Mom's

This page is probably the page that is nearest and dearest to my heart.  My favorite role that I get to have is being the mom to the most amazing toddler I know.  This page is dedicated to activities that are sure to excite your little one's and get them thinking!  Enjoy!


We've Been Booed!!!

As Halloween approaches, I always enjoy spreading some holiday cheer--from the decorating the house, going to endless pumpkin patches in search of the perfect pumpkin, enjoying the cool weather (which us Californians have not had the luxury of experiencing!), and all things fall!  This year a new tradition will be starting in our household all thanks to a very crafty and considerate friend...we've been BOOED!!! The rules are simple, make a little "We've been BOOED!" sign, a treat basket, and a little note explaining the rules of the game of spreading Halloween Cheer--enjoy the treats, make two more signs and notes, create two little treat baskets and secretly deliver your 'boos' to your friends/neighbors!


It is so much fun!  My little one loves dropping off the package that he helped me make, and running to the front door or our 'boo recipient' to ring the bell and run!  If you haven't been 'booed' yet, you may want to considering starting the 'boo' tradition in your neighborhood!!  Happy Haunting!!

Get a Disney Movie for FREE!!
Just wanted to share some news with all of you!  If you have an Iphone or Ipad, go to the App Store and get the latest Disney app called Disney Movies Anywhere.  This is a great app that allows you to view all of your disney digital copies in one place, anywhere, anytime.  I will be testing this out when we go on a trip in a couple of weeks and need to entertain my toddler on a 6 hour flight.  The best part about this app is that they are currently allowing you to download the Incredibles for FREE!!




An Amazing Product for the Little Ones
I am always looking for new products out there that are both fun and educational for my little guy-especially since Kindergarten is right around the corner.  When my good friend told me about Kiwi Crate, I was enthusiastic about such a great product and immediately signed up for a membership.  Kiwi Crate focuses on engaging activities that are well-balanced-focusing on geography, science and math.  In addition the activities are centered around creativity which allows little one's imagination and creativity to flourish-all at the same time they are learning something neat!
Each 'crate' comes with everything that you need from scissors and markers to the materials needed for the activity.  I signed up for the monthly subscription and am looking forward to my first shipment.  I am so excited to get T's imagination flowing and help him learn at the sam time!


DIY Christmas Ornaments
Are you wanting to try a fun activity with your little ones to get them into the spirit of the holiday?  Try making these great crystal ornaments.  Your little ones get the opportunity to show off their creative side, you get a wonderful keepsake, and you can explain the process of crystallization and saturated solutions to them (if you are feeling inspired)-to turn this into a fun science experiment!!

What you will need:
6 tablespoons Borax detergent
2 c hot water
pipe cleaner
large cup or mason jar
string
pencil or popsicle stick

Directions:


***Let the ornament sit in the solution for at least 24 hours to allow the crystals to form.***

Science behind this activity:
When adding 6 tablespoons of Borax to water, you are creating a supersaturated solution.  As some of the Borax crystals start to settle out of the water, they are attracted to the chenille on the pipe cleaner and crytstallize forming little crystals all over your ornament.  These are beautiful little ionic structures being formed.

A Letter from Santa and the Elf-in-Charge
In preparing for our Elf's arrival I decided that it would be nice to get some "elf" stationary, so Jingle, the head elf in charge could write letters to T every now and then.  I also decided that it was time to get some fantastic Santa stationary, so I did a little work and came up with these great pieces of stationary that I will be able to use for years to come.  Feel free to e-mail for a copy if you wish, or even become inspired to create your own!

Make Your Elf on the Shelf Poseable!
Hello all! I have been going nuts looking on Pinterest lately and noticing all of these elves being able to bend and pose in all kinds of great positions.  Mine is (Or shall I say was) not like that. When Elfie came to us, his limbs were filled with fluff, which makes him cute, but not poseable, so our elf underwent surgery to become more "elf like."

Materials
Elf
Wire (I used 18 gauge copper wire that I bought from Home Depot)
Seam ripper
Needle
Red thread
White thread
Needle nose pliers 

Directions
Gather all materials 
Tear one to two stitches from bottom of elf feet and one to two stitches from elf hands.
Measure a piece of wire about the length of each arm/leg; cut it and fold each end over to prevent the rough end of the wire from poking through the elf's fabric.
Insert the piece of wire into the extremity where you made the incision, repeat until done.
Sew your little elf back up, he/she is good as new and can now be posed!!

Great Educational Websites for Kids
Okay Mom's, if you have been on a hunt for some great websites for your littles ones, check out these ones below:
www.starfall.com
www.abcmouse.com
www.enchantedlearning.com
www.funforthebrain.com
www.jumpstart.com

These are some great sites that keep the kiddos busy, entertained, and learning!  I also love www.preschoolactivitybox.com for the activities and worksheets that you can find on there.  Have fun!

Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten

Let’s face it: Kindergarten isn’t what it used to be. Right or wrong, it is the world we live in. The following list is intended to help prepare your child in a variety of developmental areas to make the transition into kindergarten as smooth as possible.  Believe it or not, just 15-20 minutes of playing and learning with your child can make a world of difference!





Let's All Go Out to the Movies!
With so many amazing movies out this summer, and with the blistering heat in full effect, take a break and go see one of the many awesome films in theaters now.  I must be honest, I really only know about the ones rated G and PG, as the hubby and I only make it out the the movies when we can take T.  Currently, Epic and Monsters University are both playing-Monsters University was definitely worth the chaos (we saw it opening weekend).  Coming to theaters this month are Turbo and Planes, I guarantee we will be heading to the theater to see both films, and T is already excited for Planes!  He has been talking about that movie since we saw the first trailer in DECEMBER!!!

Summer Book Club at Your Local Library
When I was a little girl my mom made a point of fostering my love for learning and reading by always taking us to the library.  There is something about getting your own card and picking out your own books that is just do special.  This summer marks the year that T got his his own library card and started the summer reading book club at our local library!  It is so wonderful, we visit the library each week, he gets a special prize for reading his books, and he gets to pick out new books each visit!  I know that my little love bug will love reading and learning as much as I do since it is just so much fun!! So get out there, check out your local library and see what fun summer events they have in store for you and your little ones!








Brought To You By The Letter 'A'
I am working with my toddler on his alphabet, learning his upper case and lower case letters, and writing his letters.  I found these worksheets to be very helpful and thought that some of you would like them too!


I Scream, You Scream, We All SCREAM!!!
There is nothing better than a delicious bowl of ice cream on a hot summer day, and nothing more fun than making it yourself!  I am not talking about the "old fashioned" way, but the "scientific" way where you can see the ice cream being formed and get to explain to your little ones why this liquid mush is turning into a delicious frozen treat!

Materials
1/2 c half and half
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
***optional 1/4 tsp additional flavoring (strawberry extract, banana extract, chocolate extract, etc-all found in the same aisle of the market where vanilla extract is)***
1/4 c kosher salt or ice cream salt
2 gallon double zipper Ziplock bags
2 quart double zipper Ziplock bags
1/2 c ice

Procedure

  • Assemble bags by placing one gallon Ziplock bag inside of the other, set aside.  Place one quart Ziplock bag inside of the other.  Pour the half and half, sugar, vanilla (and if using, optional flavoring) into the inside of the inner quart Ziplock bag.  Zip both the inside bag and the outside bag and set aside.
  • Put ice and salt in the inside of the inner gallon Ziplock bag, place zipped, small bag inside with ice/salt mixture.  Zip up the large gallon Ziplock bags and shake for about 5 to 10 minutes.  The more vigorously you shake the colder the bag will get and the sooner you will have ice cream!
  • Take very inner bag out, wipe off to avoid any salt, grab a spoon and enjoy!  If you want, add any toppings you want!



Explanation: Adding salt to ice makes the ice (water) go from a pure substance-just water, to a mixture, so it's freezing point changes, it lowers and becomes a liquid once again, as a result it loses heat energy becoming even colder, allowing the contents of the liquid ice cream mixture to go from a liquid to a solid!  The more that you shook the bag, the more water that you exposed to the salt and the more rapidly you decreased the temperature allowing ice cream to form!  See, isn't science fun?!

Staying Sane with a Summer Schedule!
I don't have the luxury of getting to be a stay at home mom, but I do get the luxury of getting summer's off to be with my little man.  However, this is a bit of a catch 22 for us because we are very used to the routine that has been set for us throughout the year.  So as soon as summer approached, I did what I do best and came up with a schedule and lesson plan for our summer together to make the most of it.  I don't expect to adhere to our schedule completely everyday, but most days we do, and it works wonderfully for the two of us.  We get to spend quality time together, and I finally get to teach the most important kid to me in the world-my own.  So for all of you other mom's out there who need a schedule to function off of, by all means, take a look at mine for a little inspiration-I was inspired by someone on Pinterest!  Hope you have a happy and productive summer!

Make a Rainbow
I used to do this lab when I taught freshman integrated science and thought that it would be a great activity to do with my son.  I changed it up a bit so I could focus more on primary and secondary colors and numbers (not so much measuring-if you have an older child who can focus on precision, have them measure the proper amount, at the end of the activity all of their containers should have the exact amount of substance).
This is such a fun activity because you can teach your little one about primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and when they mix with other primary colors they make new (secondary colors); like orange, green, purple, pink, etc!  It is so much fun, they learn their colors, how to recognize their letters because the containers are labeled, and they practice counting, measuring, and depending on what you use to measure with, adding as well.  I suggest using a medicinal syringe if you don't have access to a graduated cylinder (educational supply stores like Lakeshore Learning usually carry some).  Have fun!

No comments:

Post a Comment