Little Family Fun

Christmas Words Activity

2011-12-12T06:48:00.001-06:00

This activity practices matching upper-case and lower-case letters.

I wrote out a few Christmas words on white cardstock in upper-case.

Then wrote out the same letters on green construction paper in lower-case.

The boys practice matching the letters and then reading the Christmas word.

Merry Christmas!

Santa Hat Craft

2011-12-08T12:47:00.000-06:00

Here is a very easy craft we did the other day.

Just cut out a red triangle

and glue cotton balls on the bottom and 1 on the top

for a cute & simple Santa Hat!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree Shapes

2011-12-05T06:30:00.000-06:00

We made Christmas trees out of different shapes for a craft/learning activity.

First I cut out 3 of each shape in different sizes: Triangles, Circles, Squares, Diamonds, Ovals, Rectangles.
Then I let LM glue them on the paper from biggest to smallest.
We added star stickers on top and a brown tree trunk on the bottom.

Christmas Countdown: Stockings & Books

2011-12-02T13:11:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to figure out how to countdown to Christmas with the boys this year.

Since baby girl is due soon, I wanted to make it really simple on everyone.

Here's what we've got:

First, I taped numbers on candy canes.

Next, I hung up 25 mini stockings on a string using clothespins. Then I put the candy canes in the stockings.

I got the stockings for like $0.10 each after Christmas last year!! (You could also use socks, or make your own stockings from felt or something. OR just use the candy canes without the stockings! So many options.....)

Each day we'll take a candy cane out for us all to share while we read a Christmas book together.

I collected Christmas books from the thrift store throughout the year and wrapped them up. We'll open one each day until Christmas.

And that's it!

If I wasn't about to have a baby, I had some other fun ideas for spicing the countdown up a bit:

Like putting a clue in each stocking sending the boys on a treasure hunt to find that day's Christmas book.

Doing a craft each day that goes along with the Christmas book we read.

But, I guess there's always next year!

Merry Christmas!

Crafty Christmas Countdown

2011-11-29T06:11:00.005-06:00

A couple years ago, we counted down the days to Christmas with a craft-a-day!

It was really fun and LM loved it!

For more information on how I prepared this countdown, click HERE.

For more information on the crafts we made, click HERE.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas ABC's

2011-11-28T14:52:00.000-06:00

Last year we did an ABC Christmas Countdown!

As we counted down the days to Christmas we decorated a letter each day with something Christmas-y (see picture below).

And some days we also did an activity to go along with the letter.

After the countdown, I put all the letters into a photo album that we are going to enjoy looking at THIS year!

For more information on how I prepared this countdown, click HERE.

For information on the activities we did with each letter, click HERE.

Merry Christmas!

Corn Collage

2011-11-22T06:19:00.000-06:00

LM made this at Library Storytime last week.

All you need is a corn shape cut out of cardstock & pieces of any kind of paper you want/have on hand.

Just let the kids glue & stick!

Mayflowers

2011-11-21T06:14:00.002-06:00

We did a very simple craft to talk about how the pilgrims came to America on the Mayflower.

I cut out the shapes of the water, boat, sail, & sun and let the boys glue them on.

The top boat is done by LM(4), and the bottom by LB(2).

Ahoy!

Gratitude Turkey 2011 so far.....

2011-11-19T06:12:00.000-06:00

Our Turkey is getting plump with gratitude!!

Shape Turkeys

2011-11-18T06:39:00.001-06:00

Turkey's come in all shapes and sizes.

For this activity, I drew several different turkeys in different shapes.

Then I had LM (4) draw feathers on to match the shape of the turkey.

The heart was a bit hard for him, so I helped him out with that one.

It was good practice for him to draw shapes and also fun to see the many kinds of turkeys we could create!

Popcorn Pilgrim Hat

2011-11-17T06:26:00.001-06:00

This idea comes from daycareheadquarters.com

The hat pictured above was made by LB (2).

All you need is:

construction paper
glue
popcorn
yellow crayon, or construction paper

We popped some popcorn for a yummy snack. Then we took the leftovers and glued them onto black construction paper in the shape of a pilgrim hat!

Turkey Number Game

2011-11-16T06:32:00.002-06:00

For this game, I drew a big fat turkey with 6 feathers.

Each feather was a graph for numbers 1-6.

The boys took turns rolling a dice and LM (4) would mark on the "graph" which number was rolled.

We played until one of the numbers reached the top of the graph.

LM really liked this game and wanted to play it over and over.

Luckily the turkey-graph is pretty easy to draw.

Instead of marking an X in each box you could place a bean or something small so you can play again and again!

Leaf Collection Book

2011-11-15T06:22:00.000-06:00

Since it's fall, there are leaves all over our backyard. We went out one day, each with a brown paper bag, and collected different kinds of leaves.

When we came back inside, I made simple books for the boys using white printer paper folded in half, with a piece of construction paper fold in half on top as the cover. I stapled them together on the edge and the boys decorated the covers with crayons. Then they glued their favorite leaves inside!

Our Chore Chart

2011-11-14T06:03:00.029-06:00

I have been wanting to find an easy & organized way to have the boys help out with chores.

Here is what I came up with:

Here's how I made it:

I took a black frame and put scrapbook paper inside the glass with each of our names on one of the rows of paper.

I printed clipart from microsoft word so there was a visual image for the boys to see describing the chore.

I laminated the chores and used sticky-tack to stick them to the glass.

Here's how it works:

The DAILY chores are done right after dinner.

It's been really nice and fairly easy to clean up right away instead of letting everything sit overnight. LM has gotten in a pretty good routine now and actually looks forward to his chore each night!

I rotate Mommy/Daddy chores with each other & the boys' chores with each other everyday.

The DAILY chores are:

Mommy/Daddy: wash the dishes & wipe the counters

LM/LB: wipe the table & vacuum the floor

The WEEKLY chores are done Saturdays (mornings, afternoons, whenever it fits our schedule).

Again, I rotate Mommy/Daddy and LM/LB chores each week.

The WEEKLY chores are:

Mommy/Daddy: mop & vacuum upstairs

LM/LB: dust & vacuum downstairs

So far....

...this has worked out very well. As I said before, the boys LOVE doing their chores and it's fun for us to all pitch in at the same time and work together as a family to create a clean and pleasant home.

