{FREE} Patriotic Game: Search America!

The 4th of July is just around the corner, and we have been having fun with our new game: Search America!  And the best news is...I'm sharing it for free!  I hope you enjoy it as much as we are!!

You can play it like we have (the rules are copied below), or you can use the pieces to play memory.  You can even glue one set to a manilla folder and use another set to match them in a file folder game.  The sets are color and number coded so you can use it for counting or to play games like Uno or Skipbo. The ten symbols are often associated with the United States of America and American history--I included a page with a short description of each picture at the end of the file!

Print the pieces on cardstock, cut out the cards, and have fun!  I'd love to know if you're enjoying it!  Feel free to share this with your friends, on your blogs, on Facebook, etc.  Please remember to link to this post, and not the actual file!  Thanks so much!!

Click here to download Search America! for free! 

How to play Search America!:

Search America! play is similar to Go Fish rules.

1. Shuffle the cards and deal each player five cards. Place the remaining cards in a pile in the middle of the players, face down.

2. The first player looks at his hand and places any pairs face up in front of him. Then he chooses one of his remaining cards and asks another player for a card that matches it (For example, “Mom, do you have any flags {or 1’s}?"). If that player has the requested card, he must hand it over. If he does not have the requested card, he says, “Search America!” and the first player draws a card from the pile in the center. The first player places any new match in front of him. Play continues to the left.

3. At the beginning of each turn after the first, draw as many cards as necessary in order to begin the turn with five cards in your hand.

4. When all cards in the middle have been used up, the game is over. Whichever player has the most pairs wins!


Happy Educating,
Carla

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Rainbow Colored Pasta Beading

Beading is such a fun way to reinforce patterns and colors, let children strengthen fine-motor skills while designing and creating, and provide a fun and engaging sensory experience!  A couple weeks ago I shared how to easily color your own pasta.  You can do this with any shape, but one of the reasons we used bead-like noodles was so we could make necklaces. 

 Simple Supplies:

* Your own rainbow colored pasta (or other beads!), separated by colors

* String or yarn

* Scissors to trim the yarn

 

 

Easy How-to:

1.  Cut a piece of string or yarn about two feet long.

2.  Tie one end of the string or yarn to a bead to prevent the rest of the beads from falling off the string.

3.  If you're using yarn (or string that will unravel), wrap a piece of tape tightly around the other end so your child can thread the beads easily.

4.  If your child has never beaded before, show her how to slide a bead on the string.  Then keep her company and talk with her while she works.  This is a great time to use color, pattern, and counting vocabulary!  Just remember to let your child be the artist!  ;)

5.  When the string is full, tie it off for your child; or, if your child can make knots, let her tie it!

Wear it proudly!  I've had boys and girls 1-5 years old love this project...and they'll love it even more if you'll make one too!

Happy Educating, Carla

 I may share at any of these parties!

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Happy Sad Tube

Preschooler and toddler emotions are like a roller-coaster--they can switch from happy to crying, and back again, in an instant!  We had this Happy Sad Tube on our counter for months, and pulled it out to sing Smiles (by Daniel Taylor) whenever one of these roller-coaster moments came.

Making a Happy Sad Tube is easy--simply use the image above as a guide to place stickers on a paper towel tube.  One minute it's smiling, flip it over, and it's sad...sound familiar?  Flip it back over, and it's happy again!

Here are the lyrics to Smiles:

If you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay.
Quickly turn it upside down and smile that frown away.
No one likes a frowning face.  Change it for a smile.
Make the world a better place by smiling all the while.



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Flying Butterfly Balls Craft

These butterflies only actually fly if you give the ball a little throw...but everyone loves to help a butterfly fly!

After we made Stained Glass Butterflies (from Mama of Many Blessings), my daughter began designing Butterfly Balls.  She loved telling me what supplies we needed, and what to do at each step!  The finished butterflies fly too--you can throw them or hang them up in the window!!

Simple Supplies:

* permanent markers

* saran wrap

* aluminum foil

* masking tape

Easy How-to:

1- Tape a piece of saran wrap about 8" x 10" to the table.

2- Draw 8-9 butterflies on it with your darkest permanent marker.

3- Let your child design the butterflies and color them in.  Remember that pushing hard will tear the saran wrap (though small tears will be invisible).

4- Let your child wad a large piece (about 10" x 17") of aluminum foil into a ball.

5- Carefully remove the tape from the saran wrap.

6- Carefully wrap the saran wrap around the foil ball.  It will stick to itself.

Ta da!  All done!

Happy Educating, Carla

I may share at any of these parties!

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Sharing Saturday: Father's Day Gifts!

Today, we are celebrating our wonderful dad's for Sharing Saturday!!  I'm excited to share four ideas for Father's Day gifts from around the internet.  If you were featured, feel free to pick up a button from the sidebar!  Here we go...

<div align="center"><a href="http://PreschoolPowolPackets.blogspot.com" title="Preschool Powol Packets" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j368/cmg38/SharingSaturdaybutton.jpg" alt="Preschool Powol Packets" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Lotus Rock has instructions and tips to make these awesome Footprints in the Sand!  Check it out here! 

Keeping It Simple has instructions to make this fun and personalized t-shirt for Dad!  Check it out here!

Twinkle Toes De Lux has tips and instructions to make this adorable photo collage for Dad!  Check it out here! 

Life in Wonderland tells how she and her kids made this fun neck-tie shaped treat for Father's Day!  Check it out here!

Many thanks to these talented women and their awesome blogs!  Happy Father's Day!!  Do you have any plans already?  I'd love to hear about them!  Feel free to share links to your Father's Day related posts in the comments and/or link them up in our next Teach Me Tuesday linky party!!




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