Truffula Trees Number Hunt and color sort

Your kids will love these Dr. Seuss Inspired activities.  Hide the Truffula tree number cards around the house and send your kids on a number hunt.  I included numbers 1-20.  You can use all of them or for younger kids up to 10 works well.  

After have them put the number cards in order.  

 You can use Truffula Seeds (sweetart jelly beans) and place the correct number on jelly beans to match the number on the card.  To make it even harder have them place the correct number and color on the card.  We went up to 6.  

 For my little guy we sorted by color only.  I gave him a handful of seeds and he placed them on the correct color.  The jelly beans aren't the exact color but they are close enough to work :)

 I also included a recording sheet which is a great way to practice hand writing and number formation.  Place it on a clipboard and let them carry it around while they search for numbers or use it after all the numbers are found.

Adorable clip art from  Dressed In Sheets and front from Kimberly Geswein Fonts 

Green Eggs and Ham Letter Match

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you use my link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, thank you for your support.

It's Dr. Seuss week here at The Cozy Red Cottage! We have lots of fun Free printables and ideas for you all week long.  

The first Free Printable is the cute Green Eggs and Ham letter match.  Your little one will be matching upper and lowercase letters.  Have them tell you the sound it makes after a match is found for some letter sound practice.

Having all of the cards out may be a little overwhelming if you have little ones that are just learning letters.   Letters can be tricky and there are so many to remember.  Maybe only use half of the cards or even 5 or 6 at a time so they can work on a few at a time.

Download below and print on cardstock.  Cut cards apart and you are ready to play!  Don't forget to read Green Eggs and Ham.

Download Free Printables here

Adorable graphics from JolieDesign and fonts from Kimberly Geswein Fonts

Come Follow Me: Matthew 6-7 (February 25-March 3)

It has been a crazy week and I hope this post makes sense.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask :)  These ideas work well for families and primary classes.  You can find the free downloads at the end of this post.  There are a couple of ideas shared from past posts that you will need to click on those links to find the downloads for those activities.

I had a hard time picking a topic this week.  The Sermon on the Mount could easily be studies for weeks!  There are so many topics in these chapters.  As I was reading through the manuals both emphasized that different themes will stick out to us depending on what's happening in our lives.  I really wanted to make sure we didn't miss something that may be important to my children so I'm doing things a little different.  We are doing an overview of the chapters and then I'm letting them pick a topic to study a little more in depth. Update: I just read this article and thought it fit perfectly with this.

Superhero treasure hunt.  We are going to start with the quote page and then give the first clue to find the 1st superhero.  

This part can be done a few different ways depending on the age of your kids-1. read and talk about the different topics written on the superhero, 2. read the scriptures that correlate with each topic 3. Use the video clips on LDS.org and play each section as you come to each hero.

After you are done with your discussion give the next clue and continue.  

I included 9 topics-if there is one I missed that you would like let me know :) Use all of them or just a few of them.  Finish up with a clue that leads to a little treat and discuss how following Jesus helps us to be "super" people.  I know its a stretch but sometimes its silly things like this that they remember.

To create your game print and cut around each person.  I did include a black and white option for those wanting to save on ink or you can use them as a coloring page.  I did not include clues-I'm terrible at writing them and every home or church is different. 

Another way you can do this is hide them around the room and hunt for them if you don't want to do clues and this saves a lot of time.  You can also talk about each one on a different day and add your superhero under the quote page.  This makes a great visual reminder for the week.

UPDATE: I've now included a list of scriptures that coordinate with the superheroes.  You can cut them out and glue to the back or just write them down.  When choosing these words I wanted them to be something younger kids understand and I needed something short that would fit on these cute heroes :) I know some aren't perfect but I think they work.  There are a couple I wanted to explain my thinking-

1. Follow the prophet-the actual verses talk about false prophets.  We are going to talk about some of the things our prophet asks us to do and how we can know it comes from Heavenly Father.  

2. treat others kindly-comes from last weeks chapters but we didn't have a chance to talk about it so I added it :)

3. CTR-these verses are about alms/good works. we are going to talk about choosing the right even when no one is watching.  

If you have any questions on any of these please ask. Sometimes my train of thought is a little scattered and might not make a lot of sense haha.

We are really going to focus on letting my kids pick a topic for the week.  I made these little cards that they can use to write (or draw) what they learned this week.  For example one person might pick fasting.  They would write the scriptures that go with this theme and then add a few things they learned about this topic during family discussions or on their own.  I love these for our journals we are doing this year.

