Presidential Magic

Here is a fun President's Day activity to do with your little one.

What you'll need: pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, 1/2 dollars; construction paper; masking tape, thin white paper, scotch tape, peeled crayons red and blue crayons

1. First, you will need to loop the masking tape and secure the coins to the construction paper. Do this on several sheets with the coins in various patterns, because your child will be amazed and will want to to do this again.
2.  Next, place the thin white paper over the coins and secure on the sides with the scotch tape.
3. Then show your little ones how to "rub" the side of the peeled crayons on the white paper to reveal the faces of our Presidents on the coins.

Optional: Allow the little ones to decorate their rubbings with star stickers, glitter, any Patriotic touches they'd like.

Hail to the Chief's Menu

President's Day is just around the corner. So have some food fun with your little ones by creating a day of Presidential favorite meals. Visit our website to download and print a copy of the presidential menu onto card stock or pretty printer paper and display for your family. Add to the fun by setting your table with special plates, linens, silverwear, and glasses. You can purchase cheap red, white, and blue paper products and plastic wine glasses at your local party store. Our menu includes the Presidential Seal and a fancy font, but I'm including the meal list below so you can plan ahead and get to the grocery store.

Breakfast: Zachary Taylor doughnuts (visit our website for an easy doughnut recipe ) w/ Woodrow Wilson strawberry yogurt (actually, strawberry ice cream was his fave, but yogurt is a healthier alternative)
AM Snack: Truman's veggies w/ blue cheese dressing
Lunch: FDR hot dogs w/ Reagan mac-n-cheese (or JFK grilled cheese sandwich w/ Eisenhower chicken noodle soup
PM Snack: Bush chips & salsa
Dinner: Carter's Southern fried chicken (or nuggets, store bought or homemade), LBJs creamed spinach,  Nixon's chocolate chip cookies (homemade or store bought)

For more information on the favorite foods of all of the U.S. Presidents, visit the Food Timeline - Presidents website.

Ronald McDonald House

Once upon a time, I hated Valentine's Day. To me it was a yucky, overly-commercialized holiday that was teetering on the brink of ridiculousness. Since having a little one, though, I changed my mind, because I love any opportunity I can take to shower him with love and affection. But a very, very close friend of mine reminded me of another reason why this day is so important. Because regardless of how we feel about the commercialism, it does remind us all to think, if even for a split second, about the people we love: husbands, children, parents, siblings, family, friends, co-workers, even the postman!

So, I want to take this opportunity to spread the love and spread the word about our Mom Cause of the Month, The Ronald McDonald House. This worthy cause helps to decrease the burden and ensure the care and comfort of over 4 million families worldwide who have a child in need of medical attention. But like any charity, they need the community's help. And it is so easy to help the Ronald McDonald House!
You can...
* donate your time
* hold a fundraiser
* donate toys, meals, or supplies
* collect aluminum can pop tops
 The possibilities are easy and endless, and so meaningful. Please visit their website for other ways to help out and get involved and for more information on Ronald McDonald House and their charities.

Cupid's Arrow Trail

Every year, my husband and I surprise the little love of our life with a small Valentine's Day treat. Typically, it is a book with a love or family theme (this year we bought him the book How Do Dinosaurs Say I Love You, since he's a huge fan of this series of books). But, my friend Tina inspired me to add a little flare to the "presenting" of the present. From this year on, Cupid will be paying a visit to our little man, leaving a "trail" for him to follow to find his surprise. Tomorrow, I will leave a trail of helium-filled latex balloons to his prize. But any variation on this theme will work: a trail of foam hearts leftover from crafts or hearts cut out from construction paper,  a trail of paper arrows, a trail of Hershey kisses....whatever melts your little one's heart! You an even set up a few trails throughout the day for your little one to follow.

This is also a chance to serve a meal of love. We'll be enjoying a "hearty" pizza. We have a local pizza place that sells heart-shaped take-n-bakes pizzas; but if you don't, you can just get a cheese pizza and create a heart out of sliced pepperoni, mushrooms, red peppers, whatever topping your family loves! Serve it with a dessert of Cloud 9, aka, an ice cream float.

