Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These sweet little guys are the perfect treat after a long day at work.  Soft pumpkin cookies with melty chocolate chips. Yum.

I make these with oat flour (oats that have been run through a blender until they are the consistency of flour), but regular all-purpose flour can easily be substituted 1:1.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp brow sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, honey, and egg with a mixer.  Add in brown sugar.

In another bowl, combine cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and oat flour.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop out dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 6-8 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Pumpkin Donut Holes

This might be my roommate's all-time favorite thing I have made.  Pretty sure he decided his life was complete when these appeared at home one night.

And then I took these to work.  And all the girls thought they had died and gone to Heaven.

Warm donut holes make me happy.  And when there's pumpkin involved, it's even better!

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a 24-count mini-muffin tin with Pam.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and spice with a whisk.  In a larger bowl, combine oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk with an electric mixer.

Slowly stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture and combine.  Don't over-mix!

Spoon about 1 Tbsp of batter into each muffin cup. 

Bake about 10 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let muffins cool in pan about 2 minutes.  Combine sugar and cinnamon in one bowl, and keep melted butter in another bowl.  Dip each muffin in the butter, then in the cinnamon-sugar.

Recipe from Mix and Match Mama

If Your Clothes Have Any Color

Another great song for the beginning of the school year - or any time, really - is this one.  It incorporates thinking about your own body and clothing, color recognition, and listening and following directions.

If Your Clothes Have Any Color (to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It”)

If your clothes have any red, any red,

If your clothes have any red, any red,

If your clothes have any red,
 put your hands upon your head. If your clothes have any red, any red.

If your clothes have any blue, any blue,

If your clothes have any blue, any blue,

If your clothes have any blue,
put your fingers on your shoe. If your clothes have any blue, any blue.

If your clothes have any green, any green,

If your clothes have any green, any green,

If your clothes have any green,
wave your hands so you are seen. If your clothes have any green, any green.

If your clothes have any yellow, any yellow,

If your clothes have any yellow, any yellow,

If your clothes have any yellow,
wiggle like a bowl of jello. If your clothes have any yellow, any yellow.

If your clothes have any pink, any pink,

If your clothes have any pink, any pink,

If your clothes have any pink, close one eye and make a wink. If your clothes have any pink, any pink.

If your clothes have any white, any white,

If your clothes have any white, any white,

If your clothes have any white,
 give yourself a hug real tight. If your clothes have any white, any white.

If your clothes have any black, any black,

If your clothes have any black, any black,

If your clothes have any black,
 pat yourself right on the back. If your clothes have any black, any black.

If your clothes have any brown, any brown,

If your clothes have any brown, any brown,

If your clothes have any brown,
smile big just like a clown. If your clothes have any brown, any brown.

Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake

We went on a really fun wine tasting trip for my friend Joe's birthday.  I knew they had plans for breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the tour, but I wanted to make sure he got a cake...and I wanted to try a pumpkin cake recipe!  Joe failed at gathering breakfast for the group, so we dug into the cake first thing in the morning and everyone loved it!  After wine tasting, we came back and finished off the cake.  You could say this recipe was a hit!

Ingredients:

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 2 boxes instant vanilla pudding
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 3-4 splashes milk
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a bundt pan.

Combine cake mix, puddings, oil, water, eggs, and pumpkin with an electric mixer.  Pour into pan.

Bake 40-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cake rest on counter in pan for 10 minutes.  Invert cake onto serving plate.  Cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, and milk with an electric mixer until creamy.  Stir in cinnamon.  Frost cooled cake.

This cake was perfect for fall.  I can't wait for an excuse to make it again.

Recipe from Mix and Match Mama

Where oh where is my friend?

Last week, one of our songs focused on helping children learn each other's names in a fun way at story time.

This is sung to the tune of "Michael Finnegan."

Where, Oh Where, Is My Friend?

Where, oh where, is my friend (child's name)?

Where, oh where, is my friend (child's name)?

Where, oh where, is my friend (child's name)?

