The Mitten Activity

We've been wearing a lot of mittens lately.  Today was no different, and according to the groundhog, we should expect more of the same. I'm sure I'm not alone in this sentiment, but I like winter around Christmas-time and then I would like spring to be here by February.  Western New York has other plans, of course, so I figure I'd better embrace it for my daughter's sake. The Mitten by Jan Brett is a classic winter book (we have a board book version) with beautiful illustrations.  It's about a little boy named Nicki who would like a pair of mittens as white as the snow. His Baba knits him a pair with the warning that they can be easily lost in the snow. Of course, he loses one and a bevy of animals use it for shelter.  My favorite part of this book are the tiny illustrations along the sides of the pages that foreshadow what will happen on the next page (this is a great way to introduce this concept for little ones).

See the little side-bar illustrations? A badger is coming next!

I decided to go a bit literal with this one again, but put a little math spin on it.  I found some mittens/gloves of various sizes and we took my daughter's little plastic animals and put as many as could fit inside each one.  I also decided to use this as a basic introduction to estimation.

What You'll Need:

• Mittens/gloves of varying sizes
• Paper to make your estimates/record final amount
• A writing implement
• Plastic animals

*Note: We used the plastic animals to go along with the story, but if you would really like to compare the volume of the mittens accurately, choose objects that are all the same size and shape (like Unifix cubes or marbles). This activity would be a great one for older kids, too who already have an understanding of estimation.

Procedure:

Estimating how many animals will fit and recording it.

1. Remind the kiddo how lots of animals were able to fit into Nicki's mitten. Show them the chosen mittens and explain that you are going to see how many animals can fit into your mittens.
2. Place a piece of paper below each mitten/glove and write the words Estimate: _____ and Actual: ________
3. Begin by looking at each mitten and give them a stretch.  Ask the child how many animals they think might fit into the glove/mitten. (My daughter is 2 and made some adorable guesses, but write down any guess they make and explain that you're making your best guess as to how many might fit, but it's okay if you don't guess correctly).
4. Begin putting animals in the first mitten and count out loud.  Fit as many in as you can and record the total under Actual: _______. Remove the animals (unless you have enough items to fill each glove full) and move on to the second glove/mitten.
5. Continue this process until every mitten/glove has been filled with animals and record your amounts. 
6. Examine your records and see how close your estimations were. With older children, they can find the difference between the estimate and actual (Subtract the higher number from the lower number and record the finding) or state if their estimates were greater or less than the actual.

Gloves/mittens can definitely stretch quite a bit, so use your judgement to determine when it is 'full.'  Have fun and then go play outside in the snow! 

In The Night Kitchen

We just got hit with a big storm yesterday. I of course, had a dentist's appointment scheduled for my daughter for that morning and decided to venture out rather than reschedule. Not the best idea I've ever had. But, we made it safe and sound, picked up a few essentials at the store, and hunkered down for a day inside.

By today, I was finally ready to put some effort into a fun activity and maybe even take the kiddo out into the snow. I chose another childhood favorite, In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak.  It's a very visual book that's laid out in sort of a graphic novel way with very little text on each page and wonderful illustrations.  My daughter loved it and wanted to read it twice (as per usual), and was especially tickled with the 'sound words.'

Take note of the Caldecott medal on the front cover.

The graphic novel-esque layout and the inspiration page for our activity.

The activity I planned was also one that we did as children and I couldn't wait to introduce the process to my daughter. I consulted with my mother on the recipe (it was one she always made from memory) and found a recipe on Pinterest that was very close to hers.  The hands-on, sticky and delicious recipe I decided to do is for from-scratch Monkey Bread! If you've never had it, it's the perfect recipe for kids to make because they love rolling the dough in butter and cinnamon-sugar and what could be better than pulling individual pieces of ooey-gooey warm sweet bread with your fingers? It's definitely worth the effort.

