Halloween, Treats and Food Allergies

If you have a child with food allergies, you know how scary a holiday like Halloween can be, and I'm talking about more than just scary costumes or creepy yards.  Most kids who participate in activities such as trick or treat, trunk or treat or even church harvest festivals will unwrap and pop a piece of candy in their mouth before you even notice.

Last year, I heard about the teal pumpkin project.  Basically, if you have a teal pumpkin outside, it is a symbol that you are offering non-food treats for the kids.   Although I had already bought candy before I heard of this, I thought it was a good idea.   I have a daughter who has struggled with some dye allergies so I can appreciate it when something other than candy is offered.  It's also nice for kids with braces who can't eat the chewy treats.  I did not put out a teal pumpkin because I had candy but I also offered non-food items like spider rings, Play-Doh, sunglasses, etc.  I let the kids decide which bowl they wanted to choose from.  Glow sticks would be another fun alternative and you can get them inexpensively from Dollar stores.  For anyone who might consider participating, here is more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project.

This year,  I'm thinking I will buy some books of Frosty coupons from Wendy's.  A book of  5 Jr. Frosty coupons is only $1.00 and the proceeds go to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.  100 coupons for $20.00 seems like a great deal.  The money goes for a great cause and I think most kids would love a free frosty.

Field trip tips everyone needs to know!

I just finished a new field trip article on the Lesson Plans Plus website.  This is a must-read for anyone who is thinking about planning a field trip.  Let me help take the stress out of planning by sharing my tricks and tips.  I even added a handy checklist to make your planning as easy as can be.   Check it out and tell me what you think.

How to plan a successful field trip.

Tour and Breakfast on the Farm.

While shopping at a farmers market over the weekend, I noticed a poster at one of the tables that said "Breakfast on the Farm".  I talked to the farmer about it and she offered me free tickets to the event.   As it turns out, the breakfast on the farm event is a Michigan State University Extension.   Families get a tour of the farm, learn about milking cows, get to pet a calf, see the farm equipment, take wagon ride, learn where food comes from, eat ice cream and also eat a farm fresh breakfast.  I'm really excited to take my kids to this event.   It should be a really fun learning experience for our whole family.  Breakfast on the Farm is hosted at various farms in Michigan.    If you live too far to take advantage of one of these great events, you could do a search or ask around at farmers markets in your area to see if something similar is offered near you.  I love finding new, fun, educational activities for my family.  Breakfast on the Farm.

Fourth of July Treats!

My sister's birthday is on July 4th and every year we have a family get together for a combined holiday / birthday celebration.  My girls and I are making cupcakes.  I was thinking of doing either red, white and blue cupcakes or a flag cake.   I did some searching and found the best of both worlds, a cupcake flag cake!  So easy and cute!   Cupcake Flag Cake.  

Another cute and easy idea that would be fun for little kitchen helpers is Red, White and Blue Strawberries.  Instead of using white chocolate, you could substitute yogurt instead.  Of course, the yogurt would not harden and you would need to keep it cold.

When I was growing up, my grandma used to make a fun flag cake each Fourth of July.  It was so easy and cute.   She made a white cake, frosted it with whipped cream and then used blueberries and strawberries to make it look like the USA flag.    I was always so impressed with that cake as a child :)  It looked a lot like this flag cake.

My kids and I went sweet cherry picking a couple of days ago and we are also making sweet cherry muffins today.  We'll eat them for breakfast Fourth of July morning.  I'm going to try this cherry muffin recipe.  We're not going to add blueberries this time but I was just thinking you could make them more festive by adding blueberries too.

For those of you celebrating America's birthday, have a fun and safe Independence Day! 

Fun Themed Summer Schedule

Are you ready for summer?  I know I am.  It was a wonderful school year but we are all ready for a nice long break!  Of course, there will be plenty of learning opportunities and adventures but it will be fun!

I want to share a cute and fun themed summer schedule with you.  This is perfect for moms and kids who are home all summer.  Thanks goes to my friend Sarah for sharing this list on another site.

