JUMP ROPE RHYMES

1
A sailor went to sea, sea, sea.
To see what he could see, see, see.
But all that he could see, see, see.
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea.
2
Coca-Cola went to town
Pepsi cola shot him down
Dr. Pepper fixed him up and
changed him into Bubble up!
3
Down by the river, down by the sea,
Johnny broke a bottle and blamed it on me.
I told ma, ma told pa,
Johnny got a spanking so ha ha ha.
How many spankings did Johnny get?
1, 2, 3.... (Keep counting until the jumper messes up).

GLITTER SPARKLE HURRICANE BOTTLES

Remove the label from a clean, clear 16oz. plastic soda bottle. Pour at least 1/2 cup of light corn syrup into the bottle. Then add a few drops of food coloring and some glitter and/or confetti. Hot glue the lid onto the bottle. Have the children swirl and shake the bottle and watch it´s movement. These can be varied considerably and still work great. Use the natural tendencies of oil and water to make a "lava lamp" type bottle. Just mix oil and water half and half, add a few sparkles and secure the lid. You can use 2 pop bottles joined at the mouth for these interesting bottles. Be sure to secure them very, very well, using hot glue gun or duct tape to prevent leaks.

HAMMER AND NAILS

Children love to pretend that they are building. Hammers, nails, and a block of Styrofoam or soft block of wood can be wonderful tools for fine motor skills. This is an activity that should be closely supervised. It is fun to create a wood working area in your home.

ABC PROJECT

Save all the advertisement papers from the local newspaper. Provide the kids with a pair of scissors and give them a pre-selected letter from the alphabet. Have them cut out pictures that begin with that letter and paste them on construction paper.

DANCING PAPER CLIP

Impress your kids with a "Dancing Paper Clip".
Fill a baby food jar with water and drop a steel paper clip into it. Tell your child that you can make the paper clip dance up and down in the water without touching it. Then move a magnet up and down outside the jar to make the clip dance. Let your child try it. Explain that the magnetic force form the magnet passes through the glass and water to make the clip move. Kewl!

TEACHER GIFTS

1. Teachers work hard to decorate and equip their room. A book for their classroom library is always appreciated.

2. Homemade baked goods. Teachers work hard all day and don´t have a lot of time to bake. Items they can take home and share with their families are welcome gifts.

3. Tree Ornaments. This is a universal gift for Christmas. Works for everyone.

4. Gift Certificates. Again, something they can get for their classroom, like a book or toy.

5. Thank you for helping me grow potted plant

6. Scrapbook pages and fieldtrip pictures

QUICK TAPE ACTIVITY

To occupy a small child while you are on the phone give him/her a couple of long strips of Scotch tape to keep busy.

TREASURE DIVING

Line up everyone on the side of the pool and toss in "treasure." I have used toy animals (plastic), plastic or rubber rings and even small (1-2 inch) smooth rocks. See who can bring back the most.

NIGHT HUNT

Some night in the winter, when it is dark outside, find a few flashlights and play hide and seek. Turn off all the lights in the house and use your flashlight to find your brothers and sisters. This is a great pajama party activity. Be sure not to run, you may bump into something and get hurt! Ask your parents to hide a few things around the house for you to hunt and give you a list or a treasure map!

SNOW/SAND ANGELS

Who doesn´t remember this great winter activity. Of course, you need to be in a climate where snow is available, however, I wonder if there are such things as sand angels? Lie down on your backs in fresh, powdery snow and make snow angels. Swing your arms up and down and your legs back and forth. Get up carefully, and look at the imprint in the snow made with your body. See the wings?

PARTY FAVORS

You can fill empty toilet paper rolls with small candy and tiny toys for a party favor. Once you fill it up close up each end and decorate the tube, or wrap in tissue paper and tie ends up with a pretty ribbon.

NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT LIST

While on your next walk in the park take along this list. (All you have to do is find them, not bring them home.)
Tree bark,
Acorn,
Dead leaf,
Seed,
Bone,
Sand,
Insect,
Twig,
Dead grass,
Spider web,
Rock pine needle,
Clover,
Ladybug,
Bird.

