Kansas and Louisville, KY

We had a good time watching the Jayhawks on Sunday evening.  We ordered pizza and had milkshakes, and ate right in the living room!  It was a special night.  Josiah pulled the rocking chair out all by himself for a special spot.

 Maryn was cheering for the Jayhawks with the rest of us!

After ballet and Josiah's 3+ hour nap today, we went on a nature hike and to a playground in Cherokee Park.  Then we came home, had dinner with Daddy, and Daddy--not to be outdone--wanted to take us to a "cooler" area of the park.

 We did some rock jumping in the gorgeous river, and some pretty intense hiking.  John and Maryn also did some pretty risky rock climbing.  She is a brave girl.

 Here they are!  They climbed up all those rocks.

Then we went to another playground that had boulders and more kid friendly rock climbing things, and she loved that too.  Maryn had her third ballet class this morning, and she is just doing splendidly.  She's a natural.  Her toes, when they point, are so beautiful.  I can't wait to see how she progresses in the coming year, if we are able to keep her in it through the summer especially.  Our kids are thoroughly exhausted today!

Mommy and Daddy are exhausted too (I did get a nap today!  No way would I be functioning right now otherwise).  Good night!

We had to cancel Preschool Monday because I had some weird type of stomach issues, which I think were mostly caused by tater tot casserole.  Apparently, a person my size should not eat half a pan of that stuff.  Especially if that person is lactose intolerant!  Lesson learned.

I was very sad because I had prepared our house and my lesson plan for the day.  A neighbor took Maryn for the entire morning, Josiah slept (he was up all night, too, screaming and screaming), and I did stuff on the computer (facebook...a sick person's best friend).

Anyway, when Maryn got home, I was feeling so much better so we did Preschool Monday, just the three of us.  What a sweet time it was, too.  Maryn was just READY to go.  She patterned (yay!) and counted (yay!) and wrote letters all by herself!  This girl is amazing me.  She just LOVES to school.  I don't know where she gets it!  ;-)

We also did a LOT of painting.  We have been watching some paint mixing videos on YouTube since she is so intrigued by it, so we used some of the things we learned about paint mixing to create some beautiful paintings.

She did apple prints with the apples we picked from the orchard.

She did a big painting using "contrasting colors" for a purple and yellow flower, and she painted some scenery around it.  A bear eating an ice cream cone, the flower is in the middle, and a lemonade stand.  We pulled a fork through the paint to add some "texture."  She said, "That's some NICE texture, Mommy!"  :)

She also painted a giraffe.  With huge green WHISKERS.  lol.

Yes, so we went to Joe Huber's Family Farm and Orchard in Starlight, Indiana on Saturday morning with a group of friends.  I can't believe we didn't get a big group picture.

So there's John chasing Maryn, and you see Avery right there in the middle.  Her daddy was just behind her, chasing her as well.  The kids just loved running through that orchard.  We picked Red Delicious and Golden Delicious Apples.  When we got home, we made apple walnut muffins.  Muffins are too much work from scratch, in my opinion.  I don't care for muffins, but this recipe was actually pretty good.  I've discovered the secret to a good muffin recipe is cream cheese and extra sugar.  I didn't bother doing the streusel topping on the muffins either because I was just plain worn out.

Maryn is actually learning to pose for pictures!

And Josiah!  He's my little pumpkin bear.  I really feel like I now have TWO little kids.  There's no baby in this house any more.  He is a tiny human tornado.  It is unbelievable the mess two children can make together.  I was so behind on everything this week.  It's one thing to be a few days behind on laundry, but it's entirely another to be a few days behind on dishes!  John was gracious enough to get us caught up and our house, tonight, still remains "clean."

Josiah has been teething and SCREAMING.  But I think the worst of it is over and his two cutesy little toofers (incisors) are now poking through the gums.  It's only taken 4 months for them to come in!  The doctor told us at his 9 months appointment they were starting to come.  Sheesh.  He's 13 months old now.

Hugs and kisses from me and my babies (I purposely left John out of that farewell because I know he does not care to hug and kiss everyone)!

Cowboy Day

We are at the end of a grocery week.  A glance at our pantry (who am I kidding?), or I mean, our two little cupboards, told me that choices were slim tonight.  I had some black beans.  We always have black beans thanks to WIC.  I had some baked beans, courtesy of our neighborhood Food Line (food pantry, which I volunteer for...well, I'm kind of paid to do it, etc.), and a pound of beef I accidentally told John to get last week. And of course we had some bbq sauce because who doesn't have three or four bottles of bbq sauce almost empty in their fridge?  Now I'd heard a lot about Cowboy Beans, and always thought about making them, but who wants to use one of two meat nights per week on beans?  It seems like a waste.  Well, tonight was the perfect opportunity.

Knowing Maryn wouldn't be thrilled with this meal plan (she loves beans but doesn't like barbecue sauce), I decided to call today Cowboy Day and got her all pumped up for our Cowboy Beans and Cowboy Cornbread (aka, cornbread that actually doesn't come from a box!).  So we wore our cowboy hats all day, spoke like cowboys, played "outlaw," danced around to some cowboy songs which I'd had from my teaching days, and decorated our lovely rocking horse Maryn calls "TuTu."

Maryn always wants to be the bad guy when we play games like "Outlaw," but she doesn't want to be locked up in jail or put into the stocks, of course.  Which I find absolutely shocking.  LOL

Some days she is just unbearable.  Today was awful, yesterday was great.  She had three pee accidents in her room today.  She hasn't had a pee accident in probably a week or two.  And this time they were all in her room, so it was very tricky to find all the places where she might have peed. I had to wash all her blankets and pillows and of course she freaked out about me putting her pillow into the washer.  Oh my word.  And she really doesn't care that she peed on her books, her kitty cat, and her floor.  She just danced around, naked, "La la la, I'm a cowboy!  Look Mommy!  I peed!  I peed on my pillow!  I peed on my kitty!"  She might as well have said, "La la la, Mommy!  You are one step closer to the final phase of my plan to destroy you!"  And she didn't eat her cowboy beans.  She had a cold hot dog instead.

Josiah is my cuddle bug, and thank God for him.  I love my kiddos both the same but I praise the Lord for his sweet little smiles that remind me all kids have tough phases and I'll get through this phase with Maryn.  And it'll be on to something new and different (maybe worse) and I'll ache for these times when her cute naked bum pops around the house like a little white dandelion seed.

Heaven help me, she says the funniest and cutest things all day long.  My favorite yesterday was when we were reading the story in Daniel, when the hand is writing on the wall.  The picture is pretty creepy.  I mean, there's a hand without a body attached to it, writing something in Hebrew on the wall.  Scary.  But she just looked at it very nonchalantly and quipped, "Oh, we have that on our computer, Mommy."

And so we do.  Sometimes our mouse does look like a hand on the computer, especially on her games at Starfall.com.  Sheesh.

As for pictures, I posted some great ones on Facebook.  I'm still having trouble posting pictures to my blog.  Sorry :)

The Speed Art Museum

Today we woke up bright and early and set out for the St. Matthews Farmers' Market, which is about 3 minutes down the street. It was an incredible place. I've never been to a Farmers' Market like it, with live music, tons of free samples, cheap coffee and small, local businesses advertising and selling their wares--from pottery to jams, jellies, honey, candles, and lots and lots of flowers. We tried lots of great foods. We would have bought lots more if we were of the organic-eating, grass-fed meat cooking variety, but alas, we are none of those things at this time. Otherwise I'd have been all over that bison, beef, and steaks. So if you ever visit us here on a weekend, we're going there! You'd like it.

Then we went to the seminary book store, which was uneventful.

Maryn ate a whole quart of cherry tomatoes that we bought at the farmers' market in between those two places.

And then, after stopping at home for just a bit, we went to the Speed Art Museum on University of Louisville's campus downtown. It was neat to see where Pastor Nate (Nathan Dooley) went to school and I think we even saw his frat house. But we didn't stop to say hi. We didn't stop to say hi to John's fraternity brothers at Phi Kappa Tau, either. lol.

Anyway (I'm rambling), the Speed Art Museum doesn't have anything to do with velocity or anything like that. It's named after a person. They have this whole program and huge area for kids--even little kids like Maryn. It was SERIOUSLY awesome.