Where could s/he be?

There s/he is! (pointing to child)

Everyone say hello (child's name)

Everyone say hello (child's name)

Everyone say hello (child's name)

We're so glad you're here!

(Repeat for multiple children)

This was a really sweet song that the children had a lot of fun with and I can't wait to see the children continue to enjoy it next week on the patio.

The Sand Area

I got to spend the first week of school in our wonderful sand area.

We were in the middle of a heat wave, with temperatures above 100 degrees throughout the week.

It felt a little like being at the beach.

We have certain materials always available in the sand area, such as buckets, shovels, and cooking supplies.

Trucks are another favorite and are often separation aids for younger boys entering the classroom.

There is so much work being done in the sand area.  Large motor, fine motor, spacial reasoning, problem solving, and social problem solving, just to name a few.

We also have a new slide going from the top of one of our hills right into the sand area.  The children love it!

The sand area at Bing is a magical place.  Even on an unbearably hot day, when a child brings you a birthday cake made out of sand and water, everything is right in the world.

A little more information on our sand area and what is happening there in the life of a child:

Along with blocks, clay, paint and water, sand is one Bing’s five basic materials.  It is an excellent open-ended, malleable material that allows for a myriad of possibilities, including (but certainly not limited to) digging, cooking, pouring, sifting, building, landscaping, irrigating.  While being mindful of our water usage during the drought, we will usually offer water to extend our sand area exploration.  Sand offers both fine and large motor challenges, as well as opportunities for executive function (planning) and collaboration.  For a deeper perspective on Bing sand play, take a look at Center PM Head Teacher Nancy Howe’s 2011 Bing Times article: 

http://web.stanford.edu/dept/bingschool/cgi-bin/bt/october-2011/the-pedagogy-of-sand-play/

It is impossible to reflect on the sand area and not mention the monkey bars.  An iconic playground apparatus, the monkey bars offer children intense large motor practice, including some of the vestibular system focus mentioned in last week’s email.  While we do provide physical support to children who are becoming acquainted with the bars or attempting more challenging moves, we avoid moving children from bar to bar.  When children gain monkey bar skills through their own extended trial and error, their physical competence and growth mindset expands exponentially.  If you spend time at the monkey bars with your child, please ask her to make her own best effort.  Although she might not be overjoyed at your lack of help, the resulting resilience and confidence will be a gift that keeps giving.

Pumpkin Magic Bars

Magic cookie bars are just so good.  They are one of those desserts that are perfect for potlucks because you know they will go quickly and be enjoyed by children and adults alike.  I was a little skeptical about adding pumpkin into the mix, but boy oh boy, it was worth it!  My teaching team DEMOLISHED these during our meeting one week (hence why the only picture I could get was on a paper plate - they were eaten too fast!)

Ingredients:

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon works too)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs with an electric mixer.  Spread in bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, combine milk, pumpkin, and spice.  Pour over cake batter mixture in the baking pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and then coconut.

Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool at least 10 minutes on counter before cooling in the fridge for 2+ hours.

Recipe from Mix and Match Mama

Life Lately

Since returning home, life has been busy and wonderful.  It's good to be back!

On the first day of each quarter, the teachers at my school have a potluck lunch where everyone brings a dish to share and we eat together catching up on everything that has happened during our break.  I was told that it was too hot to turn on the oven, so I made these no-bake cookie dough bars and they were a HIT!

The only problem with these bars is that they killed my trusty hand mixer.  One of the beaters would no longer lock in to place, and it started to smell like it was about to start on fire.  I took this failure or my hand mixer as the opportunity to finally get myself every girl's dream kitchen appliance - a Kitchenaid.  Isn't he pretty?

Once September hits, it's fall in my brain.  Even if it's 100 degrees outside - like it has been ALL week - my brain says apple and pumpkin and FALL.  I declared pumpkin season officially opened with these pumpkin chocolate chip mini-muffins that I brought to school for my team before parent orientation last week.

