Friends and Feelings Daily Activities for This Month
I love the Mother Goose Time theme for this month, Friends and Feelings. It's perfect for the beginning of the year. Children need to develop trust before they can feel safe enough to really focus on learning. These activities are perfect for both classroom and homeschooling environments.
Month: Friends and Feelings Weeks: Making Friends, Identifying Feelings,
Keys to Friendship and Talking with Friends Days: Each Day is Numbered
Everyday, we open a new
curriculum bag full of fun activities!
I also love these activities, because they can be differentiated easily. They can work well with all ages of children, with simple adjustments. Because I homeschool my daughters, ages 4 and 8, Mother Goose Time is the perfect curriculum for my daughters. My older daughter has very challenging, age-appropriate curriculum (Seton) and these Mother Goose Time activities give her a nice break, while helping her learn and have fun with her preschool-age sister. Surprisingly, my older daughter gets a lot out of it, too. So, we really enjoy Mother Goose Time.
The kids need to make two puppets, so they can act out friend scenarios.
The puppets can have fun, adventures and conflicts.
Then, the children can find creative ways to work out the conflicts.
"Hi, Yellow, is your eye okay?"
(Blue is thinking that she does not know what to say about Yellow's drooping eye, but she wants to help him.
Fortunately, she was able to help him without embarrassing him before his eye dried crooked.
Friendship takes so much work.
Then, Blue realized that her hair had glue in it, but she couldn't take it off because it was holding on her hair!
What are they going to do?)
How to Make Friends Puppets
Supplies
Feathers
Cardboard puppets
Paper
Wiggle eyes
Scissors
Glue
Markers
Discuss
What do you do when you see a friend?
Explore
Encourage children to explore tossing and catching the feathers. Observe hand-eye coordination, as well as emotional response to missing or grabbing the feathers.
Create
Invite the child to create one puppet that looks like a friend and one that looks like himself.
Cut out the clothing from the paper and attach it to the puppets.
Glue on some feathers for hair and attach the wiggle eyes. Decorate the friends with markers.
Play
Encourage children to use the puppets to practice saying hello and goodbye to one another. What other conversations do the children have with their puppets?
The girls loved creating their puppet friends, eyelashes, necklaces and all. They even got out the
stamps my youngest daughter got from a friend for her birthday.
Look at this adorable little craft/toy pan, eggs, bacon and pancakes! Mother Goose Time included it in our Day 13 bag, Paul Bunyan and the Flapjacks.
You could also make this craft/toy pan at home or school with your preschooler.
Supplies:
FOR EACH CHILD
Paper lid (or you could use a lid from just about anything, as long as it's small.)
Jumbo craft stick
Paper (To draw the food.)
Breakfast food pieces (Create these pieces by using a black marker to make eggs, pancakes and bacon. The child colors the food with crayons.)
YOUR SUPPLIES
Tape
Glue
Scissors
Plates (optional)
Forks (optional)
Black Marker
Pencil (For you to draw the food before tracing over with the black marker.)
Crayons (For the children to color the food.)
Stuffed animals or dolls (optional)
First, we talked about what you can make in the frying pan.
The girls glued the stick to the lid to make a frying pan.
Then, they created the food (eggs, bacon and pancakes).
"Look mom, the eggs, bacon and pancakes are so little!"
The girls loved making these little toys. They ended up getting out their stuffed animals and making a pretend breakfast with them.
Making Real Pancakes/Flapjacks without Eggs!
For lunch, I decided to make them pancakes, since it was already part of their lesson for the day and they were so happy about it.
I looked in the refrigerator... And there were no eggs!
I just couldn't let them down. I had to think of something. I thought, "I know there is a way without running to the store. They are so hungry and that will take forever."
So, I thought about a no egg cake recipe I knew of and decided to give it a try with pancakes.
Will, it work?
Yes, they loved it! Yeah!
So, here it is...