Boy, Was He Tall!

Happy 202nd Birthday, Abraham Lincoln! Boy, he'd be one old man if he were still alive today! And when he was alive, boy was he tall! At 6'4", he was our tallest President.

Measure and mark off Abe's height (with a pencil) in a doorway of your home. Then, measure and mark off your child's height and the heights of all family members. Compare everyone's stature to that of Honest Abe. Turn this into a fun math activity for an older child. Subtract the differences in everyone's height. Figure out the average height of everyone. Add up everyone's heights and figure out how long that would be.

Another fun activity to do with your little one is sorting. Get a roll of pennies from your bank or grocery store. Sort the pennies into 2 groups: tarnished and not tarnished. Then, place the tarnished pennies in a mix of 1/2 cup white vinegar with one teaspoon salt and watch the become shiny!

Abraham Lincoln is one of our nation's greatest President's. He is credited with abolishing slavery and keeping our country together. In the spirit of "keeping things together", make an Abe Lincoln jigsaw puzzle with your little one! It is easy! Print out one or all of the Abe Lincoln printables at our website. Help your little one to color the pictures. When they're finished, glue the sheets to card stock or poster paper (this is not necessary, but does help make the puzzle more sturdy). Give the glue time to dry. Then cut the pictures in a few large pieces, and help your child put together the "puzzles".

We Put His Face on A Penny

"Abraham Lincoln, king and good was honored and loved by many.
To help us remember this President we put his face on the penny."

I remember singing this song in my pre-kindergarten class and it always stuck with me. Really, it's not too early to start teaching our children a bit about our nation's history. And what a better way to start than with the birthday of one of our nation's most important historical figures. Here are some ways to celebrate the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln on Saturday.

1) Abe loved breakfast foods, so celebrate all day with breakfasts feasts! Visit our website for a delicious breakfast casserole recipe that can really be served for any meal of the day. Enjoy plates of pancakes, waffles, French toast. Anything your family enjoys!

Abe also loved gingerbread, so cook up some gingerbread cookies or pumpkin gingerbread . Or, buy some pre-made at the store or a boxed mix. Whatever you have time for!

2) Since childhood, I've associated Honest Abe with a large, black top hat. Make a top hat to honor President Lincoln's legacy.

3) Log cabins are another symbol we associate with the life of Abraham Lincoln. I have 2 options for making a pretzel log cabin with your little ones...
a) You will need a bag of pretzel sticks, chocolate icing and/or peanut butter, a small milk carton. Slather the milk carton with the icing or peanut butter. Then help your little ones cover the carton with the pretzel "logs". Feel free to sip and munch on a few as your constructing your log cabin.
b) You will need a bag of pretzel sticks and the log cabin printable. Print out the log cabin template and help your little one glue the pretzel sticks to the log cabin. Again, feel free to enjoy a little pretzel snack while you work.

Gifts From the Heart

Every holiday it seems we're wanting to shower those we love and care about with gifts. And as our little one gets older, that "gifting" list gets longer. Here's an easy and affordable way to gift all of those people you want to recognize this Valentine's Day: preschool teachers, neighbors, grandparents, play-date families, etc...

Here's what you'll need: clear, clean glass jars with lids (re-purpose empty food jars or purchase some affordable options from your local crafts store), Valentine's stickers, ribbons, festive candies.

Start by thoroughly cleaning the jars and lids. Have your little one go to town decorating the jars with stickers. Again, perfection is not necessary. Everyone loves a handmade gift, especially from their favorite little person. If you are using a re-purposed food jar that has a label or product name on the top, cover that with a large sticker. Fill the jars with some festive, Valentine-looking candy: Hershey kisses, Starlight mints, red hots, conversation hearts, red & white M&Ms, etc.... Tie a pretty ribbon around the top of the jar, add a small heart-shaped gift tag, and deliver in person to your loved ones!