And of course, with fall and pumpkin comes one of my favorite parts of September, the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte to Starbucks!

My brain might be saying fall, but my body is still saying summer and I'm trying to enjoy the last pool days of the summer!

September also brings with it one of my favorite days of the year - my birthday!  I had a wonderful birthday weekend, ended perfectly with dinner with TDN and two of our dear friends.  Heather made an incredible meal for me.  I am so thankful to have her in my life.

I'm also thankful that she caters so well to my peanut butter cravings.  She made me a chocolate peanut butter cup cake with peanut butter frosting.  It was incredible.  And sent us all immediately into diabetic shock.  But it was worth it.  So worth it.

We enjoyed some time together, some time with friends, some hiking, and some time with Little Max.  TDN thought Littles might want to ride in a Google bike with us.  He wasn't a huge fan, but he was a trooper!

That's life!

Back to School

Bing Nursery School is back in session!  Teachers were on site last week preparing for the new year and the children returned this week.

We are in the middle of a heat wave in Northern California so everyone is trying to have fun and stay cool!

This year is also an exciting one at Bing because it is our 50th Anniversary!  Teachers, administration, and families are excited for the year ahead.

Welcome back, and LET'S PLAY!

Pumpkin Maple Pecan Granola

Fall is my favorite season.  And with fall comes all things pumpkin, which I love.  TDN gets sick of pumpkin by the end of November, but this was one of his favorite fall recipes last year which has been requested to come back into the granola rotation.  It has a nice maple flavor, as well as the subtle, but not overwhelming taste of pumpkin.  I could eat a whole batch of this in a sitting, no problem!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, pecans, spices, sugar, and salt.

In a small bowl, whisk oil, syrup, and pumpkin puree together well.

Pour pumpkin mixture over dry ingredients and quickly mix with a wooden spoon.

Spread the mixture onto your baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring once after about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven when golden brown.  Pour into a large bowl and stir until completely cool.

Transfer to an airtight container.

Recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

With the beginning of the new school year upon us, I try to choose well-known songs for part of my story time plan.  I find that having a song that the children - new and returning - know makes early story times easier.  Many children find it easier to attend when they know the tune, words, and/or actions of the song.

This is such a classic, but it's one of my favorite songs that I can go to in a pinch when I need something to occupy a large group.

Everyone knows the words, but there are many other fun things you can do with this song to extend it.  Some of my favorite ways to mix it up include leaving out a word or two, modifying speed, modifying volume, and using other languages.  My top modification is attempting to sing the song in reverse, which tends to trip up the children, teachers, parents, and myself, and we all end up laughing together to end the song.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes.

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes.

Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.

Head, shoulders, knees, and toes
Knees and toes.

Finger painting

I have two favorite activities in the art area, both of which are despised disliked by many of my colleagues.  One is cooking, the other is finger painting.

Finger painting is messy, really messy.  And it often gets a little crazy.  There are so many things to keep track of - paint, trays (if you're using them), smocks and clips, paper, markers, and colorful fingers.  Somehow, I love the chaos of this activity and the sensory exploration it allows.

There are many great ways to lead a finger painting activity in a classroom like mine, but I'll lay out my most common practices.

In our classroom, a teacher is in a rotation for a week, usually allowing 5 days of a given activity and repeated experiences for interested children.

The first choice to make is whether you want finger painting to be a hands and fingers activity or more of a full-body sensory activity.  To keep this activity a little more contained, many of our teachers choose to use the under side of a plastic tray as the painting surface for each child.  Otherwise, you can use the top of the table, either sectioned off with masking tape (as I've done in the above picture) or with a bare tabletop.

I set up each chair with a smock (and a clip to help the failing Velcro), ready and waiting for an interested child to come over.  Then I squirt a little bit of Crayola Fingerpaint onto the table (or tray) in front of each chair.

I also prepare a stack of fingerpainting paper in a reachable location with a couple of Sharpie markers for making prints of the fingerpainting.  Any time I have a break in the action while children are painting, I write their names on the paper to be prepared.