You can even let them plan an FHE or Devotional for your family based on the topic they picked.  I included some planning sheets for them to use-I have a kid that loves this kind of thing.  I did see a cute idea where a family picked a topic each week and a superhero came to visit and teach the family what they learned.  One example was "media man" came and taught the family about watching appropriate show and movies.  I thought this could be a fun tie in to the treasure hunt idea and who doesn't love dressing up.

Wise man and the foolish man activity.  

"The power of the Savior’s teachings to His disciples can change our lives, especially when we live by them. Then His words become more than words; they become a sure foundation for life that, like the wise man’s house, can withstand the world’s winds and floods." (I & F)

 There are so many ways to use this story to teach the importance of acting on the teachings of our Savior.  

I included a house template for you to make 2 mini houses.  (black and white one can be colored or print on colored paper). 

Cut on the solid lines and fold on the dotted lines.  tape the box together.  Cut out the roof and tape it to the box.

Here's what it looks like from the back.

 I didn't have any sand or a rock so we are going to use flour and a block.  I also didn't want a gooey mess so we are using a butter knife instead of water.  

Scoop some flour in a cup, pack it in, and dump on a cake pan.  

set your house on top

Use a knife to poke and move the flour around

watch it crumble and eventually the house will fall over.  Try the same thing with the block/rock.  The knife isn't going to do much to it and the house should stay in place.

I have a ton of lesson helps that go with this topic (found Here) including a cute interactive story board that can be used while you read the scriptures or sing the song.  You can also use blocks or jega to teach the concept of needing a strong foundation and what happens if we don't.

If you want to discuss prayer more in depth you might like this fun prayer sandwich object lesson found here.

and I did include this fun prayer activity in this weeks download.  Cut the page of cards apart, fold and put in a bowl.  Print the blank face and the hands.  cut the hand out.  As you draw a card talk about what you do with that body part during the prayer.  For example eyes-we close them.  Then have someone draw eyes on the girl.  The hands are glued or taped on like in the picture below.

I hope you found something helpful. I would love to know how you use any of these activities or any ideas you came up with to teach your family or primary class.

Download the lesson helps here

Adorable graphics from Melonheadz, Krista Wallden - Creative Clips,  Mather's Music, Creating4 the Classroom,  and Fonts by Hello Literacy

a quick note

I'm running a little behind today but just wanted to let you know the next Come Follow Me lesson will be posted tonight!  See you in a little bit :)
-Crystal

Mardi Gras Masks

I love celebrating different holidays with my kids. Last year we had monthly calendars with fun

holidays to celebrate almost every day. Its a great way to break up the routine and make some

memories. Mardi Gras is one of those holidays that you and your kids might love to celebrate.

Mardi Gras officially starts on March 5 this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate a little early.

These printable masks from Personal Creations are perfect for a DIY costume or pretend play idea!

To throw your own Mardi Gras bash at home, gather some plastic beads to throw to each other, play

some fun music to dance to and wear these masks to complete your look. Your little ones can have

a blast while learning about the official Louisiana holiday. Deck out the house in all things purple,

green, and gold and eat some traditional King’s Cake.

Along with classic Mardi Gras designs to choose from, there are also printable masks for other

occasions including a beautiful flower mask, a powerful superhero, and a dainty butterfly.

Personal Creations even included some black and white templates so your kids can color their

own masks and decorate as they’d like. This craft is the perfect activity to do at home and you’ll

end up with some great dress up accessories for the next celebration.

Head over to Personal Creations for instructions and download these adorable masks!

You can also check out our fun holiday preschool board on Pinterest for some more Mardi Gas ideas!

Come Follow Me: Matthew 5, Luke 6 (February 18-24)

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you use my link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, thank you for your support.

I'm so excited for this week and these activities!  We are taking about the Beatitudes and being a light to the world.  These activities are great for your family or primary class.  

This first activity goes with Matthew 5:3-11 (the Beatitudes).  We are going to play a fun file folder game where we match the Christlike quality with the blessing.  I wanted even the littlest to be able to play so I made two different boards.  One is color coded so even if they can't read yet and this is probably way over their heads they can still match up the bee to the hive with the same color.  Read the words and this can be a great review for you or older children.  If you don't have super little ones there is the second option with only yellow hives.  Help your children read through the scriptures and match the quality to the blessing as you read each verse.

If you want a good breakdown and easy explanation for one check out this post-here

Next is a craft project or you can use it as a coloring page.  First pick one of the attributes you would like to work on for the week (peacemaker is a really good one for all ages).  Write the word at the bottom of the page.  Then you can color, glue little yellow scraps to the hive, or paint dots with a pompom (I like to attach it to a clothespin).  For extra cuteness make little fingerprint bees flying around your page.  Dip finger in yellow paint and make a finger print on your page.  Once it dries use a black marker and add the stripes and face. (I'll add pictures soon!)