Ginger Ale Pancake Recipe
Pancake Mix
1 Can of ginger ale!
Follow the recipe as instructed on the box, but you don't need butter/oil, eggs, milk or water!
(See everything else pictured above: Maple syrup, coconut oil to spray pan, pancake mix, ginger ale, Earth Balance dairy-free butter.)
As you mix the pancake batter, you will see carbonation bubbling. Don't worry, as it settles the batter
will thicken. This is fun for the kids to see. The girls enjoy stirring the batter as the carbonation bubbles and then settles.
Pour the batter on the warm pan after you spray it with coconut oil (low to medium heat.) It may take one or two practice pancakes to get it right. Sometimes, you need to adjust the temperature.
After you see bubbles on one side, flip it over. Use your spatula to peek underneath, and flip it over when it is a very light brown color.
The girls put a dab of butter and some maple syrup on top of their pancakes. Yum!
The girls told me it was the best pancakes they ever had. Amazingly, I like them better this way, too. I was thinking that it would be fun for a camping trip, so you don't have to keep the eggs cold and they won't break. For some reason, these pancakes don't feel totally filling. They seem lighter than normal pancakes. I guess if you used seltzer water, they would have no calories either, except for what's in the dry ingredients, so they would have less calories. They were really good. This maple syrup is so good, too. It's from Trader Joe's and it's the real maple syrup, not mixed with corn syrup.
So, next time you realize you don't have eggs, don't worry! You can still make yummy pancakes.
Proper Table Manners
When cooking and eating with preschoolers, it's nice to teach and review manners. We practiced putting our napkins in our lap, eating with mouth closed, and not talking and eating at the same time. (Ha! Ha! How many adults do you know that still need help with this.)
We also practiced passing the food while saying, "May I please have the _____?"
"Thank you."
Our New September Focus Will Be on Friends and Feelings
We started the Mother Goose TimeFriends and Feelings activities for this month, and there are so many fun things for the kids to do! We have a new bulletin board for the year, and Mother Goose Time even include everything preschool teachers need for a parent visit. I'm homeschooling (former teacher), but I am so impressed with all the extra tools they provide for preschool teachers. Be sure to check back soon to hear about a free, fun, friends puppet lesson plan, and how to help the kids role play ways of saying "hello".
It seems that most children dream of having a special pet of their own. My daughters love animals. I was the same way, and I still am. I have had many pets through the years. I remember Lady, our pit bull dog that was so gentle. She would let my sisters and I dress her in clothes, and she protected us from danger, and never once did she hurt us. Bobby was a tail-less kitten I had taught to walk on a leash. He loved walking around Lake Elizabeth in Fremont. Then, there was Tigerlily...
Last week, we said "goodbye" to our darling 18-year-old cat, Tigerlily. She was the oldest pet I had ever shared my life with. While I write this tears are filling my eyes. I adopted Tigerlily from the pound as a kitten when I lived in the bay area, right after I graduated from Holy Names College and moved out of the dorms.
Be Honest About Your Own Feelings
For 18 years, I cared for my sweet, little cat. Tigerlily has been through a lot with me. The best and the worst times... She was there. I tried as hard as I could to take care of her the best that I could, but even after she passed away I remembered all the mistakes I made. My mind was heavy with thoughts like, "I should have done this, and I could have done that". It hurt so bad to not be able to fix it for her... To take her pain away. I was feeling all this in the midst of caring for my daughters. Thank God my husband was such a good support through all of this. We buried her while the girls were sleeping on Saturday morning. It was very hard, but better to do while they were sleeping. I was able to work through it a bit before they woke up. It's hard though, because the reality is that's kids are right there next to you when grief strikes.
Understand and Be Real About Connections to Other Grief
Copyright: Lovey Dove by Caroline Brooke
In Memory of My Little Sister
Just because I was a counselor and I know a lot about grief counseling, doesn't mean I know so much when I am grief stricken. It's kind of like a doctor trying to set her own broken arm. It's pretty hard to do. Like when my little sister died... I felt like someone punched me in the stomach, riped out my heart and killed my soul, and there was no way I was getting out of that feeling anytime soon. It didn't matter that I had education and experience with grief counseling. I was broken, just like anybody else. That's the reality of life. We all get humbled and we all get broken. Reality check.
