Monsters University Fun Food for Kids

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Disney’s Monsters University for Blueprint Social.  All opinions expressed are authentic and my own. 

Monsters Inc. was the first movie I saw with my husband when we started dating so Mike and Sully have always had a special place in my heart. My girls have seen the movie countless times (we love Boo) over the years so we were all buzzing with excitement over watching Monsters University upon it's release this summer.  It didn't disappoint! We ALL loved it and knew we'd have it own it on DVD so we could watch it again and again. Guess what - the Blu-ray Combo Pack is available for you to own starting today, October 29th! Yay!

The whole family has been looking forward to the DVD release of Monsters University so we could enjoy it all over again - it was hilarious!  We were lucky enough to get an advanced copy which we enjoyed with a fun MU Themed Family Movie Night. 

I wanted to come up with a fun (quick & easy) menu for the girls to enjoy as we watched the movie. Strolling through the bread aisle at the supermarket, my eyes fell on some spinach wraps and I instantly thought of Mike Wazowski. 

How cute are these Mike Wazowski Cheese Quesadillas? 

They were a hit with the Lil Divas and so easy to make. Don't you love quick & easy kid friendly food?!  To make these Mike Wazowski cheese quesadillas simply start with a green spinach wrap and your favorite cheeses (my girls prefer cheddar) - I find shredded cheese melts best. 

You can heat/melt these on your stovetop or in the microwave. Go with whichever method you prefer. I love a yummy melted cheesy quesadilla.

To make Mike Wazowski, I used some of our sliced cheddar cheese and cut a circle shape for the famous eye and a fun toothy smile for his mouth. To finish off the eye I used a little black food gel and a blue M&M.

Let the children dig in & enjoy!

You can't have a movie without popcorn and what's a MU movie without MU themed popcorn!

Another super easy snack idea for you. 

Start with your favorite popcorn (ours was white cheddar, yum!) 

and add in green and blue M&M's - Mike & Sully all the way!

Crunch, munch and enjoy your easy-peasy MU Themed family movie night!

If you have MU fans in your house be sure to check them out on

Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

and take a peek at the fun projects other bloggers have been doing

for some more Monsters University themed inspiration.

Bern

Monster Themed Activities for Kids {The Sunday Showcase 10/12/13}

With Halloween on its way I thought it would be fun to feature some not so scary monster activities for kids. 

Check out each idea by clicking the links below to take you directly to each blog.

The Letter Monster (How We Learn)

Hungry Monsters Color Sorter (Twodaloo)

Colorful Mummies (Blog Me Mom)

Monster Math (The Measured Mom)

Halloween Science Fun with Fizzing Eyeballs (on B-Inspired Mama)

So many fun Monster Activities!

Of course I have to share some 

favorite Monster Activities from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas -

Preschool Monster Activities

There Was an Old Monster

Monster Brains: A Sensory Bin Scavenger Hunt

Looking for books?

Here are 12 of our Best Loved Monster Books

Now it's your turn to share!

Do you have monster activities to share? 

Please share them with me in the linky, 

by commenting below or by visiting our Facebook page. 

Be sure to link up your child centered ideas while you're here.

I love to see what everyone is doing.

If you have been featured, grab a button you deserve it!

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The Sunday Showcase is hosted on FOUR blogs!

Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
Here Come the Girls

Inspiration Laboratories

Learn Play Imagine

Each blog showcases their own features so be sure to check them all out!

If you are here for the first time please read this informational post for the full details.  Anything kid friendly and/or child centered is welcome!  You are welcome to share more than one post,  but we don't accept links for giveaways,  shops, or downloads for purchase, etc.  They will be deleted.

If you're linking up we encourage you to visit other links 
& our Pinterest board!  

*Important* 

Please note that by linking up you are giving us permission to use a photo (with proper link to you!) in our featured section and on our Pinterest board!  

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Link up and share your child centered ideas with us!

Bern

An InLinkz Link-up

Not so Scary Monster Fun for Kids

Last week we enjoyed some Monster Fun at preschool. 

We read monster stories, danced to monster songs (do you do the Monster Mash?), enjoyed monster art and more. Here are some of my favorite activities from our week -

Play Dough Monsters

Using our homemade no-cook black play dough, wiggly eyes, pipe cleaners, craft sticks and feathers, the children created play dough monsters. They LOVED this activity and it was popular all week long. 

Monster Stories

The children drew monsters and then told me stories about them. I prompted them with questions such as  - What's your monsters name? How many eyes does he/she have? What does you monster like to do?  Tell me something special about your monster.

Clay Art Monsters

The children loved our play dough monsters so much that I decided to let them make clay monsters that they could take home. They were so proud of their little monsters and so pleased to be able to take them home.

Blot Paint Monsters

My favorite art project of the week was definitely our blot paint monsters. Each one turned out so unique and fun. 