There was an Aztec area where Maryn could ride a donkey,
hide and play with Native American toys inside a teepee,
build with all kinds of blocks in a huge block area (those windows and doors in the houses come out--they are blocks, too!),

play on a pirate ship (there are pulleys to raise and lower the sails and other parts of the ship),

hide in an Aztec house of some sort,
create Aztec rubbings,
build with lots of blocks (this is behind all those houses I showed you earlier),
John enjoyed himself, too...
Maryn has grown very talented with blocks. Here you see she built a little house or something with mirror blocks. She did all that on her own. She builds things symmetrically, too. It's starting to freak me out.
There was also a really big art center with markers, puppets, a neat puppet show TOWER with tunnels, and a really great replica of a pioneer style home complete with dress up clothes, play food, and a pretend fire for "cooking." There were beading activities, lots of magnet types things, drawing on light tables, drawing through glass (tracing people's faces), and so much more. I couldn't get pictures of everything because there were so many kids in those parts. I didn't want parents getting weird about me taking pictures of their kids. Maybe next time.

These pictures were all taken on John's iphone because we weren't allowed to use flash photography. And there was all that neat stuff and what do you think Maryn's favorite thing was? She loved walking up and down and climbing through the bridge on that pirate ship. She also liked the pioneer house. Honestly I think she would have spent 2 hours doing just those things.

Yep, you could spend 2 hours in this place easily. And it was much better than any Chuck E. Cheese. It only cost $5/person and kids under 3 are free. Admission to the museum itself is free, but they ask for a $4 donation.

Good deals on a hot day. And lots of fun.

Girls' Night

John had to work after church today and this evening, so we had a little girl time. Before and after dinner, John and Maryn kind of have a routine of playing with blocks, cars, and other things like that. But I'm not so into that. So I decided to just do what mommy does best: crafts! And some educational play. :)

Here's Maryn making her own Fourth of July picture all by herself while we listened to patriotic songs.

We made a flag...like this:

And like this:

Maryn ate her grilled cheese sandwich with a fork.

We made a fish sorting game.

First, we sorted them by color.

Then I made different patterns on them and we tried sorting them by patterns.
Sorting by colors was much easier!

It was a good time with my girl. I'm glad Michele reminded me a few days ago on her blog that teaching our children all about The Fourth of July and all about our country is so important. Even at such a young age, I can pass patriotism down to my daughter. In New Zealand, my friends were shocked that I even knew our country's national anthem. Very few New Zealanders (they call themselves Kiwis) actually know their national anthem by heart. One weekend while on vacation iin NZ we listened to my Kids' Patriotic Songs CD about 8 times. It's just kids singing The Star Spangled Banner, My Country Tis of Thee, etc. They loved it. It was weird. And they thought it was fantastic that so many Americans wear or hang the flag so often. But that kind of patriotism is fading. Though our country is not perfect, we have a lot to be grateful for. Let's teach our children to be grateful for our freedoms and opportunities. We are blessed!

Love This, And I Love Them

Our friend Bethany's mom measured their dining room table and made this cute little playhouse for kiddos! Wouldn't it be fun to let the kids help decorate it with fabric paint or fabric markers? The possibilities are endless. Such fun!

Military Families

Certain people have been on my heart a lot lately, mostly military families. What a great sacrifice they make and most of the military families I know do it happily. Please remember these families in your prayers and see about encouraging and supporting them. Many churches have a Soldier Care program where you can just donate a few items, or you can send a care package. OR you can send something sweet to the family of the soldier you know.

If you are or have been part of a military family, thank you so much for your love and sacrifice. I am astounded by you, encouraged by you, and I am praying for our troops around the world.

No Time For Flash Cards!

I was looking for some ideas for sensory tubs and came across this fun mommy site:

No Time for Flashcards

It has a lot of good ideas for toddlers. Maryn is kind of young for most sensory types of activities because she still likes to put a lot of things--especially fun feeling things--in her mouth. Today I put a little tub together full of those little pom-poms. I knew it was a bad idea, but I also knew the little one I babysit would love it. He did. Maryn did, too. Well, she loved how they felt in her MOUTH anyway. I know, I know. Children Maryn's age feel and explore with their mouths. Oh well. It didn't hurt her, and I figured they'd be practically impossible to swallow.