Unfortunately, the day Tigerlily died Dan (my husband) was not there. The girls and I were at home and I found her. My heart broke as I saw her lying there... No longer in her broken body. I asked God to help me know what to do, what to say to my daughters. I went in the other room and told them. Now, when a pet dies it brings up more grief, like when my sister died and when I saw her lifeless body. I began to get flashes of the moment of my little sister not in her body anymore, and it was excruciatingly painful.
Let Them Cry and Cry With Them
I walked into the room with tears in my eyes. I let them see and I said, "Girls, I'm sorry but Tigerlily is in heaven now. She left her body." The girls immediately began crying. I said, "It's okay. You can cry. I am here for you. I understand." I hugged them and they both cried for a long time. We all cried together.
So, if we are going to help them, we need to help ourselves by showing our real feelings and grieving with them. I was sure that they felt protected and loved. I hugged them as they cried. We cried together.
While they were crying I was trying to think of what to do to make it better for them. I didn't know what to do at first because I was so upset, but letting them cry was very hard, but it definitely helped them get it out. It is very hard to see your children cry.
I remember when my sister died, my nana said, "Don't cry. It will upset your mom." She wouldn't even hug me. I remember how bad that hurt and how bad I just wanted her to hug me and tell me she was there for me. I wanted her to cry with me. I wanted her to understand. I felt very alone. I felt like she didn't care about my sister or me. Maybe she did, but the message seemed that she didn't.
After the experience of losing my sister and not having the support I needed, I knew that the best thing to do would be to let myself cry and not be fake. I needed to let my daughters know I was real, and that I am there to understand and cry with them.
Get out of the House and Connect with Supportive Family and Friends
We got sick of crying, but felt like we were trapped because we were so sad. We were kind of zoning out and being very sad. We all seemed to feel that way. I texted my friend and she mentioned going out of the house to icecream.
Yes, I know, don't use food to console a broken heart... But whatever. I had to get them out. We could not take it anymore and the only thing I could think of doing that they would normally freak out about was icecream.
After we went out to icecream, we stopped off at church to take care of an errand. Then, we headed back home.
We then all felt like we were in shock for a while. I looked over at our dogs and were thankful to see them there. Our miniature poodle puppies were the perfect distraction from the pain for a while. The girls played with the puppies. I knew Tigerlily was going to die soon, and I planned out getting them in advance.
Shower and Rest
Have you ever seen someone who died? When I have, afterwards I felt like I needed to wash all the sadness off of me. Letting yourself cry in the shower and having the tears washed away by the water is somehow therapeutic, but not healing. Sometimes, broken hearts never heal. Sometimes, we just need to learn to use the wisdom of our scars to help other people.
It's good to get the kids in the bathtub and let them stay on schedule with self care and rest. Of course, it truly depends on the situation as to whether this can happen or not and when it can happen.
Sing to Relax Your Children
Singing to children can really help them relax. Also, my friend shared these CD's with me. This is great for bedtime or nap time. Praise songs help children and it brings the Holy Spirit into your home.
When we woke up early on Saturday, Dan and I buried Tigerlily. We set up a special spot for our family to go to remember her. Fortunately, the kids were asleep when we buried her. We worked hard at protecting their eyes from seeing her. That can't always be done, but thankfully, we protected their eyes and hearts from this step. I remember when my sister died. No one was protected from this. It was all so sudden.
Our oldest daughter did sneak out into the garage and she saw Tigerlily. For her, she needed it for closure. Our younger daughter definitely did not need that same experience. So, we kept her away.
As Dan and I dug a hole for Tigerlily, we started remembering his mom and my little sister. It was a time of tears and a reality check. We started thinking about wasted time and how if people don't honestly deal with their grief they disconnect themselves from anyone that will remind them of their grief. It's shocking how some relationships can't survive well after a death in the family, because some people are not able to rely on each other and grieve. Some people would rather just have a new life and pretend like it never happened. We agreed to honestly deal with our grief for the sake of our children.
There is something very deep and real about digging a hole for your lifeless pets body. It hurts to say goodbye. I don't think I even knew what was going on when my little sister died. I didn't even sit where family was supposed to sit. I was in complete shock. (Do you see how grief is connected.) So, when we were digging the hole to bury Tigerlily we started reflecting on things we never want to think about.
We prayed for Tigerlily. We asked God to take her spirit up to heaven. During our prayer the wind blew around us and the sun warmed us.
Saying Goodbye and Memory Spot
Yesterday, our 8-year-old daughter sat on the rock next to Tigerlily's memory spot. She told me about how she sat there alone and thought about Tigerlily. This special place seemed to really help her.
We are planning a service for Tigerlily. I'll have the girls write her a card and pick some flowers. Of course, I'll show them how to do this first.
Ask: How do we know animals are in heaven? Answer: Read God's Holy Word. (Hold up the Bible.) Read: Revelations 19:11 "Then I saw heaven opened up, and behold a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True..."
See, even Jesus is going to ride a white horse when he returns. :) There most definitely are animals in heaven, so we will see our dear, loved animals again.
Pray: "Holy Spirit, in Jesus' name, please bring (pet's name) straight up to heaven, safe and without pain, peacefully with You. Please let me see (pet's name) when I go to heaven, too. I promise to take care of my body and care for other animals when I miss (pet's name.)"
I started thinking about having the girls write a little book about Tigerlily. I came across this book as part of their "Caring for Pets" activities. (See the two pages above. Cut out the animals to glue into the mini book.)
Enjoy Nature
Go for a walk and make a bird house/feeder to help the hungry birds.
Pay Attention to Play
I noticed that since Tigerlily died, our 3-year-old daughter has been carrying around her toy cat. I need to sit down with her with her cat and listen to what she plays out tonight.
Show Love to Each Other and Other Pets
Give lots of hugs, let them cry. It's okay to cry, too. Hug all of your other pets, too. If you don't have one, just go get one that is sad, just like you, and needs a home and someone to love.
Caring for Ourselves, So We Can Care for Our Children?
Honestly, I think the last two generations have been pretty selfish and haven't done all that great of a job in caring for their children as a whole. Dealing with their grief is kind of a joke when so many people can't even bare to deal with their existence as human beings.
It's pretty obvious with all the abortion that's been going on. Let us get real and understand that children are intuitive. They know what you don't say. They know what you do. Lately, people all of a sudden snapped out of it, unless they are totally in denial. So, a lot of people may or may not need help with taking care of themselves. That's questionable right now.
Whatever we do, we must not reject our children's feelings and cause more grief. Your time alone is not more important than them crying on your shoulder.
Be real, don't be fake and say what you mean. Stop being selfish and put your children first. No. You are not more important than your children. No. Your career is not more important than your children. Realize this while you help your children grieve.
It's important to get a little time alone to clear our head, but quite honestly I don't see a problem with that in our culture in this day and age. Most people have no problem with dumping their kids off with strangers and acting like it's perfectly normal.
So, here I'm going to ask us to question if we are really caring for ourselves or just being selfish jerks.
We must hold on to the ones we love, especially our children who need us, while we grieve. It's okay to let them see your cry while you love and protect them.
It is crucial.
No. I do not think I am Mother Teresa. I just think she was an amazing example for us to learn from. Wouldn't you want to meet her? She was an amazing woman.
We all have different answers, and these answers depend on our children and our values.
Our answers may be different than our children's answers, and we need to keep that in mind, too.
What do we value and how much time do we put into answering this important question for our children?
Letting Go of Material Possessions and the Ego... and Holding Onto Our Children.
