Monday, October 28, 2013

Safety Week Unit: Free printables and lesson plan

My little preschooler is really obsessed with safety signs.  By that, I mean she yells to point out each
one she spots.  Sometimes she can tell you the purpose of the sign and sometimes she can't.  We've got the stop-sign down, but she wants to know what ALL of them mean.  So I decided to maximize on the opportunity and have a Safety Unit in our studies.  It was so much fun doing this with her!  Plus, it's a practical unit so the study goes on!  

For this unit, I made a "Stop Sign and Shape Matching Game", coloring pages and posters for a coordinating Bible lesson on Isaiah 40:31, games and science experiments.  It worked great for her as a primary lesson plan, but it would also be great for mixed grades or to supplement an elementary lesson plan.  

Grab some free printables below and have fun with your kiddos!

Click here to download the Safety Sign Shadow Game Pieces
Click here to download the Safety Sign Shadow Game Board

Click here to download the Safety Week Lesson Plan: Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3
Click here to download the Safety Week Memory Verse Posters: Part 1,Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4
Click here to download the Safety Week Memory Verse Coloring Pages: Part 1,Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4

Monday, October 14, 2013

October Freebie: Leaf Counting, Colors & Adding Game


The concept of numbers can be very abstract for children ... at least, I had always read this but teaching a preschooler to count and number recognition has proved it for me!  So, I like to design and I like to teach, which means I love designing teaching printables for my little one.  It's fall and I love incorporating the seasons (even when teaching preschool math), therefore I made a Leaf Counting, Colors & Adding Game.


I printed and laminated the game sheet last night, and this morning we scavenged the backyard for pebbles to use with the game.  I designed two sheets - one for PreK/Kinder and one for 1st/2nd.  It's essentially three games on one sheet and you can customize the games to suit your learner's level of number know-how.  You can do the Adding Game (shown in picture), Color Game or Adding Game, and the first sheet is 1-10 while the second sheet is 11-20.  It's really fun and great practice for young learners!  Snag a copy of each sheet below, then print, laminate and have fun!







Thursday, September 5, 2013

Sriracha-cha: Poser Thai Peanut Noodles & LowCal Spring Rolls

Courtesy of Google Shopping & Breadenfish Media
What does Sriracha sauce, broccoli slaw, rice vermicelli, peanut butter, bean sprouts, spaghetti noodles,  soy sauce, jicama, rice vinegar, spring roll wrappers, sesame seed oil, an apple and a lime have in common?  They are all in my world renown, low calorie, kid friendly dinner ... not sure about the "world renown", but my family and friends REALLY like it!  My good friend Emily, creator and writer of Running Like A Mother blog, and I even had a spring roll wrapping party this week and got to munch on the goods with our kiddos.  Emily steamed edamame that we ate on the side for extra protein and nutrition.  It was probably the most flavorful meal I had all week!

Courtesy of runninglikeamother.com
Here's what you need to make Poser Thai Peanut Noodles and LowCal Spring Rolls:

~ Shopping List ~

Fresh Ingredients

1 lime or lime juice concentrate
1 tbsp garlic paste (or 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed into paste)
1 bag Dole broccoli slaw
1/2 cup bean sprouts, fresh or canned
1/2 cup Dole carrot shreds
1 Gala or Fuji apple, peeled and cut into spears
1/2 Jicama, peeled and sliced (optional)
1 - 12 oz bag Spring Roll Wrappers

Pantry Ingredients

1 tbsp Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame seed oil
1/2 cup peanut butter (or more!)
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger powder
4 oz Rice Vermicelli noodles (also known as cellophane noodles)
8 oz Whole Wheat Spaghetti noodles


LowCal Spring Rolls
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 28 min
Yields 12-14 Rolls
1) Heat oil in a frying pan on medium-high, then toss 1/3 cup broccoli slaw, carrot shreds and bean sprouts in to quickly stir-fry.  Don't overcook - make sure it stays crunchy!  2) Use instructions on the bag of vermicelli to prep the noodles (usually involves soaking the noodles in warm water.)  3) Add 1/4 cups rice vinegar, 3 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp garlic paste to the frying pan.  Stir and turn heat to low-medium.  4) Stir prepped noodles into frying pan and turn off heat.  5) Prep your spring roll wrappers per package instructions, set your oven on 400 degrees, and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.  6) Now the rolling of the spring rolls!  Place a small amount of the veggie/noodle mix onto the spring roll wrapper and fold away.  Secure the seams with a paste made of 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp flour.  Optional: brush each roll with a little olive oil. (See folding instructions below.)  7) Once you fill your baking sheet, place rolls in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, turn the rolls and leave in for another 10-12 minutes or until browned on both sides.  8) Serve hot and dip in sweet & sour sauce or my Thai Cucumber Sauce (see recipe below).

Watch to learn how to wrap your spring rolls, but bake instead of fry :D

Poser Thai Peanut Noodles
Prep Time: 15 min
Chill Time: 30 min
Yields 6-8 servings
1) Prep spaghetti noodles per package instructions for al-dente, drain immediately after cooked.  2) Mix the dressing in a small bowl: 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 cup peanut butter (or more if you like a thicker dressing), 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp ginger powder, 2 tbsp boiling spaghetti noodle water, 1/2 tbsp garlic paste, 1/2 tbsp sriracha sauce, and 1/2 tsp sesame seed oil.  3) Peel your apple and  jicama, cutting both it into bit-size spears.  Place spears in a large bowl and toss in about 1/4 cup lime juice, which will preserve their color and crunch.  4) Add the rest of the broccoli slaw (a little over 1 cup), jicama spears and whole wheat spaghetti noodles.  5) Toss everything in the peanut sauce really well.  6) Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and serve chilled .... kids LOVE it!

Thai Cucumber Sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 clear corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (or to taste)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
Heat vinegar and salt in a saucepan until boiling.  Stir in syrup and boil for 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in Sriracha sauce and pour over diced cucumber.  Place in fridge 30-45 minutes.  Serve chilled.