Good Friday, The Sparkle Egg and Virtual Family Bingo

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For the last two years my daughter and I have spent Good Friday attending an Easter event with my parents at a farm near their home. We pet baby bunnies, participate in an egg hunt, have a meet and greet with the Easter Bunny…a few of the many activities at the farm. This year that tradition, along with many others, was unable to take place. But as I reflect on the events that unfolded instead, simple as they may be, this Good Friday, the one spent in isolation, helped my family focus on the Lamb instead of the bunny!

Easter Scavenger Hunt– My daughter and I began our Good Friday with an Easter scavenger hunt. We headed outdoors on this beautiful day in search of the items on the list below.

As we went through the list, collecting the items around our yard, we were reminded of Jesus and the loving sacrifice He made for us.

The Sparkle Egg – This heart warming story about Easter and forgiveness will strike a deep chord with readers of all ages. The Sparkle Egg tradition will help readers and their families grasp the totality of God’s perfect grace. Go to The Sparkle Egg website and read the book for free! Make a Sparkle Egg and draw a picture of something you are holding onto or are ashamed about and put it inside the egg. On Easter morning, remove the paper and when your child opens the empty egg they will be reminded of the gift of complete forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Like the tomb on Easter morning, The Sparkle Egg is empty.

A Surprise Easter Egg Hunt– When we dropped off supplies at Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s house my daughter was thrilled to find they had hidden Easter eggs for her to hunt in their backyard. While keeping proper social distancing we all enjoyed this fun surprise!

Virtual Bingo– Via Zoom my daughter joined her cousins in Georgia for a game of virtual bingo. Virtual daily meetings with family and friends are becoming our norm.

Good Friday Tenebrae Service- Our family of three gathered on the couch and in darkness worshiped together. While worshiping at home we remembered the day that the sun stopped shining as the Light of the World was crucified for the sins of the world. CLICK HERE to watch Zion Lutheran church’s Tenebrae service.

Good Friday With Pastor Rouland and Gary– During the isolation a highlight of our week is watching a special message from our senior pastor, Pastor Rouland and his sidekick Gary. Each week, my daughter laughs out loud as she points to the screen. We ended our day watching their video before bed. CLICK HERE to learn why we call today Good Friday.

Paper Doll Bunnies, Easter Cupcakes and The Living Last Supper…Day 18

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Staying home in isolation wasn’t the plan. My husband was supposed to be playing Simon the Zealot in the Living Last Supper at church. He delivered care packages and went shopping for others instead. I thank my husband for being strong for our family. I was supposed to sing in the choir tonight but haven’t left our neighborhood since Palm Sunday. Our daughter was supposed to go to preschool and have fun with her teacher and friends. She had a virtual play date as an alternative and heard the announcement that school would stay virtual for the remainder of the school year. Changed plans, cancellations and delays are the theme in households throughout the world. It brings me comfort to know our family of three is not alone. God is with us, always. Although it might be difficult to see His love through this time of uncertainty, all we have to do is look at the cross and we are immediately reminded of His everlasting love and sacrifice.

Lillian’s teacher provided the directions and supplies for this Good Friday cross project and her daddy helped her make her cross.

Easter Book- The Easter Egg by Jan Brett is a sweet book about a little bunny who wants to decorate the perfect egg for an egg decorating contest. CLICK HERE to read this amazing book online and CLICK HERE to watch a video of Jan Brett introducing her readers to some of the real life animals she used as models in her illustrations.

Bunny Paper Dolls– My mother shared this project with me and this is the year I shared it with my daughter and her friends. CLICK HERE for the bunny and clothing patterns. Trace the patterns on construction paper, cut out and decorate. Don’t forget to give your bunny a cotton-ball tail! Lillian named her bunny Cottontail.

Easter Cupcakes-We made cupcakes to eat on Easter Sunday. My daughter enjoyed decorating and eating them! We used my mom’s delicious buttercream frosting recipe, Nana’s Buttercream Frosting recipe.Jesus Time– We continued watching the Holy Week Lessons shared by our early childhood director. CLICK HERE to watch. CLICK HERE to view last year’s production of The Living Last Supper performed by our church, Zion Lutheran Church.

Kids Choice Day…Scooter Rides, Outside Games, Alleluia Shakers and Water Play… Day 17

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A brilliant mom friend of mine started “Kids Choice Day,” every Wednesday, so I thought my daughter and I would give it a try! Our children are in the middle of a world crisis so a day where they have a bit more “control” of their world will be good for the entire family! On “Kids Choice Day” the kiddos get to decide what their day is going to look like from what they eat for breakfast and lunch to what activities they engage in throughout the day. My daughter began by drawing a map of things she wanted to do. My picky eater had no special food requests.