And since we all clean together each night and each weekend, it lightens MY load during the week!

And that is awesome.

Burlap Growth Chart

2011-11-12T06:52:00.000-06:00

We got this burlap growth chart in a Mommy group that I'm in. It's fun and would be fairly simple to make something like this yourself!

It's a long piece of burlap hung up with a ribbon.
We mark our heights using a large safety pin and a white name tag.

You could spice it up more with fabric or paint too!

Button Corn

2011-11-11T06:45:00.002-06:00

We used some old buttons to create fall indian corn!

First, I drew the corn shapes on a piece of cardstock.

Then, we put glue on the corn part and the boys stuck on yellow, orange, & brown buttons.

Finally, we put glue on the leaves and the boys stuck on green buttons!

Fall Circle Tree

2011-11-10T06:58:00.003-06:00

Remember that post about the wallpaper books?

Well, this is our first craft using the wallpaper!

I saw this polka-dotted paper with fall colors in the book and thought it would be cute to cut out the circles and have the boys glue them on a tree for a fun fall craft.

If you don't have polka-dot paper, you could also just cut out circles using construction paper or scrapbook paper.

FREE Wallpaper Books

2011-11-09T06:22:00.000-06:00

I'm so grateful to Jackie @ Happy Hooligans for sharing this awesome idea with me!

FREE Wallpaper Sample Books!

Jackie said that you can go to your local paint/hardware store and ask if they have any expired wallpaper sample books they don't need.

So, I went to a little paint shop here in town and tried it.

And it worked!!

Out came 2 huge wallpaper books they were about to toss and they gave them to me for FREE!

So instead of buying expensive scrapbook paper for crafts and such, we can use these!
(Here's a cute way Jackie used them: Halloween Match Up)

I love it.

Thank you Jackie!

Craft Stick Scarecrows

2011-11-08T06:42:00.003-06:00

I saw an idea similar to this over on apples4theteacher.com

Ours were made with:

craft sticks
felt
googly eyes
tacky glue
cardstock
marker

Here's how we made them:

Before we began the craft, I had cut out the hat, hair (about 7 small rectangles), and nose from felt using different colors.
We started by cutting out a square from cardstock and gluing the sticks onto it to keep them sturdy & together.
The boys then took turns choosing which color hair and hat they wanted for their scarecrow. We glued the hair on first, then the hat.
Next, we glued on the googly eyes & nose and drew a mouth with a black marker.
Later, I glued a ribbon on the back so we could hang them up! (not pictured).

They're hanging up in our kitchen & the boys love them. Best of all: they were SO easy to make!

Gratitude Turkey - 2011

2011-11-07T06:30:00.002-06:00

We are starting our traditional "Gratitude Turkey" this Thanksgiving season.

(Here is last year's)

This year our Turkey is a bit smaller (about 6" tall).

The turkey body is brown construction paper.

The beak and legs are from an orange paint-chip sample.

The feathers are pieces of scrapbook paper.

The eyes are drawn with a black marker.

We've put the turkey on the wall, and each week during Family Home Evening, and everyday as the boys and I sit down to go through the Learning Binder, we will each choose a feather and write something on it that we are grateful for.

Then we will add it to our Turkey and watch him grow!

ABC Banner

2011-11-05T06:55:00.003-05:00

I found an ABC banner (pictured top of the wall) at the dollar store and thought it might be a good addition to our kitchen/learning area. Especially to accompany the Learning Binder.

When I bought it, it had pictures along the top of it to go with each letter. I didn't like the pictures, so I just cut them off. Easy as pie.

Indian Feather Head-band

2011-11-04T06:45:00.000-05:00

We actually got this craft on clearance last year, but it wouldn't be too hard to make one on your own! Everything is felt. Just cut out a few felt feathers and glue them onto a headband.

We also used some glitter paint to decorate it up a bit.

A fun and easy Thanksgiving craft!

Leaf Toss & Pick-up

2011-11-03T06:35:00.000-05:00

I got several packages of these colorful silk leaves at Target last year. We pulled them out and the boys would throw them all up in the air and watch them come down. Then they picked them up and put them in a little bucket. Sometimes I'd say a color and they'd pick up just that color of leaves. But mostly they just played. :)

Now if I could only make picking up toys so much fun.......

Flower Cards

2011-11-02T06:26:00.002-05:00

The boys and I made some homemade cards together. I cut the flowers out of a large sheet of scrapbook paper (pictured in the back) and had the boys scrunch up the flowers to give them some dimension and texture. We used double stick tape to put them all together.

The boys loved scrunching the flowers for me, and in the end we created some pretty easy and cute cards!

I'm going to send one to my mother and one to my mother-in-law this Thanksgiving Season to let them know how grateful I am to have them in my life. :)

Learning Binder

2011-11-01T06:15:00.010-05:00

I've been wanting to create a Learning Board to learn and review basic things with the boys, but realized that in our small and humble home, I didn't have a good place to put it! So, I came up with a more sleek but similar idea:

A Learning Binder!

It is a simple 1/2 inch binder with sheet protectors to hold all of the things I want to review with the boys for that week. After looking on the internet at different board ideas, I made a list of the things I thought were most important and fun for my boys right now. And here they are (also refer to the pictures below):

1. Gospel Learning -- I took pages out of The Friend magazines we have accumulated. (a magazine for children published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) You can also print things from the magazines. Click here. Each week we have a story or 2 that we will read and talk about each day. Teaching my children to have faith in Jesus Christ and His Restored Gospel is important to me, and this is a simple and fun way to do it each day!

2. Letter of the Week -- LM has been very interested in writing letters lately, so with the letter of the week he gets to practice writing that letter in upper and lower case. LB has some Leap Frog fridge magnets of the alphabet that sing and say what letters they are. So he gets to play with that while we review the week's letter!

3. Shape of the Week -- We have a shape that I put in a sheet protector and then the boys look at the page of shapes I made (by cutting up flashcards) to find that shape!

4. Color of the Week -- Similar to the shape, I put a piece of construction paper of the color of the week in a sheet protector and the boys look at the page of colors (made from construction paper) to find that color.

5. Animal of the Week -- This is a fun way to help LB learn to copy sounds. We pretend to be the animal by acting it out and making the sound it makes.

6. Sight Words -- This is a fun way to get LM started with reading. I choose 5 sight words for the week and each day LM learns a new one. He then uses the word page I created to find the word of the day. At the end of the week, I made word searches for him to search for the 5 words he learned that week.

7. Worksheets -- I have several preschool workbooks that I bought at the dollar store that cover different concepts. So each week, I tear out a few pages and put them in sheet protectors. We review the worksheets together using a dry-erase marker.

8. Weather -- I made a chart for the week (Mon-Fri) for us to post what the weather is like for the week. The weather pictures I found in the Microsoft Word clip-art folder. I printed them off, laminated them, and put them in a pencil pouch.

9. Calendar -- LM is very interested in knowing what day it is and how many days until something, so I put a calendar in the binder to review with him each day. It was just a calendar I got free somewhere. :)

Here are the pictures of all the things I described above:

Not pictured:

We start our Learning Time by singing a song from the Primary Children's Songbook.
We end our Learning Time with a special activity -- a craft, learning activity, etc. (which I post on the blog)

And that is all there is!

Here are a few reasons I've loved it so far:

It's easy to create. Like I described above, I mostly used things I already had -- Church magazines, flashcards, construction paper, workbooks. The binder is simply a place to put all these things together.

It's quick to change things out. On Monday mornings, I take the old stuff out of the binder and put in the new week's stuff. This only takes about 5 minutes.

I'm trying to do it in the morning before the day gets to hectic and I get too tired. It usually takes about 30 minutes or less for us to sit down and go through the binder.

And best of all, the boys LOVE it!! LM starts kindergarten next year, and has several friends that are in school. He calls this his school and gets so excited when I say it's time for school! (I love that enthusiasm!)

Halloween 2011 Re-cap

2011-10-31T06:40:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween to one and all! Here is a quick look at some of the fun activities we did this Halloween season. If you want a closer look at any of these, click here.

Halloween 2011

Last year's Halloween stuff:

2011-10-29T06:58:00.003-05:00

Here are a few crafts & activities we did last year in case you missed them:

Halloween 2010:

If you want to see details on any of these, click here to scroll through them all.

Happy Halloween everyone!!

Tin Foil Monsters

2011-10-27T06:14:00.000-05:00

We made some shiny monsters for Halloween. Which, also, kind of look like robots!

So I guess this is a fun way to make either kind of creature!

Here's how we did it:

Cut out card board squares.
Wrap tin foil around the cardboard.
Draw a face on (permanent markers work best since they don't rub off).
Cut pipe cleaners (chenille sticks) for arms and legs.
Push the arms and legs into the tin foil / cardboard.
You could also add some hair using yarn, pom poms, or anything. My boys didn't want to.

Happy Halloween!

Spider Lantern

2011-10-26T06:48:00.001-05:00

After we made the Monster Lantern, we used the 2nd green lantern to make a Spider.

Again, construction paper & double stick tape.

LM decided she is a girl and named her Tanny.

Monster Lantern

2011-10-25T06:43:00.001-05:00

Last year I got 2 green, round lanterns on clearance. We made a Witch with one of them (last Halloween--this post). And this year we used one to make a silly monster!

We used construction paper, double stick tape, a ribbon to hang him in up, and we named him Henry.

Spider Game - Counting Legs

2011-10-24T06:45:00.001-05:00

We played a game with spider legs to practice counting and also to do some simple addition. The Spiders are cut out of construction paper, with googly eyes glued on and a happy smile. The legs are pipe-cleaners (chenille sticks) cut and slightly bent. (We made 2 different spiders so the boys could each have their own.)

Here's how we played:

Roll the dice and write the number on the board. Place that many legs on your spider.
Roll the dice again and write the 2nd number on the board. Place that many legs on your spider.
Count up all the legs and write the answer on the board.

Or you could just roll the dice and put on that many legs without the addition aspect.

Or you could just glue the legs on for a fun craft!

So many possibilities.......

Pop-out Ghost Halloween Card

2011-10-22T21:37:00.001-05:00

I wanted to make some cards to send to Grandmas & Grandpas and came up with a fun idea to do an accordion-folded-pop-out-ghost-card. (Say THAT 10 times fast. haha)

Here's how we did it (as shown above):

Cut out a wide ghost shape. Draw on eyes and smile.
Fold it accordion style. Then glue one side down on the inside of the card. Put glue on the other end of the ghost and fold the card. Wait for glue to dry.
Open card.....Boo!
Add words/message.

The one in the picture is one that I made to test out the idea. I had the boys make their own accordion-ghosts and they turned out really cute. A fun craft for old and young alike. :)

Pin the Face on the Pumpkin

2011-10-21T06:16:00.000-05:00

For a festive Family activity, we played Pin the Face on the Pumpkin!

I had a big piece of poster board that was orange on one side and black on the other. I drew a pumpkin shape on the poster and cut it out. Then I cut out the eyes, nose and mouth from the black side.

We used sticky tack to put it on the wall, and to pin the face pieces on.

One at a time we would be blind-folded and try to make the best pumpkin face we could!

The boys loved it!

Rice Krispie Pumpkins

2011-10-20T06:06:00.000-05:00

I got this idea from the blog: Home Stories A to Z

When I saw it, I couldn't wait to try it out!

All you do is:

Make Rice Krispie Treats (Recipe here)
Before you add the Rice Krispies, add some yellow and red food coloring to make the marshmallow mixture orange.
Mix in the cereal.
Form into balls.
Place half a Tootsie Roll on top for the stem.
Pipe green frosting on for the leaves.

(While I was on the Rice Krispies website, they showed these same pumpkins with a surprise treat in the middle, like a small peanut butter cup or small candy bar. Yummy!!!)

Dry-Erase Pumpkin Face

2011-10-19T06:57:00.000-05:00

I got this idea from No Time for Flash Cards

All you do is:

Cut out a pumpkin or 2 with orange paper.
Add a stem.
Laminate it, or put it in a sheet protector.
And draw different pumpkin faces on it with a dry-erase marker!

So easy and a lot of fun. It's also a good way to practice drawing shapes. You could even make a game of it where you roll a dice and draw that shape for the eyes, another for the nose, etc.

