Make a Family Post Office

 

We don’t live very close to anyone in our family. We get to see grandmas and grandpas and cousins every now and then, but not nearly enough. My 3-year-old loves writing letters and drawing pictures. She is always asking for an envelope and a stamp so she can send her picture to Grandma or an uncle or cousin.

So, I decided to put together a Family Post Office. It was simple to do and I love that the kids can see their cousins and grandparents and send them letters more easily now! Here’s how we did it…

1. Print a Cover

• I found a 1” binder we already had and printed out a cover and side thingy  
• I love free printables, so if you’d like to use the same cover and spine label, just click HERE to download!

2. Add a pencil pouch

• Snap a pencil pouch right inside the front cover.
• Put big and little envelopes in the pouch.
• Add several different stamps.

3. Add paper and cards!

• Fill the left front pocket with blank paper and some different blank cards the kids can pick from.

 

4. Address Pages

• Find a picture of each family/person in our family.
• Add their address on the right side (mine are blurred out, but they’re there!)
• NOTE: I love that if the address changes, I can update and just print out that one page.
• Put the pages in plastic page protectors.

5. Back Cover

• On the back cover, I taped an envelope with a “How-To” address the front and where to put the stamp.
• There’s a little sticky note pad at the bottom … sometimes my 3 or 5-year-old will tell me what they want to say and I’ll write it out for them so they can copy it.

7. That’s it! … For now, it sits on the counter by our tin bucket filled with pencils, little scissors and a stapler. My kids know they can use these anytime they want to. They are quite the little creators.

8. Mail your letters!

• The last thing my kids do after they address the envelope and put a stamp on is to run it out to the mailbox and put the flag up.
• So exciting! Especially when the mailman brings a letter back to them!

Light

• Play with flashlights in a dark room. You could also hide a letter L (cut out of paper, a foam letter or a plastic letter magnet) somewhere in the room. Use your flashlights to find the letter L!

• Prisms & Sunshine = Rainbows!
  1. Give the kids a prism (I’ve seen them in craft stores. You can also try using a clear glass filled with water or find them here).
  2. Hold it up to the sunshine coming directly through the window (or try a flashlight on a cloudy day).
  3. Watch all of the rainbows on the wall and floor! My kids like to try to catch the rainbows.
  4. See if the kids can name all of the colors they see.
  5. Draw a rainbow on a piece of paper.
• Play with mirrors in the sunlight (make light reflections on the wall)
• Make shadows
  1. Hang a white sheet so it's smooth.
  2. In a darkened room, set a toy behind the sheet and shine a light on it. The shadow will appear on the sheet.
  3. Have the kids guess what it is.
  4. OR … let the kids take turns dancing or making hand shapes behind the sheet.
• Match shadows
  1. Print out 8-10 clipart images (car, tree, cat, truck, ball, etc)
  2. Stack a piece of black construction paper behind the clipart and cut them out. You will end up with a color image and it's shadow.
  3. Let the kids match them.
• Play with a Lite Brite … available here for about $15 or stores like Target or Wal-Mart.

Letters

My kids love to get a letter in the mail. I think today because of email and texting, it’s almost a novelty to get an envelope or package with their name on it.

• Morning Letter
  1. To start the day, have a letter, sealed in an envelope, addressed and waiting for your preschooler at the breakfast table (or a place they will notice it.)
  2. Follow a simple letter form
     • “Dear xxxx,”
     • Tell them what the plan is for the day (or whatever you want!)
     • End with “Sincerely,” or “From,” or “Love,”

• Read “Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin
  1. In this book, the cows and ducks write letters back and forth to Farmer Brown.
  2. As you read, point out how the letters start with “Dear” and end with “Sincerely”

