Please find below our daily SolBe Family update letter containing helpful resources and exciting projects to explore while we all do our part to stay home during this pandemic. Subscribe here to receive daily updates. April 23, 2020 SolBe Families, I don't know about you all, but I am missing the beach. Missing the warm sun, sand between my toes and a refreshing dive into some salt water. The limitations of quarantine and inability to be out and about has me channeling the mood of our crustacean friends. In other words, I am CRABBY! "You're a Crab! A Moody Day Book" by Jenny Whitehead is a grand book to pair with this activity. Available from your local bookseller or you can click the link to hear it read aloud on YouTube. Project of the Day: Egg Carton Crabs Materials - Egg Carton - Paint - Pipe-cleaners - Googly Eyes - Markers Step One We have been saving up our egg cartons since we discovered that you can grow herbs and small flowers in them. See our previous Project of the Day from April 3rd . First, cut the egg carton into individual slots. Step Two Second, encourage the kiddos to paint or color the top of the cartons. Next lay out red markers or red paint, but any color will do! Get a little messy and enjoy the painting! Step Three Pipe cleaners! Always an absolute blast and one of our favorite materials. These are perfect for making lots of crab legs or pinchers. Leave time for exploration, particularly of this fun sensory item. Add your googly-eyes or have the kiddos color them on, whatever is easiest! Voila! You have your crab. Now for the fun part. More work on expressing emotions and feelings through the project. Ask questions! For example, are these "crabby" crabs? Happy Crabs? Curious Crabs? Chat with your little ones about some of the options. What could we do to make this crab look how he feels? As a result, add eyebrows, smiles, or frowns to display the expression. In addition to some important social-emotional learning, our hope is this craft will help mitigate any moodiness from our friends at home. In conclusion, enjoy the crabby crabs! Most important direction, as always: HAVE FUN! More resources to follow in the coming days. Feedback and more ideas welcome! Above all, be well and stay healthy! The SolBe Team
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