My husband and I believe that the most important things we can do for our children are:
Love
Protect
Empower
Love
I Hear You, I See You, I Understand, and I Care
The Child's Language of Play
When my oldest daughter was a baby, I attended a filial therapy workshop at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon with Garry Landreth. The purpose of the workshop was to teach counselors how to teach parents to play therapeutically with their children. This can be important after a traumatic event, but truthfully, it's something that needs to be done in the parent-child relationship to have healthy communication, because the child's language is play.
During the workshop, he explained that children need to feel loved. They need to know the following from their parents: I see you, I hear you, I understand, and I care. He explained specific behaviors and sincere words we can use to communicate this to children. He explained how important play is, and that play is the child's language. He explained (in detail), specific play therapy techniques parents can use to help communicate effectively with their children. What I learned at this workshop became the rock on which I began to develop my parenting style. It was at this workshop that I began to specifically focus on what I could do to show my children that they are loved.
One thing I love about Mother Goose Time preschool curriculum is that play is a part of the learning curriculum. One of the themes coming up for the beginning of the next academic year is Feelings and Friendship. It is so important that true friendship starts with the family... Making eye contact, loving, listening, caring and understanding.
Protect
When children feel safe they are more likely able to think clearly, are more joyful, and it is more likely that they will be able to reach their fullest potential. As parents, it is our responsibility to protect our children, beginning at conception. Children today face many dangers, and many are fortunate to survive the womb. This is very sad, and it is clearly reflected in the eyes of today's children.
Instead of thinking about how we need to make life more convenient and comfortable for ourselves, as parents, we need to start thinking about growing up and protecting our children.
I'll give you are real-life example in my own life. When I was pregnant with our second child the genetic "counselor" (not really a counselor) told me that our baby was "test positive" for Trisomy-18 from a blood test that was taken. She told us there was a 1 in 5 chance our baby was going to die when she was born, and she assured us that it was a pretty slim chance she would even live to leave the hospital. (She said this in front of our 3-year-old daughter even though we asked her not to. Our daughter was heart-broken.)
The genetic "counselor" was manipulating me into getting an amnio (needle in the belly next to the baby to pull out amniotic fluid). I knew that this amnio had a 1 in 100 to 300 chance of killing our baby, who had at that age developed the ability to feel and react to pain. Even though the doctor and genetic "counselor" kept manipulating me and harassing me about it, I refused to endanger our baby's life to see if the blood screen was correct. So, I had to protect our baby for several months from this unnecessary risk.
Fortunately, the genetic "counselor" either lied or she was mistaken and our daughter was born 100% healthy. I did not know that she was going to be born healthy until the last month, after I changed providers. I could have felt sorry for myself and caved in and endangered our baby's life to see if she had Trisomy-18 ahead of time, but I realized that I was an adult and she was a baby. She needed me to protect her because doing so would have endangered her life. This is an example of being scared, but fighting to protect our children, regardless of how perfect or imperfect the world may think our children are. After all, we aren't perfect either. And the fact is, they will likely be born more "perfect" (if you even think you are perfect ;) yeah, right) than we are.
After our children are born, we need to protect their minds and their hearts. Too many people seem to think television is appropriate for children. More people need to learn to protect their children by turning the television off. No, this does not make them naïve. It helps our children not get brainwashed and learn to have a mind of their own in real-life, not fake television. Our children are also being exposed to inappropriate toys (like the horrible Monster High dolls). It's important not to let our children think that these types of toys are normal or okay to play with, even if the store tries to put them at eye-level. We intentionally avoid retailers that sell these types of toys.
Spending time with our children is also important. Leaving children with people they don't even know is a serious problem in our culture that is becoming commonplace. This is made worse when families split in divorce and children loose the protection of having a father.
Empower
When I was in college a professor I had mentioned the different levels of power:
Physical
Mental
Psychological
Spiritual
Being healthy ourselves in all of these areas simultaneously is a challenge. I feel like I never am. Do you?