The recipe I used takes about 1 1/2 of rise-time, so it's a bit of a commitment, but perfect for a snowy winter's day. You are supposed to use a bundt pan to keep the pieces contained, but ours is currently in storage, so a regular old pan works almost as well.  Ignore the fact that the kitchen is definitely not presentable for company, please. :)

Mixing the eggs into the yeast mixture

What You'll Need:

(Recipe from Bon Appetit) 

Ingredients

2/3 cup whole milk

5 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (from one 1/4-ounce envelope)

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus 1/2 tablespoon, melted

Preparation

Stand Mixer Method

Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°–115°. Transfer milk to a 2-cup measuring cup; stir in 1 Tbsp. sugar. Sprinkle yeast over milk and whisk to blend. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs; whisk until smooth.

Combine remaining 4 Tbsp. sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (If making Vanilla Cloverleaf Sweet Rolls, scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. If making Apricot-Anise Tarts, add aniseed.) Add milk mixture. With mixer running, add 1/2 cup room-temperature butter, 1 piece at a time, blending well between additions. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Knead on medium-high speed until dough is soft and silky, about 5 minutes.

Brush a medium bowl with some melted butter; place dough in bowl. Brush top of dough with remaining melted butter; cover with plastic wrap. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic; chill.

Let dough rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled in size, 1–1 1/2 hours (or 2–2 1/2 hours if dough has been refrigerated).

The Process

Once the dough has risen, you break off little balls, roll them in a stick of melted butter, then a cinnamon-sugar mixture and place it in your baking dish.  This is the fun/messy part for kids. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, let the dough rise again while the oven is preheating and pop it in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  Let it cool on the stove for about 10 minutes, then you can flip it out of the plan onto a serving platter, or a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil for easy clean-up!

As you can see, I just placed them in a ring shape inside my baking pan,
but you can use a bundt pan to make it even easier.

Then you get to eat! My daughter called it Mickey Monkey Dough (Mickey is the little boy from the book) and, of course, enjoyed eating the bread the most! Have so much fun and let me know what you think of this recipe, if you try it!

The Paper Bag Princess

I'll admit it. I was looking for any excuse I could find to work this book into my reading rotation. It's called The Paper Bag Princess written by Robert Munsch.  It's the story of your not-so-typical princess who gets her castle destroyed by a dragon. She uses her smarts to trick the dragon and save her prince.  But there is a really fun twist at the end that I don't want to spoil for you.  Grab this book and enjoy coming up with voices for the dragon.

Activity:  The Paper Bag Dress

This connection is a bit obvious, but it allows for lots of creativity and you can really go anywhere with this project. (Think a suit of armor for a little guy or a dragon outfit!)

What You'll Need:

• A Paper Bag (thanks Trader Joe's!)
• Scissors (for adult to use)
• Something to mark with
• Tape
• Markers or paint
• Stickers, sequins, glue, glitter, ribbon, etc. etc.!

Procedure:

1. After finishing the book, ask the kiddo what Elizabeth (the princess) had to wear after her castle was burned down.  Ask if they would like to make their own outfit to wear.
2. Gather materials (get creative with the decorative stuff).
3. Begin by asking where the hole for the head should go.  Adult draws a space for the head and cuts it out.  

   

   I did 2 scoops on each side and connected them with a straight line.

4. Try on the bag to make sure the placement is correct. Then, estimate where the arm holes should go and mark it with a marker.

5.  Cut out the arm holes and get to decorating!  We used markers, ribbon, tape, stickers and an old          shoe clip I wore on my wedding day!

6. Make a crown from the left-over pieces (we secured the crown with 2 bobby pins) or you could           make one that actually fits with construction paper.

7. Model your new fashion statement.  

And with the crown. That lasted all of 2 mins.

This is my daughter's 'cheese' face. I get it in a lot of pictures.

If you have an older kiddo who loves math, another activity you could do is a math equation to go along with the part of the story where the dragon flies around the world in 10 seconds. 

The formula is Speed = Distance/Time.  So, you know Time (10 seconds) and you can look up the circumference of the Earth (24,901 miles {40,075 km}) and figure out how fast the dragon was travelling! 

There are calculators online where your student could plug in the values and get the answer, too (promoting independence and computer literacy).  Here's one of those calculators: Speed Calculator

Have fun! If  you try out this activity, or read the book for the first time, I'd love to know what you thought!

