Littles Learning Link Up: October 11, 2016 Craft Highlight- Shape Firetruck on Flame Painting

 Each month you will find:

• A seasonal round-up (toward the beginning of the month)
• A guest post featuring crafts, activities, tips, snack ideas or other early childhood topics. (toward the end of the month)
• Posts where I share what I have been up to with my preschoolers and/or early elementary children (including occasional highlight posts where I share how we used ideas that have been linked up here on Littles Learning Link Up).

Each week, I will host a link up, where you can share either what you have been up to recently, or old posts that may go with the theme.  Feel free to link up more than one post.

Each week I will continue to feature a couple of posts from those that have been linked up. 

I hope you will continue to share your wonderful posts, and I hope you will find something new to try with your child(ren).

It would be great for everyone to stop by and visit the other linked-up posts as well. Check them out, leave some comments, pin those that interest you. Let's make this a real party and socialize with each other.

I first mentioned doing a Littles Learning Link Up Highlight back in December. I had thought it could become a monthly thing. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. However, I am trying to make that a reality. I posted a highlight post last month, and now this one today. Hoping to keep the momentum going. 

A highlight post isn't the same as a feature. With the highlighted post, we will actually be making the craft(s) or participating in the activity. You will get to see how much we enjoyed it, and I will be mentioning any tweaks that I add. Of course I will be linking back to the original post. 

Littles Learning Link Up October Highlight:

Last week I posted my Focusing on Fire Safety Round Up post. You will find 35 fun ideas for learning about fire safety, firetrucks,and firefighters. I decided to take one of the firetruck craft ideas and use it with the preschool class at co-op last week. Deidre from JDaniel4's Mom came up with this nifty Fire Truck Craft with Flame Painting for Kids. The way she painted the flame was ingenious, and perfect for a group of 8 toddlers/preschoolers (with a bit of a tweak). I decided however, to create my own firetruck to come to put out the flames. I have always liked doing shape crafts with young children, so that is the route I went with this craft. 

Here are the instructions for making the Shape Firetrucks:

You will need to cut out the following shapes:

Here are the dimensions of the shapes:

1 red 6 x 3 1/2 inch rectangle

1 red 4 x 4 1/2 inch rectangle

1 white 1 x 2 inch rectangle

1 white 2 x 2 inch square

a 1/2 inch white strip to go along the base of the fire truck

2 yellow 1/4 inch x 4 1/2 inch strips for the ladder

4 yellow 1/4 inch x 1 1/2 inch strips for the ladder rungs

3 black circles, approx 1 1/2 inches in diameter

1 yellow oval, approx 1 inch tall

1 yellow trapezoid, approx 1 1/4 inch wide by 1/2 inch tall

Yarn, approx 5-6 inches. (I didn't measure)

It is simple enough for the children to glue together the fire trucks. First glue the taller red rectangle to the end of the longer red rectangle. Then glue on the windows, lights, white strip, and wheels as shown. I always allow the children to place the pieces as well as they can. I used glue sticks for this first step. Then I used white school glue to glue on the remaining details. 

I placed the glue on the fire truck for the ladder and the hose. Plus I wound up the yarn into a spiral for the children.

These fire trucks were made to come and fight the fires we made as per the directions from JDaniel4's Mom. 

To make the flame painting, you will need:

Red, orange, and yellow paint 

(not sure where the orange paint was in the picture, but as you can see below, we did have some).

Black construction paper

Plastic wrap (saran wrap, whatever you call it)

Some sort of tape to tape the plastic wrap down to the table.

Squirt some globs of paint on the black paper, not too much.

Tape the plastic wrap in place on top of the construction paper.

Deidre from JDaniel4's Mom did not tape the plastic wrap down, but allowed the children to moosh the plastic wrap with the paint. As I had some really young children doing this craft, I thought it was safer, and cleaner to have the plastic wrap taped down.

Allow the child to moosh the paint through the plastic wrap.

Lovely sensory, paint fun with no paint mess. I love how it looks like the flame is shooting all over the place.

While the paint dries, it is a great time to read books on firetrucks, fire safety, and/or firefighters.

(Stay tuned for a list of our favorites.)

When the flame painting is dry, tell the children the firetruck needs to come to put out the fire, and glue the firetruck to the painting.

Don't you love how they all turned out so unique.

What are you doing to teach your children about fire safety this week?

Let's take a look at that review schedule:

I did want to quickly remind you what reviews are coming up here on Tots and Me...Growing Up Together. I posted the review for Heirloom Audio Production's newest release, The Cat of Bubastes the last week of September. Last week I shared my reviews of several of Carole P. Roman's If you Were Me and Lived in. . . books and Everyday Education's Working It Out: Growing Spiritually With the Poetry of George Herbert. The reviews for Middlebury Interactive Languages and CrossTimber will be going live in a couple of weeks. And then in November, my last reviews of this Crew year will be going live. I will be sharing about Homeschool Legacy's Once-a-Week Unit Study; Christmas Comes to America and The Critical Thinking Co.'s Language Smarts Level E.

A few somethings I would like to share with you:

Some fun fall round ups:

First, there was the Apple Fun Round Up.

And then there is the Pumpkin Fun Round Up.

And finally, the Fall Leaves All Around Round Up.

And finally, don't miss last month's Guest Post: Teaching U.S. Geography Through Picture Books.

I am still lining up guest posts. If you would be interested writing a guest post for Littles Learning Link Up one of these months, please leave a comment or contact me via my contact info on my About Me page. I will need to have your email address so I can contact you. I am looking for posts that have to do with young children: crafts, activities, foods/snacks, tips, or other ideas. I am open to suggestions.

Now onto:

Littles Learning Link Up Features

On my last Littles Learning Link Up post, there were 14 wonderful posts linked up! 

I will be picking two randomly selected posts to share, as there were no clicks last week.

Please don't forget to stop by other posts that are linked up. See what catches your eye, stop by, pin the post to a relevant board, and perhaps leave a comment to let the author of the blog know you have been by for a visit. I know I appreciate others commenting and letting me know they have read my posts, so I am sure others do too.

This week's 1st Randomly Selected Post is:

Every Star is Different shared Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Unit.

This week's 2nd Randomly Selected Post is:

Crystal from Sharing Life's Moments shared How to Keep Your Homeschool Student Motivated To Do Their Work.

Join the Party!

I would love to have you join in this week! What sort of activities do you do with your young children? Do you have some favorite activities you would like to share? I invite you to link up below. I will be pinning posts on one of my relevant boards, and I would love to feature some of the activities each week from what is linked up.

Please know I may share a picture from your post and link back to it, along with sharing how we used your idea in our school time. By linking up you are giving me permission to use a picture from your post. I will ALWAYS give credit and link back. Additionally, if you choose to try out any of the ideas with your child, please make sure you give credit where credit is due.

Linky will be open through Monday night, to give me time to check out all the posts and get the Features organized. Please take the time to visit some of the other wonderful posts linked up.

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An InLinkz Link-up