Museums are incredibly powerful in extending a child's learning. They are surrounded by objects that can help them connect knowledge they've gained in the classroom to their every day life. Students can read about what they are seeing and spend time thinking about history, science, innovation, and more!
If you aren't able to GO to a museum today, here are some other options!
Your child guides an alien around the MoMA. Clicking on different pieces of art {paintings, sculptures, etc.} and learning about the artists and creating their own similar pieces.
There is something magical about finding a rainbow after a storm.
We have some ideas of how to extend this excitement and add some learning as well!
Sidewalk Chalk
You know you have some in the garage somewhere! Make a game of it by either taking turns drawing things that are well known for being RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, and PURPLE. It's harder than you might think!
Or you can just have fun being artistic and creating lots of different rainbows!
Blow Bubbles
You've probably blown bubbles A LOT. But have you ever encouraged your child to look for how the bubbles catch the sunlight and show colors of the rainbow?? It's wonderful how paying attention to even small things encourages learning!
You can see the bubble rainbow colors on {E}'s white shirt! That could be fun to retry!
Paint
You can break out the watercolors, acrylics, or whatever type of paint you have! Just make sure you have at least 6 of the 7 colors of the rainbow.
Because my little one is quite messy, I didn't want to have to worry about her getting paint EVERYWHERE. So I cut down a piece of card stock so it would fit inside a gallon size ziploc bag. I made the outline of the rainbow, slipped it inside the bag, and then let her "finger" paint!
It looked so cute in the bag when she was done! The hard part was getting it out. Once it totally dried it still looked sweet {and like it was done by a 1 year old...which it was!}.
Make a Rainbow
For this quick science experiment you need a glass of water, masking tape, a flashlight, a tall object to set the glass of water on, and a white piece of paper.
Cover most of the flashlight opening with masking tape. Set the glass of water on top of a tall object {we used a can of gatorade..that is probably expired}. Place the piece of paper to one side of the can and shine the flashlight through the water from the opposite side.
It will probably take a minute or more of maneuvering the flashlight before your rainbow will appear! {HELPFUL HINT! The bigger the flashlight, the bigger the rainbow} It's also easier to see in a dark space {like my laundry room aka the dungeon}. So find your own dark space or wait until the sun has gone down and turn off all the lights!
If you want to explain what's going on, that will add to the science learning! You can find some helpful instruction here.
Sing or Dance to Rainbow Songs
There are quite a few popular songs that have the word RAINBOW in them.
Go on a Rainbow Hunt
Have your child make a rainbow flip book like the one below {or DIY}.
Go over the colors and then walk around the house, the block, the store, a museum, ANYWHERE. Your little ones will love to match the colors to things in real life!
BONUS if you can find something that has ALL the rainbow colors!
One of my brothers-in-law introduced these to us on a camping trip a few years ago.
In the photo above it may LOOK like a simple marshmallow roasting experience, but it is SO much more!
You actually spray the wooden roaster with cooking spray and then wrap biscuit dough around it before toasting it over the glowing fire.
Then the REAL fun starts! You can fill your toasted creation with Nutella, fruit, jam, a marshmallow, WHATEVER you want! They're so yummy, you literally "wolf 'em" down.
2.
This Firepit Setup
We are finishing our backyard and I wish I could magically make this appear!
These are so cute and so tasty! Some of our more creative creations include hot fudge, bananas, and vanilla pudding; strawberries, chocolate pudding, and cream; marshmallow fluff and chocolate pudding {the smores mini pie}. You can get these in the baking aisle!
4.
Once I Was a Beehive
What a FUN movie. If you've been to a girls camp before {especially an LDS one} then this movie will make you laugh and cry with nostalgia at the very least! It's on Netflix now so grab your girls and watch it tonight!
There are some for Mommy and some for the kiddos! They are so cute and what's better than FREE? You could use any or all of these for a real camping trip or a camping trip in your backyard or family room!
Ah, the end of the school year is upon us yet again. Between testing, field trips, soccer, homework, and this vicious spring fever, we have been quite busy around here! Now, to take something off your list of things to do...
We are sharing an end of the year teacher gift. We love giving our teachers a little something to say, 'Thank you for taking care of our sweet children all year long!' This year is no different and we are sharing a chips and salsa gift that your child's teacher is going to LOVE!
These are the materials you will need to assemble your Chips and Salsa gift...
-bag of Mission tortilla chips (or similar)
-hot tamales box candy
-red basket (this one is from Dollar Tree)
-salsa container (I got mine from my local grocery store) or mason jar
-homemade salsa (or make it even easier and buy a jar of salsa)
-free printable (I print this on pretty scrapbook paper)
-ribbon and/or twine
-paper bags
-cellophane wrap and decorative shred (optional)
Put the chips, salsa, and hot tamales inside the basket. You might need some filler to prop the items up a bit. I usually use lunch sacks, torn and wrinkled up, like so...
