Finklehopper Frog

In our house, reading is the "it" thing.  My 3 year old has so many books, it isn't even funny.  His lovely grandma has been giving him books since he was born, so he has an extensive collection.

We love books that are rhythmic and Finklehopper Frog by Irene Livingston sure hits that one on the head. It flows so nicely, it's hard to miss a beat.  

Sometimes I joke with my son about it by saying,"Finklehopperr, Finklehopper, Finklehopper Frog, that's a silly jogging suit and you don't know how to jog!"  It always makes him smile!

The book is about a frog who decides one day to take up jogging as that is the hot thing to do in his town.  He gets himself a snazzy jogging suit and gets out there to attempt this jogging thing.  The only problem is, he can't get the hang of it and his peers are not so kind about his attempts or his appearance.  One compassionate animal reminds Finklehopper that everyone is not the same and therefore cannot do the same thing but that is ok.

Finklehopper Frog carries a wonderful theme for today's world. The use of bright colors and various animals makes it appealing as well.

I highly recommend adding this story to your own personal library, you won't be sorry!

Puff Paint

I decided to do this project on the fly today and it is seriously cool!  (Or maybe I spend too much time around my kids and am impressed easily, don't judge me.)

This is not only a fun craft project, but also a neat little project that shows reactions. It's also incredibly easy.  All you need is:
-1 Tablespoon self-rising flour
-1 Tablespoon salt
-a few drops of food coloring

-enough water to make a smooth paste (be careful with this part, I accidentally added too much water on the first one and then had to play the guessing game with how much of the other stuff to add to make it smooth)


Mix your ingredients in a bowl and then you are ready to paint.  We used paint brushes but the website I found this recipe on suggested cotton swabs as well.

Paint your pictures on pieces of cardboard (I used the backing of a pack of construction paper and a torn up Panko box.  I may be a hoarder at the beginning level.)

Microwave your painted picture(s) for 10-30 seconds, basically until the paint is puffy and hard. I did 20 seconds for my bigger pictures and 15 seconds for the smaller ones.

*Original recipe from: http://melissagoodsell.typepad.com/day_to_day/2008/01/holiday-activit.html