Preschool Cooking

Our local bookstore, Cooperfields, hosted a cooking competition for kids.  Each bought a cookbook and choose a recipe to make and enter.  I picked out the cookbook Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes for Preschoolers for Thomas.  This cookbook is awesome for non and early readers.  Each recipe is four pages long, with the first 2 page spread for the adult helpers and the second 2 page spread in pictorial form for the preschooler.  Thomas literally made several recipes with independently.  He loves the book and uses it in his play kitchen and even requests it for his night time story! This is a must have for any pre-reader!

For those of you interested he didn't place at the contest, but had a great time!  Here is his display:

Book Review- Monday

Busy Horsies (A Busy Book)

This is one of a several books in the "busy" series by John Schindel (a Bay Area author).  The sharp full page images of horses really grab a toddlers attention.  As you look at all through the pictures you learn what that the horsies are eating, talking, walking, rolling, racing, chasing, sleeping, leaping, nuzzling and more. I love how engaged my kids are with the book and how much rich vocabulary they are hearing at the same time.

 

Book Review Monday

I Love You Stinky Face

by Lisa McCourt

 My son received this book as a Christmas gift from a friend this year and it has quickly become a favorite bedtime story.  It manages to be both funny and heart warming, as a mother reassures her son that she would love  and treasure him no matter if he was a meat eating dinosaur, a super smelly skunk, or a green bug eating alien.  A definite must read!

Book Review Monday- Dr. Seuss' Birthday

Dr Seuss was born Theodor Seuss Geisel was born on March 2, 1904.  During his career he wrote over 40 children's books. By the time of his death in 1991, his books had been translated into 15 different languages and sold over 200 million copies. In honor of Dr. Seuss today's Book Review Monday will be a little different.  Instead of reviewing a favorite book I am going to share with you how we plan to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday tomorrow.

No Dr. Seuss birthday party would be compete without reading Green Eggs and Ham and then eating some!  For our birthday breakfast we are going to make a green eggs and ham scramble.  To make just add some green food coloring and chopped fried ham to your scrambled eggs.  Finish them off with a candle and sing happy birthday.

 

Then it is time to make some Oobleck, like that which rains down on the Kingdom of Didd in the Dr. Suess classic Bartholomew and the Oobleck.

Ingredients:

2 cups cornstarch

3 drops of green food coloring

1 cup water

Directions:

Mix ingredients together in a bowl adding water slowly (you may not need the entire cup)

After playing and experimenting with the oobleck then read the book together.

UPDATE: Here are some pictures from this morning

Book Review Monday

 

Tuesday by David Wiesner

This is a beautifully illustrated story about the adventures of a group of frogs who suddenly find themselves capable of flight.  The story is told with almost no words so it provides a great way for older preschoolers and early elementary students to "read" the story to themselves or elaborate together with a parent. Tuesday won the 1992 Caldecott Medal and, among other honors, was named as an ALA Notable Children's Book. 

Some other David Wiesner Favorites:

Book Review Monday

Machines at Work by Byron Barton

This had to be one of my two year-old's favorite books.  The pictures are simple, bold, and colorful.  The language is simple, but stretches a young child's vocabulary. A perfect fit for any child who is fascinated with construction or trucks!

Some other gems by Byron Barton: