Fourth of July Fun Food!

What's For Lunch!?

Fireworks!

Amelia is SOO excited about fireworks that it's all she has been talking about..."Fireworks go BOOM!" As she jumps and screams around the house =) So I though our last lunch on the 4th of July should be fireworks:

• Egg Salad Firework topped with Cheddar Cheese
• Cheddar Cheese 'BOOM'
• Red Bell Peppers & Cauliflower with spinning firework pick
• Old Glory Flag Apple with Blackberries topped with Jicama Stars and another spinning firework pick (you have to use your imagination...luckily Mia knew it right away!)
• Dessert: Red, White & Blue Twizzler Fireworks
• And I forgot the last 3 Frozen Yogurt Stars =(

America....USA

• United States Map Peanutbutter & Jelly Tortilla (I wanted to use bread but the cookie cutter was too large to fit :(
• AMERICA spelled out in Cheese with a Fruit Leather Star for our country's capitol 
• USA French Fries
• Strawberry and Grape Kabobs on red, blue & silver tinsel picks
• Red & Blue Jello Salad topped with Whipped Cream, Sprinkles and spinning firework pick
• Red, white & blue Gold Fish
• White Veggies: Cauliflower & Mushrooms with star picks 

Old Glory

Today was all about our American Flag...so Amelia not only got a fun Flag Lunch but she got a Bento Breakfast, too!

Old Glory:

• Flag Turkey Sandwich with Red and Blue Jello Stars, White Mozzarella Star and String Cheese used to create for the Flagpole
• Can't get any more American than Corn on the Cobb and Watermelon (which I served popsicle style...making eating soo much easier!)
• 'OLD GLORY' cut out of Fruit Roll-up
• Frozen Yogurt Stars-Blueberry, Raspberry & Honey Greek Yogurt with a Flag pick. These are definitely a favorite around here!
• So I was completely forgetful today....Amelia also ate Red, White and Blue Goldfish and a piece of Cake cut out in the shape of a star with star sprinkles. These didn't make it on the plate in time for the picture...once I saw them sitting on the counter, Mia had already started chomping down =) 

When Mia woke up this morning she was thrilled to find this for breakfast: Peach Yogurt topped with fresh Raspberries and Blackberries! I love how the plate makes it look like it is waving!!! I wanted to use blueberries but between Mia and Daddy, our fruit & veggies don't last long around here =)

Muffin Tin Monday: Stars & Sparklers

• WHITE: Chicken Quesadilla Sparklers with Sour Cream. (I used our delicious Mexi-Ranch Chicken leftovers & used a fairywand cookie cutter to make the sparklers)
• RED: Salsa with star candle
• BLUE: Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with star candle
• Fresh Fruit with red, white & blue star picks
• Jicama stars & Cherry Tomatoes 
• Dessert: Ice Cream Sandwich cut in to stars and rolled (the sides) in Pop Rocks. I just love how the Pop Rocks sparkle in your mouth and feel like fireworks exploding :)

Amelia loved blowing out the star candles!!!

Shooting Star Fireworks

Peanutbutter & Jelly shooting Star Firework topped with a Red Bell Pepper star, Blueberries and Strawberries cut in to the shape of a star

Cucumber Stars

Red, White and Blue Frozen Yogurt Stars (Raspberry, Blueberry and Honey Greek Yogurt) 

For dessert...Icecream Sandwich served Popsicle style with sprinkles...it was all about cooling off today (temp. was over 103!) 

Patriotic Pinwheel

• Peanutbetter and homemade Apricot Jelly Tortilla Pinwheel (decorated with star sprinkles and Red, White & Blue Twizzlers)
• Celery with Peanutbetter and Carrot Stars make up the Pinwheel's stick
• 'USA' cut of out Cheddar Cheese
• Applesauce with star sprinkles and spinning firework pick (Mia LOVES these fun picks that actually move!)
• White Chocolate Dipped Strawberries with blue dusting sugar topped with 2 more spinning firework picks

4th of July Lunchable Style

• Bread, Cheddar Cheese and Ham cut in to the Star Shape to make her star sandwiches on her own
• Red, White and Blue Goldfish
• Red Bell Pepper, Cucumber and Blueberry Flag
• Fruit and Cream filled Icecream cone with a Watermelon Star on top

 The Star is made from Watermelon, Banana and Blueberry. Ice Cream Cone is dipped in White Chocolate and then Sprinkled. The Filling-Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries & of course Whipped Cream  Amelia devoured it!!! Just a fun way to serve berries & cream!

