text:
Ventura County supervisors see some hope in next year's budget as housing rebounds
The budget preview that Ventura County supervisors saw this week looked much the same as in the past few years: balanced but without wiggle room for raises or new projects.
Still, the projected general fund budget of almost $900 million looked promising to supervisors when they met Tuesday.
Property tax revenues are increasing as the housing market rebounds, and there looks to be enough cash for an 11 percent reserve. No major cuts in service or the workforce are planned.
"This is mildly encouraging," Supervisor Steve Bennett said.
Peter Foy, chairman of the board, praised a fiscal policy that led to plentiful cash reserves. The county normally reports a general fund reserve of $96 million and self-insures workers' compensation and liability costs with close to $160 million more.
"One thing is we have an awful lot of cash," said Foy, contrasting county government's situation with the low reserves held by the city of Ventura.
Chief Financial Officer Paul Derse said cash reserves help the county get good credit ratings, which lower interest rates when the government borrows to pay for major projects. Two weeks ago, the county sold more than $300 million in bonds, most of it to pay for a major expansion at Ventura County Medical Center. The issuance carried an interest rate of 3.86 percent, with the debt to be paid over 30 years.
"I don't know if we've ever had $300 million outstanding in debt," Derse said Wednesday. "It's a big amount, but it's completely doable."
Debt payments for all capital projects in the next fiscal year will total less than $30 million out of $900 million, he said. That figure of just over 3 percent is still under the goal of no more than 6 percent, he said.
Unrestricted general-purpose revenue is expected to increase $7 million, to $325 million, driven largely by a 2.5 percent increase in property tax receipts. But that will be too little to pay for across-the-board raises for employees because of pension costs, officials said.
County Executive Officer Mike Powers said rising retirement costs continue to be the biggest challenge. They are scheduled to increase $17 million in the next fiscal year.
County government's annual pension contributions were projected to grow to almost $226 million in 2017-18 from $151.7 million this fiscal year, according to a projection made late last year.
David Grau, chairman of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association, saw no trouble spots in the upcoming budget.
Grau said he was pleased to see the workers' compensation fund in such good shape. He said he was not worried about the debt the county was taking on for the hospital project.
"They have very solid financials at this point," he said.
Employee unions have made concessions to cover pension costs that spiked after the financial crash of 2008. They have not had across-the-board increases for several years.
Firefighters and sheriff's deputies received a 1 percent increase in 2010. Civilian employees have not received one since 2009.
Pamm Fair, a coordinator for the Service Employees International Union, declined to comment because the SEIU is currently negotiating with the county. The union represents most of the county workforce of 8,000.
The board is scheduled to get the preliminary budget for 2013-14 on June 4, with final budget hearings set for June 17.
Subscribe to the Ventura County Star
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-710-6182.
Monday-Friday: 6am-3pm / Saturday: 6:30am-10:30am / Sunday: 7am-11am


text:
- Filed Under
Right winger Drew Stafford and left winger Clarke MacArthur, the Rochester Americans' top two scorers, were recalled this morning and this time their stay with the Buffalo Sabres will very likely be lengthy.
Stafford and MacArthur replace right winger Maxim Afinogenov (out at least six weeks with a broken wrist) and center Jiri Novotny (out indefinitely with a high ankle sprain).
Afinogenov and Novotny were hurt Thursday night in Buffalo's 2-1 overtime win over ...

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Claire's.com: Winter Accessories Only $1 Shipped
This Hip2Save.com Deal was hand-posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2012 at 10:24 pm.
Wow! Head on over to Claires.com where they are currently offering up to 85% Off Coldweather Accessories, including gloves, earmuffs, hats, and more starting at just $2!
Even better, these items are on sale Buy 1 Get 1 FREE (darn! It seems that the BOGO sale has ended. :( )! Plus, these items qualify for FREE 2-day shipping through ShopRunner, which means you can score two $2 items for just $2 total – $1 each, shipped right to your door! Sweet! :)
Here are a few of the items that caught my eye…
Penguin Earmuffs $2 (reg. $12.50)
Frog Face Convertible Gloves $2 (reg. $12.50)
Winter Arm Warmers $2 (reg. $10.50)
Kitten Convertible Gloves $2 (reg. $12.50)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please keep in mind that these items are selling out fast, and you will not be able to see whether or not they are out of stock until you actually click on the item.
