Simple Joys

Lately we've been enjoying the little (and easy) things that children love!

Things like bubbles, sidewalk chalk, coloring, play dough and lots of books and time learning about numbers, shapes, and letters! It's so much fun for us all when we have more time to play with little preparation.

Our days have actually needed to become a little more structured lately to avoid meltdowns. We're switching rooms and activities more frequently. We have outside time and "school time." We go upstairs and downstairs. We do "work time" where we do chores... we have potty time and movie time too!

I hope you've been remembering to take time for these little joyful moments too!

www.LetsSayThanks.com

Check out this site for a neat way to say THANKS to our soldiers! It doesn't cost you anything but a little bit of time! This is a great activity for families or children to do, especially during the Christmas season!

Print Awareness

This week Luke and I attended our first class at the library together! Our local library offers some fun little classes for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Our first class featured several fun songs and books promoting "print awareness." Have you heard of this?

Print awareness is basically just understanding that the printed word has meaning. It also means that one understands how a book works.

Here are some tips shared by my library to help your little one learn print awareness.

- Hold, open, and read the book in front of your child (teach them how the book works.)

- Track the words as you read (with your finger.)

- Draw attention to book parts (front, back, cover, etc.)

- Point out print in the environment (on shirts, in the store, anywhere!)

- Encourage scribbling and drawing.

Teacher Luncheon

I found this idea shared by Shannon Popkin in the July 2008 Focus on the Family Magazine and I absolutely adore it!

Over the summer your children plan, prepare, and serve a luncheon to last year's teachers, with your help of course! This can include school teachers, music teachers, Sunday school teachers - whoever they want! Kids get to practice hospitality and learning to serve others with a cheerful heart while getting a chance to see those beloved teachers again. Teachers get a chance to have a nice lunch and relax!

Simple Water Activity

Pour The Water

- Find different size containers in which to pour water. You and your child experiment with pouring the water and stopping before it overflows!

From It Takes Two to Talk.

Zoo

Well I apologize for how quiet it's been over here lately! Don't worry though...we've just been off having fun! We went to the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, one of our favorite zoos! If you go with a small child let me recommend you take them to the Hamil Family Play Zoo.

It's an air conditioned building devoted to play, crafts, and learning for kids. It's a great break from walking around in the hot sun and the kids love it! Plus if you are a nursing mom they have a family room where you can nurse!


Luke pretending to be a bird in the play zoo.


Here we are touching sting rays!

By the end of the day we were all tuckered out!

Our Quest Continued

Today we spent the afternoon in glorious air conditioning while enjoying a wonderful children's museum with friends!

I forgot my camera (whoops!) so can't share any pictures. Some of our favorite activities included exhibits featuring wind, lights, and building! If it's hot in your 'neck of the woods' why don't you try visiting a local museum?

An Idea for the Park

The next time you head to the park bring along a trash bag and gloves. Help your child pick up 10 pieces of trash to help take care of God's world!

Children will take pride in the work they have accomplished and it will be a great teaching opportunity for parents! After the work is done head over to the playground!

Idea shared in the Pray & Play Bible 2

A recipe for homemade playdough

Homemade Playdough
- From Play with a Purpose by Dorothy Einon

2 cups flour
one cup salt
one cup water with food color added
2 tbsp oil

- Knead ingredients together and warm gently in a pan until it forms a soft lump. Give to toddler or child to play with while still warm. Older children can be given cookie cutters, rolling pins, bottle tops, blunt knives, etc. to have tools to work with.

Benefits of playing with playdough for kids include learning how things change weight and shape when pulled, pushed or torn. Also teaches kids how to build different shapes.

Added bonuses include teaching a small child how to play quietly for a period of time!

Trip to Springfield

This past weekend my family went down to Springfield to visit some college friends! We had a great time and just enjoyed having a weekend off!

Some of the highlights were eating pony shoes and visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum! If you have never heard of a pony shoe let me explain! Unique to Springfield dining are horse shoes or a half size pony shoe! Basically you get an open faced sandwich over toast, smothered in deliciously gooey fries with cheese sauce! If you are dieting this is not the sandwich for you! For a unique treat it was great though. It is probably good I don't live closer to Springfield as I would be mightily tempted by these sandwiches.

The museum was fascinating and we could have spent much more time there. Unfortunately we only had about an hour but it was still worth it! I really enjoyed seeing the size of the log cabin where Abe grew up. Let me tell you we have no reason to complain about space! While growing up Abe lived with his large family in a log cabin that is probably about the size of my bedroom! Also the replica dresses displayed for the time period were beautiful and very interesting to look at. We also got a chance to see one of the short films at the museum. We watched Ghosts of the Library, which was very cool.
If you have a chance to visit Springfield don't miss this museum!

Games to Make at Home for Pre-schoolers

I stumbled on some really neat do it yourself games for pre-schoolers! I love that you can make these games out of things you probably have on hand at your house! Plus these games help your kids learn something too! Have fun!

Pen Pals for Kids

I never had an official pen pal growing up as a kid but I do remember thinking it would be really exciting! Somehow opening up a letter addressed just to you is one of the most exciting things for children. In fact, opening up a handwritten letter is still a real treat for me at age 26! So let's discuss the benefits and how to go about setting up a pen pal for your child.

There are several benefits of a child having a pen pal. Having a person to write regular letters to will help your child improve their writing skills in a fun way. Even if you are not proof reading their letters, they will still improve by just practicing writing. They will learn how to express their thoughts in written form which is an important skill to learn! You will also be given the opportunity to teach your child about how the post office works, how to address envelopes properly, how to buy stamps, and much more. In the best case scenario your child may form a close friend for life!

Now to the how-to information! If I had a child interested in a pen-pal I would personally find someone they could write to. I'm sure that there are probably several reputable sites online that could assist you in this, but I do not know of any and would use extreme caution for safety purposes. I would be much more comfortable with asking friends or family who live out of state or country if they know a child around the same age who would like a pen pal. After a few requests I'm sure a pen pal will turn up! A pen pal does not have to be a perfect stranger either. Perhaps your child has a cousin or old friend who has moved away. This could be the perfect pen pal for them! Do a little creative thinking and one will turn up. Another option is a far away Grandma or Grandpa. These letters will be cherished for years to come! One more option to consider is joining a sponsor a child program like Compassion International. These programs encourage letter writing and the child you sponsor will write you letters at set times each year.

Once you find an appropriate pen pal I suggest you talk to your child about what they would like to know about their pen pal and help them form some questions to ask in their first letter. Once the letters start being exchanged suggest a few options such as enclosing stickers, a picture, or even mailing a special package for a birthday surprise! You will probably never have to go to the mailbox again because your child will be there before you, waiting for the next letter!