Halloween Cupcakes

2011-10-18T06:24:00.000-05:00

For an easy and fun treat, we made some Halloween Cupcakes for some friends.

All you need to turn any cupcake into a Halloweeny cupcake is some of those candy punpkins (or candy corn), and some sprinkles. The cupcake liners were also kind of festive since they were black and white.

Easy & delicious.

Pumpkin Treasure Hunt

2011-10-17T06:52:00.000-05:00

I made these pumpkins to use for a Treasure Hunt for the boys.

The pumpkins are made from construction paper. I used a green marker to color the stems, black marker for the faces, and blue marker for the numbers.

I used contact paper to "laminate" them and sticky-tack to place them on the walls throughout the house.

The boys started with #1 and searched for each pumpkin going all they way up to 8.

When they got to 8, I had a special surprise hidden for them! :)

The boys LOVED this activity. So we did it over and over--each taking turns to create the hunt and a place prize at the end (a book to read).

Copy-cat Pumpkin Faces

2011-10-15T06:29:00.002-05:00

I used the foam pumpkin faces we made last week (this post) to let LM practice drawing shapes and copying something that he sees.

I cut out pumpkins with card stock and gave LM some markers. One by one, he looked at a foam pumpkin and copied it onto a white paper pumpkin---using the shapes he had put on for the eyes, nose, & mouth with the matching colors.

Candy Corn Man

2011-10-14T06:36:00.001-05:00

I found this idea on this blog: Mrs.Schmelzer's First Grade

I thought it was so cute. We just had to give it a try!

We ripped up black, orange, & white construction paper and glued them on the paper candy corn.

Then we took strips of black paper and folded them accordion-style.

We glued them on, and glued on hands and feet.

Then we added some googly eyes and a nose & mouth!

Dot Monsters

2011-10-13T13:19:00.002-05:00

LM loves doing dot-to-dots. So for one of our Halloween activities, I drew a bunch of dots on a piece of paper and had him connect them however he chose. Then we colored them, drew on arms and legs, and glued on googly eyes to create some fun and spooky monsters!

This was a huge hit, which is why LM made multiple monsters for your viewing pleasure. :)

Foam Pumpkin Faces

2011-10-12T06:24:00.001-05:00

LM made an assortment of Jack-o-Lantern faces by putting sticky foam shapes (from the craft store) onto big foam pumpkins (we found a package of these at the craft store. Or you could just buy orange foam and cut out your own).

Halloween Rice Crispies!

2011-10-11T06:21:00.000-05:00

For a festive treat, we made Rice Crispies and spiced them up with Halloween sprinkles!

Easy and delicious.

Painted Jack-o-Lantern

2011-10-10T06:16:00.001-05:00

Whenever we paint, LM simply LOVES to paint an entire piece of paper in one color, edge to edge, corner to corner. So one time he painted a paper completely orange.

When it was dry, I drew a pumpkin shape on it and had him cut it out.

Then I drew eyes, nose and a mouth on black construction paper and had him cut those out too.

He glued them on, added a stem, and here is his Jack-o-Lantern!

Handprint Autumn Tree

2011-10-08T06:12:00.000-05:00

LM made this beautiful autumn tree.

First we traced his hand and arm to be the "trunk" of the tree (his hand is covered with the leaves so you can't really see it....)

Then he ripped up small pieces of autumn-colored paper and glued them on his tree.

Banana Ghosts

2011-10-07T06:02:00.000-05:00

I saw this cute idea over on No Time for Flash Cards.

Basically, you

cut bananas in half,
put in a popsicle stick,
dip in melted white chocolate,
place on wax paper,
add eyes using jelly beans, m&ms, or chocolate chips!

You can freeze them, or eat them as soon as the chocolate sets.

The boys thought it was so fun to make these, and they were quite yummy too!

Halloween Paintings

2011-10-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

Using orange & black paint we created some fun Halloween paintings.

We used Halloween cookie cutters (the thick side), dipped in paint to create spooky shapes.

And we also painted with paint brushes.

Colored Animal Tracks

2011-10-04T06:59:00.001-05:00

For this activity, we gathered up all our little plastic animals, dipped their feet in paint, and put them on paper to make animal tracks. It was super easy, and the boys had fun seeing the different sizes and colors the animal tracks were. It also turned out to be a pretty cool piece of art. :)

Lego Towers by Color

2011-09-30T06:49:00.003-05:00

We have a bunch of the large lego blocks in all different colors. So I cut out pieces of paper for each of the colors and would have the boys pick a color and build a tower using only that color of blocks. It was a hit!

It would also be fun to have them pick 2 colors and do the same thing to get some bigger colored towers!

General Conference Train & Activity Bags

2011-09-29T09:16:00.001-05:00

This weekend is an exciting time. We get to listen to our Prophet and Apostles speak to us as we watch General Conference!

What is General Conference? Click HERE.

Want to watch General Conference? It will be broadcast live HERE.

Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 1st & 2nd,

11:00am-1:00pm, and 3:00pm-5:00pm (Central Time).

I've prepared a few things to help the boys be reverent and attentive while we watch.

This first idea is called the

General Conference Train!

I printed several pictures of each of 9 topics often discussed in General Conference. When they hear one mentioned, they can get a train car that has that picture on it and add it to our Conference Train! My boys LOVE trains so I'm hoping this is an exciting way to listen. You could also do leaves on a tree, fish in the sea, stars in the sky, petals on a flower, or whatever your children are interested in. :)

The 9 topics are:

1. Jesus Christ

2. Joseph Smith

3. Temples

4. Baptism

5. Prayer

6. Prophets - Thomas S. Monson

7. Family

8. Scriptures - Bible, Book of Mormon

9. Missionary Work

I've also created several blank trains for if LM hears another topic he recognizes and wants to add to the train.

If you'd like a copy of these pictures, I'm happy to forward them at no cost. Just email me:

littlefamilyfun@gmail.com

I have them both in black & white and in color. Just email me and let me know which you'd prefer, or if you'd like both. :) Included would be 5-6 copies of the 8 topic pictures (note: for the topic: Family, I just used a picture of our family. I'll take that one out so you can add a picture of your own family.) AND all 15 pictures of the Prophet & Apostles, (for the activity bags described below.....)