Be sure to come back to let us know about the great deals you're able to score!
(Thanks, April!)
38 Hip Readers Commented
Thanks. I got touchscreen gloves for a buck each. :D
Thanks! Got kitten mittens :)
How funny!! I found a pair of fingerless gloves that say Hot Mess! Ordered them for my little niece cuz her granny calls her that! And a white pair for myself $2.18 shipped. Don't forget to go through shop@home for 3% back!
Don't forget Ebates for 2.5% cash back!
Thank you! Picked up a Hello Kitty hat and Penguin hat for my daughter.
I just scored a ton of stuff! thanks for staying up late fpr this deal :)
Just bought 4 pairs of gloves for 4.22 shipped! Thanks!
Got me touch screen gloves for me and some arm warmers
I got those kitty gloves! 4 pairs of gloves for $4.24. Woo-Hoo!
Thanks I got one pair of the kitty mittens for my daughter and three to give to the hat and glove drive at work.
Got 2 hats and 2 gloves for $6.50! Thanks!
I did two orders cause it kept taking the free item off as the cheaper items. So I bought all my $2 items in on order and $4 hats in another.
HA! I did the same thing! I had to do three orders cause I ordered a couple of the $7 beanies
Thanks Collin! Anyone know how sizing runs? Will these be too big for babies or toddlers? Thank you!
Sorry for being so naive, but how do we use shoprunner on claire? I'm new to this and it keeps charging me $6 for shipping
You have to have a membership to Shop Runner to use it. I think it is 79.00 or so for the year and you get free 2 day shipping from certain stores. I actually signed up for it when there was a free trial. If there were more stores that used it then I may consider signing up agian and paying but I am not sure it is worth the money. Some will probably disagree with me, but I think it just depends on where you shop.
i have shop runner membership, once i sign in at shop runner and start shopping, it takes me to claire 's website. But i don't see any icon of shoprunner at claire when check out. Anyway, all of the items in my cart are now "out of stocks"😞
Not all items are eligible for Shop Runner, so that is probably why you aren't seeing the icon at check out. Dang it! ;)
After you hit "Continue Checkout", then sign into your Claire's acct or ckout as a guest, at the very bottom where you fill in your shipping info, it says Shipping Method, right above is the green shopping cart to sign into Shoprunner.
Thank you Collin! In case it is helpful to anyone, as of Thursday AM, these are some of the items I still found in stock:
Touchscreen Gloves
Black & White Convertible Gloves
Neon Convertible Gloves
Jewelry Gloves
Rainbow Headwrap
Neon Earmuffs
Peace N Love Convertible Gloves
Stars and Stripes Glove Set\
Happy Shopping!
Stars and Stripes Glove Set is now out of stock.
If you order anything besides the b1g1 winter stuff like I did you can also use coupon code WELCOME to save 10% off your order. I ordered 2 pairs of gloves, holiday earrings & bracelets. The 10% came of the holiday stuff but not the gloves. Just figured Id let you guys know in case you wanted to order something else too!
ah! I wished i known. I ordered a lot of clearance items. oh well
Items aren't showing up as B1G1 free anymore.
b1g1 is over?
it isn't counting my items from there as b1g1. hmm
I really dislike Claire's.com!!! I just wasted about an hour of my time to find things that were in stock for the B1G1 then they go and change the sale. No more B1G1. I called they put me on hold for 10 min to tell me won't even honor the sale. Customer services sucks!
meh.. you win some you loose some ordering from anywhere online that has a hot promo ;)
It sucks, but another deal is always around the corner!
Yeah, they suck! They sent me an email saying my order shipped and the next day send another email saying one of my items was no longer in stock but the rest of the order shipped. I called and they said sorry there is nothing we can do. I said but I ordered another hat. I made a stink and the only thing they did was refund me. they said they couldn't just send me another hat since the order had shipped.
Darn B1G1 appears to be over, BUT still a great deal! I bought 9 items (mostly fingerless gloves and ear muffs) and used the code WELCOME to get 10% off and my total shipped was $17. Great deal! These will make great gifts for my DD's friends! Thanks Collin!
