Addie – Addie Dwyer

Author: Addie

Weekly Meal Plan

Posted on 01/22/202401/21/2024 by Addie

Here are the recipes for the meal plan that I shared in the YT video!

Sunday: Mississippi Pot Roast

Monday: Chicken Cordon Bleu

Tuesday: Sausage & Gnocchi Soup – from this cookbook – worth getting!

Wednesday: Taquitos w/ Rice & Beans

Thursday: *LEFTOVERS*

Saturday: Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin (w/ baked potatoes & a vegetable) – from this cookbook too.. lot’s of good recipes in it!

Friday: Quinoa ‘enchiladas’ w/ cornbread – see below – comes out more like a chili

Instructions: Add all ingredients below into a crockpot and cook on low for 3 hours. Then serve with avocado, lime, cilantro, tortilla chips, etc… Can also add shredded chicken if you wish.

1 3/4 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked quinoa

10 oz enchilada sauce

4.5 oz can chopped green chilis

14.5 oz can black beans

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro

New this year I am adding a bear preschool theme, because it is something my daughter is really into right now. I’ve picked some of our favorite books (below) and we are ready to learn! This plan is for my 3 turning 4 year old who is working on mastering her letter sounds. I have also added some options for my 2 year old in case she joins us for learning instead of nap.

Books: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear & Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See – Bill Martin Jr; Bear Says Thank You – Michael Dahl; Bear Snores On – Karma Wilson; Goldilocks and the Three Bears – Robert Southly; Teddy Bears Picnic – Jimmy Kennedy; Blueberries for Sal – Robert McCloskey; Where’s My Teddy? – Jez Alborough; We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – Michael Rosen

Religion focus: Pick a saint to read about each day

2 Yr Options: sort counting bears by color

Language	Color the B worksheet	Introduce Q; sandpaper letter; Goldilocks questions* & Qu worksheet	Introduce K; sandpaper letter; K is for Koala worksheet	Where is the bear? *
Math	Place 10 counting bears on each B from above, then do patterning	10 number sense worksheet – match the counting bears to the picture	Use 2 piles of counting bears to practice greater, less, more, fewer, and equal	Brown bear number practice
Art/Sensory	Bear cookie cutters – use them with play-do or paint stamping	Go on a picnic with 3 bears and teach your child how to set a table	Put a counting bear on a spoon and balance it across the room pouring it into a cup – repeat	Bear bounce*
S/G/H	Learn about the different types of bears and find the countries they come from on a map	Label the parts of a bear and research what they like to eat	Koalas aren’t bears, they’re marsupials. Learn about what makes them different.	Gummy bear science experiment

2 Yr Ideas

Sort counting bears by color

Goldilocks questions – Use the story of Goldilocks to talk about different Q words. What questions were the bears asking? What was on the bears’ bed to keep them warm? Quilt. When Goldilocks fell asleep what sounds were in the house? It was quiet. How did Goldilocks leave the house? Quickly.

Where is the bear? – Get 4 dixie cups and write a letter on each one. I will do B, Qu, K & one of my child’s weakest letters. Place a counting bear underneath one, and have your child say the letter sounds until they find the bear. Repeat as many times as you can before your child bores.

Bear bounce – Place a small blanket on the floor with a teddy bear in the middle. With your child, grab a side of the blanket and toss it up in the air and catch it with the blanket.

Forest Preschool Theme

Posted on 10/18/202310/18/2023 by Addie

We’re adding a forest theme this fall, because it is the perfect weather to get out on a hike in the forest and learn about nature and animals that are gearing up for the winter. This lesson plan was created for my newly turned 4 year old who is working on mastering all of her letter sounds.

Some books we love for the forest preschool theme are: The Busy Tree – Jennifer Word; Baby Animals in the Forest – Editors of Kingfisher; Little Owl’s Night – Divya Srinivasan; We Walk Through the Forest – Lisa Farland

Religion focus: Learn the prayer before meals

2 Yr Old Options: Play with animal figurines, make animal tracks in play-do, collect nature items, match the forest animal, Owl color & size sort

Language	Introduce D – sandpaper letter; color the letter & practice writing the letter on the back of the page (you can dot letters for them to trace too)	Introduce O – sandpaper letter; O is for Owl & Owl Maze	Introduce R – sandpaper letter; Do the racoon, rabbit letter craft	Match animal figurines to the correct letter magnet or flashcard (I also have these). You can print cards if you prefer
Math	Forest animal 10 frame sheet – do numbers 1-9, use acorns or animal counters to fill in	Roll & graph animals – first one to 9 is the winning animal	Count the number of pieces, then build puzzles	Dot rocks with Sharpie #’s 0-9. Have child count and put them in order
Art/Sensory	Fork painted hedgehog craft	Newspaper owl craft	Forest sensory bin – sand, pinecones, animal figures, rocks, acorns, stem of pine needles	Rock painting – you can paint into a forest animal if you want
S/G/H	Learn about the forest layers & talk about the animals that live there*	Types of trees in the forest	Learn about animal tracks & then match them	Pinecone experiment

Forest Layers – This link is to a rainforest, but the basics of the layers are the same. Ignore the animals listed. You can talk about squirrels, foxes, deer, racoons, rabbits, porcupines, owls, birds & bears.

Fall Preschool Theme

Posted on 10/18/2023 by Addie

I love fall learning because there is a such a visual representation for the kids to see in what we are learning about. It’s a great time to get your kids outside and in nature. This lesson plan is for my just turned 4 year old, who is working on mastering her letter sounds. I also have a 2 year old, who USUALLY naps when we do our learning, but sometimes that is not the case, so I’ve added a couple of ideas of things to do with her as well in case she is learning with us.

Check out these 5 fall ideas too for some more fall fun that we have done.

Fall theme book ideas: The Mouse’s Apples – Frances Stickley; The Pumpkin Book – Gail Gibbons; There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves – Lucille Colandro; How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin – Margaret McNamara; Too Many Pumpkins – Linda White; Patty’s Pumpkin Patch – Teri Sloat

Religion focus: Learn the Glory Be

2Yr Options: Fall Printables, fall color pom-pom color sorting (use tweezers for more of a challenge), visual discrimination,

Language	A is for Apple (Since this is a review letter, you can introduce the other A sound – A for acorn)	Introduce F with sandpaper tracing; F is for fall	Introduce P with sandpaper tracing P – Pumpkin & Follow P path to connect the pumpkin	Introduce L with sandpaper tracing; L is for Leaves
Math	Reintroduce 8, then do Tree 10 Frame* (start with 8, then review other numbers)	1-10 fall puzzle	Pumpkin seed counting*	Find the number 8
Art/Sensory	Learn about different apple types; do a taste test	Fall sensory bin – corn kernels, mini pumpkins, acorns, pinecones, leaves	Play hide and seek with a small pumpkin	Collect some leaves and do leaf crayon rubbings
S/G/H	Life cycle of apples & start the rotting apples experiment	Do a fall themed sink or float experiment	Life cycle of a pumpkin	Watch the seasons video & go on a Fall scavenger hunt

Tree 10 Frame – Laminate the printable, then use play-do to create apples or fall-colored leaves that you can add to the tree. Then give your child a number and have them write it to the right of the tree, above the 10-frame. You can make dotted lines for them to trace if they cannot write on their own yet. (Alternatively, you could have them pick the number out of a basket of number magnets or something). Then have them add the number of ‘apples’ or ‘leaves’ to the tree. Finally, use a fall counter, or more play-do to fill in the 10-frame.

Pumpkin Seed Counting – Line a muffin tin with cupcake wrappers and write numbers 0-8 on them in random order (do 4x #8 since it is the focus number this week). Then give your child a bowl of pumpkin seeds and have them count the correct number of seeds into each spot.

Birthday / Unicorn Preschool Theme

Posted on 10/18/202310/18/2023 by Addie

This year I wanted to do a special theme for my daughters birthday, and right now her favorite thing is unicorns (or wunicorns as she calls them)!! So we’re doing a birthday/unicorn theme this week! She is 3 turning 4, so this lesson plan is geared toward that age.