As you put your items on top of the crinkled paper bags, fill in with decorative shred to make it more appealing to the eye.
Once everything is in the basket, wrap it all in cellophane (if desired). Place basket in the middle of the cellophane and gather it all up above the chips.
Using clear tape, secure the top ends together.
Tuck in the sides of the cellophane like wrapping a present and use clear tape to secure the ends.
When adding the pretty bow, remember this trick. Tie your bow upside down. Meaning, you are above the bow and tying it, so that the ends lay flat. Sometimes when you tie it looking straight at it, the ends flip up and are out of control. Tying it upside down helps with that problem.
Here is the finished product.
You could also add some ink to the edges of your card to give it a antiqued finish.
Now, that was easy, right?? You can mark this off your never ending list. :)
My 2 year old received this as a gift from his grandparents for his birthday and he ADORES it! He loves to play in water, however he's just not into actually getting into the water like you would in a pool. This has been perfect for him to play, splash, and get a little wet, without having to sit in the cold water of an outdoor kiddie pool. My older kids even enjoy this fun water table.
My husband and I are planning our first Disney cruise and that means lots of research for us! We love to have everything planned out before we go on vacation... So in our research we stumbled upon these water bottles that are similar to the S'well bottles that are twice as expensive as these ones. We didn't know exactly what to expect, however, we LOVE these water bottles. We bought one for the whole family to use and it keeps drinks cold for 24 hours. Yes, that's right, 24 hours...it's been tested by us!!! It also keeps hot drinks, hot for 12 hours! That one hasn't been tested, quite yet, however, we are loving the cold water for 24 hours. It's been really easy to put ice water inside, and keep it up by our bedside throughout the night. Then if you wake up, its still refreshing cold water in your bottle. We've also taken it in the car while running errands and it stays cold, even in the hot car while you are shopping. It makes drinking water so much easier!! Try it out, you're going to love it!
Our family started using these balloons a few year ago, to replace the water balloons you fill with the hose and nozzle. I don't think I'd ever go back to that method. It was taking us hours to fill up 100 water balloons that were then gone within 2 minutes. :( Talk about a time waster... So, yes, these are more expensive than the others, however, it saves me lots of time to be with my kids and enjoy the water fight, instead of being sad it went too fast!
I'm a sucker for classical music, and this is just happy and fun to listen to while you are cleaning the house, correcting homework, doing homework, etc. There are countless studies that suggest that classical music helps you retain information longer. It also helps you concentrate and get things done. I'm all about using different methods to keep myself on track!
As I was teaching school, I fell in love with lots of school supplies. It's hard not to...really. After teaching I taught my children to love school supplies as well. All of my kids (yes, even my 2 year old) LOVES to paint with these watercolor sets. I know it can get messy, but honestly, what isn't messy with kids around the house. My whole house is ALWAYS a mess, so why not have fun while we are being messy??!! These are an add-on item on Amazon right now, and are pretty cheap. So, pick a few up, and paint with your kids. They will LOVE it, guaranteed!
I might be thirsty, now, after all these water items. Hahaha!! I honestly didn't mean to have a theme, however, once I saw it was developing, I needed to continue one. :)
One of my favorite products that I printed on my home printer.
I love a good printable and this business specializes in that! They have such cute ideas and I feel like you get a lot for what you spend {plus they have freebies too!}.
I also love a good transformation moment {who doesn't??}. This show TOTALLY delivers on this and on so many other wonderful levels. I love the relationship between Chip & Jo and with their children. I love Jo's design style and wish she would come decorate my house! If you haven't given this show a try yet, do it this weekend. It's on Netflix. No brainer!
I don't know if they will keep making these videos or not, but what they have really is pretty darn funny. Some episodes are better than others {my personal favorites are Basket Case and The Pinterest Plot}.
4.
This Easter Treat
Super simple and super cute! Just get some orange {colored not flavored} chocolate melts. Melt chocolate. Dip strawberries & cool. Pipe {using a ziploc bag} some lines. Voila! I made these last year for our Easter party and I also brought some doughnut holes covered in powdered sugar {carrots & bunny tails!}.
I am a new parent so I'm just discovering {re-discovering} all of the kid shows. {E} is in love with Daniel Tiger. She makes her big "0" face whenever she hears the opening song and is totally entranced when it's on. She gets bored with pretty much any other show I've tried so far. I really like Daniel Tiger too! Mr. Hardman said to me the other day, "I think I'm learning more than {E} when we watch this." Haha! It's kind of true. We helped {E} spend the rest of her birthday money to buy these...
She hasn't let them out of her sight since we got them. You can get them at Target or Walmart.