Outdoor Play- It was beautiful weather so we spent the majority of our day outside. From scooter rides to playing on our backyard playground to water play, an afternoon of sun and fresh air was the perfect choice!

Outdoor Games– I printed out a bunny themed game board from my daughter’s teacher and we enjoyed playing this dice game while sitting on a blanket in our backyard. CLICK HERE to download the game board. We also enjoyed coloring and doing a puzzle outside!

Easter Egg Workout– Another great suggestion from Mrs. Stanglein, my daughter’s teacher, really got us moving! I printed one exercise on a slip of paper and placed a slip in an Easter egg. My daughter selected an Easter egg from the basket and I read the slip and we performed that exercise. You could include the following.. 5 sit ups, 10 jumping jacks, run around the house 3 times, do a bear crawl, 10 toe touches. Have fun making up your own!

Alleluia Shakers- During Lent we put our Alleluias away but on Easter morning every church family will sing “Alleluia!”We made Alleluia shakers by filling a plastic Easter egg with rice (you could also use beans) and then decorating the outside. We made some for our family of three but also made some to add to the weekly supplies we deliver to grandparents and to a family friend. We will shake our eggs whenever we say or hear Alleluia during virtual church on Easter Sunday.

Ms. Pac-Man– I love the game Ms. Pac Man so my husband (boyfriend at the time) gifted me with a vintage Ms. Pac Man machine many years ago. It sits in our unfinished basement but every so often my daughter and I will sneak downstairs and play a game or two. The machine has a special chip inside that includes a cheat mode so we could play the game forever! My daughter shares the love of Ms. Pac Man because she included it on her map for Kids Choice Day!

Keep Playing… I can’t stress the importance of play, especially during this time of added stress and mixed up routine. Children learn and grow through play. Play helps them make sense of their world and process what they are learning. We ended our day with water play. My daughter requested it and asked if she could play with her “My Little Pony” figures in the water. I sat back with an adult beverage, this Noteworthy Mommy needed a break after our day of play, and I simply observed her. I love when her animals have dialogue with each other. In this scene my daughter was pretending the ponies were Jesus and His twelve disciples. The pony playing the part of Jesus was washing His disciples feet. I heard her mention Simon and Judas. We had just discussed this event during Jesus Time last night. This unscheduled, unforced event was filled with the joy of learning and brought happy tears to my eyes! And in case you were wondering, Rainbow Dash played the part of Jesus. 

 

The Estimation Jar and Eggs, Eggs, Eggs…Day 16 Activities

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Today was an EGGciting day filled with math and science. The weather was beautiful so there was also a lot of time spent outside in our backyard.

The Estimation Jar- A wonderful suggestion from my daughter’s teacher and something I used to do when I taught kindergarten. Put a select number of the same item in a jar and have your child estimate how many items are inside. My daughter wrote her estimation on a chart, opened up the jar and counted the items and then recorded the answer. She was only one off! This is a great activity to build on estimation, counting and number writing and we are making the estimation jar part of our daily routine.

Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones– One of my favorite science books for young children is Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones by Ruth Keller. The book introduces readers to the wide variety of oviparous (egg laying) animals in the world. We watched an episode of Reading Rainbow on YouTube that highlighted the book. CLICK HERE to watch. We also read the book The Egg, a Scholastic Discovery Book. Oviparous or NOT Oviparous Game– I created a game out of a worksheet and plastic eggs. I used this Oviparous Animal Sort I found for free and cut out the animals, putting a circle around the oviparous animals to make them look like they were inside an egg. Then I took plastic eggs and wrote a different animal on each egg, placing the corresponding animal inside. Some eggs contained an oviparous and some were mammals. My daughter took an egg from the basket and had to tell if it was oviparous or a mammal and then she opened up the egg to check her answer. The whale was the only animal that tricked her. She thought it was oviparous but a whale is a mammal and has its babies born alive and well. Egg Shake, What Is the Sound- I filled plastic eggs with various things I found around the house (rice, macaroni, pennies flour, jelly beans, goldfish crackers, cotton balls) and my daughter shook each egg, making a guess as to what was inside. I made a chart that showed the possibilities. After she made her predications she opened up the eggs to check them. Egg Patterning– Another EGGcellent suggestion for her teacher was egg patterning. I traced Easter egg shapes on index cards and colored the tops and bottoms to match eggs I had on hand.  Separate the eggs and match them to the mixed up egg drawings. After my daughter completed my mixed up eggs, I gave her some blank egg patterns on index cards and she created patterns for me to solve.Jesus Time– Our early childhood director put together some valuable Holy Week resources. We watched a video about Jesus washing his disciples feet. CLICK HERE to view. Then we sang along to “What a Mighty God We Serve!’ CLICK HERE to view the song. We also used our Holy Week retelling cards to review the events that led up to Easter morning.