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you moms had ideas for sensory tubs/sensory tables? Or, take a look at the website above and tell me some of your favorite ideas.

Maryn is loving sticky and scratchy things right now. So I guess I will look for things like that. Play doh--even edible Play doh--is a little too much for her right now. She'll eat a 2 liter of Play doh if I let her and you can just forget her trying to play with it. I guess I taught her not to play with her food a little too well...

AND (Mom) if you're desperately trying to think of things to get Maryn for Christmas and know that I am already freaking out about all the clutter in this place, do take a look at the site and visit a craft store. Or hardware store. Maryn LOVES sandpaper! We also really need crayons. Big crayons, triangular crayons. Paper. And maybe a shelf to organize all this stuff...

We LOVE the library!

Wow. We found a library that actually DOES stuff! Now, let me warn you, I will go into too much detail for most of you. But this is because I have some children's librarians and teachers reading this, so bear with me.

So I show up at the library at 10:05 with three bags: diaper bag, purse, and bag of library books to return. And of course, Maryn and I both had jackets on so I got to carry those around the library, which was lovely and something I DO miss about Naples.

Anyway, there was a line of moms with toddlers and babies at the door. I'm not sure why, but there they were. Let the chaos begin! I eventually figured out that the story time was upstairs, and thank goodness they had little kid "footprints" to lead the way. People need to do this for moms. Because "Mommy Brain" goes platinum during trips to the library.

The footprints led us to a fabulous little room. A giant Eric Carle butterfly was painted on the wall and there were 4 or 5 huge carpeted stairs to make stadium-like seating for the moms and kids to sit--with lots of stuffed animals everywhere to help the toddlers sit still. The sweet librarian, 20-something Miss Emily sat up front with her big book stand. There were tiny little tables with toddler appropriate little chairs in another section that would eventually be used during craft time.

Maryn's eyes absolutely lit up when she saw all the kids and the room. She just knew this was just for her and kids. Fun!

There were about 12 moms or grandmothers there, each with one or two kids. Supposedly this class usually has about 50 total! I can't imagine.

First, Miss Emily introduced herself to us and gave Maryn a stamp on her hand (which she just about loved more than anything ever in the whole wide world), which I think was just for fun. Then Miss Emily led a few songs that the kids (or moms) chose, and read two books: That's Not My Monster (one of Maryn's favorites) and Go Away, Big Green Monster! Then she taught us a little Monster song/finger play. Maryn and the other kids really paid attention well. There were a few kids that walked around, but it was okay. Maryn loved it. She also really loved the stairs we were sitting on, so she did crawl around quite a bit and she tried to get into all the moms' purses and drink from all the kids' sippy cups. :) Oops.

After the songs and books and rhymes, Miss Emily passed out laminated pieces of "bear food" with magnets on the backs, and the kids added their "food" to the magnet board during a little bear food rhyme. Maryn stuck her "food" on the magnet board like a champ.

Then, Miss Emily got out the toys and the craft--a monster claw--and the kids went for it. Maryn played with the toys most of the time.

Then she made a monster claw. She loved taking it on and off her hand.
Somehow, it got lost somewhere in the library. Too much to carry.

After story hour, we spent some time in the library
choosing new books. Maryn was bit uncooperative at this point
and wanted to run EVERYWHERE and pull out ALL the books.
And she kept falling and tripping--it was crazy! I don't know what was up...

...but I think she was tired! She didn't even make it through lunch.

We even reserved a "sensory backpack" from the library, which includes some books and manipulatives for kids Maryn's age. I can't wait to see what's inside.

Family Fun Night and New Discoveries

Family Fun Night was last night on the lawn at the seminary. If you are a Muskie Alum, it was so much like Muskiepalooza. They had about 6 blow up things, including an obstacle course, a jousting pit, a mechanical bull, a slide, and some other things. They had a carousel for the littles, and a few other carnival type rides. They had stands set up with FREE food, just like they always had at Muskiepalooza. AND I had an ice cold can of Coca Cola that was NOT off brand. Hallelujah!

John and I stuffed ourselves with all the food we could handle. When dinner was over, the president of Boyce College (that's the undergrad school here) told us to take what was left. All the seminary students were stuffing their kids' diaper bags with cheeseburgers (everyone has a baby here, it seems...and all seminary students are pretty much poor!).