I start the week using one of the primary colors and switching each day - maybe using red on Monday and blue on Tuesday.  On Wednesday and Thursday, I like to add in a second primary color, as well as white - the white helps darker colors more visible when mixing, especially mixing red and blue to make purple.  On Friday, I use all three primary colors, as well as white.

While children are working, we talk about the colors and their mixing, as well as the different ways children are using their hands and bodies to interact with the paint.

When they reach a point where they are satisfied with their product, I invite them to make a print of their design.  The print goes on the drying rack, they wash their hands and remove their smocks, and I scrape the excess paint off the table to prepare for the next ready fingers.

I hope you can come to enjoy this activity as much as I do!

Quick Coconut Macaroons

Chocolate is one of my great loves in this world, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for it.  When that happens, it's usually because I want coconut.  This recipe is the perfect quick fix for that coconut craving!

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine coconut and flour in a mixing bowl with a large wooden spoon.  Add in salt, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.

Drop scoops (about 2 T) onto parchment.

Bake until lightly brown and toasted (15-20 minutes).

Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe borrowed from Mix and Match Mama

Down on Grandpa's Farm

As a farm girl, many of my favorite songs and stories that I remember from childhood incorporate that lifestyle.  This is one such song:

Down on Grandpa's Farm
Down on Grandpa's farm there is a big brown cow.
Down on Grandpa's farm there is a big brown cow.
The cow, she makes a sound like this: "Mooooooo."
The cow, she makes a sound like this: "Mooooooo."

We're on our way.
We're on our way.
On our way to Grandpa's farm.
We're on our way.
We're on our way.
On our way to Grandpa's farm.

**Repeat with other animals and sounds.  I always try to include animals that may show up in the keybook.**

Story Time - The Otter Who Loved to Hold Hands

This summer, we have been focusing our curriculum around a "water" theme, which works well since water is one of our basic materials.  In addition to having water available in multiple areas of the classroom, we have also chosen keybooks and songs that incorporate the water theme into our group story time.

I chose to read The Otter Who Loved to Hold Hands by Heidi and Daniel Howarth, a sweet book about a young otter who is afraid to let go of his parents.  This is a great book for children adapting to the new situation of being in school and separating from their parents, maybe for the first time.

With this book, I chose three songs to complete our story time.  The gathering song was "Everybody Have a Seat."  I then taught a song that incorporates rhythm and counting with several well-known nursery rhymes:  "Oleanna."  My final song was "Five Little Otters Went Out to Play," a modification of the popular "Five Little Ducks Went Out to Play."

Quick Candied Walnuts

Candied nuts are another of my weaknesses.  There's just something so satisfying about the sweetness and the crunch and the savory nuttiness all rolled into one.  AND you can add them to a salad, making any salad that much more satisfying.

I kept forgetting to pick up more candied pecans at the store - or regular pecans, couldn't remember those either - and I needed nuts for a salad I was planning.  I did have a huge bag of walnuts in the pantry - for granola purposes, of course! - so I set out to make my own candied walnuts.

What a satisfying experiment!  They were simple and perfectly delicious, one of my favorite combinations.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup walnut halves and pieces
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Instructions:
Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on a counter or baking sheet.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add walnuts, sugar, and butter.
Heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until all sugar is melted and nuts are coated.
Transfer immediately onto parchment and spread the nuts apart with a spatula.
Let the coating harden for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a bowl or container.

What's Up Wednesday

This week I'm trying out "What's Up Wednesday," a linky party that one of my favorite bloggers participates in.

1.  What we're eating this week...

This is my last week in South Dakota for the summer, so I'm trying to make sure I eat all my favorite Midwestern things before I go.  

My favorite breakfast treat of all time comes from the Royal Bake Shop in Centerville, SD.  They are most well known for their "zebras" - a thick glazed donut with a layer of chocolate donut in the middle.  Zebras are great.  However, not my all-time favorite.  That title goes to their filled maple sticks.  Yummm!

