Tools for Tots - Weather Chart!

Update: I found some free weather clip art, added it to the chart the I made, and created a .pdf file that you can download here to make your own weather chart!



We've been learning about the different seasons a lot in the past few months. It naturally leads to talking about weather.

I found these little weather cards at Science A to Z under the weather unit link:
If you are interested in making these, they do have a free sample that you can sign up for. Otherwise they cost a little bit.

I simply laminated all the pieces and added magnets to the back of the small cards. We keep the chart taped to the fridge, and check to see what it looks like outside, then M picks the correct magnet to put on the chart. Very simple, easy to understand, and quick! And it makes him feel so proud! I'm not sure why exactly, but the why doesn't matter, does it? ;) (The masking tape is not the prettiest touch, I know. I don't know why I don't *see* these things until the picture is already taken.)
Enjoy! And have a beautiful (sunny!) day!

A "Dog" Craft (or... maybe some other animal...)

The first thing Saturday morning M wanted to do "art". I was a little bleary-eyed, but that was ok, you can't hold back a creative genius just because you are tired. ;)

So I asked him, "do you want to make a collage, do you want to paint, or do you want to draw with your markers?" I'm thinking, do I need to get out the glue, paint, what? M had a confused look on his face, and said, "No, Mommy, I want to make a DOG!" A dog? Well, that's a bit specific for a tired mama brain on a Saturday morning, isn't it? He normally isn't that specific in his art requests. Maybe we are entering the "crafty project" stage.

Anyway, the wheels slowly started turning in my head, and I came up with something that made him happy, but doesn't really look like any dog I've ever known. I'm not sure what it is. Anyway, it was fun, and that is what counts, right?

IF you want to make this same... um, creature... here's what you'll need:

paper bag, marker, scissors, paint in the color of your child's choice, something to paint with (we used a sponge), 2 googley eyes, glue, and 3 brads (if you want moving parts, and, honestly, who doesn't?). You'll also need a piece of cardstock or some heavy paper to glue the "dog" to.

1. Draw your dog parts on the paper bag - body, head, 4 legs/feet, tail, 2 ears:

2. Paint the dog parts with color of choice. M chose white. White didn't really go with the weiner type dog I had in my mind's eye and had already drawn on the paper bag; I was thinking more along the lines of brown, but he was not to be swayed. He knew what he wanted.

3. After the paint dries, cut out your pieces. The nice thing about painting on paper bags is that the paint soaks in and dries fairly quickly. You'll appreciate this if you have a child who is as impatient as mine is.

4. Glue the body of the dog onto your cardstock paper, then glue on the head, eyes, and feet as well.


6. Poke holes in the paper where you want the ears and tail to go, then poke a brad through each ear and the tail and then into the holes. Flip the paper over and open the brad prongs so they secure the pieces to the dog. (I'm so sorry I can't find the picture I took of this step, but you can see from the next couple of pictures where we attached the pieces with the brads.)

7. Use your marker to draw the nose and mouth. If you are a better artist than me (and you probably are) you could draw the head of the dog a little differently instead of using a plain old circle, and it might actually look like a dog when you are done! Imagine!

8. Tape it up and let your child "wag" the dog's tail and flop his ears around. What fun!

Enjoy! And have a beautiful day! :)