Next we are going to talk about being a light to the world.  Check out this past primary lesson post for stories, a craft idea, and activities.  Found here

I did include the light bulb match game in this download and changed the background to white instead of gray.  Print 2 on cardstock and cut apart.  Play like a regular match game except these ones have numbers on them (not pictured).  Once a match if found ask the coordinating question.

I also though it would be fun to play glow in the dark hide and seek.  Give everyone a glowstick to put around their wrist and turn out the lights.  Play just like regular hide and seek.

This week we are going to think of something we can do to "let our light shine." Your kids can write or draw their idea on the blank space and color the picture.

The last idea for this week is a fun roll and cover game.  Talk about what it means to be a peacemaker vs a peacebreaker.  Print the board game.  Take turns rolling a dice.  Draw and answer one of the question.  All of the questions give a scenario and ask what you do (to be a peacemaker).  Once the question is answered cover the number from the dice.  Example if you roll a 4 cover one of the hearts with the number 4.  You can use cheerios, candy, hearts, blocks, cubes, etc.  If that number is already covered you can roll again or just add an extra cover to that number.

That's all for this week.  I'd love to hear what you've been doing with your family or primary class. 

Download here

Valentine Don't Eat Pete (monsters and llamas)

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you use my link, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, thank you for your support.

You may have noticed we love the game Don't Eat Pete.  Its a fun game that kids LOVE to play.  I mean who doesn't love candy?!?  But it also teaches sharing, working together, taking turns, and so many other social skills. I've included 2 different boards today that work with a Valentine theme.  They may not seem like the obvious choice for a Valentine's Day theme but who doesn't love llamas and adorable monsters.

If you've never played here's a quick how to:  Print off the board game...cardstock works best.  Place one piece of candy (candy corn, m&m's, Cheerios, or whatever you have) on each llama.  Send one person to out of the room and quietly decided which one is going to be Pete (or Val) for that round.  Lets say you pick the one in the center.  Have the person come back into the room and eat one of the pieces of candy off each character UNTIL they pick up the one chosen as Pete (in this case the one in the center).  When they pick up this candy everyone yells "Don't eat Pete!" and their turn ends.  Add candy to the ones taken on the last turn and play as many times as you want picking a new Pete each time. 

I've also included a sweet Monster Edition of Don't Eat Pete because there are some cute monster books that go perfect with Valentines.  We have The Tickle Monster but  Love Monster would also work perfect.

Print and you are ready to play

Download Here

You may also like Valentine's Day Bingo

Adorable graphics from Krista Wallden - Creative Clips and Teacher Karma 

Cooking with Kids and Checklist for Kid's Kitchen Safety

Kids are naturally curious, so why not get them involved in the kitchen? Regardless of their age, there are many recipes that allow you to spend quality time and teach your kids the cooking process. It’s the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about kitchen safety, nutrition, and meal planning. They can develop motor skills and grow an appreciation for how that food makes it to your dinner table.

For the little ones I love to used boxed cake or brownie mixes because of the pictures with the recipes. It gives them a chance to "read" the recipe. Take time to point out the numbers, maybe work on letter recognition or sounds. My little one loves to write her own recipes. Today I was even brave enough to let her make one and then even braver to try a bite.

To get started, try a pizza bar where kids can build their own pizza or a brownie recipe that has few ingredients. As your kids start to grow more confident with steps, graduate to more complicated recipes or give them more difficult steps to handle.

Between dangerous knives and appliances, safety is a top priority when cooking with your kids. There’s a lot to remember from start to finish, so a kitchen safety checklist comes in handy. Kitchen Cabinet Kings put together an amazing list with everything you need to know, from food safety to clean-up.  Go through the list with your kids before you start cooking or hang it up on the fridge to check off. Most importantly, keep an open mind and allow for fun, messes, and build lifelong memories with your kids.

Make sure you head over to Kitchen Cabinet Kings and download the Kitchen Safety Checklist for
your kids!

Come Follow Me: John 2-4 (February 11-17)

I have some fun and free lesson helps to go with this weeks Come Follow Me lesson.  It covers John 2-4. This works great for families or primary classes.  There are even a few printables for you :)   I pulled ideas from the Individual and Family, & Primary manual.  I always recommend reading through the lesson and scriptures first and then use what works for you.  In case you were wondering we never get to even half of these ideas during the week. I love having options and pick my activities based on where our discussion leads and what I feel would be best for my family or primary class that week.  Many of these topics are covered in several different lessons so if you don't get to it one week there is probably a chance it will fit in later on.  You'll notice that I've started referencing past lessons a lot in this post and this is to help you find additional ideas that may work better for you.  This also might make it a little more confusing when trying to download your activity so if you can't find the one you are looking for please ask and I'll point you in the right direction.  

