“The Ugly Duckling” and Swan Craft

Weekly Trip to the Library The Ugly Duckling is an infamous story by Hans Christian Anderson whose fairytales have become loved around the world, including The Little Match Girl and The Little Mermaid. Born different, The Ugly Duckling is mocked by his siblings, rejected by other ducks, and even shunned by his own mother. The […]

“Elmer’s Friends” by David McKee and Puppets

Creative Wednesdays David McKee’s most famous creation is Elmer the Patchwork Elephant which is published in more than 40 languages. In Elmer’s Friends we learn about the spotty, stripy, tall, and long elephant named Elmer and meet all of Elmer’s very best friends! This chunky board book with easy-grip toddler tabs on every page is […]

“Prickly Hedgehogs!” by Jane McGuiness and Hedgehog Puppet

Creative Projects Read Prickly Hedgehogs! by Jane McGuiness and make a cute little hedgehog puppet who goes in and out of a cardboard toilet paper tube log. In Prickly Hedgehogs! by Jane McGuiness the sun has set, and Hedgehog’s day has only just begun. She’s out and about, snuffling through layers of leaves and twigs […]

Give the Pigeon a Bath!

Creative Wednesdays My six-year-old Nanny Kid absolutely loves any book by Mo Willems. Her current favorite book by the beloved author is The Pigeon Needs a Bath!. So we just had to make a fun craft to correspond with her current obsession. We made a dirty paper pigeon on one side and a clean pigeon […]

“Memoirs of a Goldfish” by Devin Scillian with Fishbowl and Puppet Craft

Creative Wednesdays One of my favorite projects to with children is creating projects that correspond to their favorite books. The little girl I am currently caring for loves the adorable book, Memoirs of a Goldfish by Devin Scillian. So I helped her make a paper plate fishbowl and puppets of the characters in the book. […]

Scissor Skills and Practicing Cutting

Creative Wednesdays It’s easy to make cutting worksheets on your own for your nanny kids. The photo shows some cutting strips I made myself. I simply drew lines, dashes, and dots on colorful paper with a permanent marker to draw lines where the kids should cut the paper. But if you prefer to print out […]

“Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book” and Puppet Project

This is such a beautiful book and perhaps my favorite children’s book about changing seasons and the animals that live in a tree. Through a hole in the book’s cover of Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book, by Britta Teckentrup, an owl invites us inside to meet a majestic tree and all its forest inhabitants during […]

Hanging Seasonal Trees

Creative Wednesdays It is spring here in the NorthEast and the trees are changing. Discuss how the trees look different in the changing seasons with the children in your care. The bare trees of winter are currently changing to have buds in the spring, which will grow leaves and fruit in the summer. As the […]

Read “Waiting for Wings” and Make Coffee Filter Butterflies

Creative Wednesdays The little ones I care for absolutely love making butterflies out of coffee filters. It’s one of the best boredom busters ever as they want to do this over and over for hours of fun. Plus, it is fascinating to learn how a worm-like caterpillar turn into a delicate creature with wings reading […]

“How to Catch a Leprechaun” and Make a Leprechaun Trap

Irish folklore describes leprechaun as little fairies. Legend says they keep pots of gold at the ends of rainbows. Every Saint Patrick’s Day my Nanny Kids and I make leprechaun traps along with thousands of kids around the world. “How to Catch a Leprechaun” is a perfect children’s book for four- to ten-year-old kids, by […]