Garrrr Everything I want is sold out! :(
Cute:/ price after code welcome applied
Reindeer Fun Socks. Item: 91909, $1.92
Racing Reindeer Socks item: 92213 Price: $1.47
However i dont think they are eligible for shop runner free shipping
My membership just expired :(
save 10% with WELCOME code
thanks for posting! didnt get any cold weather things but got some other clearance finds for presents for sometime next yr really cheap:)
I placed an order this morning and got 24 items for $48+$2.64 tax=$50.64. Since I had over $45 shipping was free. Went to my local Claire's where Critter hats and faux fur $7, hats, scarfs, and earmuffs $4, and gloves $2. The clerk said these go quickly at this price, but any left in about two weeks will be 10/$10. They had a large selection today and I was able to get three different gloves that were oos online.
So I placed an order on Dec. 26th, and I got an email saying my order had shipped. After that, I got an email saying one of the items was not available. However, they have not corrected the amount they charged my card. Any ideas on how to get this corrected?
I ended up doing 3 orders that day, all orders shipped, all charges completed for right amounts BUT I also had 3 extra completed charges for small amounts, like .20, .23, .28, cant remember the exact amounts right now but they were all twenty something cents… It not worth my time to call about it but thought it was very weird….


text:
By RICHARD SHAWSun Advocate publisher
It's hard to think of much that Kathy Hanna-Smith hasn't done in her years living in Carbon County. From being the Executive Director of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce to being a Price City Council member, she has always been involved and dedicated to elevating the image of and business in Carbon County.
In June of this year she reached another goal, one she is very proud of. She was appointed by Gov. Gary Herbert as a board member on the Utah Office of Tourism.
The Utah Office of Tourism promotes tourism into the state through advertising and media contacts. They are an office within the Governor's Office of Economic Development. According to their website their mission is "to improve the quality of life of Utah citizens through revenue and tax relief, by increasing the quality and quantity of tourism visits and spending."
Having been the Director of Tourism for Carbon County for many years, this position is a natural for Hanna-Smith. She now serves on that board representing Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties. Over the years she also was a member of the Utah Travel Regions and the Utah Tourism Industry Coalition.
"I know all the region directors very well, some better than others," she stated on Tuesday afternoon. "I will encourage them to be in touch with me so I can carry their message back to the state."
Hanna-Smith attended her first board function in Salt Lake City and as part of the marketing committee of the board she said the group heard from the Sundance Film Institute, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, and Outdoor Utah. The groups had requested $255,000 from the state to further their events.
In August, she went to her first actual board meeting and the committee went over marketing requests, heard a presentation from Ski Utah and saw what will be the winter marketing campaign for the state which was provided by Struck Marketing Company.
Hanna-Smith said the five goals of the state office of tourism include creating an integrated global brand, engaging customers with personal and persuasive communications, to strengthen tourism partner relations, to improve the state's welcome mat and communicate tourism's value to the economy.
Hanna-Smith is the fourth Castle Country resident named to a state position by the governor this year. The list includes Bob Pero (Utah State Tax Commission), Delynn Fielding (Utah State office of Economic Development) and Sam Chiara (8th Judicial District Court). Hanna-Smith's term on the board is for four years.
Hanna-Smith says that nearly every county in the state applied for some money this past funding term.
"There are many benefits to local regions becoming and staying active with the state office of tourism," said Hanna-Smith. "One that is especially important is the cooperative marketing fund where tourism related non-profits can apply for funds for out-of-state promotion. It's a 50-50 match (in dollars) and it is an incredible opportunity."
The state office also holds a state tourism conference each year and that conference is held in various locations.
"We have hosted it twice that I know of," said Hanna-Smith referring to Carbon County. "It's where you meet up with tourism professionals and learn what is new in the industry. The networking at the conferences is so valuable."
Tourism in Utah is big business. In 2012 the Utah tourism industry employed over 118,000 people and generated jobs in every county in the state. In the span from 2011 to 2012 the number of businesses that are related to tourism grew seven percent, from 4,926 businesses to 5,252. This year 32 new hotels will open in the state increasing the current inventory of rooms (47,000) by 2,800.
Hanna-Smith currently works as the director of marketing, sales and public relations for the Tuscan Restaurant and Event Center in Price. She and her husband Dave also own and operate the Lazy S Storage Units on Highway 10.
In 2010 Hanna-Smith was inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame for her many contributions to the tourism industry. both locally and statewide.


