Baby Doll Shorts and T-Shirt

T-Shirt and Shorts for Baby Dolls

 

             Today I was working on a T-shirt and shorts for a baby doll.  The fabric came from an old Field Hockey jersey that my daughter had in high school.  I also used this material for a sleeper for this size doll.  You can view this earlier post). Being a bright blue knit material it worked well for girl or boy doll  clothes. It is no way frilly, but a great play outfit for any child.
 

       
          The shirt is made from a very simple pattern in which the short sleeves are included with the front. A small applique was added to the shirt to add a little whimsy.  Velcro  was used as a closure on the back of the T-shirt. 

         To complete the outfit blue shorts were made from the same fabric. An elastic waistband was included to made dressing easy for any child.  This type of outfit is suitable for both boys and girls.

        I try to make my doll clothes roomy enough for them to fit on 10 to 14 inch baby dolls as well as stuffed animals, too.  Mickey and Minnie Mouse and soft Sesame Street characters are always ready to wear doll clothes and go for a walk.

               The T-shirt can also be worn with denim jeans if the weather turns colder.  Every child loves to change clothes on their dolls several times a day. These pieces of clothing are very easy to sew up.

               Happy sewing!
 Feel free to drop me a comment.  I would enoy reading your thoughts.

Beti

Compliments Chart

      

  Kids love Compliments!

     There are no two ways about it.  If you give a child a compliment,  you will have that child doing great things.   My teaching partner, Suzanne, and I have Compliments Charts in our rooms.   This is basically a 100's Chart with a makeover.

        You know the old saying, " You get more flies with honey than with vinegar". 

       Well, this is true with children's behavior.  We begin the year with instructing our students that we will keep track of any unsolicited compliments that they receive during the year. 

        If they are quiet in the hall another teacher might comment on the fact that "they didn't know the class was even there".  A teacher who teaches Art, Music, Gym, Computers, or Spanish might comment on "how well my class participated that day".  A compliment from the principal becomes 
 two compliments on the chart.   The students have to be reminded that they can not beg for compliments. We mark these unsolicited compliments on our chart as they are received.  You can see the delight in their faces when the children hear a compliment.  

      As time goes on, the students remind each other, " If we are quite, we'll get a compliment."   Then they all get on board with how their behavior should or shouldn't be.
 
      As the months go by, we tell the class that they need "50 compliments before Christmas" to have a movie afternoon and a few treats. Our homerooms have never missed that prize!  You know they will have a movie and treats, but kids can get a little squirrley at certain time of the school year. 

     As you can see, my homeroom has 62 unsolicited compliments as of February 8.  I know my kiddos will get 100 compliments before the end of the year.  Another reward will be on he way!

     This is a much better way than constantly nagging kids to be good. Children will be good if you reinforce the fact that they are good.   There are always the children who act out.  Some reminders can be given to those few who might not get to participate in the reward if they continue the unacceptable behavior. Students learn very quickly that you mean business if you keep to you word.  I am always their teacher not their best friend. 

       The compliment chart works for my 5th graders, give it a try!

     Please leave a short comment if you have an extra minute.  I love reading your thoughts.
 
 Enjoy your day!
 

Beti

 

Five Little Monkeys

Five Little Monkeys

            Five Little Monkeys is such a wonderful finger play for the young toddler.  These children are beginning to listen and repeat actions and words. They love rhyming sounds and silly songs.  What better song than "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed"?  
          
            I made these little finger puppets for my granddaughter. Riding in the car seat for a long trip can be very boring a for the child as well as the adults.  But I would rather hear Five Little Monkeys jumping on the bed than a child whining or crying unnecessarily.
           
           Some little distractions like this will definitely help with the sanity of the adults in your car. Spend a few quality minutes with your child instead of putting on a video. Remember that children benefit more from adult interaction than screen time. 

          As you can see, there is nothing fancy about these finger puppets, and you can whip these up quickly on a sewing machine with minimal sewing skills.

               These little monkeys needed a little bed to jump on. A little tin  Altoids box was the perfect size.  I cut a little blanket and pillow from some felt and glued it to the lid of the tin. Hopefully, you can use your imagination to see the little bed. The five little monkeys can sleep inside when not jumping on the bed.  This little tin can be popped into a purse or diaper bag.

              As you can tell from my blog,  I am a proponent of being with and doing as much as you can with your young child as you possibly can.  Our children are young for such a very short time.  They grow up so very fast.  Don't let another opportunity pass you by.  
         
       Today I linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the Five for Friday linky.  Check out all the other blogs who have linked up, too.

www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com

            Please leave a comment if you have a minute.  I'd love to read your thoughts.