This next idea is based on one I found on Sugar Doodle:

General Conference Activity Bags!

The Prophet, his 2 Counselors, and the 12 Apostles will all speak to us this weekend. So, I printed their pictures and put each with one of 15 different activity bags (I used Pencil Pouches). When that Apostle speaks, the boys can look to see which one it is and then do the quiet activity in that bag while they listen.

Here are the activities I've put in the bags:

1. Lacing Beads

2. Doodle Pros

3. File Folder Games

4. Crayons

5. Stickers

6. Plastic Shapes (to use like this)

7. Shape Fish (from this)

8. Valentines - to put into shoe boxes with slots

9. Magic Paper & Markers

10. Card Game & Flash Cards

11. Self Picture Memory (from this)

12. Foam Shape Stickers

13. Water Color Paints

14. Felt Numbers - to match with flashcard numbers

15. Felt Pictures - to match with felt words

And again, if you'd like a copy of the pictures, I'm happy to pass them along!

littlefamilyfun@gmail.com

Enjoy conference!

Color Mixing

2011-09-29T06:42:00.001-05:00

I saw this idea on No Time for Flash Cards.

We wrote on a piece of paper the primary colors added to each other, and our experiment was to discover what colors they made. We have paint in the primary colors. So I squirted some paint onto 3 paper plates and had the boys both mix the paints with paint brushes. Then I had them paint with the new colors on a piece of paper.

One by one, we filled in the answer on the paper for what the new colors were.

LM especially loved this and wanted to do it again and again. :)

Color Sticker Matching

2011-09-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

I saw this idea on The Activity Mom,

I drew 6 boxes on the paper and wrote the words of each color. We got out a bunch of stickers and I handed them one at a time to LM, who then placed them in the corresponding colored box.

Colored Letter Practice

2011-09-27T06:34:00.000-05:00

I wanted LM to practice writing his letters, so I got out a bunch of colored pencils. I would write a word on the chalkboard and we would sound it out. Then I'd have him choose a colored paper from a bag and he got to practice writing that word with that color of pencil. He really had fun with this. :)

Car Color Matching

2011-09-26T13:05:00.001-05:00

The Theme for this week is

COLORS!

Our first activity was getting a few of the hundreds of toy cars we have all over the house and parking them on the matching colored paper.

LM(4) did this easily and thought it was a lot of fun.
And for LB(1), it was a fun way to talk about colors and help him begin to recognize them.

Easy. Fun. The end.

Watermelon Stars

2011-09-23T06:46:00.000-05:00

I found this idea on oh! Desserts.

We used our star cookie cutters, once again, to cut stars out of watermelon. It was a fun addition to our lunch and the boys keep asking for more!

Cookie-cutter Painting

2011-09-22T06:42:00.000-05:00

For this painting craft we used 3 star cookie cutters of different sizes. We dipped them in paint and stamped them on the paper. The picture above is done by LM(4).

The boys really had fun with this. Cookies cutters are a great tool to use for creating simple and great artwork!

Constellations

2011-09-21T06:38:00.001-05:00

I found this idea on No Time For Flash Cards.
We talked for a bit about how sometimes stars in the sky make pictures called constellations. Then I drew pictures for each of the boys and had them place star stickers on them to make a constellation. LB(1) did the car. LM(4) did the house.

Star Trail

2011-09-20T06:34:00.000-05:00

Our theme last week was:

STARS!

I found these cutout stars at the dollar store. You could also cut out your own stars, but I figured it was worth a buck not to. :)

We took turns making trails with the stars throughout our house. And at the end of the trail, we would put a book that we'd read. A couple of the books even had stars in them: an added bonus.

Y cookies

2011-09-19T06:26:00.004-05:00

Our favorite football team had their big rivalry game this weekend. To help cheer them on, we made some Y cookies:

Unfortunately, the cookies weren't enough to send our team to victory. They lost BIG time. So we wallowed in sugar and pity.

Dishing Ice Cream

2011-09-16T07:14:00.000-05:00

For this activity, I had some cotton balls, a few pom-poms, tongs, and a bowl. The boys would pick up a "scoop of ice cream" and place it in the bowl.

This was a good fine motor skill activity, especially for LB (1) who loved doing it over and over. Sometimes he used the tongs, and other times just his fingers. LM (4) had fun with it too, but was bored with it after a few times of filling up his bowl.

Ice Cream Cones!

2011-09-15T07:08:00.002-05:00

We couldn't have an Ice Cream theme without actually eating this delectable dessert ourselves! So, one night after dinner, we treated ourselves to ice cream cones! Yum.

Ice Cream Letter Activity

2011-09-13T07:03:00.001-05:00

For this activity, I cut out a bunch of circles using construction paper and wrote different words on each.

The activity was that I drew cones on the chalkboard with upper-case letters in each one (you could also cut out cones with paper). When LM chose a circle I asked him to identity what letter the word starts with and we put it on the corresponding cone. It was good practice with lower-case letters, and also looking at what letter words start with.

Ice Cream Cone Craft

2011-09-12T06:57:00.002-05:00

The theme for this week is:

ICE CREAM!

For this delicious craft you'll need:

white paper, brown paper (or cardboard)
scissors
glue
ice cream sprinkles

I cut out the cone shape, and the ice cream shape and we glued them together. Then I had the boys put glue all over the ice cream shape and sprinkle the sprinkles all over the glue. Yummy!

Fish-Toss

2011-09-09T06:29:00.001-05:00

Our last FISH activity was a Fish-Toss.

Using about 15 or so little fish toys, I had the boys take turns tossing the fish into the big bowl of water. It was a hit!

If you don't have little fish toys, you could get some small rocks and paint them like fish to toss.

Fish Collage

2011-09-08T06:23:00.001-05:00

For this craft all you need is:

scissors
card stock
scrapbook paper, or construction paper
glue
googly eye (optional) or you could just draw an eye
black marker

I just ripped up some scraps of old scrapbook paper and put them all in a pile on the table.

I cut out the shape of a fish using card stock.

Then we covered the fish with glue and the boys placed the paper scraps on their fish.

We then glued on the eye and drew a little mouth.

Fish Race

2011-09-07T06:19:00.001-05:00

We used the chalkboard to have a Fish Race!

