rodent love

Any idea what this is???

I won't hold it against you for not knowing!
I forgot to take a "finished" pic,
so I'll just tell you...
2 mice smooching
awwww!

I saw this on make and takes
via the crafty crow
a week or two ago, and, as always,
I stewed about it for awhile,
imagining how to make it into a lesson
that a child could do independently.
So, here it is...

I prepped the lesson by folding paper
and drawing heart halves along the fold.
I also drew a line down the centers.
I actually only did this on 1
piece of paper - then I made copies!

The child cuts along the lines,
and ends up with 2 heart halves.
Also, the child in these
cutting pictures is only 3 years old.
Isn't his concentration lovely?! :)

Next, he applies glue with a paint brush.
I'm loving this method
not only because it requires fine motor control,
but because the child gets glue
where he wants it,
without squirting out the whole bottle.
YAY!

The ears are tiny hearts.
(I prepped these, too.)
The tails are pieces of pretty yarn.
The child draws the face on
with brand-spankin-new markers.

Oh, and if you were wondering, YES,
gak was a hit!!!

We made it this afternoon in groups of four. Each child had his or her own bowl, and I poured the Elmer's, coloring, and liquid starch. We made observations about the ingredients all being liquid. And, as we stirred, exclamations were made as the gak became solid.

It was a blast!