Blow Paint Monsters

Another fun activity was our blow paint monsters. We used pipettes to add watercolor paint to our paper and then the children blew the paint around with straws. It was fun to see what they "saw" in their blow paint splotches. To make their monsters we used wiggle eyes and various shape stickers to make teeth, horns, etc.

Paper Tube Monsters

We also made some great paper roll monsters though I unfortunately didn't have my camera with me the day we made them and then forgot to take photos of the finished products all week. I hung them from the ceiling and they look so fun in our classroom.

Monster Goo

For our science activity we whipped up a batch of Monster Goo - using corn starch, water & some food coloring. What messy fun!

We also did lots of Monster Math using monster templates and wiggly eyes. 

Monster Heads 

Even our potato heads took on a monster feel this week - how cute is this? I love the children's creativity. This particular "monster head" has 2 noses :) Some of them had numerous arms, eyes, ears, etc. 

Books We Read:

Isn't this monster fun & cute? Just looking at him makes me smile. We made it out of a huge coffee filter that the kids worked together to paint with watercolor and pipettes. Then using construction paper shapes, they created a face with eyes, sharp triangle teeth and horns. We hung it up outside with the sign I made from another decorated coffee filter to display our fabulous monster art from the week. 

Have a monster-ific day,
Bern

12 Best Loved Monster Books for Kids

I finally gave in to the Lil Divas this weekend and took out the Halloween decorations. They are so excited about it this year, especially my oldest. I am a bit surprised by this because usually she scares easily. She's the girl who won't go upstairs by herself, or enter a dark room alone. Yet, she is totally attracted to all things gory and monster in honor of Halloween at the moment.

This inspired me to sit down and think about our favorite Monster themed books as I was making my library list this week. There are lots of gems out there and it's the perfect time of year to delve into them so I wanted to share our 12 Best Loved Monster Books List for Kids with you.

Here are the Lil Divas Top 12 Monster Books for Kids -


The Monster at the end of this Book - Who doesn't love Grover? My girls have read this book so many times we have lost count, yet they get a kick out of it each and every time. Do you know what's even better? The Monster at the end of this Book app! My girls LOVE how this app brings the story to life in such a fun interactive way.



Go Away big Green Monster - Over the years I have read this book to toddlers thru 1st graders and it is always a hit. It's one of my personal faves because of all the fun extension activities you can do with it. Art, retelling fun, felt board play, etc. I can't wait to share it with my preschool class this month.



Leonardo the Terrible Monster - A terrible monster? Well, he's terrible at being a scary monster which really makes him lovable to all the children reading the book. He is such a cute little monster and feels so badly after he actually scares a little boy that you can't help but feel endeared to him. This one is great for your scared of monster children - it shows that Monsters aren't all bad and that some of them can actually end up being nice and friendly towards children.




Tickle Monster - Let me start by saying that the Lil Divas love to be tickled so this book has been a huge hit in our house.  If your child doesn't enjoy tickles, then read no further because this book isn't for them. This adorable book is fully interactive, with the reader doing all the tickling that is mentioned in the book. All I can say is that there are tons of giggles, squeals of delight and rip roaring laughter all through the reading of this book in our house. I highly recommend it if your child enjoys tickles!



My Monster Mama Loves Me So - As a mom, this book is a fave for this time of year. It gives my girls the monsters they enjoy and is a heartwarming tale of a mother's love. How can you resist that?



There Was An Old Monster! - As a teacher, this was always one of my go to books during this time of year. Why? There are just so many extension activities you can do with this book. Here are a few activities we did last year based off the book.



If You're a Monster and You Know It - If your kids love "If You're Happy & You KNow It" they are going to enjoy this gem of a book. Get ready for lots of roaring and stamping and other fun interactive monster moves and sounds.



I Need My Monster - Does your child worry about monsters under the bed? I was worried about reading this book to my oldest who has such fears but it actually worked well for us. She wasn't scared, she found the book funny and we got to talk about how silly it all was. A great read for kids.



10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster - My 6 year old finds this book hilarious. It's all about having a monster as a pet and is full of funny tips for how to live with them.



Goodnight Goon - If your house is anything like mine, you probably have the words for Goodnight Moon memorized as do your kids. As soon as my youngest saw Goodnight Goon at her school book fair last year - she had to have it. It's been a hit ever since and one that makes both girls laugh as they compare it to the original.



The Monster Princess - The Littlest Diva adores princesses so I knew she would be interested in this particular book. Monsters teaching a valuable lesson? Check! Celebrate uniqueness and encourage self-help skills.



Where the Wild Things Are - What a timeless classic? This is another book I have read to children of all ages over the years and each time it is met with such a positive response.  Have you shared it with your children yet?

Happy (not so scary) Monster Reading!

Bern

Disclaimer - This post does contain affiliate links to Amazon.com. They have been been provided for your ease so that you can easily find out more information about each book. I do receive a small compensation for any books purchase through my links.