Then, teaching children how to use each level of power is also challenging. Honestly, the best example we can give them is how we live our lives. Yes, they will see our flaws and our strengths, and they will likely learn from it. It's amazing how we can teach our children to use these levels of power by understanding their gifts and talents. Empowerment in these areas could be a book, and I'm sure there must be one out there. The highest level of power is spiritual, and this is the level that many people overlook. Prayer and the Holy Spirit are powerful forces children can learn to use at an early age.
So, why do I keep showing Mother Teresa quotes. Well, I'm not the best example, but I know she is.
I'm wondering how my answer to this will change over the years, as our children get older. I do know enough to know that I don't know it all. I'd love to hear what you think.
What are the three most important things you do for your children?
"No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you."
Luke 11:33-36
Teaching children this truth in Luke truly means living it ourselves. No, it does not mean that we are perfect. It means that "This is the love for God: to obey His commands. 1 John 5:3." When we give up our power to the Holy Spirit, we are more able to live with this light. Reach for God, do not look at what is not from God. Look at God's light. (The Follow the Light activity below illustrates this clearly to children.) After all, we all know that what we do is the truth of our spirit, and whether we choose to let light shine into our hearts is revealed in our daily interactions and seen in our eyes.
Children know the truth in our eyes, and so does God.
How do we look at our children?
How do we talk with our children?
How do we reveal ourselves to the world on a daily basis?
How can we have this light spoken of in Luke?
This light is faith in Jesus and the Holy Spirit shining God's love into the world through our eyes.
A few months ago our 7-year-old daughter was in the grocery store and she was singing. She was singing with a power from the Holy Spirit. I could see people in the store amazed at her voice, and reacting in a very positive way. Many were smiling and some were coming from other isles to see this little light shining so brightly as she sang in joy...
"God sent His son, not to judge the world, but to save the world."
(Powerful words coming from a little girl, indeed.)
A Muslim woman in the store heard her singing and made a point to comment that she must have practiced for hours to sing that way.
What she did not know is that she did not. Her gift is from the Holy Spirit. She has had an amazing voice since she was only 3-years-old.
Her voice singing praises to God was designed for her to shine God's love and light into the hearts of those who will listen.
Singing Songs of Praise, Paying Attention and Listening
What gifts has the Holy Spirit given to your children?
What gifts has the Holy Spirit given you?
We must listen to the Holy Spirit's light within our children and let it shine into the world to bring peace, love and joy.
This Little Light of Mine Song
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! (Hold up your finger pretending it is a“little light”.)
Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine!
Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine!
Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine,
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine! (Put one hand over your “light” when you sing ‘under a bushel’ and remove quickly when you sing, “no!”.)
The Word of God
"I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven." Luke 12:8-10
This craft is part of the Experience God add on from Mother Goose Time.
First, we read the Bible Story - My Father's House
Based upon Luke 2:41-52 and John 13:31-14:1-7.
Mother Goose Time provides colorful posters with the text to read on the back, which is based on the above Bible verse.
Heaven Bracelet Craft
My daughters loved creating heaven bracelets. In the Bible there are details about heaven...
I began by asking: What might you see if you were in heaven? (Listen to their answers.)
Heaven is surrounded by gates, each made with one pearl. (Each child held a pearl in her hands.)
The roads of heaven are made of gold. (Each child is given a gold pipe cleaner.)
As the children put white pearls onto the gold pipe cleaners you can sing together, Jesus is the Way. Mother Goose Time provides this song on a CD.
We talked about how a cross is like the key that opens heaven's gates. Christians who believe in him, repent and keep Him in their hearts will get into heaven. God, knows what we think about, and he knows what is in our hearts.
Supplies:
White beads
Gold pipe cleaners
Pray together: "Father God, thank you for being King of heaven and earth. Help me live on earth for you, so that I can live in heaven with you, too. In Jesus' name, Amen."