This little treat is a long-john filled with a maple cream and topped with mapley, crumbley goodness.

Next on the list...

On Monday I finally got my Taco John's fix.  Every time I come back to visit I crave some potato ole's!

There's also the good old-fashioned Midwestern comfort foods - basically anything Grandma makes!

2.  What I'm reminiscing about...

While I've been back at the farm this summer, I have been going through the house and purging all the crap that has accumulated over the last 130+ years.  I have found a lot of junk, taken a lot of things to Goodwill, and found a few treasures along the way.  Just yesterday I found some school writings and art projects of my grandpa's from 1937 and 1938.  Reading his papers, and just seeing the way he signed his name again has brought back so many memories of my first best friend.

3.  What I'm loving...

Bachelor in Paradise!  It's my favorite trashy TV show and guilty pleasure.  And right along with it come Sheaffer's weekly recaps!

I laugh so hard during the show, then on Wednesdays I get to laugh at it all over again when I read her take on the week's events.  

Normally I watch every episode of Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise with my friend Heather, then we read the recaps together after.  We love the nicknames and comment on so many of the same things that show up in the recaps.  Having been out of town for nearly two months, she and I have had to settle for texting each other after we've confirmed we've both watched the show (different time zones are a pain), and for reading the recaps together.

We'll be back together for it next week though!

4.  What we've been up to...

We just finished our county fair, where my family was named the 4-H Family of the Year!

It was so much fun to be back at the Turner County Fair for The Four Best Days of Summer!  I grew up going to the fair every year and spending all week there.  We showed sheep and always tried to outdo our total number of head from the year before.  It was fun - but a little strange - to be there for the sheep show without having any sheep of our own to show!

I've gotten to spend so much nice time with my family this summer, but the fair last week also gave me a chance to spend time with my "fair family" - those people that become like parents and siblings because of the amount of time you spend with them in the barn.  Papa Flint is one of those people that I've known for so many years and he has always been like another father to me.  I know that he and his family will always be there for me in any situation.

We can goof around and have fun just like I do with the rest of my family.  Papa Flint still likes to give me a hard time about having a bony butt when I was growing up, so I had to sit down on his lap and see if anything has changed.  This picture was snapped right as he was tickling me!

5.  What I'm dreading...

Packing!  I've been in SD for 6 1/2 weeks now and I'm finally going home on Saturday!  I'm happy to be going home, but I'm dreading having to get everything packed back up into my suitcase!

6.  What I'm working on...

Since everyone in my family teaches, this is a busy time of year for us.  I helped Baby Sister set up her classroom for the first time, and then yesterday morning I helped my mom get hers ready for the start of the new school year too.

While going through her things, we came across this gem:

Wasn't I a cutie? :)

7.  What I'm excited about...

This week marks my dad's third round of chemo for his neuroendocrine cancer.

When we finally figured out what type of cancer it was, the prognosis wasn't good.  He decided to try chemotherapy anyway, in the hopes that it will do a little bit of good.

After two rounds, the oncologist ordered a PET scan, which happened last week.

We got the results on Monday morning and they were much better than we ever could have expected!

He's still going to complete his planned four rounds of chemo, then they will scan again.  The chemo probably won't be able to kill everything, and he probably won't be "cured," but it's working and we'll take that!

8.  What I'm watching/reading...

I just finished reading The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling.

I'll be honest, it wasn't my favorite.  It took me a long time to read it.  But it did have really great parts, as well as the beautiful language I've come to expect from Rowling.  The character development was also incredibly well done.  However, it was a bit of a slow read for me, partly because the narrator changes with each chapter, requiring me to mentally change gears more than I otherwise would have.

I've been working my way through Gilmore Girls on Netflix and am obsessed.  I would watch it all day if I could.  I watched the show growing up, but had never gotten even close to watching every episode, so it has been fun to go through them in order!

I'm also finally finishing Sherlock, the BBC miniseries.  I watched the first two seasons right after they aired, and simply forgot to watch the third, so I'm finishing it tonight!