Here's Maryn on her second ever carousel ride! She loved it.
She was smiling, but it's so difficult to get pictures on carousels.

Here's something to try with a baby! Take a thin strip of wax paper
and wrap his/her favorite treat up in little sections, twisting between
each piece or gathering a few in each section like I did here with Cheerios.
It's a good snack that can keep them busy a while.

Where are the rest of those Cheerios?

Maryn's first Play Doh experience was the other day.
She did all right at first, but right after I took this picture
she took a huge bite out of that ball of Play Doh you see there,
just as if it were an apple. She liked the taste so much,
we had to put the Play Doh away. I guess we'll be making
some of our own edible Play Doh soon!

The Fair and Other Fun Stuff

There was a kids' stage and section where they had these crazy bear performers
and Looney Tunes characters. Fun! We got a fuzzy picture with Daffy Duck.

Maryn's first carousel ride!

Yesterday, Maryn ate her very first peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
We've been trying peanut butter gradually for a couple weeks.
No allergies so far!

Maryn is a genius!

All that walking around the fair wore me out, Mom!
Can we watch TV before bed?

The fair was at Six Flags, so John got to ride a roller coaster. Some nice people gave us about 12 tickets ($1.25 each!), so we got some free rides! For an admission fee of $8, that's not too bad, right? We could have ridden more coasters or rides. There were no lines and things weren't very busy. There were some weird, weird people there. But I guess you'll have that at all state fairs. :)

There was a nice little nursing and changing room, too. And a quilt contest and a pie contest and a cake decorating contest and a Christmas tree decorating contest. I never knew there were so many contests at the fair. It made me feel a little better about my cake decorating abilities, because I know I could have been in the running in the kids' cake decorating contest, at least!

Well, I'm rambling. I'm exhausted. Good night!

Arts, Crafts, and Missing Immokalee

I feel a need to do some new arts and crafts next week, and I have basically run out of ideas for popsicle sticks. Although, the cat and giraffe magnets came out wonderfully. I was going to get a picture for you but I had to return them to the kids before I got the chance.

Anyway, I really found some cool crafts that I think everyone should do with their own kids or kids they know. I don't know if I will use these ideas, because it's kind of hard to explain some things to the counselors if I can't be there, but they are good, cheap ideas nevertheless.

Sidenote: I am totally digging this Sculpey stuff. Obviously I had heard of it, but I thought it was way too expensive. But it just so happens that you can get a 30 color sampler box for $25. So if you have an older child that is getting beyond the Play-Doh point, and would like to actually keep some of his/her projects forever, then I highly recommend Sculpey. I've had a blast experimenting with it myself, and there are some very clever ideas online. I'm thinking about making some Christmas ornaments out of it. Sadly, I have lost many of my artistic abilities. I tried to make a birthday present for my sister, Sara, today, and it really leaves much to be desired. I may get her some Sculpey and she can make her own birthday present.

Here are some cheap, fun craft ideas:

Marbled Paper with Shaving Cream and Food Coloring: This is one we've actually tried here at camp, and it is amazing. It's so simple and makes the coolest, coolest paper.

Bubble Prints: There are easier ways out there to do bubble prints, but these are the coolest! This would be a good project for kids 6 or older, and you could talk about bubbles, air, etc.

Plaster of Paris Air Fresheners: This is something I've never seen or heard of, but I would be quite happy if Maryn brought me a little air freshener she made herself. So cute. This one would also be for older children, and it may take quite a bit of work on the parent's part.

Plaster of Paris Handprints: I'm sure most of you know how to do this, yet may hesitate because you don't want plaster of paris all over your baby's hands. But, as I learned today, you can put a piece of SaranWrap over the plaster and make your child's handprint through the plastic. Plaster of Paris, apparently, can burn little ones' hands if left on for very long.

Missing Immokalee
Most of the parents and children here at camp have been a dream. I just love them. But this week, I really got slammed by one of the parents. Fortunately, another parent couldn't find enough kind words to say to me today, and it made up for the slamming I got earlier. But, I was just reminded of the sweet, sweet families from Immokalee.

There were many parent/teacher conferences, translator in tow (sometimes), where the parent sat across from me, listening intently, nodding and smiling, or frowning with concern, and just eager to hear and listen to everything I had to say. If I said little "Jose" or "Karina" wasn't listening in class, they were quick to make suggestions, ask me to give them suggestions, and sure enough the problem was usually solved quite easily.

I know this is a stereotype, but I just really miss my Immokalee parents.

Craft (Or Popsicle) Stick Crafts

In honor of an especially rainy day here in New Hampshire, I give you some rainy day craft ideas...

Here are some craft ideas we’ve been doing with our day campers. They are all very easy and can take up a good amount of time if you want to draw it out for an hour or so, or they can be done in as little as fifteen minutes. They all use a very limited amount of inexpensive supplies, the main supply being craft sticks. You can buy craft sticks at Michael's, JoAnn's and other craft stores for as little as $5.00/1000. If you prefer something a little more carbon-copyish, you can also buy little kits here. Usually craft sticks glue together just fine with Elmer's School Glue, but Glue All works a bit better, and Tacky glue works really well. If you use Tacky glue, it's easier for little ones or big groups if you pour some into a paper bowl/cup and allow them to paint the glue on with a simple, cheap paintbrush.

About Magnets: We glued magnets to the back of the picture frame and the cat. You can buy magnetic tape for about $3-$4, but it often doesn't work very well. A better deal are these types of magnets that are much stronger, but need to be glued on with hot glue. They cost about $5-6 for 50! And they are very good, although I always have to make sure I glue the right side down...

Picture Frame: Lay seven popsicle sticks or JUMBO craft sticks (which are much better for Pre-K kids) flat on newsprint and glue together by gluing along the sides and pushing together. Then lay four more to make a square, or picture frame. For more color, the sticks can be colored or painted before gluing. Last, glue some decorations around the sides such as foam shapes, small puzzle pieces, shells, sequins, etc. See samples here and here. I do mine a little differently than these samples because I like my picture frame to have a back on it. I'll try to post a picture later.

Cat Magnet: Decorate a large craft stick for the body, and four small popsicle sticks as legs and glue together. Cut out an oval from card stock for the cat’s head and triangles for ears. Twist two 3 inch chenille stems together and attach to body using Tacky Glue or a hot glue gun. See sample and more complex instructions here. Of course, this little cat could be easily made into any cat in the cat family (tiger, lion) or many other creatures, such as a bear, dog, giraffe...

Tic-Tac-Toe (Camper Favorite!): Use a 6x6in. square of card stock or cardboard and decorate with stamps, stickers, crayons, markers, etc. Gather four popsicle sticks and decorate with crayons, markers or paint. Glue the craft sticks onto card stock as a tic-tac-toe board. Then, paint rocks two different colors to use as Xs and Os, or paint Xs and Os on the rocks. One could also use shells, foam shapes, cut paper, pom-poms or seasonal items such as card stock cut into egg shapes for Easter, stars for Christmas, and so on. All pieces can fit in a Ziploc bag as a fun travel game, occupying the kids for even longer. See more instructions and a sample here.

What a great family fun section, Amanda!

Well, I am quite proud of my "Family Fun" links. So far, I have Snow Day, Tea Party, Hawaiian Luau, and a bunch of other ideas. If you have some ideas, or some books/movies/activities/crafts to add to any of these posts, please do! And if you ever want to see any of these ideas again, you can just click on "Family Fun" at the very bottom of my blog. So handy, isn't it???

Family Fun Days: Snow Day

Snow Day

I loved doing some of these activities with my first graders in Florida since the phrase “Snow Day” comes up in a lot of books, movies, and other places. When kids grow up in warmer climates, they don’t fully understand the excitement of a snow day, so these activities play out that scenario. Home schooled children might enjoy this, too, when it really is a snow day for the rest of the county/town. Here I have added ideas for a REAL snow day and ideas for a fake snow day.

Teasers:

The night before, look out the window and mention how snowy it is out there and that school may be cancelled tomorrow. Possibly put “snow” on the windows (fake spray snow or paper snowflakes) or any other snowy clues.

