Spring Activities

Since it's officially Spring, I'm going to put up my list of activities to-do with the kids. Right now, we're more focused on Easter crafts, but next week we're going to start back checking things off our list! Some of these activities are completely obvious and others not so much. But maybe it'll help someone with their "what to do" dilemma. And the list makes a useful point of reference for me. 

1. Park
2. Roller Skating /Biking/ Skateboarding. ...you know, feet on wheels?
3. Bubble Play
4. Pool Play (I actually blogged about this, you can read that here. It's definitely something we're going to do again this year! )
5. Walks/Jogs
6. Milkshakes/Ice Cream
7. Painting Outside . Let the kids paint the yard in washable paint, it'll rain eventually!
8. Spring Photos
9. Rainy Day Outdoor Play - it's the perfect whether to play in the rain! We jumped puddles and danced in the rain the other day during our walk.
10. Cookout- the kids can help prep the food and you can enjoy a dinner under the stars/clouds/sun.
11. Field day. This is me reliving my childhood and giving them one all at one time. One leg races, bobbing for apples, tug of war, dodgeball; our family is gonna play it all!
12. Star Gazing ...or take it a step further with backyard camping or just go camping
13. Hiking. I wouldn't do this, because I'm not one with nature, but my husband plans on doing this with our boys.
14. Fishing. Again, another one I won't participate in.
15. Shopping Spree. It's nice to just let the kids blow $25 at Dollar Tree every once in a while. And letting them help pick out their much needed Spring/Summer clothes is a must do!
16. Chalk. Bring back hop scotch!
17. Slip n Slide. This is more fun than a pool, because you get muddy.
18. Sports. It's a good time to play some football, baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. Or to practice flips and cheers.
19. Water balloon fights.
20. Nature Exploration. Find bugs and plants, observe and discuss them.
21. Outdoor Interactive Story Time. Change of scenery.
22. Gardening.

I'll probably add to the list if I think of anything else they want to do, or if they think of anything else they want to do.  But for now, we'll have tons of fun focusing on the 22 items already listed. 

The Number Train

Today we "rode the number train".  Well, we actually just completed a counting/pattern activity I randomly decided to do with the boys.  But it was referred to as the number train.

I printed out different rail cars that I found on clip art and the numbers 1-14.  

I then cut out and pasted the cars together (Why didn't I just print out one long train?), and I cut out and put tape on the back of all the numbers.  

I let my boys do the rest. They counted the rail cars and took turns finding and placing the correct numbers unto the cars. 

And once they were all numbered, we discussed the patterns and reviewed counting and number recognition.  (I also get bonus points for remembering to ask color questions).

My train was way bigger than I intended it to be, so we ended up throwing it away when we were done.  But my boys enjoyed the train enough that I made a self vow to make it again, in felt or with Velcro. They definitely want to do the activity again, and it's pretty flexible so I can add different things to it, like letters or sight words.  

The number train may soon be "the educational train".  I will share the reusable version once it's made, but for now I will just reprint the paper one...just way smaller.

Kids, Music, & Education

Yesterday, I was in mood.  It was one of the worst days I have had in a while.  

Today was better, but I was still not completely my sunshine-and-rainbows-self.  But life goes on, and I have to roll with it whether I feel like it or not.  We have a Black History Month Presentation that we're doing on the evening of the 28th; I really needed to get some work done with the boys today.  

So I sang.  

Singing lifts my mood, and my boys learn quickly through song.

And today, I happened to catch the attention of little Miss Noelle. 

That's 4 birds, one stone.  

Skyland and Noelle are karaoke people, they sing dance and clap along.  Azariah is my music appreciation guy, he sits listens and smiles; Sometimes he may hum or sing lowly, sometimes.  But they were all interested and participating in ther own way.  

Randomly throughout the day, at 5 to 15 minute intervals we sang.  We reviewed what they already knew, and they learned a lot of new things.  They even had a few Black History Facts to tell Daddy this evening.  

Songs are how they are/were taught the days of the week, months, how to spell their names, counting, the alphabet (obviously), continents, and now history.  Next it'll be the periodic table! (Well, maybe in some years...after I learn it myself).  And if there isn't a song for what I teach, I pick a familiar melody and put together a few lines that rhyme or kind of rhyme.  

Today I made a song about the old cowboys.  It's not a great song, but it's informative and the kids loved it.  Good enough for me!

To put it simply, music is art. Art sparks creativity, originality, and individuality.  

Music is fun, and it can be educational.  It is one of the strongest and most effective teaching tools, especially for younger minds.  And utilizing it makes me feel like I'm not only bonding with my kids, but giving them a head start. 

Kiddie Pool Fun

About 2 months ago, I got a little baby pool from Family Dollar for $8.  Summer's almost over, and we've only used it once.  Why? Because I really don't care for sitting outside by the pool and watching them waddle around for hours.  Today I joined them & we had so much fun together. 

We started out stomping, splashing, and cupping water on each other. We even shot some bubble guns.  I used this opportunity to practice counting with them: we'd stomp once or splash nine times. When you're in the water fun & education can go hand-in-hand, but splashing got old to me after five minutes (my attention span is short).

So I pulled out the baking soda, and let them dump it in the water.  If the oohs weren't satisfying enough, the squeals and giggles from when I added the vinegar were! I explained to them that we were inside a chemical reaction (which is science) that we called "fizz".  They understood that the water had changed; that was good enough for me.  This was so gratifying and intense, but very short lived.  The 20 seconds were definitely worth it though. 

After that excitement died down, I grabbed the food coloring to keep our water party going. My plan was too pour them in different sections of the pool to review colors, and slowly mix them to make colors. What actually happened, the boys got really excited, and I let them go rogue with the bottles. But they loved the colored water! Put some dish detergent in the mix, and... COLORED BUBBLES!  What kid doesn't love bubbles...especially if they're red?!  Mine love them so much they kicked me out the pool; They said they needed room to play (whatever). 

I was pretty psyched to find that the kiddie pool is actually pretty versatile: it can be as educational or fun as you want it to be. You can mix colors, test your sailboats, fish for shapes, do what we did (which I highly suggest), or anything else. It's really not a bore if you add to it.  And it's pretty easy on the wallet; that's always a plus.  We will probably be going outside again tomorrow.