4th of July: Let Freedom Ring!

Happy 4th of July!

I just had to post this picture of my sweeties =)

Let Freedom Ring and the Fireworks Begin!

•  Number Cards matching correct number of stars
• Identifying Beginning Letter/Sound Cards
• Roll & Graph Patriotic Items
• Pracitice Writing 4th of July Words
• Counting Fireworks Cards
• Matching Capital and Lower Case Letters (capital letters are the rockets and the lower case letters are the bursting fireworks)
• Make Red, White & Blue Patterns (with blocks)
• Sort Fireworks in to Small, Medium and Large
• Alphabet Dot-to-Dot Top Hat
• Top Hat Addition (Mia is really starting to look forward to doing addition!)
• Spelling Fireworks with Scrabble pieces
• Color by Number (drum)
• Practice writing Number Words and Numerals
• Art-Glitter Fireworks

Rocket and Fireworks Letter Matching:

Counting Fireworks Cards with Red and Blue beads are markers:

Practice Writing  Number Words and Numerals:

                            

Roll & Graph (with mini M&M's...always a favorite =)

 

Making Patterns with Red, White & Blue Blocks: Amelia has gotten so good at patterns that we take turns making patterns for the other person to replicate...great fun =)

 I taught Amelia patterns by seeing, hearing and doing...a three fold way to comprehend the pattern. So we LOOK at the pattern, SAY the pattern out loud (so we hear it) and then we also physically ACT OUT the pattern. For Example: a pattern of Red, White, Blue (which is also an ABC pattern) would look like this....We pat our legs for the red blocks, clap for the white blocks and the tap our heads for the blue blocks....then repeat. This is a great way for all different types of learner to recognize patterns. Some people learn by seeing, others by hearing and then some by doing...this covers all the bases =)

Here Mia is acting out the pattern:
                              

Color by Number:

 Sorting Fireworks by Size:

 Spelling 'Firework' with Scrabble letters:

Tracing Words and then Matching it correct Picture:

Star Counting & Matching to correct Numeral:

Identifying Beginning Sounds: Mia is starting to Isolate Sounds on her own....I don't always have to say the word to her while emphasizing the beginning sound.

Addition:

 Alphabet Dot-to-Dot:

 Making Glitter Fireworks: Yes, we did these outside...whoever created glitter needs to be taken out back and beaten =) My house is still sparkling even though we did this art project outside (in 103 degree heat!)

                        

 

                  

 

4th of July: EVE

July 3rd...almost Independence Day!

America Learning Activities:

• Number Maze
• Tracing Alphabet and 4th of July Words 
• Patriotic Stamps
• What Comes Next!?
• Follow Directions with Red, White & Blue Stars
• Maze
• Reading Cards (a little different then the 3 part reading cards)
• Alphabet Maze
• United States Flash Cards (discuss states and where we live)
• Counting Cards with red and blue blocks as markers
• Pre-Writing Tracing
• How many ways can you sort...with red, white and blue buttons
• Art-Firework Painting with Pom-Poms

Pre-writing Practice and Amelia's first Maze:

Following Directions with Stars and our Bald Eagle Puppet we made: 

1st direction: Put the Large Red Star ABOVE the Eagle

2nd direction: Put the Small White Star ON TOP of the Eagle

3rd direction: Put the Medium Size Blue Star UNDER the Eagle

Little Mr. Evan wanting to help Mia stamp the alphabet:

What Come Next...Patterns: We clap and pat AB Patterns

Counting to 20 Dot-to-Dot:

 3 Part Reading Cards: These cards did not having matching words so once Mia picked a picture we would sound out the word and locate the word that began with the same letter. 

How many different ways can you sort these buttons!?

We came up with...1-Colors, 2-Shapes, 3-Round & Straight Edges 

Tracing Patriotic Words: 

 Counting Cards:

 Firework Painting with Pom-Poms and Patriotic Stamps: