They become so excited when they notice that they have cut a shape out and they like to build objects like houses with those shapes. My 3 year old also enjoys printing letters and cutting those out.

I will draw shapes on paper for them to cut, however they are not quite able to follow the shape with scissors yet. Still, it is great for them to practice following the shapes and fun as well!

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• broken crayon pieces that are less than 1 inch in length
• disposable cupcake tin – you can find these in fun shapes as well! Make sure the tin is able to go in the oven.
• Non-stick cooking spray.

Directions:

• Heat oven to 300° F
• Remove paper from crayon pieces.
• Spray tin with non-stick cooking spray.
• Fill each tin shape half way with crayon pieces
• Bake for about 6 minutes. The crayons should just be melted enough to hold its shape. Especially if you are using more than one colour you don’t want the crayons to melt thoroughly.
• Allow to cool before you using the new crayons.

This is a great science activity for your child where you can discuss what heating and cooling do to wax as well as discuss colours for younger children. Larger crayons are also easier for toddlers to colour with.

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Memorial day is a wonderful day to teach your children about the history of the Civil War and to take them to grave yards to pay their respect to fallen soldiers.

Here are some other activities you may enjoy with your children:

• Teach your child how to properly fold a US flag.
• Have your child make a red, white and blue bracelet or necklace. For younger children this would be a good opportunity to teach colors and patterns.
• Print out printable memorial day coloring sheets for your child to color.
• Help your child memorize a patriotic song or poem.
• Help or encourage your child to write a letter to troops who are currently serving overseas.
• Have your child write an acrostic poem (a poem that has the letters of a word written vertically and you usually begin your sentence using the letter of that vertical word) Example:

F…….
R……
E……
E……
D……
O……
M…..
Other words that could be used are American, Flag, Civil War, liberty

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1. With a white crayon write messages on a hard boiled egg to your children. You can write their names, a loving message, something funny or a scripture.
2. Have the children dye their eggs using a natural dye (safe from toxins!)

• Beet Juice or Cranberry juice will make pink
• Grape Juice will make Lavender
• Orange peels, lemon peels or carrots will make Yellow
• Spinach or grass will make Green
• Blueberries will make Blue

To make your dye This is what you need to do.

1. I a pot add 4 cups of water and 3 tablespoons of vinegar.
2. Add your ingredients to make your colour. The more you use the brighter the color will be. Use 2-4 cups. 1 colour per pot. You can combine ingredients to make a different colour ie. Yellow + Green = Orange. Also a great learning experience for children!
3. Bring water and ingredients to a boil then simmer for at least 30 minutes.
4. Drain the dye into a container.
5. Add eggs to the  the dye, turning eggs over occasionally to allow for even colouring. Leave egg in dye depening on how deep you want the colour.

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