Pumpkin Stew

Halloween may be over, but I am still all about pumpkins!  I love them!  I'm so glad I can use them in my Thanksgiving activities, too.  Guess what I'm whipping up now???  A big batch of Pumpkin Stew!

I made up this little rhyme to use with my S-Blend kiddos, but I think it can be adapted to work for almost any of my kids.  Yesterday, I grabbed a big bowl, a wooden spoon, two plastic pumpkins and a variety of play food items.

Yes, I know they're jack-o-lanterns and it's after Halloween...it's all I had!

We put the pumpkins in the green bowl as we said "Pumpkin Stew.  Pumpkin Stew."  Then we rubbed our stomachs as we said "Mmmm, I like it.  Yes I do!"  Next, we shook the salt shaker and pretended to add salt to the stew as we said "Salt and Pepper".  Then the child chose an item from the blue bowl and added it to the stew as we said (for example) "Pizza, too!"  Finally, we took the spoon and stirred up the stew while we said, "Stir, stir, stir my pumpkin stew!"  The kids loved it!  They caught on to the rhyme very quickly and were eager to put in all the food items I had chosen.

I plan to use this with my little ones working on CVC combos and two-syllable words next week.  I want to make it easy for them to repeat this activity at home, so I that's why I made the printed version.  I recruited my son to draw some the graphics for me (isn't he amazing???? He did the pot, spoon and salt shaker).  It sure is nice to have an in-house graphics designer, let me tell you!  That is, when I can pin him down.  The pumpkin came from KPM Doodles, and the boarders from Scrappin' Doodles.

I will send home a set of picture cards and a copy of the the rhyme and the pot.  The child can choose a picture to put in the little frame on the rhyme page prior to starting the rhyme.  As they recite the rhyme with their parent, they can add it to the soup pot and pretend to stir it in.

Here's an example of the picture cards I will use with my S-Blend kids:

I made these at LessonPix.com.  Do you know about LessonPix?  I came late to the parade and just found out about them last week.  How did I not know about them???  Anyway, it is an amazing site where you can create materials using their graphics in just a few minutes.  It has a sound finder feature that lets you enter in the sound and place in the word and then displays all the graphics that match.  You can quickly choose the ones you want, and then turn them into cards with just a click of the mouse.  Amazing.  However, it is not a free site; you do need to purchase a membership.

Do you want to make Pumpkin Stew, too?  If so, you can download the rhyme and stew pot here.  Just be sure to let me know what you think about our original creations :-)  (Can you tell I'm a proud mama?)


Pam

Mailbox Match Ups Downloads

You're never too old to learn new things, right?  Today I am giving adding downloads to my blog a try.  My son, who is a webpage developer, has rolled his eyes at me more than once during the process of trying to teach me how to convert a Boardmaker file into a PDF, but I can actually do it now!  Baby steps, right?  He calls me a Tech Toddler for a reason!

Update:  Since I first published this post, I've discovered that Boardmaker files can only be shared through the Boardmaker Share website, and can only be accessed by using Boardmaker.  The following files have all been posted to Boardmaker Share.  You can find them all easily by searching for my username:  pamdahm.

I have created several activities to go along with the mailbox theme that I talked about in my last post.  I started with my blank letter template,  which you can download here.

Mailbox Matchup 6 Letter Blank Template

Just make multiple copies on cardstock, cut them out and laminate them.  You can use this template for a variety of different activities.  I made a rhyming activity which you can download at Boardmaker Share.  Just look for my folder called Mailbox Match Ups and browse through the files you want.  Here's one to get you started:  http://www.boardmakershare.com/Activity/1777225/Rhyme-Set-Envelopes-1

Rhyme Set Template

There's a Beginning Letter Sound Set, too.  Download these files at Boardmaker Share as well.  You'll find them in the Mailbox Match Ups folder again, but here's a link to get you started.

Beginning Letter Sound Set

I use Velcro dots to attach the little cards to each envelope, but you could still use these activities without the Velcro.

I also have a set that I'm using with my /r/ carryover kids.  All of these kids are readers, so they just write target words in the boxes on each envelope.  You could use pictures if you wanted to.

You can download these from Boardmaker Share here.

Nice chatting with you!

Pam