Every year, on December 4th, we get to celebrate National Cookie Day! It was all started in 1987 by a guy named Matt Nader. He thought, “Why not have a whole day just for cookies?” He wanted everyone to enjoy the joy and coziness that cookies bring. So grab your favorite cookie and get ready for a sweet celebration! 🍪😄

Spark your thinking!

1.  Set up your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page: #51: National Cookie Day

2. Here’s a quick, but fun, video about the history of the cookie. Record something you learned from the video on your recording page

3. Who is the most FAMOUS lover of cookies???  Well, Cookie Monster! Who else? To help celebrate National Cookie Day, sing along with the video below!

4.  What ingredients do you need to make chocolate chip cookies? Write down your ideas on your recording sheet.

5. When you are done scroll to the very bottom and see a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  How did you do listing the ingredients? Write down any of the ingredients you didn’t list.

6. Share your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page with your teacher or EY Coordinator.

Ingredients

1 cup Shortening or Butter
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
12-oz. pkg. Chocolate Chips

In the last Early Enrichment Mini-Spark, you were shown how to make your own pipe-cleaner superhero. That was fun!!

But, did you know that not all heroes have superpowers and/or wear capes?

Lots of stories have heroes or heroines! Think about this question: What does it take to be a hero?

Think about that question while you go to the link below to watch and listen to a story about Ping.

After watching/listening to the story, answer the following questions in the comments below:

1. Was Ping a hero? Why or why not?

2. What qualities or character traits did he have that could be considered heroic?

3. What qualities or character traits did he have that might not be considered heroic?

And, finally…

4. What does it take to be a hero?

LINK TO THE STORY

Source: https://frugalfun4boys.com/pipe-cleaner-superheroes

If you are a superhero fan, you will not want to miss this awesome craft! You will have a blast creating your own jointed and posable superheroes out of very simple materials. Pipe cleaners, straws, beads… You probably have most (if not all) of the supplies on hand!

First, grab your supplies:

• Pipe cleaners
• Felt, for capes
• Straws – we used paper straws, but regular straws are just fine (and much cheaper)
• Googly eyes
• Pony beads
• Wooden beads – we used 3/4 inch diameter beads
• Tacky Glue
• Hot glue
• Scissors
• Markers – we used Sharpie oil based paint markers. They bleed less on wood than regular Sharpies.

Step 1: Start by drawing hair and superhero masks on the wooden beads.

Step 2: Glue on googly eyes – SO CUTE! Then draw a little mouth.     

Step 3: Grab three pipe cleaners. Twist them together in the middle. I found that three “twists” was enough to hold them securely together. Then adjust them so that they are in the arrangement shown.

Step 4: Slide three pony beads onto BOTH of the bottom two pipe cleaners. This will form the body.

Step 5: Cut a straw into 8 one inch segments. (Or feel free to adjust the size!) We found that we could get 7 segments out of each straw, so you’ll need two straws per superhero, with quite a bit left over.

Step 6: Build each limb by sliding on a straw segment, then a pony bead, then another straw segment.

Step 7: Bend the ends of the pipe cleaners into hands and feet. I found that it helps to wrap some of the excess around the wrist or ankle to make it secure. Then trim off any excess ends.

Step 8: Slide the head onto the final two pipe cleaners. Then trim off the excess.

Mammals inhabit a wide range of environments, from the frozen Arctic to the hottest deserts. With over 5,400 species, they exhibit diverse modes of movement, including walking, hopping, swimming, and even flying through the air.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your Early Enrichment mini spark recording page: #47: Moving Mammals

2. Get your recording page ready. Make a section for the 6 animals you will study.

3. Go to this website and read the top of the page.  Then you will check out how bats, bears, dolphins, gazelles, gibbons, and kangaroos move and read the fun facts about each!

4. For each mammal, choose 1 fact to add to your recording page.

4. Share your early enrichment mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

When you make paper snowflakes, you can practice using scissors and get better at moving your hands! With practice, you can cut out even cooler and more complicated designs. Plus, these snowflakes look amazing and can make any room or window super pretty!

Spark your thinking!

1.  Set up your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page: #42: Snowflakes

2. Read this infographic about snowflakes. How does a snowflake start? Why do snowflakes fall?

3. Gather your supplies to make your own paper snowflake.

Paper

Scissors

Pencil

4.  Watch the tutorial below and then try it yourself!

5. Share your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page and your snowflake with your teacher or EY Coordinator.

Check out the Story of Snow badge at the EY website.