• Typing Practice … my oldest loved doing this when he was 3-years-old
  1. If you can find or borrow a typewriter, the kids would love to type on the keys and watch them show up on the paper!
  2. Otherwise, turn on a simple word processing program, make the font very large and show the kids how to use one finger to make the letters appear on the screen.
  3. I love using the font Print Clearly for my preschool activities. It’s very simple and has great letter form. You can download it for free if you click on the Resource tab at the top.
• Go on a Letter Treasure Hunt
  1. Write down several clues in the form of a letter
  2. Fold them up, seal them in an envelope and address it like you would if you were mailing it.
  3. Place a sticker in the corner for a stamp.
  4. Hide the clues and have fun opening each letter. One clue could be hiding in the mailbox! 
  5. For a treasure, I might include some letter stamps and an ink pad or a set of envelopes, paper, and a pencil tied with a ribbon just for them to use! I’d love to hear your treasure ideas!

Nursery Rhyme ABCs

I absolutely LOVE this!

 

Education.com has free nursery rhyme worksheets to download. What I think it so great is that they have matched up a nursery rhyme with each letter of the alphabet. As you read through, you and your preschooler can identify the letter you’re working on. I love that the font is clear and simple, they show both the upper and lower-case letter examples on the page and they’re cute!

   

1. Click here to download and print each worksheet.
2. Slip each one into a clear plastic page protector (keep them altogether in a binder or 3-prong folder)
3. Use a dry erase marker to circle, underline or trace the letters.
4. Count the letters and write the number at the bottom.
5. Erase and repeat later.
6. Love it! Learning letters and nursery rhymes at the same time!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Alphabet & Letters)

This year we are doing a combined preschool with some other mom friends and their kids one day a week. Thursday was our first preschool together and it was so much fun! My friend, Camie, hosted in her home and she did a fantastic job. The kids (and moms) loved it.

The focus was on Letters and the Alphabet.

 

• Sing the ABC song together … Point out the letters on the end pages of “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” as you sing!

• Name Cards
  1. Write each of the kids names on a 3x5 card in a different color.
  2. Show the names one at a time and see if the kids can recognize their names.
  3. Say each name and point out how our names are made out of letters!
  4. I can’t tell you how excited my 3-year-old was just to have his name written on a card that he got to take home!
• Sing Here We Are Together (click the link for words and music)
  1. Give each of the kids their name cards.
  2. Sing the song.
  3. Have the kids hold up their name as you sing it!

 

• Search for ABCs … my kids love egg hunts and treasure hunts, so searching for ABCs was just as much fun!
  1. Write Aa, Bb and Cc on individual 3x5 cards. Each child should have a set in the color their name card was written.
  2. Ahead of time, hide the cards around the room.
  3. Ask the kids to search for the cards in their color. My 3-year-old’s name card was written in blue, so he found the Aa, Bb and Cc cards written in blue!

 

• Read “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault.
• Watch the animated version of “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”
  1. I had never seen this from Scholastic Storybook Treasures, but the kids loved it.
  2. Very catchy tune
  3. Check at your library or find it here on Amazon. The reviews are excellent!

 

• Make a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree!
  1. Give the kids 1/2 sheet of colorful paper. I love how Camie used bright colors just like the book!
  2. Have them glue on a long brown rectangle for the trunk.
  3. Give them a page of bright polka dot paper with 3 leaves drawn on the back. Let them practice cutting out the leaves with scissors.
  4. Glue the leaves to the top of the tree.
  5. Glue on a few brown circles for coconuts!
  6. Last, since we were focusing on Aa, Bb and Cc, the kids each glued those letters to their tree.
  7. So cute and bright!

• Dry Erase Boards
  1. Practice writing letters (we focused on letter A) and their names on the dry erase boards.
  2. Don’t forget to remind the kids that the markers should only draw on the boards
  3. The kids loved doing this with their special boards, pens and napkins to wipe them off.
• Snack Idea … Chicka Chicka Boom Boom kabobs!
  1. Use wooden skewers.
  2. Alternate A = apple chunks, B = banana slices, C = cantaloupe chunks (and we had grapes too – yum!!)

Thanks Camie for all of your great ideas!

Little Lamb (spring!)

