advertisement banner M M Cookies Bake cookies with the children, using a basic sugar cookie recipe or prepared dough. Let them add M & M's to the cookies before baking. Monkey Treat Slice bananas thinly and fry in electric skillet, using a layer of heated oil. Drain on paper towels when lightly brown. Let the children add sunflower seeds to the bananas before eating. Monster Hands Fill plastic see-through gloves with popcorn, putting a candy corn at the tip of each finger for fingernails. Tie with string or use ties for a wonderful snack the kids will love! "M" Snacks-macaroni, meatloaf, Mozzarella cheese, muffins, mushrooms, marshmallows, mints, milk, molasses, melon, M & M's Read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff. Have cookies and MILK, and make Milk Moustaches! FUN! Suggestion by Summer! Thanks! Katie sent in this great idea--Thanks!! For the letter "m," we made monkey milkshakes. You make the traditional chocolate milkshake, using vanilla ice cream, milk and chocolate sauce, then add ripe bananas. They are very yummy. We served ours with mini M&M cookies. We bought the mini M&M baking candies and followed the cookie directions on the back of the package. Five Little Monkeys 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed One fell off and bumped his head Went to the doctor and the doctor said "No more monkeys jumping on the bed." Me Ten little fingers, ten little toes, Two little eyes, one little nose. Put them together, and what have you got? You've got ME, and that's a lot. Mice I think mice Are rather nice. Their tails are long, Their faces small, They haven't any Chins at all. Their ears are pink, Their teeth are white, They run about The house at night. They nibble things They shouldn't touch And no one seems To like them much. But I think mice Are nice. ~Rose Fyleman~ Mud Mud is very nice to feel All squishy-squash between the toes! I'd rather wade in wiggly mud Than smell a yellow rose. Nobody else but the rosebush knows How nice mud feels Between the toes. ~Polly Chase Boyden~ Cut big M's from construction paper. Let children find "M" pictures in magazines. Cut pictures and paste on outline of M. Mouse Pictures Make mice from stamped thumbprints. Let the chiklren put their fingers on stamp pad then place on a piece of white paper. Add tails and other features with fine markers. Magic Pictures Place a piece of waxed paper over a piece of white paper. Let the children draw with a pencil or stick on the waxed paper. Put a watercolor wash on the white paper and the drawing from the waxed paper will appear. Have the children create a wall mural! Have fun! Janna sent in this great suggestion: To help students recognize the letter "M" and it's sound, write a large "M" on construction paper. Have the students glue marshmallows on their "M"'s. Thanks, Janna! "Jana mentioned gluing marshmallows on an Mm. I make a line of an M and m then students use a large marshmallow to stamp out the letter with tempra paint. They turn out really good. Them I hang them alternating M and m for an colorful display."--Submitted by Connie--thanks! Kelli sent in this great M idea. Thanks, Kelli! One activity I do for letter Mm is to Read "The Mitten" By Jan Brett. I make a large white posterboard mitten. Students recall each animal entering the mitten. I write each answer on a sentence strip. We then glue the sentence strips onto the mitten in the correct sequential order as the animals e ntered the mitten. I also have a pair of mittens students being "good listeners" take turns wearing as I read the story. I also cut out small mittens giving each student a pair. Students write a capital M on one mitten and a lower case m on the other and then decorate. I then connect the pair of mittens with a piece of yarn and hang on our clothes line. Marshmallow Painting Let children dip big marshmallows in different colored tempra paints and paint on paper. My class thought this was really neat . Idea from Becky---Thanks! Mud Painting Mud Paintings - First, you can introduce the activity by reading the mud poem written on the website ("Mud" is in the poem section of this page). Then create mud by adding a bit of water to some dirt. You can have the children write the letter Mms in the mud using their finger or they can illustrate pictures of objects that start with the letter Mm (monkeys, moose, mice, etc.) They love getting dirty, but it makes learning tactile and fun for all of those visual and kinesthetic learners! Submitted by: Jenni--thanks! Use M & M's for counting, sorting and patterning activities. Measure, using yardsticks, rulers and metric sticks. Introduce your unit on money. Introduce More or less. Use M & M's in an estimation jar. Sherry sent it this great math center to use with letter M. Thanks, Sherry! Read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. Program muffin liners with numbers. Provide a bowl of moose berries (blue beads or pom poms) to count out. Introduce a simple unit in maps to your students. Use magnets, magnifying glasses and mirrors for exploratory activities. Unit studies: Monkeys, months, magic, monsters, mice, Mother's Day, May, Mexico, mountains, manners, the moon Show the children how to play with marbles. Pretend to be monkeys. Show the children that monkeys use both arms and legs to walk or run. Play music from "The Jungle Book". Play "Monkey See, Monkey Do", children copying the actions or silly antics of a child chosen to be the leader. Play spooky music and let the children do the Monster Mash. Tell them to make mashing movements with their feet during the dance. Movements Standing, swaying, drooping, stooping, skipping, sliding, jumping, bending, leaping, hopping, sitting, rocking, squatting, stretching, swinging, rolling, galloping, kneeling, flopping, crawling, squiggling, slithering, etc. "M" March For M week we had an M march. I brainstormed M words and made a list with each child's name next to their idea. I sent the list home to parents and asked that they write the word on a card (provided) and if possible, send the item in with their child. We had a great time marching around the school showing off our M items. Everything from bags of M & Ms and marshmallows to mirrors and magazines. Submitted by: Michelle--Thanks! **Note: The following books may be found in your local library, or purchased from Amazon if the book title is a link. MONKEY BOOKS Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina Trouble is His Name by Elizabeth Montgomery The Monkey and the Crocodile by Paul Galdone Curious George by H.A. Rey Hug by Jez Alborough MOUSE BOOKS Cathedral Mouse by Kay Charao Two Tiny Mice by Alan Baker Little Mouse and Elephant retold by Jane Yolen Time for School, Nathan! by Lulu Delacre If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff MONSTER BOOKS There’s A Monster Under My Bed by James Howe There’s Something In My Attic by Mercer Mayer There’s A Nightmare In My Closet by Mercer Mayer Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak Harry and The Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach The Very Worst Monster by Pat Hutchins Beast In The Bathtub by Kathleen Stevens What’s Under My Bed? by James Stevenson Little Monsters by Jan Pienkowski Brave Little Monster by Ken Baker MOON BOOKS Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield No Moon, No Milk! by Chris Babcock Owl Moon by Jane Yolen Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me by Eric Carle Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown Happy Birthday, Moon by Frank Asch Good-Night, Owl! by Pat Hutchins I hope you can use some of these "alphabite" ideas!! If you have any more that I can post here, PLEASE email me with the ideas and your name, using the email icon below or use this form. I will post your idea and give you credit!! Also just write and let me know how you like the ideas and how they can be improved!! Thanks!! Wooden Letters Family Decals Craft Supplies Paint by Number Polymer Clay Quilting Supplies Beading Supplies Rhinestones Purse Handles Quilt Books Knitting Books Latch Hook Kits Paper Punches Bamboo Knitting Needles Crochet Thread Visit top-rated teacher Web sites rated by teacher usage.