text:
Ron has always wanted to get his hands on Draco, always since the day they met. To knock him down, to make him cry. But it's different now and Ron doesn't know when things changed.
Now Ron wants to mark Draco's skin, not with his fists, but with his mouth, his nails. When Draco falls, Ron wants to fall on top of him, weigh him down, grind him into the dirt. When Draco cries, he'll cry for more, more, harder, please.
Ron wants to see Draco on his knees, lips around Ron's cock, eyes hot and pleading as Ron fucks his mouth, one hand twisted in Draco's colourless hair. Draco face down and sobbing as Ron rides him, hammers deep inside him, punishes him, Draco taking it all and begging for more. Draco on his back, head flung back, pale neck arching under Ron's teeth at his throat. Draco calling after him as Ron walks away. Please, he'll say, please don't go.
Ron stares at the back of Draco's head and clenches his hands into fists as he pictures this.
Then Draco turns around. Their eyes lock and Ron knows with a sickening certainty that it will be Draco's teeth at Ron's throat and there's nothing he can do about it. He looks away and hopes that when the time comes, he can stop himself from begging.


text:
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It's All About The Quality
Inferior cabinets may do the trick for awhile, but before you know it they'll fall apart, rendering them unable to safely store all that you need them to store. Avoid that possibility by getting only the best for your home: West Vancouver custom cabinets. With high quality West Vancouver custom cabinets in your home, you'll feel at ease knowing that you've got the best West Vancouver custom cabinets you could possibly have in your home.
One Giant Leap For Home Storage
There's never been a better time to turn your home into a dream home. Call or come in today to schedule your FREE in-home consultation with our West Vancouver custom cabinets experts!


text:
Employee: Efrain Rodriguez
Employer: Western Staff Services
Insurer: Travelers Insurance Company (Travelers Property Casualty Corp.)
Board No.: 00720596
(Judges Smith, Wilson and McCarthy)
Michael J. Bailey, Esq., for the Employee
Lisa M. Carmody, Esq., for the Insurer
SMITH, J. The insurer appeals from a decision awarding § 34 total incapacity benefits and § 30 medical benefits. Because the judge failed to adequately define the work injury and separate its impact on the employee's ability to work from the employee's unrelated medical conditions, we cannot determine whether the decision is contrary to law. We therefore find it appropriate to recommit the case for further factual findings on the nature and extent of incapacity caused by the work injury and the medical treatment necessitated thereby.
On February 22, 1996, while loading a trailer truck, a large roll of plastic struck Efrain Rodriguez on the head. As he was falling from the impact, Rodriguez tried to hold on to some other rolls. He twisted and felt something happen in the back of his head. His vision became blurry. His supervisor sent him to the Leominster Hospital. (Dec. 5; Tr. 10.) At the emergency room, Rodriguez was given a neck collar and a prescription for Motrin. Dr. Murphy prescribed light work for no more than four hours a day, but there was no light duty available. Rodriguez has not returned to work since the accident. He complains of neck and low back pain, shoulder pain and headaches, numbness and tingling in his extremities, dizziness, decreased vision, and exacerbation of pain with noise. He has been treated by an internist, a chiropractor and a neurologist. He currently takes Tylenol and Elavil medication. (Dec. 6.)
Rodriguez filed a claim for § 34 benefits and the matter was conferenced before an administrative judge on August 22, 1996. An order was issued which directed the insurer to pay § 34 compensation in addition to medical benefits. The insurer appealed to a hearing de novo. (Dec. 2.) At the hearing, the insurer conceded that a work injury had occurred but disputed that it caused any medical condition limiting Rodriguez's ability to work. (Dec. 3.)
Pursuant to G.L. c. 152, § 11A, Rodriguez underwent an impartial medical examination. The impartial medical examiner's report and deposition were admitted into evidence. Due to the complexity of the medical issues, the judge authorized the admission of additional medical evidence. (Dec. 3.)
In his decision, the judge recited the medical evidence. (Dec. 6-11.) After weighing all the medical opinions, the judge adopted the opinion of Dr. Tanenbaum, the impartial examiner. In Dr. Tanenbaum's view, Rodriguez had not reached a medical end result, had not received adequate treatment for his injuries, and the chiropractic treatment he received had not been necessary or reasonable. (Dec. 11.) The judge further found "based on the report of Dr. Tanenbaum that the MRI scan of the brain was positive for small ischemic sulci and lacunar infarcts and small vessel disease though this has not been shown to be related to the industrial injury of February 1996." (Dec. 12.)
