Little Learn & Play Academy {Week 1}

We finished our first week of 'school'!
This week is brought to you by the Letter : Aa, the Number : ONE & the Color : Red.

Here's a little re-cap of how our week went-

Our Science Exploration took us outside during a downpour :)
We filled different sized containers from different sources to see how
fast they filled & talked about where rain comes from.

My Sister & Niece joined us for a visit to our library to help us pick out
some new books for the week. The obvious favorites were Big Fire Engine
& TRUCKS, but I was delighted to hear Amelia Bedelia requested everyday.
We also wrote a note to my parents to mail. The kids dictated, I wrote.
It is sure to bring a smile to their faces :)

Our craft for Thursday was to make an Apple Tree. I had cut out & assembled
the tree beforehand, then 'J' glued all the embellishments on himself. He was
eager to put it on the wall for all to see. Later in the evening we took a walk
to the corner to mail our special note. On the way home we made sure to
take our time & look at all the leaves falling in our neighborhood :)

In Kitchen Class we made Lucky Charm Treats (click here for recipe)!
'J' helped measure/pour the cereal, cut the butter & count marshmallows. After I melted/poured the hot ingredients he helped to press the mix into a greased pan.
As part of our Life Skills for the day he helped wash the dirty dishes & dust the tables
before a family party we were hosting. What a great way to end the week :)

Even with all the 'extras' we had going on this past week (teething baby, potty learning, family party at our house, over night at Nana & Granddads & the hubby's birthday) we still had a great week of learning. Now that I got my feet wet a little, I'm feeling much more confident for the weeks to come. You know what they say, "It can only go up from here"!

School House Rock

Well, the day has come!

Today is 'J's first official day at "school". We were able to finish up our new classroom (of sorts) on Labor Day, & we did it together as a family. Here are some snapshots I took & I'll have more to come after today! If you know me by now, then you know I am definitely one of those mums, the one that takes a picture of her kid on his very first day of school...even if they don't leave the house because "school" is in the backroom.
Yea, that's me.
"Crazy Over Enthusiastic Mum?"
<raises hand> "Present!"

Lesson Planning

Weekly & Monthly Plans

 Daily Activity Center

 All Months, Days, Colors, Letters, Numbers & Weather Drawings are secured with Velcro so he can change them daily/weekly/monthly

 Notice those tighty whities? 

We've entered Potty Learning Territory, yikes!

(Dry-Erase Board is by Crayola)

The bar & cups are from Ikea, the supplies are a mixture of Dollar Store & target. My favorite (& his!) are the Crayola No-Drip Watercolors

RRR-IIIIIIIIIINNGGG! That's the bell, gotta get to class!

Chomp-Chomp {Road-Trip Snack Necklace}

A little bit back in time I happened upon this pin originally from Blondie and Brownies  and knew exactly when to do this.

Today!

Because today is the day we hop into our (already) loaded car & head out for our camping adventure!

So while shopping this week I picked up a few items that would work and were dairy-free/appropriate. Then for fun (hey, it's supposed to be an adventure, right?) got a surprise treat to toss in the mix :)

Mom's Best Honey Nut Toasty O's, Trader Joe's Fruity O's,
mini pretzels & Lifesavers GUMMIS. I used some sock yarn
I had in the craft room for our string & a plastic crochet needle.

I thought the best time to do this would be in the morning during Little 'A's 1st nap. I thought wrong. That plan only works if the baby actually takes a nap. In my case he went down great, I set up our 'station' in the front room & right when we were in the middle of things he woke up. Oh well, it worked out in the end.

We had a lot of fun making these! It was great for so many things- following directions, hand eye coordination, dexterity & of course, snacking fun :)

 I knew we would snack while we worked, but in hindsight I probably would make this an 'after nap' activity since we did have a candy in the mix. And as far as the candy is concerned, I did not set those out in a bowl, I left the bag right next to me & handed him them as he went along. I kept it to 3-4 gummis a necklace. 

 He wasn't quite sure what to do at first. He kept trying to pull them off, lol. But once I showed him that you EAT it off, he was pretty jazzed about it :)

We made several, one for him to wear in the car during our drive, & a few to share with our friends' daughter while on our camping adventure. This activity went so smoothly that we went ahead & made 2 dozen Chocolate Chip Devils Food Cupcakes (dairy-free) & some meat pie filling for Hobo pies tomorrow :) All before 10:30 am! And I know what you're thinking....

Yes- I take cupcakes camping. You make them beforehand & just wait to frost them until you are there so transport is easy!

and YES- I will most definitely be frosting them with Chocolate Marshmallow frosting, we are CAMPING after all ;)

Hope you all have a fun, adventurous weekend....I know we will!

Farming Fun

Yesterday sure was a treat. 

We scored discount tickets on LivingSocial for a Sheep Shearing Fest at a Farm Center about an hour north of us! 

It was 'J's first time seeing farm animals up close, & man did he get a kick out of it. Some of my fam met up with us there at 10am & we marched right into the Milking Shed to see some cows in action. Not gonna lie... was a little disappointed when I didn't see 'Milk Maids' hunched over an old wooden stool, teet in hand....apparently thats not how things are done now. At least not there. 

