Please submit your fun craft and recipe ideas to Erin @ info@4cchildcare.org
All recipes may not be creditable on the Child and Adult Care Food Program. Thank you for your submissions.
My Plate Activity and Coloring Page
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March Activity and Coloring Page
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February Activity and Coloring Page
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December Activity and Coloring Page
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November Activity and Coloring Page
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October Activity and Coloring Page
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July Activity and Coloring Page
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June Activity and Coloring Page
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May Activity and Coloring Page
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Clothespin Tag
Materials: One clothespin for each player
Directions: This game is for five or more players and should be played outside or in an open area. Clip a clothespin to the back of your shirt. On the word "Go" try to steal the other players clothespins without letting anyone get your clothespin. When your clothespin is taken or falls off, you're out. The last player with a clothespin wins.
Handicap Awareness
Materials: Set of four cards for each group
Directions: Divide the class into groups of four. Give each group a set of four cards. Each student draws one card and reads the instructions to his or her partners. The other three students then follow the instructions.
Card 1: You have just broken your arm. Try to untie your shoe using only your arm which isn't broken.
Card 2: You cannot use either of your legs. Sit cross-legged on the floor and try to "walk" to the other end of the activity area using only your arms.
Card 3: ONe of you is blind. Keeping your eyes shut, walk to the other end of the activity area and around one of your partners standing there and back to this spot. Your other partners can guide you only through verbal instructions.
Card 4: You are deaf. I will use only y hand directions (no talking) to tell you what to do. Signal the "deaf" student to walk to the other end of the activity area, turn two circles and walk back.
This will help students appreciate the difficulties a person with a handicap has doing activities they take for granted. Stress that they should treat all people with respect.
March Activity and Coloring Page
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Styrofoam Cup Cat
Materials: Styrofoam cup, cotton balls, black construction paper, markers, ribbon, pencil, tape and glue.
Directions: Cover all around the outside(except bottom) of a styrofoam cup with glue. Spread apart 4 cotton balls and glue them around the styrofoam cup. Draw a cat's face with whiskers onto the bottom of the cup with markers. Cut out two small triangles from the scraps of construction paper and glue to the edge of the bottom of the cup for the cat's ears. With a sharp pencil, punch a hole near the bottom and side of the cat's face. Thread the ribbon through the hole for the cat's leash and tape one end of the ribbon to the inside of the cup.
Pig Planter Pot
Materials: Terra Cotta pot, pink pant, paintbrush, felt, wiggle eyes, black marker, pipe cleaner and glue.
Directions: Paint all around the outside of the terra cotta pot, including the inside rim. Let dry. Cut out a circle from the pink felt for the pig's snout and draw two black lines with the marker in the center of the circle for nostrils. Cut out two large pink triangle shapes from the pink felt for the pig's ears. Glue the bottom edge of the pig's ears to the inside rim of the pot. Glue on the wiggly eyes and the pig's snout. Twist a pipe cleaner a few times for a curly tail and glue onto the back of the pot. These pig pots are really cute!
February Activity and Coloring Page
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January Activity and Coloring Page
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December Activity Page
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Santa and Reindeer Puppets
Materials: Brown paper lunch bags, scissors, crayons, glue
Directions: On colored construction paper use crayons to draw and color acessories for Santa or his reindeer. For example make antlers, beards, arms, hats etc. Cut out your creations, and glue them to the bag.
White Chocolate Candy Pretzels
Materials: Candy Canes or pretzels, white chocolate chips, shortening toppings (M&M's, colored sugar, peppermint candies etc.)
Directions: Melt together 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1 tsp. shortening in microwave, stirring frequently or until smooth. Dip candy canes or pretzels into melted chocolate. Allow to cool.
Sandy Starfish
Materials: Construction paper, glue, sand, scissors, cardboard.
Directions: Make several starfish stencils out of cardboard. Have the children trace and cut out their starfish. Allow the children to write on the starfish with a glue bottle and then sprinkle sand over top. Shake off extra sand and allow to dry.
Caterpillar
Materials: Egg Cartons, pipe cleaners, markers or paint.
Directions: Use egg cartons cut in half length wise. Add pipe cleaners for antennae. Add facial features with permanent markers. Let children color or paint the caterpillars.
Sound Matching
Materials: 35 mm film containers, small boxes, oatmeal boxes, seeds, dried beans or peas.
Directions: Fill containers so that you have at least two of each with the same sound. Children shake the containers and match the sounds. Turn on some music and let the children shake the containers to a variety of rhythms.
Stop and Start with Music
Materials: Red and green construction paper, popsicle sticks and tape.
Directions: Cut red and green circles out of the construction paper and tape a popsicle stick to each. Play some music and ask the children to move to the music. You can have them jump, hop, crawl, wiggle or march. Ask them to start moving when you hold up the green circle and stop when you hold up the red circle.
Ocean in a Bottle
Materials: Two liter plastic soda bottle, blue food coloring, water and two to three cups vegetable oil. Directions: Fill half of the soda bottle with blue water. Add vegetable oil. Screw the top of the bottle on tightly or hot glue the top to the bottle to prevent accidents. Gently place the bottle on its side and watch the blue ocean “waves”.
Color Explosions
Materials: Milk, baking tray, food coloring, dishwashing liquid.
Directions: Pour a thin layer of milk onto a tray. Add a few drops of red, blue and yellow food coloring. Squirt several drops of dishwashing liquid into the colored puddles. Watch the colors explode and mix.
Food Cards
Materials: Magazines, index cards, glue.
Directions: Cut pictures of food out from magazines or coloring books and glue them on index cards. Make sure to include food from all the food groups. You can use the cards to create healthy meals and snacks, sort the foods into the food groups or to teach younger children about the different foods.
Raisins in a Jar
Materials: Clear soft drink, clear glass, raisins.
Directions: Pour clear soft drink into a large jar and observe the bubbles. Drop in some raisins and watch what happens. Bubbles stick to the raisins. The gas in them is so light that they carry the raisins to the top. The bubbles then burst at the top and the raisins then sink to the bottom.
Noodle Jewelry
Materials: Variety of differently shaped noodles, yarn, rubbing alcohol and food coloring.
Directions: Adult can soak different sizes and shapes of pasta in rubbing alcohol and food coloring. Let sit until dry, then children can string noodles on the yarn to make their own jewelry.
Oobleck
Materials: Corn starch, water
Directions: Read Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss. Make the Oobleck recipe and let the children play in it (this will be a messy activity). Mix one cup corn starch with one cup of water in a bowl. The mixture will be very stiff at first. Add more water if necessary, but in very small amounts. Oobleck is the correct consistency when it forms a ball when you roll it in your hands, but begins to drip when you stop rolling it.
Happy Salad
Materials: One Container cottage cheese, one box sugar-free strawberry jell-o (don't make it up use the powder)one can crushed pineapple (drained), and one container Cool whip.
Directions: Mix all ingredients together. Chill. Serve.
Alphabet Scavenger Hunt
Have a list of all the letters of the alphabet for each child playing; you hold on to these lists. Then have the children go around the room collecting items that start with each letter starting with A all the way to Z, cross off each letter as they collect their items.