Gingerbread Man
During FairyTale week, one of our books was The Gingerbread Man. It was fun for Isla to find the gingerbread running away on every page. We took this theme for our learning for a couple of days.
A paper gingerbread template was perfect for some collage decorating. Isla used some paint dotters and shapes on hers. Even big sisters got in on the fun with sequins and stickers. I like to keep a shoebox bucket that is filled with all things collage. The majority of this bucket can be filled from our local dollar store.
In the back of The Gingerbread Man book was a recipe for gingerbread. I will be the first to admit that it was a failure! My kids do not even like gingerbread so I recommend a different roll and cut cookie. We prefer sugar cookies, which I should have done instead. Still, the idea is fun. The girls enjoy icing and decorating them.
Gingerbread Play-doh
If baking is not your jam, try gingerbread play-doh. It is our favorite play-doh recipe with some additional spices in it for color and spice.
- 2 cups of flour
- ½ cup of salt
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 2 tbs cream of tartar
- 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
- 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 – 1.5 cups of boiling water
Mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Add 1 cup of water and then the rest gradually to get the consistency you desire.
I place this play-doh in the tray with gingerbread cutters and fun decorations pieces like googly eyes, beads, buttons. Also, keep an eye on the choking hazard of small pieces.
The Three Little Pigs
Another one of Isla’s favorites was the Three Little Pigs. It is a fun story to huff and puff too. We have also counted the pigs and talked about strangers but this time we focused on the materials.
Comparing Materials
When we read this book I had some materials prepared beforehand. I had some paper strips to represent straw. I used toothpicks for the stick house and counter bricks for the brick house. Duplo blocks would work as well. When the wolf huffed and puffed we acted it out and tried to blow the house material away.
After blowing all the house material, it was perfect to use for a house decorating project. I made three little house templates and Isla glued the appropriate material on each house for the three little pigs. I substituted the block bricks for rectangles of red construction paper.
Blow art
Pretending to be a wolf was so much fun, I decided we could make art out of it. We mixed some water without tempera paint to make a liquid paint. You can drop the paint on the paper with spoons but we used little droppers. They are great for fine motor practice. After dropping the paint on the paper Isla blew through the straw to make the paint move. This is not a skill that comes easy, especially if drinking through a straw is new. You can eliminate the straw and model blowing if it is not a learned skill yet.