Some books that I rented from the library for this theme are: Rabbits Pajama Party – Stuart Murphy; Happy Birthday, Hamster – Cynthia Lord; Mr. Cookie Baker – Monica Wellington; The Secret Birthday Message – Eric Carle; The Night Before My Birthday – Natasha Wing; A Birthday for Frances – Russell Hoban

Our religion focus will be to start learning the Our Father, and in case my 2 yr old decides to join us for some learning, I have these activities set aside for her: 2-part cupcake puzzle, matching cards, 4-part puzzle,

Language	Review last name letters and trace in sprinkle tray	Write last name on cardboard. Have child trace with glue and add glitter	Write last name on board. Have child use pom poms to erase while saying letter sounds	Case matching cards for first and last name
Math	Introduce #7 – sprinkle tray, math beads, Unifix	Draw a cake base on paper and glue 7 strips of paper for candles. Write 7 in the top corner	Cut out a balloon shape and tape a pipe cleaner string to it. Place 7 beads on the string	Birthday counting #7
Art/Sensory	Color by number	Play-do sensory – candles, cut up pipe cleaner sprinkles, cupcake liners	Unicorn lacing cards	Unicorn scissor practice & Rainbow scissor or tracing practice
S/G/H	Dancing Sprinkles	Discuss how a birthday is every 365 days which is also how long Earth takes to orbit the sun	Blow up a balloon using baking soda & vinegar over a bottle	Learn about Scotland’s history with unicorns

Hope you enjoy these learning activities!!

Easter Basket Scavenger Hunt

Posted on 03/20/202303/20/2023 by Addie

A fun way for kids to find their Easter baskets!!

Every year, we come home from Easter Mass and my kids go on a mad race to find their Easter baskets. It starts with an egg filled with a clue on the kitchen counter, and they run from clue to clue until their Easter basket is found. More detailed instructions are found in this video

How many Easter eggs?

You can do this hunt for kids of all ages, but the hunt may vary a bit. For example, babies up to 2 years might only have between 1 and 4 eggs with clues, and the clues will be very straight forward – ‘dishwasher’, ‘bed’, ‘couch’. The clues are simple, very near each other, and have an adult help them.

Once they get a little older, that 2-3 age range they might advance to 6 clue eggs. The clues will still be pretty straight forward – you could go completely simple like the 2 and under age, or you could take it up a notch by doing a clue like: “where you sleep”. They will still need adult help!

As the age increases the egg clue count and clue difficulty can increase. For 4-5 year olds, think about maybe 8 clues, for 6 and above you could do 10 and increase the difficulty in clue and where you hide them as they get older. My mom was still doing an Easter basket scavenger hunt for us when we were in high-school, and I can tell you it is still one of my fondest Easter memories to this day.

Some example Easter basket scavenger hunt clues

Easier Clues for 2-4 year olds

Where you sleep at night (bed)
Look where you’d store the thing you use to cook an egg (pot/pan drawer)
Where you go to watch your favorite show (couch)
Where you get buckled up (car seat)
Mom and dad go here to let coffee flow, but I prefer hot cocoa (coffee bar)
Milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese and more are kept cool here (refrigerator)
Where you would find your crayons (art supplies)
A special place where only your toys belong (toy box)
Where mom and dad sleep (parents bed)
Where you get your underwear (drawers)

Harder clues for 5-7 year olds

I have prongs and help you to eat, I also help you keep your hands neat (utensil drawer)
I cook things really fast in here, when it’s done a beep you will hear (microwave)
If you open me up you’ll feel the heat, I often cook things on a baking sheet (oven)
Scrub your head, scrub your toes and everywhere in between, when you get out of me you’ll feel squeaky clean (tub or shower)
Some nights I count sheep, in the place where I go to sleep (bed)
First you throw your clothes in a bin, then it’s my job to make them spin (washer/dryer)
Mama sits here to do her work, but I also like to go there to draw my artwork (desk/office)
Add some dish soap and pick my mode, and open me up to load and unload (dishwasher)
If I want my room to look nice and clean, I put my clothes here where they won’t be seen (closet)
It’s always fun to go outside, put on your helmet and jump on me to ride (bicycle)

The riddles or clues can get even harder for 8 years and up. I don’t have that age kids yet, so I haven’t come up with any example clues, but I bet you could find some with a quick Google search if you need some ideas!