I Can Honor My Mother as Jesus Did
There are a few lessons that can be taught from the story of Jesus turning water into wine but I loved this idea in the primary manual (2nd idea under that section).  It focus on the verse John 2:4 (jst footnote).“Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? that will I do.”  Discuss how Jesus treated his mother and how we should treat our mothers.  You can use this coloring page to have your kids draw a picture and then write something they can do to help her this week. 

John 3:1-10 would be a great time to talk about baptism or the holy ghost.  I shared some fun ideas in this post and the coloring page in the primary manual is perfect for this section.  

Heavenly Father loves me, so He sent His Son.

Puzzle activity: Print and cut into puzzle pieces. Hide the pieces around the room.  Have your kids hunt for the pieces and work together to put it together.

Fill in the name:  I loved this idea in the primary manual.  Print the Scripture card and the hearts on the next page.  Cut a heart for each person and write their name on the heart.  Take turns placing one heart in the blank spot and read the verse with the child's name.  This is such a great lesson that teaches the scriptures are for us and about us. 

Because Heavenly Father Loves Me match game.  Print (cardstock recommended) and cut pieces apart.  Play like a regular match game and discuss some things that heavenly father has given us or does for us that shows us how much he loves us.  After you are done show your children the big heart with Jesus and testify that Heavenly Father loves us so much that he sent his son.  *If you would like some blank hearts to add your own let me know! Also thank you to those on facebook that helped me come up with some of these ideas :)

I have a friend that teaches her child a new song each week.  I thought that was such a great way to teach the gospel.  I know my little guy LOVES to sing so this is perfect for him.  This week I included Song Cards to go with the song My Heavenly Father Loves Me.  Print and cut the pages apart.  I had a few ideas for these: 1. use a book ring to create a mini book that you can easily flip through as you sing. Also makes a great sacrament book  2. Tape the pictures to a board so you can see them all week and makes an easy visual when practicing the words  3. As you learn the song try removing a card at a time and see if your kids remember the words.

This quote and printable was from a visiting teaching message a few years ago.  You can find it here.

I love this quote from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (It was in the lesson) so I included a printable that you can display or add to your journal.

I've included this in the download but if you would like to resize it your can click on the picture above and save to your computer. Print at your favorite place (size to fit a 5x7).  You can also copy and paste to a word document and shrink to the size you want.  This is my favorite way and I like to fit 4 to a page.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

"The sacrament provides a time to reflect on the love of God and the gift of His Son." How can we make the sacrament more meaningful? (I & F)  This would be a great time to talk about being reverent during the sacrament.  You can find some fun ideas in this post including a mini coloring book that is perfect to look at during the sacrament. 

Woman at the Well Activity: Start by saying something like we need to get some wiggles out.  Start running in place, do jumping jacks, lunges, etc.  Go fast and get nice and tired.  (you can also use the exercise dice from this lesson for extra fun)
Once you start feeling a little winded ask: What do you need right now?  
Answer: a drink of water!  Give everyone a drink of water but don't fill the cup up very much.  Have everyone drink their water.  
Then say something like oh man I need some more how about you?

Then lead in to the story of the Woman at the Well (Something like this reminds me of a story about Jesus...) If you are like me and like to have it written out for you I love how A Year Of FHE summarizes the story.  I did include puppets!  You can also watch the video on LDS.ORG.   

Lead a discussion that best fits your family or class.  A few ideas-compare a glass of water to a river or steam . What is the water that Jesus is taking about?  How does this bless our life?  Also look in the I & F, and Primary manual for some great discussion ideas!
You can also use the page above and add drops of water to represent things are like “living water” that can satisfy us forever? (question from primary manual) or use them to fit your lesson :)  I think we write down different parts of the gospel that sustain our spirit (such as knowing Heavenly father loves us, the atonement, scriptures, etc.) *print the water drops on blue paper if you don't want to color them.

As I was studying this lesson I decided to study the Woman at the Well a little more.  I remember this story but there were many parts of this story that I didn't know.  What really struck me was how much our Savior loves everyone and the gospel is for all of us!  I love this song from Kenneth Cope. In the description he said "The Lord is Living Water, and life to our souls. Our spirits need Him to live and to thrive, as well as to replenish and to heal."

Download free lesson helps here & here

If you have any trouble downloading or find an error please let me know and I'll fix as quickly as I can.  Thanks for stopping by!

Adorable graphics from Melonheadz, Krista Wallden - Creative Clips,  Mather's Music, Susan Fitch Design, DSart, Chirp Graphics,  KPM Doodles, Jen Hart Design, Graphics From the Pond,  and Fonts by Hello Literacy