The Snowy Day Activities

Our book for today was The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  If you haven't read this book, you are missing out! The story is over 50 years old, but so relatable for any child who has ever played in the snow. The pictures are beautiful, bright paper cuts and it was revolutionary at the time for having an African American lead character and an urban setting.  It's the story of a little boy, Peter, who wakes up to find lots of perfect snow to play in. That's all I'll say about it because my daughter just kept saying, "I love this story!" 

Don't forget to point out the Caldecott Award!

So, using this book as our inspiration, I came up with 2 activities (one requires it to actually be a snowy day where you are- not a problem for us in the Northeast right now- and one that doesn't). 

Activity #1: Snowy Tracks

What You'll Need:

• A baking tray
• Snow
• Markers (I used Bingo Dabbers and they worked quite well- you can get them at the dollar store)
• Plastic Toys with a variety of "footprints"
• Wipes or paper towels for clean-up

Our toys and markers

Tray full of snow and a helper

Procedure:

1. Re-show the picture from the book where Peter makes different tracks.  Tell kiddo that we are going to make our own tracks with toys.
2. Take your easily-cleanable toys and color the bottom. You'll want pretty complete coverage.
3. Gently "walk" the toys on top of the snow (like you're doing stamps)
4. Try different colors and different toys until your snow is full of "footprints."
5. Sit back, admire your work, or try to guess who's feet go to which prints.
6. Explain how lots of things make tracks in the snow and be on the look out for tracks they next time you are outside exploring.

Coloring on the feet

Walking

Admiring

Activity #2: Ice Excavation

The Ice Excavation Project

*This activity takes a bit more planning (the items will need to spend the night in the freezer or outside, if it's cold enough). I chose this activity to go along with the part of the book that has Peter's snowball melting in his coat pocket when he brings it inside his warm apartment:

Peter discovering his snowball has melted

What You'll Need:

• Tupperware containers (as many as you'd like)
• Water (I used a few drops of food coloring in each, but you don't need to)
• Lots of little trinkets to be excavated (think plastic animals, shells, marbles, Lego's, etc.)
• Baking tray to contain water mess
• Squirt bottle
• Warm Water

Procedure: 

1. Fill tupperware containers with water and place toys inside. Place in freezer overnight.
2. The next day, run the tupperware under warm running water to free from the containers.
3. Place frozen toys on the tray and fill your squirt bottle with warm water (the warmer the water the faster it will go).
4. Remind kiddo of the part where Peter finds the snowball has melted. Ask why they think it melted in the warm apartment.
5. Ask what they think will happen if they squirt warm water on the cold ice.
6. Squirt warm water on ice blocks and attempt to free the toys inside!

Squirting the ice blocks

The toys are free!

My daughter had so much fun with this one and when the activity was over, she asked if we could do it again! She was engaged for a good 45 mins. on this one.  

Have fun!

Color Kittens Activity

Today we read a classic book- The Little Golden Book called Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown. (Find here:Color Kittens on Amazon)

 It's about 2 kittens who mix buckets and buckets of colors and can create all the colors in the world. The obvious activity would be to do some color mixing, but this is kind of a natural thing that kids already do on their own.  I wanted to mix some science into the equation.  This is a quick activity and takes materials that you likely already have on hand.



Extension activity:  Milk Color Mixing

The Last Page of Color Kittens

Our Version of Color Mixing

What You'll Need:

• A container
• Whole milk (yes, it has to be whole because of the fat content. 1/2 + 1/2 or cream would also work)
• Various Food Coloring
• Regular old dish soap (not the foaming kind)

Procedure:  

1. Pour a goodly amount (like my measurements?) of whole milk into your chosen container.  Make sure it covers the bottom and has about 1" to let the colors move.
2. Place drops of food coloring all over the container. (See picture at right)
3. Have child notice that the colors stay in their spot and don't run together.
4. Place a single drop of dish soap in the middle of the container.
5. Watch as the colors mix and dance all around the container! Also, I would think this is obvious, but don't drink the milk after you put soap in it...

What's Going On?

When you drop the soap into the bowl of milk, the surface tension (the force that was keeping the colors in one spot) decreases. Dish soap is a surfactant that starts to break down the fat inside the milk and creates the reaction that you get to witness!