Setting up the Easter scavenger hunt

For more in depth steps, make sure to watch this video

Write out your clues
Organize them in the order you want them to be hunted. I like to send my kids all over the place, from one end of the house to the other, from the top of the house to the bottom (unless their babies, then they get clues right next to each other). When you have them in the order you want, keep this as a master list. A master list is key for a quick set up of the hunt and also for if someone gets confused during the hunt and needs a little help in course correction.
Write out (or print) the clues on paper and cut them out into strips, making sure to write the clue number lightly on the back. If you have multiple kids doing the hunt, make sure to label their first initial as well as the clue number to keep yourself from getting confused later on
Get some Easter eggs, and start stuffing the clues inside the eggs, labeling each egg with a sharpie with the first initial and clue number as well
As you stuff and label the clues, organize them into different bags according to the levels in your house. This will make it easier for you when hiding all the eggs. For me, I have 4 bags – 2nd floor, 1st floor, basement & outside.
Using your master list, go around your house and place the Easter eggs where they should be hidden. Remember that you will be working 1 clue backward from your master list – so clue 1 will be handed to your child, clue 2 egg will be placed in the place that answers riddle 1. So for example, clue 1 says “go where you keep your food cold”. That clue will be given to your child to start the hunt, clue to will go in the refrigerator, then so on and so on with the rest of the clues.
Hide the Easter basket in the place where the last clue tells them to go. Make sure that it is hidden enough so that they don’t accidently see the Easter basket when hunting for the other clues.
Hand them their first clue and send them on the hunt!!

At my house, we do the basket hunt as soon as we get home from Easter Mass. The night before, when the kids are sleeping, I will set up most of the hunt, leaving only the starting eggs and the baskets to be set. Then on Easter morning, as we are heading out for Mass, my husband will take them to the car, and when they are out the door, I will quickly go hide the Easter baskets and set the starter eggs in a bowl on the kitchen counter. When we come in the door after Mass the kids see the Easter eggs on the counter, scream in excitement, and start their hunt!!!

When they have all found their Easter baskets, we sit around and go through them, and when they are distracted, Dan sneaks out and lays out the eggs outside for the Easter egg hunt.

I hope this makes sense! Again, watch my Easter scavenger hunt video, that might clear up some questions. Happy Easter!

Lenten Countdown for Kids

Posted on 02/20/202302/19/2023 by Addie

Lent is a time for preparation, and teaching your kids about Lent from a young age will be so rewarding! In this video, I share all about our Lenten family traditions and some ideas to get your kids involved in the Lenten season. I have also made this countdown worksheet so that they have something tangible to cross off or do each day.

There are two different versions. The first is blank, and the second contains prompts. Each has a light purple box for days of fasting, and yellow boxes for Sundays when you do not have to observe the Lenten ideals. You’ll start at the arrow, and spiral in for 40 days to get to Easter. You can cross off the days as you go, use a dot marker, or color them in.

The countdown with prompts is geared toward easy tasks that kids as young as 2 should be able to complete (some with your help). If you have an older child who is giving something up or doing something extra, they could use it to mark the days that they completed their Lenten sacrifice. Adults can also use the blank one to help hold themselves accountable.

On the countdown with prompts, you will see that I have Resurrection Eggs listed for Holy Saturday. Dyeing Easter eggs is a beloved tradition for my kiddos each year, as I’m sure is for your kids too. It’s an activity I like to do before Easter so that we have them all ready to go for Easter. With this fun comes an opportunity to learn and talk about the Easter story. You can find many resources regarding Resurrection eggs if you have not heard of them. We will talk about the stories and symbols as we dye our eggs.

Enjoy this Lenten freebie! I hope that you have a blessed Lenten season.