In discussing his determination of the extent of incapacity, the judge rejected the opinions of the treating physicians that Rodriguez was totally medically disabled and instead adopted the partial disability opinion of Dr. Tanenbaum. (Dec. 12.) Dr. Tanenbaum reported that "based on the disc disease in his neck, based upon the ischemic disease in his brain and based on his history that he had not been active for quite sometime, I felt that heavy activity would potentially be contradicted and potentially would be dangerous." (Dec. 8-9, quoting Dep. 24.) Dr. Tanenbaum limited Rodriguez from heavy lifting, prolonged sitting, prolonged standing and repetitive activities. (Dec. 12-13.) The judge considered Rodriguez's vocational history of difficult and mostly manual labor, (Dec. 11), together with his partial medical limitations, and concluded that Rodriguez had no ability to earn. (Dec. 12-13.) He determined that the chiropractic services rendered beyond October 15, 1996, the date of Dr. Copelli's report, were not reasonable or necessary. (Dec. 13.) The judge awarded § 34 benefits from February 26, 1996 and continuing and § 30 benefits for "the diagnosed condition," excluding chiropractic care beyond October 15, 1996. (Dec. 14.) We have the case on appeal by the insurer.
First, the insurer contends that the administrative judge relied upon a medical opinion that lacks the required degree of certainty to support a finding that Rodriguez's partial disability is causally related to the industrial injury. (Insurer's brief, 3.) Additionally, the insurer proffers that the decision is arbitrary and capricious as the administrative judge misconceived the medical opinion of Dr. Tanenbaum. (Insurer's brief, 7.) Because the decision is inadequate for proper appellate review of these questions, we recommit the case.
The judge has not defined the work-related "diagnosed condition." Rodriguez complained of many symptoms. The impartial medical examiner opined that he could not make a firm diagnosis which corresponded to all the signs and symptoms. (Ex. 1 at 3; 1 Dep. 17-20, 22.) The record contains medical diagnoses of disc disease at C7-T1, disc herniation at C7-T1, (Dec. 7), lacunar infarcts (ischemic brain disease), post concussive syndrome, (Dec. 8, 11), CNS injury, post-traumatic syndrome, (Dec. 10), chronic cervical sprain/strain, and lumbosacral sprain/strain, (Dec. 11), complicated by deconditioning. (Dec. 8, 11.) The judge found the condition of lacunar infarcts (ischemic brain disease) unrelated to the work injury. (Dec. 12.) However, it is unclear from the decision what other medical conditions are found to be causally related and responsible for the work limitations the judge adopts.
Sections 34 and 35 provide weekly benefits for incapacity for work resulting from the injury. Thus, an administrative judge may only rely on symptoms and limitations caused by the work injury in assessing the nature and extent of incapacity. See Hummer's Case, 317 Mass. 617, 620, 623 (1945); Patient v. Harrington & Richardson, 9 Mass. Workers' Comp. Rep. 679, 682-683 (1995). Here, the judge adopted the impartial medical examiner's opinion limiting heavy activity, which was based at least in part on the non-work-related condition of ischemic brain disease. (Dec. 8-9, 12-14; Dep. 24.) Incapacity due to ischemic brain disease found not to have a causal connection with the work accident cannot be considered in determining Rodriguez's incapacity. See Hummer's Case, supra. To the extent that the impartial physician lumped together all Rodriguez's medical disabilities-both causally related and not-in rendering his opinion about work restrictions, the judge erred in relying on that opinion in his incapacity analysis. Anderson v. Norwood Hospital, 12 Mass. Workers' Comp. Rep. 388, 389 (1998).
For these reasons, we reverse the judge's award of incapacity benefits and recommit the case for further findings of fact and conclusions of law consistent with this opinion. The judge, in his discretion, may take such additional evidence as he deems necessary to do justice.
So ordered.
Suzanne E. K. Smith
Administrative Law Judge
Sara Holmes Wilson
Administrative Law Judge
William A. McCarthy
Administrative Law Judge
FILED: April 1, 1999
1 "Radiologic studies have also demonstrated a C7-T1 disc protrusion but symptoms are bilateral and include the face and head. Therefore it is difficult to ascribe all the symptoms and signs to this one finding. There are inconsistencies on physical examination. Posturing is very bizarre, suggestive of torticollis. Sensory loss is non-anatomic. There is give way weakness throughout."


text:
- Filed Under
Saturday: Jingle Bell Bazaar, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., St. Peter Church, 1192 Bethel-New Richmond Road, New Richmond. Handmade items, bake sale, raffle and homemade soup and rolls lunch for donation. 513-553-3267.
Saturday: Fall Craft Fair, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (Lunch begins 11 a.m.), Asbury United Methodist Church, 2916 Alexandria Pike, Highland Heights. Baked goods, crafts, pantry, boutique and white elephant items. Free admission. 859-441-1957; www.christlikeworld.com.
Saturday-Sunday: Country Store, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday, St. Timothy's Episcopal Church, 8101 ...


text:
The Gingerbread Man by
Brenda Parkes
The Gingerbread
Man by Jim Aylesworth
The Gingerbread
Man by Eric Kimmel
Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt
The Stinky Cheese
Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka
Poems/Class Books
The Gingerbread Man is running from me.
The Gingerbread Man is running away.
I said stop. He said NO!
Across the river's where he wants to be.
I can't catch him even if I try
The Gingerbread Man is running from me.
One cookie, two cookies, three cookies,
Five cookies, six cookies, seven cookies, more.
Gingerbread, gingerbread, turn around.
Gingerbread, gingerbread, touch the ground.
Gingerbread, gingerbread, climb the stairs.
Gingerbread, gingerbread, say your prayers.
Gingerbread, gingerbread, turn out the light.
Gingerbread, gingerbread, say goodnight.
Four Gingerbread Men
Four gingerbread men sat on a tray.
The first one said, "Let's run away!"
The second one said, "Where will we run?"
The third one said, "We'll have some fun!"
The fourth one said, "We'll be eaten if we stay."
So the gingerbread men all ran away!
"The Gingerbread Man: How to Make Sure He
Can Not Escape!"
Create a Gingerbread Man Book titled,
"The Gingerbread Man: How to Make Sure He Can Not Escape!" using the
ideas in Kim's kid-made books at this website:
In this book, the gingerbread man is not
able to escape because the children bite off arms, legs, and head
(actually tear off parts). You can use an Ellison gingerbread man,
purchase a tablet, or cut your own.
Booklet for
"The Gingerbread Man Mystery" from I Can Make It! I Can Read It!
Winter, The Education Center TEC3513
Class book to
Complete one page for each child by having them fill in their name
and illustrate the gingerbread man.
"Stop, stop!" said ______________________.
But the Gingerbread Man laughed and said,
"Run, run, as fast as you can!
Your can't catch me,
I'm the Gingerbread Man."
Gingerbread Man Role-play
story character puppets to act out the story.
Character puppets can be printed from this site:
Gingerbread Man Character Comparison
We read several different versions of the
book, The Gingerbread Man and compared the story characters in each.
Our favorite version was The Stinky Cheese Man.
Gingerbread Scented Playdough
Gingerbread Playdough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup water
1 tsp. vegetable oil
lots of cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, whatever!
Mix the dry ingredients. Play with the spices till you get the
scent and color you want. Mix water and oil together first and THEN
add them to the dry ingredients and stir. In a pot, cook the mixture
for two to three minutes, stirring frequently. The dough will start
to pull away from the sides of the pan and clump together. Take the
dough out of the pan and knead the dough until it becomes soft and
smooth. Allow to cool and store in an air-tight container. Place
gingerbread playdough in the sensory table with
gingerbread cookie cutters of various sizes...don't forget the
cookie sheets and rolling pins!
Gingerbread Boy Stickers
These are stickers that can be used to
decorate the Gingerbread boy and girl.
Gingerbread Cottage Stickers
The stickers are used to create a
Gingerbread cottage. Both sets of gingerbread stickers are available
from Oriental Trading.
Gingerbread Cottage with Word Cards
The gingerbread cottage is two houses
glued together around all the edges except one section of the
roof--this makes a storage envelope. Vocabulary words were written
on gingerbread boys and girls. These words can be practiced and
stored in their own house.
Gingerbread Visual Discrimination Game
This is a visual discrimination game.
Gingerbread men in various positions are on placed on the gameboard
and on cards. The student draws a card and proceeds to the first
block with the matching gingerbread man. First one to get to the
gingerbread house at the end of the gameboard is the winner.
Roll a Gingerbread Man Game
Students need a blank
sheet of paper (or use the dotted template below). They work in
small groups and take turns rolling a die to make a gingerbread man, including
his head, body, face 2 arms, 2 legs and at least 3 buttons. The first one to finish drawing
his gingerbread man is the winner!
Click here to print out the
Roll a Gingerbread Man game.
Click here to
print a pre-drawn
dotted gingerbread man. This would be helpful for the students if they roll
a 3, 4, 5, or 6 before they've drawn the head or body. It gives them
a point of reference to draw their face, arms, legs and buttons.
Gingerbread Glyph
The children colored a gingerbread man
according to the directions given below:
Blue eyes: Girl
Green eyes: Boy
Red buttons: 5 years old
Orange buttons: 6 years old
Brown body: Likes cookies
Purple body: Does not like cookies
Then we drew conclusions and posted our
Gingerbread Glyph in the hall.
Measuring Perimeter
We used a variety of candies to measure
the perimeter of our gingerbread man. Next year I would use
smaller pictures so it's easier for the children to count and
Measuring Gingerbread Area
First Bite Gingerbread Graph
Gingerbread Man Counting/Patterning
These stackable men were purchased
from Oriental Trading for counting activities.
Gingerbread Measurement (Non-standard
taped gingerbread cutouts together and the children found
something in the room that was the same length. This boy found that
the chart holder is 6 gingerbread men tall.
He discovered that the big book was 4 gingerbread men long.
She noticed that her nametag was two gingerbread men long.
Gingerbread Family
children dipped various size cookie cutters into paint to make their
family members. When dry, they labeled them and wrote "I love my family"
under the gingerbread family.
Using a Classroom Map to Find the Gingerbread
made a map of our classroom for each student, mainly using shapes of
objects in the room and a few places, such as desks, labeled.
Before the students came into the room, I hid foam gingerbread men
with each student's name written on it. As I hid each man, I put an
X on his/her map indicating the location of the gingerbread man with
his/her name on it. The students used their map to find their own
man. Most did this independently, but a few required some help. They
loved this activity.
We're searching for our Gingerbread Men.
Got him!
Making a School Map
After discussing the map of our
classroom, we talked about the features of our school--halls outside
the doors, classrooms and offices, steps at the end of the halls,
and the large spaces such as the gym and library.
We took paper, pencils and clipboards and
drew a map of each floor of our building.
This was one of the better ones. The hall
is in the center, the classrooms are numbered, and there are steps
at each end of the hall.
I made a map with arrows for the children to follow to find the
gingerbread man. I'd posted copies of the characters on the walls
and the students followed the map to locate these characters.
The Old Woman
The Fox
Finally, the Gingerbread man was found
outside this classroom.
Surprise! He left us a bag of gingerbread
In most of the books the gingerbread man
hops on to the fox's back to cross the river. When he gets his feet
wet, the gingerbread tells the fox that he's "melting". This student
put a gingerbread cookie into a cup of water to see if it would
really melt. The wet part of the cookie dissolved.
Gingerbread Boy
Decorate a precut gingerbread boy.
Gingerbread Christmas Tree
Grocery bag gingerbread house:
Copycat Magazine, Nov/Dec 1995, pp. 4-9
Gingerbread Five Day Thematic Unit
Poem, crafts, coloring pages, clip art, recipes, math
Extension activities for Jan Brett's "The Gingerbread Baby"
Gingerbread Man pattern:
Gingerbread Unit
The Gingerbread Man: An Integrated Unit
Gingerbread Baby Gameboard
The Gingerbread Man Book Study
This unit contains books, songs, poems, language/group activities,
math activities, learning centers, art activities, snacks, and
internet resources.
at the
A to Z Teacher Stuff Store:
Gingerbread Making Words & More
Gingerbread Boy Cut-and-Paste
Art Pattern
The Gingerbread Man
Multi-Level Reader
Gingerbread Basic Skills
Colors, Shapes, Numbers, ABC
More Gingerbread Resources
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