I cut out 4 fish with construction paper and put them on the board with sticky-tack.

Then I drew12 circles alongside each fish.

We placed number tiles in a bag from 1-3 and each took turns picking a tile from the bag.

Whoever's fish got to the finish line first won!

We played this many times and it was a blast. Even if you don't have a chalkboard, you could do the same thing easily on paper.

FISH for numbers!

2011-09-06T06:15:00.001-05:00

Since I cut out so many fish, I put dots on the rest to practice counting.

I even thought it would be good to have LM catch 2 fish, then add the numbers together for some simple math practice. :)

Link Party: http://www.abcand123learning.com/

FISH for shapes!

2011-09-05T06:05:00.002-05:00

As a way of organizing a bit of preschool learning into our days, I'm going to try to have a theme for each week with 3-5 activities planned for me to do with the boys throughout the week.

So week one's theme was: FISH!

I cut out a bunch of fish from construction paper and drew shapes on them.
Then I "laminated" them with contact paper.
I placed paper clips on each of them, and the boys fished with a stick with a magnet attached to a string.

When they got a fish, we would say the shape.

Link Party: http://www.abcand123learning.com/

Fabric in Frames

2011-09-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

There's a small piece of wall above our entertainment center that needed something on it. I wasn't sure what, but when I was at the fabric store one day, I saw this red and black flower fabric that instantly drew me in. I got a yard and didn't even realize until I got home that the flowers increase in size down the fabric.

I bought some cheap-o frames from the thrift store that were all 8x10 and painted them black.

I wrapped a piece of the fabric around the glass from the frame and taped it in place, put them in the frame and hung them up!

Homemade HOME decor

2011-09-02T04:00:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I find things on clearance that are such a good deal I'd be a fool to pass up! The challenge then comes in figuring out how in the world I'm going to use it.

Such is the case with these wooden letters, and wooden slabs.

I decided to paint the slabs red and black and then go over them with sandpaper.
I painted the letters white and glued them onto the slabs.
I used scrapbook paper on the top half of the slabs.
Then I attached twine to the backs to hang them up.

And that's it!

Happy Family

2011-09-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

The next few days I'm going to post a few small and easy things I've done to "decorate" the house a little bit. They are all simple and inexpensive....which is just how I roll.

The first is this FAMILY frame. I bought this at Walmart many moons ago, and originally had a small picture of our family in it. One time when LM was doodling on paper, he drew our family: LM (the biggest one of course), LB (the smallest one of course), Mommy and Daddy.

I thought it was so cute, so I took out the photo and replaced it with his work of art! I smile every time I see it.

HOWEVER, I'm going to have to take it out soon and let him add one more small little face......because we're having another baby!!! I'm due in a few months and it is a girl. :)

Party Hat Craft

2011-07-21T13:10:00.000-05:00

Many moons ago, it was Daddy's Birthday. To go along with the Spaghetti Cupcakes we made for him, I had the boys decorate these party hats to give him.

I simply cut out 2 triangles and let the boys go to town coloring on and putting stickers on them.

And of course a pom-pom on top.

Re-usable Book-o-Fun!

2011-07-18T13:03:00.001-05:00

A while ago, I bought a big book of activities that LM could do. Included were Dot-to-Dots, Mazes, Word Finds, etc.

I ripped some out the book and put them in sheet protectors and then placed them all in a folder.

With a Dry-Erase marker, LM can do these puzzles over and over.

It's one of his favorite quiet time activities lately.

And the best thing is that I can switch out the pages as often as we want!

Paper Plate Puzzle

2011-07-13T13:03:00.000-05:00

One day, LM was coloring on a paper plate with markers, and then decided to cut it up with scissors. When I asked what he was doing, he said he was making a puzzle! He loves puzzles and this one is his pride and joy.

I thought it was very creative and ingenious and wish I could claim the credit for this super fun and easy idea.

Chalkboard

2011-07-07T13:27:00.000-05:00

I found this chalkboard for $1 at a thrift store almost 2 years ago. I originally was going to put it in the boys' room, but kept rearranging things in there to where I just ended up putting it the back of the closet and forgot about it.

I recently remembered that I had it, and thought it would be fun to put up in our kitchen.
It will be fun to write notes on it, draw pictures, teach the boys the ABC's etc.

If you want a chalkboard and can't find any at your local thrift store, you could always make your own with chalkboard paint. I've never used it, but I've seen other people's projects who have & I think it is awesome!

Stick Flags

2011-07-02T12:07:00.000-05:00

To celebrate America's Birthday, we made stick flags.

We simply used craft/popsicle sticks and colored every other one red with a crayon.
Then we glued them on paper
Then glued a piece of blue construction paper on and put silver star stickers on top.

Happy 4th of July!!

Clothespin Airplane

2011-04-26T06:33:00.001-05:00

We made airplanes with clothespins and popsicle sticks. Our sticks were colored sticks, but you could use plain ones and then paint them, or put stickers on them, or color them with markers......endless possibilities.

Just glue the sticks to the clothespins, allow them to dry, then play!

We were going to just make them with 2 wings on top and bottom, but we saw an airplane in a book we just read called a tri-plane that had 3 wings! So, we simply placed a 3rd wing inside the clothespin.

He Lives!

2011-04-23T12:55:00.001-05:00

I cut these pictures of the Savior's last week and resurrection out an old issue of the Church's children's magazine, The Friend. I glued them onto card-stock and cut a little extra on the bottom to help the pictures stand up.

For Easter, we are going to have our Family Home Evening be about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and use these pictures to teach.

I love teaching my children about Jesus Christ. I have a strong testimony of the life, atonement, and resurrection of my Savior. It has brought me so much hope and a clearer perspective of my life here on earth. I know that because Christ rose from the dead, we will all live again. And we can be with our families forever. As a wife and mother, future grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt......I consider this the greatest knowledge that I possess.

Video: He lives!

Easter Egg Counting

2011-04-22T06:39:00.001-05:00

To have fun with counting, I put dry beans into plastic easter eggs. One by one, LM opened the eggs and counted the beans. Then he put the beans on the plate to match the number.

Using these sports-themed easter eggs made it especially fun!

Spaghetti & Meatball CUPCAKES

2011-04-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

Daddy had a Bday recently! We made these spaghetti and meatball cupcakes and took them to him for his "lunch." haha. The idea is from this awesome book: Hello Cupcake! They are SUPER easy to make: Just pipe frosting to look like spaghetti noodles, place a round chocolate candy on top and then plop some strawberry jam over it. Yummy.

Circles

2011-04-13T21:24:00.000-05:00

Using old lids that I washed out, we drew circles onto paper using crayons. The circles don't show up very well in this photo, but it turned out to be a pretty cool work of art!

Cotton Ball Bunny

2011-04-12T06:25:00.000-05:00

I saw this idea on allkidsnetwork.com. I loved it because it was cute and easy. Even LB (18mo) had fun with this.

Here's what you need:

Cotton balls
White card stock
pink construction paper
Googly eyes
glue
marker

Here's what you do:

With the card stock, cut out a circle and 2 bunny ears
Cut out smaller versions of the ears with the pink construction paper.
Put glue all over the white circle
Place cotton balls on the glue
Glue on the ears, nose, and eyes
Draw the mouth with marker

Upside Down Bunny Ears

2011-04-11T06:12:00.001-05:00

For Book & Craft, we read Bunny's Lessons by Harriet Ziefert.

We made Bunny Ears out of white card stock and pink construction paper. When I cut out the ears, I intended to have them pointing up, but in the book we read, the bunny's ears were square on top and i thought it looked really cute. So, we simply turned them upside down!

We made a pair for each of us and hopped around like bunnies and danced. We even have worn them as we've played with the Physical Activity Cube.

"Go up to the Mountain"

2011-04-10T06:49:00.007-05:00

I recently read something amazing and want to share it with you.

In the Bible, the book of Haggai chapter 1 verse 6, the Lord is pointing out how the children of Israel were not prospering. I don't know if you ever feel like this as a Mother, but sometimes I do:

Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink . . .

(I love this next one:) and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put into a bag with holes.

But the Lord had an answer for the children of Israel, and He has an answer for us too. His answer is in Haggai 1:8, and 2:18-19

Go up to the mountain . . . even from the day that the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid . . . from this day will I bless you.

As I read this, I understood profoundly how essential it is that we receive the blessings of the Temple.

But, are there Temples on the earth today? Actually, yes! Over 160 all over the world.
Look here.

Life is not always easy. Sometimes it seems we give all we can and it's still not enough. Our loving Heavenly Father has provided a place where we can go to be reminded of the things of eternity—the things that really matter. In the Temple we understand who we really are and that we have great worth. We understand why we are here on earth and gain strength to face the challenges of life. The Lord shows us that He can make so much more of our lives than we can.

We understand our Heavenly Father's plan for us as individuals and especially as families. .

It is in the Temple that families can be sealed together for eternity. We can be with our families forever. Our Heavenly Father has given us Temples because He wants us to receive all these blessings and so much more. So, "Go up to the mountain."

(Temple in Guayaquil, Ecuador)

Check These Out! - Creature Crafts

2011-04-09T06:04:00.001-05:00

I get really inspired when i find amazing ideas from other people. And the reality is that there are far too many amazing ideas out there than is humanly possible to replicate.
So, each week I'm going to post a few of the great ideas I find, in hopes that they may inspire you too!
This week's theme is Creature Crafts!

These are CUTE, FUN, and really SIMPLE. Check these out!

Borris the Bull @ ziggityzoom.com

Sandwich box Monster @ craft-project.com

Felt Owl @ dawnypoo.blogspot.com

Lady Bug Rocks @ marthastewart.com

Bead Babies @ familyfun.go.com

Baa Baa Black Sheep

2011-04-08T06:43:00.000-05:00

We did this craft at the Library a couple weeks ago. They recited the Nursery Rhyme, "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and the kids made their own black (and other colors) sheep.

The sheep outline was printed on paper, or you could draw your own. then the kids curled little strips of black construction paper around the crayons and glued them on.

Physical Activity Cube

2011-04-07T06:47:00.001-05:00

To get a little more physical activity into our days, I made this exercise cube! Here's how I made it:

Using white card stock, cut out 6 squares. (Mine are about 6"x6" squares.)
Write the activities on each square.
Tape the squares together using clear packing tape.
Before you tape the last square on, stuff in a few pieces of crumpled newspaper to give it more stability.

Here's what's on it:

Spin in a circle.
Jump 5 times.
Flap your arms like a bird.
Hop on one foot.
Dance!
Run from the front door to the back door.

The boys love it!

Get Enough Sleep

2011-04-06T06:40:00.057-05:00

I've recently discovered something remarkable:

I need sleep.

And far too often, I don't get enough.

Are you like me?

I stay up late doing things that I want to do and can't do with the kids awake (crafting, reading, tv, movies, blogs, internet, hobbies, etc.) I want to squeeze in all the "free" time I can, which inevitably leads to me staying up extremely late.

I've noticed that when I don't get enough sleep, I am sluggish and moody. I am less patient and easily frustrated. I am less nurturing toward my children because I failed to nurture myself and my need for rest.

So, I decided that I needed to make a sacrifice for the sake of my and my family's health & happiness.
Since my boys never (unfortunately ever) wake up later than 6:00-7:00am, I am trying to go to bed no later than 10:30pm.

I've actually been trying to do this for a few months now. So far I've found that when I do get enough sleep, I have more energy to meet the demands of motherhood & homemaking with happiness rather than resentment. I am more productive. I am more patient and loving to my children. I also feel closer to my Heavenly Father as I seek His guidance in my life. Basically, I've discovered that it's worth it.

It is really hard sometimes to stop what I'm doing around 10:00 and get ready for bed. But a good solid 8 hours later when LM comes in the room and awakens me from my deep slumber, I'm grateful that I did. The day is so much better for everyone when Mommy wakes up on the right side of the bed.

Easter Egg Memory

2011-04-05T06:35:00.000-05:00

For this game, I put matching Easter erasers into plastic easter eggs. We took turns choosing an egg, opening it, then choosing another to try to find the matching eraser. (Sometimes we each had 2-3 turns to try to find the match)

You can usually find Easter erasers in the dollar store. But you could do something similar, even if you don't have them. You could use matching papers, coins, buttons, stickers.....anything!

Pom-Pom Owls

2011-04-04T06:24:00.006-05:00

We read Wow! Said the Owl, by Tim Hopgood and made our own little owls.

I happened to have found a package of black pom-poms in a clearance bin at my local craft store several months ago. I really didn't know what I'd use them for. Hoo'd a thought they'd turn out like this? ha!
I know. I know. You think I'm a hoot.
hoo hoo!

Anyways, if you want to make some, you can find pom poms in any craft store. (These are about 2" or so.)
I cut out the yellow eye circles, beak and feet using felt and we glued them on.
Then we glued the googly eyes on.
And I tried to give them owl ears by pinching the pom poms a bit.

Proclamation on the Family

2011-04-02T13:30:00.000-05:00

The Lord called prophets in ancient times to speak His words. One of the greatest things that I know is that God calls and speaks through prophets again in our day. God wants us to understand that The Family is divine and an essential part of His plan for us. The Prophet spoke of this in this official Proclamation on the Family. Here are a few statements from that Proclamation:

The family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children

The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave.

Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

Husband and Wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.

Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live.

Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.

I believe in these words. I believe in the sanctity of the family. I believe that families can be together forever.

This weekend is General Conference, where the Prophet and Apostles speak to the world the things that our Heavenly Father wants us to hear. I am so grateful for the opportunity to listen to their words. You can watch HERE.

This week's FHE lesson: Lesson 16: I Will Say “I’m Sorry”

Apple Buddies

2011-04-01T06:55:00.001-05:00

If you are what you eat, then these little fellas must have wanted to keep the Doctor a million miles away! haha.

Anyways,

If you want some apple friends, here's what can bring them to life:

apples
googly eyes
craft foam
easter grass
push pins
glue

Now create!

Colorful Dinosaur

2011-03-31T08:47:00.001-05:00

Storytime at the Library was all about dinosaurs last week. They had this craft that was really fun and simple.

All you need is:

printout (or drawing) of a dinosaur
glue
paper scraps

They boys glued on the paper scraps to make a colorful and stylish stegosaurus!

Simple Thoughts on Motherhood

2011-03-30T08:08:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about Motherhood lately.

I recently learned of this mother's life and have been inspired and uplifted by her perspective. I believe Motherhood is a beautiful gift. I believe Motherhood is divine.

Shark Cupcakes

2011-03-29T08:12:00.001-05:00

My Mother-in-law gave us an amazing book titled Hello Cupcake! a while back. It has so many fun and creative cupcakes designs and it has actually become one of the boys favorite books to read! LM had his 4th Birthday a little while ago and so I let him look through the book and decide which cupcakes he wanted for his big day. He chose these fiercely delicious SHARKS!

Mine didn't turn out nearly as immaculate as the book's picture, but they were a lot of fun to make, and even more fun to chomp!!

Hat!

2011-03-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

We read HAT, by Paul Hoppe this week. For our craft, we made our own hats!

What you need is:

Paper plate
Paper bowl
tape
stickers

First, I cut a whole in the plate big enough for the bottom of the bowl to fit through.

Then, I taped the bowl into place underneath with masking tape.

Next, the boys put stickers on.

My boys love putting on hats, so making their own big hats was a big hit!

Family Home Evenings

2011-03-27T11:30:00.001-05:00

Last year I decided to come up with a Family Home Evening (FHE) idea each week and post them on this blog. (You can see our past ones here.)

It was fun to come up with a new idea each week....but sometimes we didn't have FHE simply because I didn't have time to come up with an idea! I knew that I wanted to make our FHE's more regular, and so I decided to not come up with my own ideas, but to simply use the lessons in the Church's Nursery Manual.

We bought one a while ago and so each Monday evening, after dinner, we sit together and have our FHE lesson, and of course, a treat. The lessons are short, simple, and preparation is minimal. You can do as little or as much as your children's attention span will allow. They have suggested activities you can try if you want and even pages you can copy or print for the kids to color and craft.

We've been doing these lessons for a while, and I have to say, that Nursery Manual is the best thing since take n' bake pizza! FHE has been successful. Often short, but always sweet. :)

I'm going to post a link to the lesson we are on each week for anyone that wants to join in. This week we are on Lesson 15: I am Thankful

Wiggle Worms

2011-03-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

My sis-in-law gave me this awesome book for my Birthday called, Making Toys for Preschool Children. It has so many fun ideas and I'll be sharing them on here as we try them.

This activity is called Wiggle Worms. Here's what you do:

Cut out strips of paper.
Draw "wiggle worms" on some of them.
(We also decided to draw hearts on the rest of them.)
Put them in a bag.

To play:

Sit in a circle on the floor
Take turns passing the bag around the circle and pulling out a strip of paper.
If you pull out a "wiggle worm" then everyone stands up and wiggles.
If you pull out a heart then everyone gives each other a hug, or comes in for a big group hug.

This is a fun family activity too! And LM has put in a request to play it for Family Home Evening!

Thoughts on Childhood

2011-03-23T21:58:00.001-05:00

We are slacking a bit in the craft and activity department lately! So, today I just wanted to share that I love being a mother.

I recently heard another mother share this amazing thought (I’m paraphrasing):

My children will grow up and in a few short years they will be adults. From then on, and for the rest of their life, everyone who meets them and knows them will know them as an adult. But as their mother, I get the privilege of knowing them as babies and children. I get to see them experience childhood. What an honor it is.

Every child is precious. Every child is divine. What an honor it is to know the children in our lives.

Pen and Pencil Can

2011-03-21T09:09:00.001-05:00

A simple and fun way to create a place for all those writing utensils hanging around the house:
Wash out an old soup can and put scrapbook paper around it. I used double stick tape on the edges to hold it in place.

Cluck O' Clock

2011-03-18T06:51:00.000-05:00

Book & Craft this week was making hens to look like the ones in this book:

I don't know if you can tell from this picture, but the hens look like they're painted. So I thought that would be a perfect craft to go along with the book!

The boys painted with finger paints onto several pieces of white paper. After they dried, I cut them into hen-shapes. I cut out red feathers for the head, and orange beaks from construction paper and we glued them on. Then we drew on the eyes with a black marker. Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!