Make-it Monday (building projects with K’nex and Lego's or the wood we have in the backyard for the kids to use in building forts, craft projects, art projects, a visit to the library to learn about artists and inventors and engineering – art and building and invention are big things in our family)

Take a trip Tuesday (the park, a museum, a bike ride, a field trip to a historic place, a factory tour, a picnic, a friend’s house…We often invited other kids or other families along)

Wet Wednesday (swim/go to a splash pad/play in the sprinklers, often with friends and neighbors)

Thinking Thursday (research something from our “wondering list” – a list of things we’re wondering about. Last summer we had a great time finding out how to make yogurt, how cars are made, where baby carrots come from and how monster trucks work thanks to YouTube, Wikipedia and library trips)

Friend Friday (everyone can have a friend over – nice to do it all at once and protect our family time during most of the rest of the week. Plus we always have Family Movie Night on Fridays)

This list is from Power of Moms

Free Homeschool Book on Kindle

I just noticed a free book on Kindle today.  It's called "How To Teach Your Child".  I have not personally read this book so I can't give a review or recommendation but you can't beat free!   I hope someone finds this helpful!  
How To Teach Your Child

Veterans Day

First of all, I want to say thank you to all of our US Veterans!  I appreciate your service...past and present.  My dad was an Army Veteran.  Tomorrow (Veterans Day) would have been my mom & dad's 45th wedding anniversary so it was always an extra special day for our family!    Be sure to say thank you and show appreciation to the Veterans in your life.  My kids made cards for the residents of the local Veterans home.

I also wanted to share a website.  It's geared more for school age kids but parents / teacher's of younger children still might gain something useful from it.   VA Kids

Also, this is a really simple but sweet flag that your child could make and hand deliver to a Veteran that you know.   Veterans Day Flag Note.

The Mailbox Magazine. A Teacher Resource.

Back when I was a newer teacher, I used to subscribe to The Mailbox Magazine.  It was a wonderful resource for teachers,  filled with many cute and fun ideas.   I haven't subscribed to that magazine in many years so I honestly don't know how much it's changed over the years.   Today, I was thinking about how much I used to enjoy that magazine.  I still have a few of my copies from the 1990's!   For those not familiar, it was filled with ideas submitted by teachers.  I went to their website to check it out and they are still offering them today.   You can probably find them on the shelves in teachers stores if you want to page through one but they will likely be less expensive online.   Here is the link to The Mailbox Magazine.

Fun and Cute Apple Themed Treats!

The leaves are just starting to have a hint of color and the temps are getting a bit cooler.  Fall is in the air!  This has me thinking of apples!   Today I was looking for some apple themed treat ideas and I found some cute stuff to try.  Check these out!

The Apple of our Eye Cupcakes from Family Fun


Krispy Apple Treats from Gourmet Mom on the Go


Caramel Apple Cookies (on a stick with no caramel or apples) from The Decorated Cookie


Mini Oreo Apple Pops from The Crafting Chicks

Drowning...please read!

With the hot summer weather many families are enjoying spending time in pools and at lakes.  Please take a couple of minutes to read this article.  Drowning doesn't look like drowning.

Family Friendly Movie Reviews

I enjoy watching movies with my kids but I'm very selective about the movies I will allow my children to watch.    I'm thankful for movie review websites so we can better decide which ones are appropriate for our children.   I wanted to pass along a couple of sites that I've found helpful.

I recently found this movie review website.  It's called Box Office Mom

Another great site that I often use for movie reviews is Plugged In which is by Focus on the Family.

Preschool Lesson Plans on Kindle

We have just completed a new project. In addition to the various other formats, we are happy to announce that our preschool lesson plans are now available on the Kindle. See the link below for more details including a new low sale price of $7.99 (that's less than .29 per lesson!!!). Get it now for back to school learning.

Red, White and Blue Chocolate Dipped Stawberries!

I recently brought home a bunch of juicy red strawberries from the strawberry farm. We've been eating them everyday. I've been making jam, freezing strawberries, making smoothies, Popsicles, etc. I was looking for a strawberry muffin recipe and somehow I stumbled upon a really cool recipe for red, white and blue chocolate dipped strawberries. They are so cute and look yummy too. I think I'm going to give these a try for the Fourth of July. I know my girls would love to help me make them and they would for sure help eat them! Red, White and Blue Strawberries. Enjoy!

Countdown to Christmas

Tis the season to get started on holiday crafts.  The last two years I have made a Countdown to Christmas chain with my kids.   Everyday, starting after Thanksgiving they asked "how many more days until Christmas?"  The paper chain made it easy for them to figure it out on their own.  We made a paper chain on December 1st with one loop for each day until Christmas.  Everyday my kids would tear off one loop of the chain and count how many were left.     I was reading a friends blog and I loved her twist on a Christmas countdown chain.  She is doing a gratitude chain with her little girl.   Check out her idea and enjoy browsing her blog at Finding Calm in the Chaos.

Pick Your Own Pumpkins and Apples!