Good Night Moon– Before bed we viewed and talked about the full “Pink Moon” in the sky tonight.While it did not actually appear pink, it was the closest, biggest and brightest Full Moon of the year! A reading of Good Night Moon  by Margaret Wise Brown. “Good night stars, good night air, good night noises everywhere.”

Koo Koo Kanga Roo, Chickens and Easter Eggs…Day 15 Activities

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We suffered a manic Monday with Daddy going back to work after being furloughed for two weeks and my daughter and I missing having him at home. To cure the Monday blues we spent a lot of time playing outside and on our daily walk my daughter told me she was ready for all of this to be over. She wants to go back to school, she wants to get a forever hug from her best friend and she wants to celebrate Easter the way we do every year…by going to church and gathering with grandparents for an annual Easter brunch and egg hunt. All I could do was give her a comforting hug and say, “Me too baby, me too.”

Koo Koo Kanga Roo– If you like to dance you have to check these guys out! Described as the Beastie Boys meet Sesame Street, this dynamic dance duo is the perfect cure for a manic Monday! Our favorite dance songs are Cat Party and Double Scoop. You can find all of their videos on YouTube and their music streaming on Spotify. Chickens- Scholastic Learn From Home has proven to be my favorite on line resource during the isolation. Today we did the module on Roosters, Hens and Chicks. After that we used construction paper and markers to create a chick hatching out of an egg. Eggs– After hard boiling eggs we turned them into Easter eggs by decorating them with the Egg Mazing egg decorator. Purchased at a huge discount after Easter last year we found the Egg Mazing to be an easy, fun and non messy way to decorate eggs. My daughter has difficulty using a pincer grasp when holding a writing tool but to my delight the Egg Mazing forced her to hold the marker with a pincer grasp! She was having so much fun she didn’t even realize it and until her teacher pointed it out neither did I! We practiced patterning by creating AB, ABC and ABCD patterns on our eggs. We will decorate plastic eggs with the Egg Mazing tomorrow. Egg and Chicken Books– My daughter enjoyed the book Daisy Comes Home about a chicken that goes on an unexpected adventure down the river. Written by Jan Brett you can CLICK HERE to read the book. Before bed we read The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown (author of Goodnight Moon.) We read from the actual book that belonged to me when I was a little girl. I smile at the memory of my mother reading it to me when I was around my daughter’s age. CLICK HERE to have the book read to you.

Palm Sunday and Holy Week Activities

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The way we worshiped this Palm Sunday was different from anything we have ever experienced. But COVID 19 didn’t stop us from worshiping. It didn’t stop my church family from having a palm processional (a drive by parade where our pastors attached palms to our vehicles with a magnet). In fact, there were so many cars piling into the sanctuary parking lot that it created a traffic jam for others passing by! It didn’t stop the little children from waving palms. (many crafted by their little hands out of paper) With horns honking and shouts of “Hosanna,” COVID 19 didn’t stop us from praising our King!

CLICK HERE to view our Palm Sunday worship service.

Although we continued to worship and wave our paper palms, Palm Sunday just didn’t feel quite right. Please read this article Palm Sunday: It doesn’t feel right… by Joyfully Dancing Daughter, our former DCE (director of children’s education). Her words helped me wrap my mind around the thought of experiencing Holy Week in isolation.

Holy Week Coloring Pack- In preparing for Holy Week I found this coloring pack that visually details the events that lead to Jesus’s resurrection. CLICK HERE for a free download.

Early Childhood Holy Week Chapel Service– My daughter’s preschool has shared some excellent resources. Click on this link Sealing the Tomb to download the early childhood chapel service my daughter will virtually participate in with her classmates this week.

Palm Sunday Story– CLICK HERE to view a short online Palm Sunday story.

We Have a King Who Rides on a Donkey– My daughter loves this song! CLICK HERE to sing along!

 

 

Number Pad, Cosmic Yoga, Marble Painting, Preparing for Palm Sunday…Day 14 Activities

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As a reading consultant and literacy lover, who is also passionate about music, I find myself choosing activities that build upon my strengths. So during this time of isolation I have been pushing myself to present activities that are outside of my comfort zone. Like her daddy, my daughter enjoys STEM activities so I have been incorporating more science and math into our days. My daughter needs to strengthen her core muscles and generally dislikes any activity that challenges her in this area so to avoid confrontation I haven’t pushed her in this area. Continue to allow your child to chose activities “free choice” but try to introduce some of the things that challenge both of you. Incorporate rewards for trying something new, a little bribery during these stressful times won’t hurt! You’ve got this momma,try to do your best and don’t give up! And don’t forget to reward yourself at the end of the day!

Number Pad– Use paper plates to make a big number pad on the wall. My daughter enjoyed practicing family phone numbers. Children use large body movement when they press on the plates and learn to identify numbers at the same time! Cosmic Kids Yoga– My daughter’s teacher has the kiddos do Cosmic Kids Yoga at school and I have been trying to get my daughter to do Cosmic Kids Yoga for months. Today was the day that she finally completed an entire Cosmic Kids Yoga session! We did one about a cat but there are many fantastic sessions to choose from. Frozen Yoga and the Wizard of Oz Yoga are two popular ones. Through a story or song Cosmic Kids Yoga builds strength, increases blood flow, improves concentration and helps with anxiety (just to name a few of the benefits.) While doing yoga, kids work to use a range of muscles, find their body working in symmetry and this improves their body coordination and encourages motor development.Marble Painting- We do marble painting a lot (it is one of our favorite activities). Get a shallow box (a shirt box works perfectly), paper, paint and marbles. Place the paper in the box and after coating marbles in different color paints drop them in the box and gently move the box from side to side. Make sure you practice moving the marble inside the box without paint first to set proper technique. No two masterpieces are ever alike! We painted on cross shapes but you could use any shape or canvas. (eggs, shamrocks, flowers, hearts) You can also paint with other items that roll (a toy car or small ball). The results look like miniature Jackson Pollock paintings. Click Here to watch a child friendly video about Jackson Pollock. Pollock is one of my favorite artists so that’s probably why I love hanging these marble paintings in my home.

Preparing for Palm Sunday- This Sunday is Palm Sunday, one of my daughter’s favorite days on the church calendar. She loves parading down the aisle at church waving her palm branch for all to see. But this year she won’t be able to do that. Click Here to view a video from our senior pastor, Pastor Rouland and Gary the puppet, speaking to the children about celebrating Palm Sunday at home. Gary recommends drawing a Palm on paper. Click Here to view a video from my parents church for additional ways to make palms with your children. We are going to make some palms this afternoon. Make some palms with us and post them in the comments or on the Noteworthy Mommy Facebook or Instagram page. We can’t wait to see them!

Shapes, Scavenger Hunts and Pizza…Day 13 Activities

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Although the day was filled with exploration and fun for my daughter, this Noteworthy Mommy felt a bit down. As more districts make the decision to bring the school year to a close I know it’s just a matter of time before our local schools make the announcement. I’m melancholy over the lack of closure and the inability to say a proper goodbye to friends who will be leaving us and going to the public school next year. I know we are not in this alone.

The Shape of Things– After we watched my daughter’s teacher read the book The Shape of Things by Dayle Ann Dodds, I got out some attribute blocks and my daughter and I made houses. It was a good review of basic shapes and colors and a chance to problem solve and use some creativity. Indoor Scavenger Hunt– Per her teachers suggestion we did an indoor scavenger hunt where we searched for things that began with L, the first letter in my daughter’s name. This was a great way to work on initial sounds and we will defiantly do it again with another letter. 

Backyard Scavenger Hunt– The weather was beautiful today so we spent a majority of the afternoon outside reading books and taking a long scooter ride. We also participated in a backyard scavenger hunt. We followed the one listed here but you could easily make up your own. My daughter and I enjoyed working together to find the items on this list. With clipboard in hand she checked a box next to each item after it was found. We documented the Hunt by taking pictures but you could draw a picture of each item as well. 

Weekly Lenten Church Service- Yesterday was such a busy day we didn’t have time to go to church. This afternoon my daughter and I sat down and worshiped together. The familiar songs along with scripture brought some much needed comfort on this day. CLICK HERE to watch our Lutheran worship service. Pizza and a Family Meeting– We ended our day by making our own pizzas for dinner. My daughter designed a face on one and used pepperoni for eyes! After dinner we had a Talley Family Zoom meeting with my in-laws and sister in-law.

Play Dough, Painting, Playing and a Birthday Parade… Day 12 Activities

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My daughter just wasn’t feeling it today so I didn’t push her. She really needed a day of free play and rest so that is exactly what we did!

Play Dough- – Is there anything better than a giant batch of fresh play dough? My daughter enjoyed helping me make homemade play dough. As I stated in an earlier post, the best play dough recipes are the ones that require heat. I used my tried and true preschool play dough recipe, shared with me by a former teaching partner twenty-five years ago!! (How can I be that old?) Play dough making is filled with countless learning opportunities… math, measuring, science (color mixing) and following directions. My daughter requested purple play dough and we added a vanilla scent. Don’t forget to add a color and a scent. Some people add glitter for extra fun! Once your play dough is ready, use cookie cutters, scissors and straws as play dough tools. We made pretend cookies and constructed numbers. (roll the play dough into long skinny snakes and then construct numbers)Painting– People have posted some beautiful stained glass window creations on line. We used paint dobbers designed for windows and painted stained glass crosses on several of our interior windows. My daughter really enjoyed painting and said, “Now when we have church at home our house will look like church too!”

The Power of Play– Young children learn the best through play and they need to engage in imaginative play often so they can learn and grow not only academically but socially and emotionally. My daughter uses a sweet high pitched voice when she creates dialogue for her action figures or stuffed animals. Our home was filled with the sweet sound of play and through this play my daughter was learning to navigate her new reality, After she played with her toys for a awhile she was happier and better equipped to face the rest of the day.

Birthday Parade– A preschool friend turned five today and we participated in her birthday parade. A birthday parade was exactly what we needed to raise our spirits and we ended the day on a happy note! We used the paint dobbers made for windows to decorate the windows in daddy’s truck. Then we made a sign and added some balloons. During the parade my daughter and I jumped in the bed of the truck and held our signs for the birthday girl to see. We also made a special birthday card for the birthday girl.

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Muffins, Maps, Play, Gratitude & Generosity…Day 11 Activities

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We didn’t accomplish as much today as I had originally planned and that’s OK. Some days will be like that. As we navigate eLearning and isolation the biggest lessons often come in the unplanned.

Encouraging Play and Clean Up– We began our day cleaning up. With spending all of our time at home our house was getting out of control! So I put on some music and mommy, daddy and our reluctant little one began putting away toys, dishes and art supplies. My daughter loves to play and in doing so she creates scenes that she does not want to destroy by putting the pieces back in place. The latest project was a well designed Doggy Daycare swimming pool complete with a deck for cats to sit on so they don’t get wet. The other project was the bear den we constructed the day before. As she ran around the house, screaming that we were ruining her life by cleaning up, I was reminded that play is a child’s work. I also recalled the “Work in Progress” signs I often see in her classroom. That gave me the idea of compromising and telling my daughter she can keep one “Work in Progress” out per day but the rest will have to be put away. Satisfied with our new agreement it was decided the bear den would be dismantled while the swimming pool would stay open.

Muffins– My daughter loves to bake so today we made raspberry muffins. I pulled out the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff and after reading we made muffins together. Through baking my daughter was learning a lot…how to follow directions, how to measure and how to be generous as we saved some to take to Maw Maw and Paw Paw and to their neighbor.

Maps– A mom friend suggested we read Me by Joan Sweeney. I know we had the book upstairs (working for a textbook company has its benefits) so I pulled it out and daddy read it to our little one. Click Here to read a digital copy of the book. Then the two of them set out to draw a map of our house. But our little one had other ideas. She wanted to draw a map of her Doggy Daycare so that’s exactly what we did! Gratitude Journal– Per her teacher’s suggestion we began a Gratitude Journal. Her first entry was a picture of mommy and daddy and her beloved blanket! She knows how to write mommy and daddy on her own and I helped her write the word blanket. We will add a new page to the journal everyday.

Generosity– Perhaps the best part of our day was delivering a weekly care package to Maw Maw and Paw Paw and to their neighbor. While practicing social distancing we were able to see our loved ones and model an example of generosity for our impressionable little one. Without a complicated lesson plan or an on line resource, children are learning. By watching the adults in their life, by listening to the sounds in their environment and by being actively engaged in activity, children are learning. Through play and imagination, children are learning!