SUNFLOWER FORT

This is a long term project for families with enough space in their backyard or cottage to accomodate it. You can help your children create a special place of their own this summer by growing a Sunflower Fort.

Look for an area sunny enough to grow sunflowers and large enough to supply a minimum of 6 foot square garden space. We made ours 8 foot x 6 foot, but have seen them on television 12 foot square. Start by marking the perimiter of your Sunflower Fort with stakes and string. Be sure to locate and mark your entry.

Prepare the gardens around the perimeter by digging down about 8 inches deep and about 5 to 10 inches wide. The "floor" can be left as grass (be sure to make the door wide enough for the lawnmower to enter) or made of sand by laying in a bag or two of childrens play sand.

Here comes the fun part. Go to the local nursery and select a few sunflower seed packets. Choose a variety of heights, and colors. Also pick up some bean, pea or climbing vine seeds (such as sweet pea or morning glories)to fill in the spaces between the sunflowers.

Now read the seed packets and show the children how to plant their seeds. Planting the sunflowers first and then the peas and vines between the sunflower seeds. Be sure to water them.

And the hard part? Wait, water and watch them grow! It will take the "walls" of your sunflower fort about 10 to 12 weeks to bloom, however my kids enjoyed the fort from day one, putting the sand on the floor gave them a sandbox to make roads in for their little cars. Being able to play in their fort enabled them to watch it grow and reminded them to care for it. Be sure to warn them not to step on the garden "walls".

Our sunflower fort has become a tradition. We make it year after year, building summer memories for our grandchildren now.

INDOOR RAINBOWS

Place a small mirror in a clear glass of water. Put the glass on a sunny windowsill. Position the mirror in the glass so the sun will hit it and cause a rainbow to shine on the wall. Point out the rainbow to your child, then move the glass to make a rainbow somewhere else.

MAKE YOUR OWN DOT TO DOT PICTURES

On a sheet of plain paper make a dot to dot picture for your kids. It might be a simple heart or ball shape or as elaborate as a house or animal. You can trace the shape from many coloring books, then just place dots about 1 inch apart and number them. Eventually the kids will get in the groove and make some of their own dot to dots to share with their friends.

PINATA CHANT

My goodness! My goodness!
A big paper jar! (make large circle with hands)
A big paper jar that is shaped like a star (draw star shape in the air)
And filled full of walnuts and
filled full of sweets, (clap hands)
Of toys and of oranges and wonderful treats.
Let´s hit it and hit it and hit it until (pretend to hit piñata)
The piñata breaks and
makes everything spill (clap)
OLE!

BUBBLE PANS

Mix dish soap, water and red food coloring to a dishpan. It´s a good idea to place the dishpan on a vinyl tablecloth. Provide manual eggbeaters for children to make bubbles. Wooden spoons and sponges in various shapes are good for this activity as well.

RIDDLES

We´re for puddles, rain and snow; pull us on and off you go. (Boots)

On your nose we like to rest; for sunny days we are best. (Sunglasses)

When the rain falls from the sky, put me over you to keep you dry. (Umbrella)

I´ll keep you warm when cold winds blow; button or zip me, and off you go. (Jacket)

We always come in twos; put us on before your shoes. (Socks)

Long or short sleeved, blue or red, slip me on over your head. (Shirt)

On your hands I go, so you can play in the snow. (Mittens)

Do rabbits use combs? They use hare brushes.

What kind of a cat could you find in a library? A catalog.

When is it safe to pet a lion? When it is a dandelion.

What dress does every girl have that she never wears? Her address.

DISCOVER MIXING COLORS

Supply the children with several clear cups of water. Using food coloring (red yellow and blue) drop colors one drop at a time into the water cups. Have them discover what color they get with blue and red, yellow and red then try blue and yellow. Supply the children with plastic eyedroppers and let them mix the colors in the empty cup. (Add more coloring as desired)