9.  What I'm listening to...

Since I'm driving my grandma's '94 Ford Escort while I'm here this summer, and I'm spending so much time in the car with my dad, I've been pretty much restricted to whatever is playing on the two country radio stations we have!

10.  What I'm wearing...

The weather has cooled off a little bit here, so I've actually been able to wear jeans and boots for the first time all summer!  The problem with this weather is that I didn't bring home any jeans to wear with my boots, so I had to dig out some jeans that were still hanging around from my sophomore year of high school!  To my surprise (and enjoyment), they fit!

11.  What I'm doing this weekend...

I'm hoping to spend time with one of my SD best friends Friday night for a night out dancing before heading home.

Saturday will be spent flying!

And then, if plans don't change, Tall Dark and Nerdy and I will head up to Tahoe for Saturday evening through Monday!

12.  What I'm looking forward to next month...

My birthday!

13.  What else is new...

Counting down the days until I am back with my wonderful partner and my dog!

The Old Grey Cat

Sometimes I like to incorporate games into story time.  The way I play this game gives the children another opportunity to participate, as well as an opportunity to work on self-regulation and memory.  In this game, children must remember which houses have already been checked and guess a new color.

The Old Grey Cat:
The old grey cat is sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.  The old grey cat is sleeping by the house.The little mouse is hiding, hiding, hiding.  The little mouse is hiding in the house.
(Hide mouse inside one of the houses)The old grey cat is waking, waking, waking.  The old grey cat is waking by the house.

The old grey cat is looking, looking, looking.  The old grey cat is looking for the mouse.
If you think that you know, you know, you know, if you think that you know, raise a quiet hand.(Ask children which house they think the mouse is in)
The old grey cat is looking, looking, looking.  The old grey cat is looking in the _____ house.(Spoken) Little mouse, little mouse, are you in the _____ house? (Open door.  If mouse is in there, go to next part; if not, repeat "the old grey cat is looking" until the mouse is found.)The little mouse is running, running, running.  The little mouse is running away from the cat.  

(Repeat game as time allows.)

I don't always do all the verses, picking and choosing as necessary.  For example, if many children want to participate and they are self-regulating well, we go through quickly to get more guesses in and to hide the mouse several times.  If the group is new to this game or style of game, I may do more singing and only hide the mouse once.

 *I drew the mouse from the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to use in this game, creating a nice tie from this last song/game right into the story I was reading at the time.*

It's the little things

As teachers, we put a lot of time, effort, and thought into the way we present our classroom to the children that join us.  We try to think through curriculum choices so that the environment is engaging and open for exploration.

We set up each table and area of the classroom to provoke children to come over and engage if they so choose.

We also have practices that may seem silly from the outside, but we feel they help us in our constant pursuit to treat children as honored guests.  One such practice is always trying to have our materials and supplies organized and presented neatly - like keeping colored pencils in rainbow order.

Inside and outside, take a peek and you'll find areas set up for exploring and learning all around.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I love pie.  And I don't mind making pie - except for the crusts.  And it just so happens that I was told by my mother many times growing up that homemade pie crusts aren't worth the work.  Sometimes I still try to rebel and make my own crust, but I also usually have a pre-made crust in the freezer for the occasion when I need pie and don't want to attempt - and fail - at making a crust.

This day was one such occasion.  I am well overdue in posting this, as I made this pie for pi day (3.14).  I woke up in the morning and realized I had forgotten to get pie supplies at the store to make the cherry pie I had planned, but I wouldn't be a true nerd if I didn't always make a pie on pi day.  I came across this recipe and knew it would do the trick.

This was quick, simple, and delicious with just enough crust to balance out the gooey chocolate chips and soft cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (if frozen, thaw completely before using)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (12 Tbsp)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Beat eggs in large bowl on high speed until foamy.  Beat in flour, sugar, and brown sugar.  Beat in butter.  Stir in chocolate chips.  

Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. 

Cool on wire rack.  Serve warm.