From my family to yours, hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Tamara

Toilet Paper Roll Turkey Craft

This toilet paper roll turkey is a simple, but really cute Thanksgiving Day craft. Kids will enjoy cutting out the different color feathers of construction paper and putting the turkey together.

What you’ll need:
•Toilet paper roll
•Red, Yellow, and Orange Construction Paper
•2 Googly Eyes
•Glue
•Scissors

How to make your Toilet Paper Roll Turkey:•Cut feather shapes out of the construction paper. You’ll need 2-3 feathers of each color.
•Cut a small triangle out of orange construction paper for a beak.
•Cut a small peanut shape out of red construction paper for a waddle.
•Cut two feet out of orange construction paper.
•Tape the feathers onto the back of the toilet paper roll.
•Glue the eyes, beak, waddle, and feet to the front of the toilet paper roll.

Discovery Toys has a unique program for Daycares, Early Years Centres, Schools and Home Daycares called the “Helping Hands Toyraiser”. Utica Community Daycare is currently participating in this from now until May 10th, and will be raising approximately $4000, with 100% of the funds going towards brand new educational toys for the school.

The idea is parents get involved in the fundraising, entire families get involved, to help classrooms that would not otherwise have the funding or budgets to buy new toys. The program runs for approx 1.5-2 weeks, with one day designated for a display area for parents to browse & learn about the products. At the end, the school makes a ‘wish list’ for toys they really want and the funds raised from the parents & families involved in the school go towards that school or classroom receiving brand new toys. In addition, DT offers 100% warranty and will replace broken toys at no cost to the school.

DT Durham is able to do approximately 2-4 Toyraisers per month. For interested daycares, please refer them to us via the links below and we can absolutely work with their school one-on-one and make that BIG delivery of brand new toys happen for them!

For more info contact Kerie L McAfee
Discovery Toys Durham
Email: durhamtoymom@gmail.com
Tel: 905-409-1554

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Spring is finally here and the nice weather too! We have been spending as much time as we can outside and I’m always looking for fun things to do with the kids. Here’s a recipe to make your our chalk. Have fun!

Make it Yourself Chalk

1 cup Plaster of Paris
1/2 cup cold water
Candy or popsicle molds
Tempera Paint (powdered is best)
Combine Plaster of Paris, water and tempera paint. The amount
of tempera you add will determine how dark the colored chalk will be.
Pour the mixture into candy or popsicle molds and let dry. Take the chalk out of the molds and use for drawing on the sidewalk. This chalk will be most effective right after taking out of the molds.

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Do your kids like to bowl? We joined a FREE bowling program last summer and my kids really enjoyed it. They are offering it again this year. Your kids can bowl up to two games per day for FREE from June 28th to September 5th at participating bowling alleys. You just have to pay for your shoe rental. They even have a great deal for parents/guardians too. For more details check out Kids Bowl Free

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Egg Carton Shamrock

Cut a cardboard egg carton so that three cups stay together.

Trim the edges so that they are even.

Paint the cups.

Punch a hole in the raised part of the carton.

Cut a pipe cleaner in half.

Lace it through.

Fold it over and twist.

These would be cute for a party with candy inside.

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Four Leaf Clover Hunt

This activity is designed for young children. Spray paint many paper plates green. After they have dried, cut them into clovers as shown. To do that, just cut v’s around the paper plate, then round the corners. Make most of the paper plates be three leafed clovers and only a few be four leafed clovers. To use the clovers, lay them all over the floor. Turn on some “Irish Music” and have the children go on a hunt to find a four leafed clover.

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Baked Oatmeal

Here is another great recipe from KIDZ WORLD . Apparently the kidz at KIDZ WORLD get so excited when they smell it baking and they ask their parents to make it at home too. Can’t wait to give this one a try.

3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350′

Mix together oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. Beat in milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla. Pour into 9 x 13 baking dish.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Scoop into bowl and pour milk over top!

ENJOY!!!

