I have no fears.
I mosey around the field eating green grass all day.
Baa, baa is my sound, that is what I say.

I used to be important then farmers got there trucks,
But if I win a race I could earn lots of bucks.
Mostly I just hang out giving rides for fun,
or move between barn and tree to avoid the sun.

I start my day real early; I have to wake the crew.
A farms a busy place, we have lots of work to do.
I strut around the coop to show the hens who's boss.
Just waiting to be feed with a toss, toss, toss.

I see other birds flying so high in the sky.
I have wings and feathers but I don't know why.
I peck around the coop saying cluck, cluck, cluck.
You'll never guess what I am, I'm not a duck.

By Christina Scouten

2008-08-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

This can be decorated with things from a magazine that start with the letter "D" or with sticker dots.

My "D" Book

2008-08-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Have the child color the pictures then cut out pages on solid lines. Staple together on the right with the large "D" on the top. Read

My "C" Book

2008-08-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

Have the child color the pictures then cut out pages on solid lines. Staple together on the right with the large "C" on the top. Read

My "B" Book

2008-08-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

Have the child color the pictures then cut out pages on solid lines. Staple together on the right with the large "B" on the top. Read

My "A" Book

2008-08-17T15:36:00.000-07:00

Have the child color the pictures then cut out pages on solid lines. Staple together on the right with the large "A" on the top. Read

Letter Recognition

2008-08-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Use a stamp pen to put a spot on all of the "A's", or they can be circled.

Halloween Night

2008-08-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

10 jack-o-lanterns on Halloween night.
9 black cats try to stay out of sight.
8 busy spiders spinning 'round and 'round.
7 sleepy bats hang up-side down.
6 little supper heroes just can't wait.
5 pink princesses come in the gate.
4 spotted owls ask "who comes down the street."
3 knocking Children call trick-or-treat.
2 creaky doors open just for you.
1 white ghost waits to scare you with a boo.

Spring

2008-08-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

Pitter, pitter, pat the raindrops say.
And a raindows in the sky today.

It is March twentyfirst,
I'm so happy I could burst.
It is the start of spring today.

Flowers dancing in the bright sun ray.
Birds swooping and swishing as they play.

It is March twentyfirst,
I'm so happy I could burst.
It is the start of spring today.

to the tune of "Strolling Through The Park One Day"

I'm A Little Ground Hog

2008-08-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

I'm a little ground hog, furry and Brown,
See me pop up and look around.
If I see my shadow, down I'll go.
Six more weeks of winter, oh no!

to the tune of "I'm a little Tea Pot"

Five Fat Turkeys

2008-08-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

Five fat turkeys sleeping in a barn.
The first one said, "Let's got out to the farm."
The second one said, "Gobble, gobble, gobble."
The third one said, "All I can do is wobble."
The fourth one said, "We had better get thinner."
The fifth one said, "Or we'll end up someone's dinner."
Then "gobble" said the turkeys as the ran away,
"We'd better hide, 'cause it's Thanksgiving Day!"

Farm Work

2008-08-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Fred and Fran Farmer lived on a farm.
With a rooster to wake them, they didn't need an alarm.

There were fields to plow and crops to reap,
And they had to shuck the ripe corn and to sheer the sheep.

Eggs needed gathered, chickens needed fed.
The barn needs to be painted; we think it should be red.

There were cows to milk, horses to shoe.
They had so much work that they didn't know what to do.

Where were the farmers this busy day?
They stayed in there warm beds and slept the day away.

Wiggles

2008-08-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Stand up tall
Spin aroung
Hands up high
Then touch the ground.

Clap your hands
Stomp your feet
Spin around
Sit on your seat.

Play Doe Mat

2008-08-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Make a play doe mat by gluing 4" shapes or drawing 4" shapes on one side of a 12"x18" poster board on the other side you could draw head shapes. Laminate the poster board and allow the children to fill in the shapes or turn it over and make funny faces. Big hit!

Farm Shapes

2008-08-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Trace farm animal shaped cookie cutters on brown paper. Decorate one side of the animal. Put the paper shaped on the display wall face down. Ask the child to choose a cookie cutter and try to match it with the proper shape. When they find the correct one flip it over for a surprise.

A is for Apple

2008-08-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

A is for apple that tastes so yummy.
B is for bear looking for her honey.
C is for caterpillar in a cocoon.
D is for dragon holding a balloon.
E is for egg warm under the hen.
F is for frogs, count them there are ten.
G is for gorilla up in a tree.
H is for hippo that we barley see.
I is for ice-cream that I got in the park.
J is for jellyfish that glows in the dark.
K is for kite way up high in the sky.
L is for lama that I saw walk by.
M is for monster under my bed.
N is for newt that I put there instead.
O is for octopus under the sea.
P is for popcorn that smells good to me.
Q is for quilt that I take to the park.
R is for rooster that makes my dog park.
S is for skunk, and for his bad smell.
T is for turtle that hides in his shell.
U is for umbrella that works in the snow.
V is for violin that you play with a bow.
W is for watermelon I don't eat alone.
X is for x-ray to look at my bone.
Y is for yellow as bright as can be.
Z is for zebra napping under a tree.
by: Christina Scouten