My family and I enjoy visiting several "pick your own" farms.  It's a fun experience to pick your own produce.   A few years ago, I found a wonderful site that I love!  You can chose your state, decide which seasonal produce you want to pick and get a list of all of the pick your own farms in your area.   Since Fall is in full swing here in the midwest, we are all about apples and pumpkins right now.   Check out www.pickyourown.org to find an orchard or farm near you!   Enjoy!

Preschool and Kindergarten Reading Fun

My girls have been reading books on their own for several months now. Listening to my children read brings me so much joy. During my teaching years and also as a mom I purchased a bunch of the "I Can Read" books. You can choose the level that is right for your child. A few years ago a friend gave me a complete set of Magic Castle Reader books. Her son outgrew them and she knew that we would enjoy them. They are fun and easy for young readers and my girls are currently enjoying reading them on their own. Unfortunately, I noticed that these books are now out of print but I did check and you can find them from Amazon.com or eBay. You may even be able to find them at your local library. Some other fun books that my girls have been enjoying are the Fancy Nancy books and my huge collection of Dr. Seuss books.


We've been joining the library reading club every summer since my kids were three years old. This year it will be even more fun as they do a combination of reading their books to me, to each other and reading quietly. Of course, I still read to them too. I'm sure we'll be doing that for many years to come. I don't think we ever outgrow the enjoyment of sitting back and listening to another person read aloud from a good book. Check your local library to see if they offer a summer reading club. The reading club is great for pre-readers too. It helps keep you & your kids motivated and accountable for reading books all summer long. Summer reading clubs usually begin sometime in June, once most schools are out for the summer.

Fun Easter Crafts, Activities and Ideas (Christian and Traditional)

We were healthy all winter but Spring brought us a round of sickness. Tonsillitis and ear infections for the kids and a cold that turned into a sinus infection for me. The kids are now better and I will be on the mend soon as I finally went to the doctor and started my antibiotics yesterday. I've been sick for almost two weeks and the sinus infection is pretty bad. I was looking at some old blog posts and crazy enough, this time last year we were just getting over being sick too. You can find some True Meaning of Easter Ideas by checking my Easter blog post from last year.

The weather here has been gorgeous. We enjoyed an outdoor Easter Egg hunt last weekend and today we are decorating Easter eggs. I also filled a large basket full of plastic Easter eggs and the kids are having a blast hiding them around the house today and filling them will little toys. I filled our themed book basket with some of my favorite Easter books for the kids to look at and read. About the book basket: I keep a large basket in the living room that I fill with special themed books. These are books that don't stay out all of the time but I bring them out for a week or two and then swap them out for the next theme.

If I can gather enough energy (this sinus infection is the pits!) I am also going to cut out a couple of large Ovals from construction paper (for eggs) and let the kids paint them and tear little pieces of tissue paper to stick onto the painted eggs. An easy but fun last minute art project.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter!

Irish Soda Bread

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day and I found a quick and easy recipe for Irish Soda Bread to share with you. Check out this Irish Soda Bread from Family Fun. This would be a good recipe for the kids to help make. You can find more great St. Patrick's Day recipes by visiting this link to Family Fun.

Fun and Educational Fieldtrips

The snow is still on the ground here in my neck of the woods but spring is on the way. Field trips and outings are wonderful year round but with the arrival of spring, many parents and teachers start getting the itch to take their children on more fun and educational field trips. Lots of people are looking for some inspiration and ideas. I have an entire page of fun field trip ideas for you to check out on the field trips page of my Lesson Plans Plus website. The field trips listed would work well for preschool and elementary aged children alike. Truth be told, field trips are fun for adults too. I'm not sure who enjoys fun field trips more, me or my kids! Check it out: Fun and Educational Field trip Ideas.



If you know of a good field trip that I haven't listed, please share it with us by leaving a comment here on the blog or emailing me at trips@lessonplansplus.com. I'm always looking to add more great ideas to my website.

Cooking healthy and yummy foods with kids!

I enjoy cooking and especially making healthy meals that my kids enjoy. Tonight one of my children requested that I make extra baked potatoes because she loves them so much. My other daughter wanted asparagus. I was happy to cater to their dinner desires tonight.

I want to share with you a new food blog that my friend Kendra has started. She also loves to cook healthy meals for her family. She is a home school mom and enjoys including her children in the cooking process. In addition to her healthy meals recipes, I think you will also enjoy her kitchen school posts where her kids get involved. Check out Kendra's yummy blog. The Queen of Brussels Sprouts.