Easy and Fun Turkey in Disguise Projects

Turkey in Disguise Projects. They are everywhere this time of year. The Little Divas had to complete them for school too but we were short on time so I begged them not to dream up elaborate disguises. In previous years they have disguised their turkeys as rock stars, the Statue of Liberty and dressed one up to showcase our heritage. This year I told them - NO PEOPLE! I had them think of an object we could turn the turkey into that would only need items we had readily on hand like paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, etc.

Instantly, the Littlest Diva says "popcorn". I start to shake my head to nix the idea, then I think - yellow tissue paper. I tell her she can crumble yellow tissue paper into balls and make it look like popcorn. Inwardly, I'm thinking, this isn't going to be pretty but it's her idea and she can do it herself so I give her the paper and let her make balls to her hearts content. The Oldest Diva decides to chime in and informs her little sister that she needs a bucket. "Yes! A bucket - I need a bucket mommy. Like when we eat popcorn at the movies and I'll put the popcorn on top and only leave his eyes peeking. That will be so funny. "  It turned out adorable and it really is funny but best of all - it was all hers! I helped her make lines on her bucket at her request but she did all the work because it was super simple. She was beyond proud of her project.

The Oldest Diva decided she wanted to make a gum ball machine. This one was easy but slightly more involved than the popcorn because she had a specific shape/look in mind. She looked up some photos to find a match for her mental image, found a style she liked and we made it out of construction paper. I had to help her draw the basic shape but she outlined it, cut it out and added the details. Once we had our base, the Oldest Diva cut out lots of small multi colored circles to use as gum balls. The gum balls hid the turkey really well because the turkey template had a nice round body.

Didn't they turn out super cute? 

Did your child(ten) or students have a Turkey in Disguise project?

What disguise(s) did you use?

Have fun disguising those turkeys!

Bern 

Math War: 6 Math Card Games for Kids

I've admitted this before but math doesn't come easily for the Lil Divas. They struggle with it. It is an area we really have to focus on and practice so that they keep up. 

With that in mind, this mama is always trying to come up with easy ways to keep them engaged and learning while having some fun. After all, if it's fun they actually want to do it more than once!

This is one of our favorite Math Card Games - Math War. 

It's easy to play, can be used to review different math concepts and all you need to play is a deck of cards. Do not use the face cards except for the Ace which = 1 and divide cards evenly amongst players. 

Here are the various ways we use our deck of cards to play Math War: 

Addition War - Each player turns over 1 card at a time and races to find the sum of the 2 cards drawn. The first person to correctly identify the sum keeps the cards in their "win" pile. Player with most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Subtraction War - Each player turns over 1 card at a time and races to find the difference by subtracting the smallest number from the largest number drawn. First person to identify the correct difference keeps the cards in their "win" pile. Player with most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Multiplication War - Each player turns over 1 card at a time and multiplies the 2 cards drawn. First person to identify the correct product keeps the cards in their "win" pile. Player with most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Which is Greater? - Turn over 2 cards and identify the numbers. Player with the largest number drawn keeps the cards in their "win" pile. Player with most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Greater Than or Less Than - Turn over 2 cards and compare the numbers. First player to identify the correct number comparison (i.e. 10 is greater than 3,   2 is less than 5) keeps the cards in their "win" pile. Player with most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

Make 10 - Each player turns over 2 cards at a time. Count/add the cards to see who came closest to 10. First person to come closest to 10 wins both card piles (if cards go over lowest number wins, i.e. 11 is closer than 10 than 15). Player with most cards at the end of the game is the winner.

What I love most about these games (besides the fact that the girls are practicing math and having so much fun playing they barely notice it's actually math review - gasp!) is that they can be played just about anywhere. Keep a deck of cards in the car or in your bag and the learning can take place anywhere you find yourself with a few minutes to play - the car, a restaurant, a waiting room, etc. 

This post is part of our Get Ready for K Through Play Series. 

This week we are focusing on the topic of Math Readiness. For more math games you can check out my post from last year Fostering Kindergarten Math Skills thru Play and these posts by my series co-hosts this week:

Kindergarten Active Math Games

(Coffee Cups and Crayons)

(Here Come the Girls)

Outdoor Math Activities for Kids

(Mamasmiles)

Bubbling Addition

(Mess for Less)

(Rainy Day Mum)

5 LEGO Math Activities

(The Pleasantest Thing)

(Toddler Approved)

For even more ideas feel free to peruse my Math Fun Pinterest Board and the Get Ready for K Through Play Pinterest Board.

Have fun playing Math War!

Bern

20 FUN Summer Writing Prompts for Kids

We started a tradition of keeping a summer writing journal last year. Feel free to check out last year's writing prompts and download the FREE printable so you have even more story starters at your fingertips this summer.

This year's summer journal is more of a diary. I wanted to incorporate more free writing for the Lil Divas to allow them to formulate and express their thoughts and opinions. I have been encouraging them to write as a reflection of their day. I thought it would be a fun way to get them to practice writing and capture their favorite summer memories as well. The Lil Divas have been drawing and adding photos to their journal of our summer adventures as they write. This is definitely a summer journal we will treasure for years to come.

I still wanted the Lil Divas to work on some fun writing prompts over the summer as well so I came up with 20 (new) FUN Writing Prompts to use this summer. Here they are:

Download a Printable Copy of the above list here --> 

20 FUN Summer Writing Prompts for kids. 

You can use these writing prompts 2 ways:

1. Cut along the lines to separate the prompts and put them into a box/bowl/container. Have your child close their eyes and pick a piece of paper at random. 

2. Keep the papers intact and staple them into your child's writing journal. They can read all the available choices, choose which one they want to work on and cross it off when completed.

For another summer writing idea be sure to read about our Vacation Journal. It's a great way for your child to capture their vacation memories. 

Have fun writing!

Bern