Preschool Snack Rebus

A rebus is a representation of words using pictures. You can create a rebus for teaching pre-reading skills in books, recipes, even name tags. One of my favorite ways to use a rebus is in our snack area. It gives the kids an opportunity to practice those pre-reading skills, follow directions and have fun.

This activity works beautifully when a second adult is in the class. It gives me an opportunity to be at the snack table monitoring, asking questions and recording observations. The trail mix rebus is on the table for the children to follow instructions. I can also read it as a book during Circle Time.

This recipe is for Ghost Toast. I found this recipe in a book a few years ago and created a rebus for my class to make the Ghost Toast during our Halloween week. I recently ran across a Haunted House rebus book to compliment our Ghost Toast.

Both rebus recipes are different but use the same concept. I created both with the idea that they had to be easy to transport and long lasting. The Ghost Toast rebus was made with regular sized pieces of construction paper taped together. Once they went through the laminator I was able to bend them back and forth (accordion style) to travel easily. I use heavy lamination and they have both lasted longer than 5 years!

Here's the Haunted House book and other rebus themed books:

             

Preschool Snack: Cream cheese water and goldfish

It's no secret, I'm fond of goldfish. They're small, colorful and yummy. When I was planning our beach theme I wanted to incorporate my little fishy friends. Here's how we did it.

I placed a spoon full of cream cheese in each child's bowl. I added a couple of drops of blue food coloring in each bowl and allowed them to stir. They loved watching the cream cheese turn blue exactly like our milkshakes the week before. I came back around and placed goldfish in their bowls of "water".

Some of the students ate the goldfish one at a time by using a single fish to scoop the cream cheese water, and others used the spoon to scoop the fish and water at the same time, before gobbling them up.

The recipe was inexpensive, quick and easy to clean up. My kinda recipe!

Food Fight!

"Eeww, I don't like that!" "Teacher, I'm full!", "But...I'm all done!" This is just a few of my favorite lunchtime conversations. Oh the list goes on and on. I have a kid in my class that eats next to nothing each day. However, I'll sit next to him with my lunch and wouldn't you know it...there's always something in my lunch that pleasing to his hungry eyes. Of course being in the field a while I have my suspicions about why he eats so little. I know the "food fight" will only lead to frustration and aggravation at what's supposed to be a pleasant time of day. So each day I sit next to him, we chat about our day, we look into each other lunch boxes, we chat about our food, he even asked for my corn on the cob today. I said no sweetly with a smile and directed him back to his own lunch. He was unhappy and he let me know it by mumbling something under his breathe.

Yes, even at lunch I am busy teaching. I am teaching my little friend that there are lots of different foods to choose from. I am teaching that eating is not a battle and food is enjoyable. I am teaching he has the right to refuse to eat but regardless of whether he chooses to eat or not our day must go on. And some day soon I'll pull enough food out of my lunchbox for the both of us. And without him even realizing what has happened, he'll have had a pleasant eating experience. He'll have tried something new. He'll have realized he lived to tell about it (good or bad) and quite possibly will take that joy home with him. Until that day, I'll sit next to him and enjoy his company and refuse to take part in a "food fight".