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. :)
When Mr. Hardman and I got married, I remember telling him I WOULD NOT cut my hair after we had our first baby. I always noticed that many new Moms would cut their hair so short after having a baby. Their beautiful hair that took years to grow out...gone! Fast forward a few years and the birth of our first baby and I thought, "I should cut my hair." I think it must be human nature for women to have this thought. It must be. I voiced my idea to Mr. Hardman and he just laughed....and laughed. Then he reminded me of what I had said. Being a stubborn person I realized I couldn't cut my hair now...because of principle! So I have lived over a year with long hair and a baby. I know for certain that the number of days my hair has been a strange fuzzy/wet/curly/flat combination greatly outweighs the number of days I've been able to style it.
So the time has come. I'm getting The Hair Cut. The one I noticed in so many friends, neighbors, and co-workers. The one that comes after you begin to have children.
I have found a few haircuts that will {hopefully} make the loss of 5+ inches of fairly undamaged hair less traumatic.
The Pixie
I love this hair cut! I really wish I had the guts to go for it...maybe after a few more kids.
The Chin Length Bob
I think I had this exact hair cut in the 5th grade. And then again in college. It's a classic!
The Long Bob
If my hair could look like this with no styling...it would be a done deal! I love this.
The A-Line
Longer in the front, shorter in the back. I remember this being BIG when I was in high school. It's not my favorite...but maybe worth a try.
The Layered Bob
I've always gotten layers..but I can't decide if it would be better to let them go this time.
The Blunt
The opposite of layers. The hair cut that looks like it was done with a machete.
So what style should I do?! I have a little bit of time to decide, but know that whichever style I end up going with, I know it will help save me time, give me a confidence boost, and will result in less hair loss {no more pulling Mom's long hair!}. That must be why new Mom's cut their hair. ;)
I started reading Stephanie Nielson's blog last year when I was pregnant. I was always pretty sick in the morning and just wanted to sit and have my mind distracted. I ended up reading her blog like a book {which she's also written a book and I really need to check out from the library!}. I went back through her archives and saw her sweet, tragic, and beautiful story unfold. Now I catch up on her blog once or twice a week {sometimes daily} to read her beautiful messages. Her strength in mind, body, and spirit is inspiring.
Check out this video about how her life changed.
2.
Jesus Baskets
I read this post at Mercy River's blog about having a Jesus Basket for Easter. I loved the idea. As Easter is quickly approaching, I have already started to look for things to put in {E}'s basket this year that will help her recognize her Savior and the role He plays in her life. I'm excited because last year she slept through the whole Easter morning experience. {And I will ALWAYS put some candy in my children's baskets.}
3. Fuller House
If you were a younger girl in the 90s, you loved Full House. When I heard about this "remake/reunion" I rolled my eyes. I thought, "There is no way that's going to be good." Well, when Mr. Hardman was gone camping last week, I was looking for something to watch while not Netflix Cheating on him. Fuller House came up on my recommended shows and I turned it on for background noise. Ummmm it's great. It's super cheesy and there are a lot of forced moments to relive the old jokes {"Cut it out!" "Have mercy!" etc.}, but the wholesome lessons and moments are there, just like they used to be. Plus, the kids in it are adorable! Especially Elias Harger...he is too cute!
4. Baby Lit Books
I have an embarrassing number of these books. I love these books because of their illustrations, educational material, uniqueness, and sturdy pages. Each book is inspired by a piece of classic literature or a famous location. But instead of telling a simpler version of the story, the characters are used to teach about colors, shapes, emotions, and more. {E}'s favorite right now is Emma by Little Miss Austen where we learn about the emotions of Emma, Mr. Elton, Harriet and others. You can shop at their online store or wait until they are featured on Pick Your Plum {they are on there at least once every four months it seems}.
5. German Pancakes
This recipe is one I use at least once a month {whether it's for breakfast or dinner}. It might be the only recipe I've truly memorized...it's that simple. We've topped these with pretty much every type of fruit, and it's always delicious {although our favorite topping combination is strawberries, bananas, syrup, and whipped cream..yeah it's pretty much dessert!}. Try them out for dinner tonight or breakfast tomorrow! No one will be disappointed...at least they never are at my house.