But we got to get up close & personal with some "ladies" & their little babies too!

Then we ventured into the Sheep Barn & got to see some piggies takin' a snooze, not too exciting, but 'J' was still squealing with delight.

There was a bunch of little lambs walking about in the pen & one tiny little fella walked right up to 'J' for him to pet him! I'm pretty sure 'J' thought it was a dog though, lol. Still, a neat sight to see.

I can't tell you how many times we heard "BAAAA! BAAA!" & "moOOooO" ...& that wasn't coming from the livestock...

'A' snuggled right up in the carrier & slept through most of the adventure. It was nice to be able to focus on 'J' & all the new sights he was taking in :)

Hubby was a little nervous when I mall walked to the Chicken Coop. It is common knowledge around here that I want chickens.

To raise.

In my backyard.

Our city recently passed the Ordinance once again allowing residents to raise chickens on their (tiny) property. Personally I think it would not only be fun & educational for the kids, but we would get eggs! Win, Win! As soon as I opened my mouth he looked right at me and said, "No. Just no. Not gonna happen". One day...one day he'll see the light. That, or he'll just come home to find some chickens walking around the backyard...it could go either way folks.

Then it was on to the Main Event, the Sheep Shearing!! We watched as this guy clipped & flipped & wrestled a years worth of wool off each one. The kids couldn't take their eyes off of it! Then we all got to feel the fresh wool & ask questions like "how many sweaters can you get from that?", "Does your back hurt?", etc.

All in all, we had a great morning/afternoon & can't wait to go back. I would love to make it a yearly thing. 

Just cause you live in the city doesn't mean you can't 'farm it up' every once in a while :)

Craft On! {DIY Color Clip Cards}

After seeing Sew Fantastics Paint Chip Matching Game on yesterdays Link Up, I just knew that I needed to get my hands on some Paint Chips!

So while out running errands 'J' & I made a pitstop at The 'Deeps (aka-Home Depot) to help ourselves to some 'complimentary' paint chips. Then had a sudden thought that there are SO many crafts out there revolved around paint chips right now that they are probably getting pissy about everyone clearing out their stash with no intentions of ever buying paint for any of the 50+ chips they just pocketed & started feeling like I was being watched & getting a "tisk tisk tisk"...

...so i bought a touch-up roller for $1.99. The bonus part is that I realized later that I actually needed that little roller. See, everyone wins.

Watch what happens when you take these:

...& cut off the ends...

...trim them to fit...

...& glue them on the ends!

Ta-Da!

 

This was so simple & quick that I actually did it while 'J' & I ate our lunch today! I think the next time I'm by The 'Deeps I'll pick up another set (or 2 or 3) of cards. If I put 2 back-to-back & wrap in clear packing tape to "laminate" it, they will be a lot sturdier & last longer.

'J' had a lot of fun playing with them after his "nap" (< I'm putting that in quotes because his sleeping has been sub-par as of late. Naps are averaging about an hour & only about 10hrs at night...ugh...). They are not only helping with fine motor skills, but with learning his colors & matching too. This is definitely getting added to my "DIY Toddler Gifties" folder! Once he masters these colors, I'll add more to the set (pink, light blue, light green, grey, etc) & may even draw a small square on each card for him to try & clip on to help with hand/eye coordination. 

All in all, this cost me $0 & took 5 mins of my time...thats a WIN folks!

Craft On! DIY Toddler Gift- Part 1 {Color Coins}

I have had (& still have) a lot of Toddler Birthdays lately. I have been coming up with Fun DIY gifts to give instead of an obnoxious toy or the same old same old.

This weekend we get to celebrate with our close friends, Jill & Nate & their ONE Year Old little girl 'C'! So excited!! Jill, if you are reading this, LOOK AWAY, HURRY, THERE'S STILL TIME WOMAN, LOOK AWAY!!!

Here is one of the projects I have made this week for Little 'C' :) Color Coins! In the beginning they will help her to learn colors, then she can match up the colors side by side, & eventually play the Memory Match-Up Game.

It's a super easy craft to whip together while the kids are sleeping. I got the discs from Michaels Craft Store for less than $3 & I already had the paint & clear coat spray paint in my craft supplies. 

 1.5" Wooden Discs

Rainbow paint selection:
I used White, Yellow, Orange, Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Brown & Black

Paint one side of two discs with same color
I painted a rim with a slightly darker shade

Afterward use a clear finish Spray Paint to seal
I did two coats, front & back.

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Ya'll :) (<- don't know WHERE that came from! I am NOT from the South, I'm actually in the OPPOSITE region...)

A fun, educational, grow-with-them toy that you can easily make yourself! And the bonus is, you can do many variations of this. You can paint shapes, you could glue a picture of an animal on one disk & write the name on the other, you could paint a number on one & corresponding number of dots on the other- the possibilities are huge! I plan on sewing a  little pouch to keep them in as well, then it can be tossed in the Diaper Bag for on the go fun~

This is just Part 1 of her gift, Part 2 & 3 are still to come, stay posted!