 

• Little Lamb Handprints … This past spring we visited a barn with lots of new baby lambs. So when we got home, we did this simple sheep handprint and the kids thought it was fun.

1. Just trace around their hand with a white crayon on black construction paper.
2. Cut out the hand (my 6-year-old could do it, but the 3-year-old needed help).
3. Glue the handprint upside-down on a white paper.
4. Put glue all over the palm, then add puffy cotton balls to make the sheep's wool.
5. Add googly eyes
6. Then the kids colored their background with things they remembered ... red barn, hay, dirt ... and of course lots of letters for practice :)

• Make finger Puppets to sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
  1. Wrap a 1" strip of paper around your finger & tape.
  2. Add hair, eyes and a dress to make Mary.
  3. Add cotton balls & googly eyes to make a sheep.
  4. OR … print & color this great finger puppet printable here! (page 2)

• Oatmeal Lamb
  1. Cut a simple sheep cutout from black cardstock.
  2. Add glue (spread around with finger to cover the body)
  3. Cover with dry oatmeal.
  4. Add legs & eyes to make a lamb.

snack idea: a bowl of cottage cheese with raisin eyes

Leaves (or Fall)

 

You know what I love about kids? They are happy just be go outside and play in the wind and the leaves. We have a tree that grows the most GINORMOUS leaves. Add those to a very windy day and the kids ran around having a ball. Here are some other activities to do with leaves…

• Leaf Collection
  1. Collect as many different kinds of leaves as you can on a walk or in the backyard.
  2. Use a magnifying glass to compare the shape, colors, edges (some are bumpy, some are smooth)
  3. Examine the veins in the leaf.

 

• Leaf Rubbing Garland
  1. Lay the leaves flag on a piece of paper.
  2. Cover with another blank paper.
  3. Unwrap fall-colored crayons and lay them flat to color over the leaves.
  4. Do several rubbings, then cut them out and hang from a string to make a pretty fall garland!
  5. OR … try this version with newspaper from Life with Little Ones!

• Pinecone Painting
  1. Tape a blank paper to the bottom of a box.
  2. Pick two fall colors and roll two pinecones in each color.
  3. Place the pinecones in the box and gently rock the box around to make a picture.
  4. Remove the paper and cut into a leaf shape.
• Simple Leaf Subtraction!
  1. Cut out a large brown felt tree with bare branches and five fall-colored felt leaves.
  2. Recite the poem below, pausing after the 3rd line to remove a leaf and let it fall to the floor.
  3. Notice how quietly the leaves fall, then whisper the last line.
  4. Continue with the remaining leaves.

{Five} little leaves are hanging on the tree.
Along came a breeze and blew one free.
The little leaf fell without a sound.
There are {four} on the tree and {one} on the ground.

Laundry

Laundry is a simple chore that I’ve found my kids love to help with.

• Read "Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash" by Sarah Weeks
• Let the kids help you do a load of laundry
  1. Let them turn the dials and push the buttons to start the water
  2. They can help sort clothes into lights & darks. Or go ahead and sort them into red, orange, yellow, blue, brown and white piles.

 

• Clothesline
  1. If you have a clothesline, let the kids help hang up the wash with clothespins.
  2. If not, you can make a simple clothesline (hang a line between two chairs) and hang up the wash (or even a few clean shirts from the drawer) with clothespins.
  3. TIP: if the pinchy clothespins are too hard to work, try using the old-fashioned kind that you just push down. I’ve heard the dollar store has these.
• Match socks after a load of laundry
1. Hide the socks around the room and let them find each pair.
2. Or simply mix them all in a pile, sort through, and match the pairs!
• Help the kids learn how to fold laundry ... we were really surprised that our 3-year-old wanted to learn how to fold and he was great at it! It just takes a little extra patience

• Trace & Color Pages … from Making Learning Fun
• I love this idea for a Clank Can to re-tell the story. Click HERE for printables and directions. Or use the printables and clip them onto a clotheslines as you read.

• Color Clothesline … another great printable from Making Learning Fun