Beti

Indians of the Pacific Northwest

  

Cedar 

Dugout 

Canoes

          Native American people is a unit of study for my 5th graders.  The topic of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest Coast is quite interesting for my students.  We discussed location, climate, natural resources, transportation, and crafts.
     To bring the construction and designing  of a cedar dugout canoe to life I used paper and colored pencils.  The construction of a cedar dugout canoe was very interesting o to my students. I found it a student has an object in hand, they learned the information easily.  This is the inspiration for the student work.

 
      For the children to get a hands on feel for the dugout, we made folded paper dugouts. To bring in the concept of Symmetry,  we discussed that both sides of the dugout canoe were the same. While the paper was flat and uncut, the students needed to plan their design and colors to be used. The back side of the paper was also colored brown to indicate the inside of the canoe was wood. finally, the dugout canoe was cut from the paper, folded on the dotted lines, and glued together on the paper tabs found on the pattern.  As you can see they were very cool.

      My students drew illustrations of their concept of a village belonging to the Chinook tribe. Each child could refer back to their book, powerpoint presentation, as well as the illustrations in the room for reference. I tell my students, "A picture is worth a thousand words".  For some children, they need a picture in their head to tell a story or remember information.  ( I was one of those kids, and am still like that today.)  This is why I have my 5th graders do so many hands on related projects.

    Have a great day!

Beti

Doc McStuffins felt finger puppets

     Finger puppets Come Alive!

        The other day I was shopping at JoAnn fabrics and spotted a package of Doc McStuffins buttons.  I just had to pick up two packages. Two of everything is what I need to make gifts for our granddaughters.

        These little buttons would be perfect to use for finger puppets!  When I got home I went to the basket full of felt scraps.  Two pieces of felt about two or three inches by an inch and a half is all that is needed to create a finger puppet.

    A different color felt was used for each puppet to give them their own identity.

    Here is the set of four little friends just waiting to play.

      Doc and her friends were quickly scooped up for some adventures in make believe. 😁

I hope you enjoy this wonderful day that God has given us.

Beti

One Pack of Seeds

Seeds!

        One little pack of seeds can sprout into a beautiful garden.

       Last fall I trimmed some  very overgrown bushes in my yard and cleared the space in between.  This spring the bushes started to sprout new green leaves.  I decided to plant wild flowers in the empty spaces. No big thing.  I sprinkled the seeds onto the dirt and raked them in. For a few days I faithfully watered the seeds until little green leaves started to poke through the earth. 
    
       I spent a few weeks away from home and was afraid that all my baby flowers would be all dried up.  Happily, when I got back my flowers were in bloom. 

   
    The neat thing is that every week some new flower bloomed.  

       These were the latest to bloom.
    

        In the fall, when the flowers die, the flowers will drop their seeds for next spring.  Then I will have a new arrangement of beautiful wild flowers in my garden.  

     So when you see those little packets of seeds in the store, buy one and grow some lovely little flowers.  They will brighten each  day with new blossoms.

     Even though it is the fisrt day of August, fall is coming the school year is just getting started. But plan ahead. Put this one in your planner for the spring.  Grow some with flowers in your classroom.  Could be a great Mother's Day gift from your students.

    Today I linked up with Forever in Fifth Grade  for Show and Tell  Tuesday.

https://foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com/2017/08/show-tell-tuesday-back-to-school-time.html 


    Have a great end of your summer and a successful school year.

Beti

Felt Dinosaurs

Dinosaurs! ROAR!

        While browsing Pinterest I saw some very cute and tiny dinosaurs.  I couldn't resist making some myself!  

          Out came my basket of scrap felt.  I started snipping the different colors of felt until tiny dinosaurs appeared in my hands. I didn't use a pattern to make these. That's why they are not perfect by any stretch of the imagination! With embroidery floss the dinos were given eyes, a mouth, and a bit of flare. The front and back were finally stitched together.  These little guys are actually stuffed with minute scrape of felt and yarn to make them a tiny bit chubby. They each have their own personality and charm. They can be fierce or friendly, whatever the child may choose.

       They all are between 2 and 3 inches in length.  The perfect size to fit into an Altoid tin for safe keeping.  A small scrap of green felt is fit into the bottom of the tin for grass to sleep on and a piece for some green felt vegetation for these dinosaurs to munch on. Can you hear the munching and chewing?  Which dinosaur would make the loudest roar?

Brontosaurus ?

Stegosaurus ?

T-Rex maybe?

       Wouldn't  these dinosaurs be great to take on a long car or airplane excursion?  They take up minimal amount to space  in your carry on bag. So much creative play, in so little space, for so little cost. 

   
     Please drop me a note if you have a minute to spare. I'd love to hear from you.

Beti