Fun! Awaken children at normal time in the morning and listen to the “radio” (a pre-recorded video or audio of yourself and your spouse performing a newscast) to listen for their school’s name on the cancellation list. Cheer and shout for joy when their school’s name is called and give the kids the option of going back to bed, watching cartoons, or doing whatever they want for an hour (or two…).

Crafts:

Make paper snowflakes.

Preschool: Penguin Paper Craft or Polar Bear Paper Craft (both practice cutting circles) and lots of other penguin coloring pages and activities can be found here.

Activities and Books:

Make “snow” (We used a slushy or margarita machine).

Arctic Animals: Discuss how fat on animals such as the polar bear keeps them warm. Spread kids’ hands with Crisco and dip their hands into the snow. Kids will notice how their hand doesn’t get cold! Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? is a good book to go along with this for preschoolers.

Animals: You can do some learning extensions after your snow day about hibernation, migration, and other activities of animals during the winter. Once kids start thinking, they will wonder what squirrels, fish, frogs, and other animals do during the winter. There are many, many books about animals during the winter, such as Bear Sleeps In and Squirrels All Year Long by Melvin Berger (non-fiction).

The Mitten by Jan Brett and other related books: This is the best winter time book! You can find a million activities to go along with it online. Other good books to go along with it are The Hat, also by Jan Brett, and The Old Man’s Mitten by Yevonne Pollock. These books are all based on a traditional tale (a Russian tale, I believe). Check out www.JanBrett.com They also all have interesting woodland animals in them that will spark the kids’ interest (badger, mole, fox, hare, rabbit, bear, mouse). A springtime book based on the same tale is Mushroom in the Rain by Mirra Ginsburg, which the kids always love and can re-enact with an umbrella. Kids love to re-enact all these stories and they love hearing all the different animals’ voices as you read (but you have to be pretty creative in thinking of at least 7 voices to use!).

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats: Everyone seems to love this classic story of a little boy on a snowy day, who tries to save his snowball.

Lucille’s Snowsuit by Kathryn Lasky: This is a must for snow days! In this story, little Francine’s older brother and sister have a snow day, but Francine spends all of their play time just trying to get her snowsuit on. After reading the story, dress up your kids in their snow clothes and play in the snow (or “snow”). You can have a suitcase relay with winter clothes as well. For Florida children, this is a good time to practice winter clothes vocabulary they don’t often hear (mittens, ear muffs, scarf, snowsuit, parka, boots, gloves).

Real Snow Play Ideas:

Snow Drawings and Prints: Give children items to make interesting designs and shapes in the snow, such as a potato masher, containers, sand toys, etc. You can also make a print with an item and see if younger children can guess what made the print (practicing one-to-one correspondence).

Spray Painting Designs in the Snow: Drew and I did this when we were little! Use spray bottles of water with a bit of food coloring and use it to decorate the snow. When Drew and I did it, we made a big snow dinosaur and painted him green and orange. A newspaper photographer came by and took our picture for the paper!

Snow Off Game (a good way to get rid of energy on snowy days!): Divide your group or family into two teams and divide a snowy area in half, making a line across the middle. One team gets on each side of the line. At a signal, everyone starts throwing snow over to the other side. After a given amount of time, give another signal and everyone must stop. The team that succeeded in get the most snow off their side wins!

Meals and Snacks:

After playing in the snow (or “snow”) make sure you warm up your little munchkins by giving them some hot chocolate with marshmallows! And serve a warm, soothing lunch, like chicken noodle soup.

For dinner, serve a favorite stew and biscuits, chili or soup or other winter time favorites (hot cider, casseroles, Christmas cookies, homemade bread, etc).

Songs:

The Penguin Song

Leader: Penguins, Attention! Penguins, Begin!

Have you ever seen
A penguin come to tea?
When you look at me
A penguin you will see!

Leader: Right arm
~Continue the song until you are dancing like a penguin~ (add left arm, right leg, left leg, turn around)
At the end it's PENGUINS ATTENTION! PENGUINS DECIST!

Winding Down

Movies:

The First Snow of Winter: Rated G, a cute little duck gets lost during his family’s migration

The Polar Express, The Santa Claus movies, and other Christmas shows/movies

Journal: Take a lot of pictures, especially of the kids in their snow clothes. Record each family member’s thoughts, favorites, or hand drawn pictures to the family scrapbook or journal.