Jellyfish, April 6

April Explorations

Jellyfish, I wanted to share a picture with you of something that is bringing me some happiness right now. This is my egg tree. I have been decorating an egg tree every spring since my daughter was a baby. She is 21 years old now, so that is a long time! I like it because it is colorful.


Recipe of the Week

Here is an easy way to dye pasta and rice. I started with half a bag of expired elbow macaroni. I added 1 tsp. of rubbing alcohol, and 15 drops of food coloring. Adjust food coloring to your liking. Mix well and lay to dry thoroughly on newspaper until all alcohol evaporates.

You might use the pasta you have dyed for any number of art projects. Penne and salad macaroni are especially handy to string with

You might make an edible macaroni or Cheerio necklace with some cotton thread that you can safely wear around your neck. Tie one piece of macaroni (or Cheerio) to one end and let the children eat the pasta as they go, it’s part of the fun ;-). If the string is a bit floppy try wrapping tape around the end to make a sturdy needle.

Extend this activity by counting how many items are on the string as children put them on. Allow your young mathematician to count, ask questions such as: How many would there be if you add one more? What if you add 3 more? How many if I take away 2?

Scrabble Unscramble

I actually did the next job the other day and I thought “the ELC students might like to work on this activity”. It combines letter recognition and tallying.

Get out your family scrabble board, and check the “letter distribution” list. Then lay out the tiles alphabetically to make sure you have all the pieces you need. Don’t forget the blanks! I you add the numbers together, what total do you get.


Art Activities

We are trying to include art activities with materials you can find at home. With this activity, feel free to use squares of wrapping paper, magazine pages, or comics!


Materials Needed:
- Plastic milk jug
- Mod Podge,
- Paintbrush,
- Scissors,
- Cut or torn squares of paper (see above suggestions).
Requires some adult assistance to cut the milk jug.

Jokes (Set 1)

1. Why did the tomato blush? Because it saw the salad dressing.
2. Why didn't the duck pay for the lip balm? He wanted to put it on his bill.
3. What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator!
4. Why did Darth Vader turn off one light? He prefers it on the dark side.
5. What do you call a fly without wings? A walk.

6. How do you throw a party on Mars? You planet.
7. Do you have holes in your underwear? No? So how do you put your legs through?
8. When is it time to go to the dentist? Tooth hurty (2:30)
9. What did the frog order at McDonald's? French flies and Diet Croak.
10. Why did the girl throw a stick of butter out the window? To see butter-fly.

Move Your Body -

Here is another video from my friend Jamie and Imagination Yoga!