(optional: can add cranberries, choco chips or raisins to mix before baking)

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Referral Program

Calling all providers. We are excited to announce that we will be adding a referral program for providers. If you refer another provider to the site and they place an ad, let us know and you will receive two months FREE added to your current ad. Keep spreading the word about our fantastic site.

We also want to encourage all of you to keep sending in any craft ideas or recipes you may want to share. Just email us at info@durhamregiondaycare.com . We love hearing from you!

The site is finally on our new server and have lots to update on. We will not be doing a “Provider of the Month” for February, but stayed tuned it will be back in March.

I also haven’t had a chance to post any of our crockpot recipes yet, so below you will find our first crockpot recipe. Enjoy! Please be sure to keep sending in your recipes.

Also have a really cute Valentine craft from Activity Village. Please be sure to see what other cool craft ideas, colouring pages and activities they have for Valentine’s Day too.

Lovebug Lollipop Craft

This lovebug lollipop is a perfect little Valentine gift for children to give to classmates or friends on Valentine’s Day.

You will need:

2 large craft foam hearts
2 small craft foam hearts
Chenille stem
2 tiny craft foam hearts or sequins
2 small wiggle eyes
Lollipop
Glue
Double-sided sticky tape

Instructions:

Stick the 2 small craft foam hearts to the centre of each large heart, then stick the two large hearts together so the points overlap.

Use a piece of double sided sticky tape to stick the lollipop to the join of the two large hearts.

Cut a small piece of chenille stem, fold in half and attach at the fold to the lollipop with a small piece of double sided tape. Stick a tiny heart or sequin to each end of the chenille stem.

Stick the two wiggle eyes to the lollipop.

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Mock Lasagna sent in by Kristy Renee of Kristy Renee’s Kids

1 10 oz pkg. broad lasagna noodles broken into bite-size pieces
1 lb ground meat of choice (really good with pork, but anything will do)
1/2 lb Italian sausage (I use build sausage and squeeze it out of
casing, but you can also use slices)
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
12 ozs mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 12oz carton cottage cheese
2 6oz cans tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tbsp dried parsley flakes

Cook noodles according to package directions until tender; drain.
Brown ground beef and sausage. Drain. Place in lightly greased
crockpot. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir to mix thoroughly.
Cover. Cook on low 7 to 9 hours or high for 3 to 5 hours.

When it is cold and snowy outside, kids can make this ice rink craft for their action or fashion dolls to enjoy!

You will need:

Card (we used one side of an old box)
Kitchen foil
Cotton wool balls
Glue

Instructions:

Cut a piece of foil to cover your card and glue it on so that the less shiny side is on top. Glue cotton wool balls around the outside.

To make skates for your action or fashion doll stick a craft matchstick to the bottom of each shoe with sticky tack.

For skis, use wide craft sticks (you could use drinking straws for poles too).

Enjoy!

Friendship Picture Wreath for Classroom

This is SO cute. It is the size of a large piece of tag board.
The verse reads:

A wreath is round,
It has no end.
That is how long,
We will all be friends.

To make this you will need one large sheet of white tag board.

Take a large bowl and lightly trace a circle onto the middle of the tag board.

Have the children dip a plastic pop bottle into the paint and stamp around the circle to make a wreath. This is a great project for turn taking. After it is dry, print the words on regular paper and the bow on construction paper. Cut out the words and bow and attach them to the tag board as shown. Cut
out the circles. Print and cut out SMALL photos of the children. Attach them to the circles and glue onto the wreath. Make sure there is a photo of every child attached to the wreath. Hang in your classroom.

Verse

Bows and Circles

Apple Cinnamon Dough

1 cup ground cinnamon
1 cup applesauce
Mix applesauce and cinnamon together until you get a clay-like consistency.Roll out with a rolling pin or create shapes with your hands.. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.
Add glitter for fun!!
Let your creations dry on cookie racks. Store unused dough in air tight containers.

Have fun!

Tamara