Week Four - Beach - Movies, Shows and Games

On the road again, I just can't wait to get on the ... oh wait... I can. We are halfway into our eight our drive. I survived the first day barely, but now they know what is coming. I am concerned we are going to have a revolt when they see the car seats again.

Today we have movies, shows and games for the beach. Hopefully these will help you if you are traveling for the holiday week or weekend or at least bring the beach to you if you are staying home (smart move).

Movies:

Surf's Up: This is a cute movie about a pro-surfing penguin who leaves home to follow his dream only to learn that winning isn't everything. Very beachy with the surfing and Pen Gu Island location. I think this is ideal for 5 year olds, but younger will enjoy the images.

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure: This movie is not about the beach but involves working out disagreements between friends - something that siblings can use when closed in the back of a car. It gets my vote for keeping both interested and giving me a chance to talk about other "people" who struggle to get along but realize it is better together.

Shows:

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Big Splash: Mickey and friends head to the beach for fun in the sun. If you can deal with the voices this is a great one for kids to get ready for the beach.

The Backyardigans: Tale of the Mighty Knights: Once again this is a stretch - more about going on an adventure more than the beach. I had to include it because (truth time)...I love it. It is a rock musical with choreography, great catchy songs, funny dialogue and a great message. I am always excited when this gets picked by Little Man.

Games:

Beach Bingo - print as many cards as you need shuffling the words, use shells to mark the squares - here is an example with words you can use.

sand	surf board	crab	rock	beach toy
sand castle	towel	wave	shovel	sign
umbrella	pail	seaweed	stick	lifeguard
sunglasses	feather	sea gull	bug	swimsuit
boat	shell	fish	chair	swimmer

Create a beach map

Beach bowling

Have fun!

Week Four - Beach - Science Time

The best thing about learning about the beach is to be at the beach - which is where we are headed tomorrow, so this will be a little short as I have a household of four to pack for a week.

The experiment for this week is to create a Motion Ocean. The folks at National Geographic have detailed instructions to make this a fun experiment for many different ages. Besides what kid doesn't like to get wet when it is hot?

I also found a great blog, Along the Way, that also did a beach theme in 2010. They made sand and it seems like something that a four year old could easily do - especially with the jumping and shaking. You may need to explain the sand a little more so they really understand that they made actual sand. This blog also talks about really looking at sand to understand what it is and talking about how it got there.

Other possible ideas:


Create a sand sensory area - after playing with the sand for a while add water. Talk about the difference between wet and dry sand. What different things could you do based on whether the sand is wet or dry (build a sand castle, pour it in a bottle, etc)? Then leave the wet sand out to dry check it out after it has had time to sit in the sun - what happened?


Explore shells - if you have shells around your house get them out and talk about the differences and similarities. Talk about the sea animals that live in shells and draw a picture of their favorite shells while talking about the different shapes and patterns they found on the shells.

Tomorrow - movies and games (especially helpful for long car rides/anticipation)

Week Four - Beach - Move and Sing

Beach songs and movement today. Enjoy!

Party Day - The Laurie Berkner Band

Lyrics

Five Little Shells

5 little shells lying on the shore,

Hold up hand with all five fingers
Crash went the waves and then their was 4.

Make a wave motion with your hands then show four fingers
4 little shells down by the sea,

Hold up hand with four fingers
Crash went the waves! then there was 3.

Make a wave motion with your hands then show three fingers
3 little shells, smooth as new,

Hold up hand with three fingers
Crash went the waves! then there were 2.

Make a wave motion with your hands then show two fingers
2 little shells, sparkling in the sun,

Hold up hand with two fingers
Crash went the waves!  Then there was 1.

Make a wave motion with your hands then show one finger
1 little shell, left by itself,

Hold up hand with one fingers
I took it home, and put it on my shelf.

Mime putting one finger in your pocket and pat it

Hawaiian Rollar Coaster Ride - Lilo and Stitch

Lyrics

Going to the Beach
Song: London Bridge
We are going to the beach,
to the Beach, to the beach,
We are going to the beach,
in our bathing suits.
We will find there rocks and shells,
Rocks and shells, Rocks and Shells.
We will find there rocks and shells,
to gather by the water.
We will build a sand castle,
Sand castle, sand castle,
we will build a sand castle,
with bridges and a tower.
We will have a picnic too,
picnic too, picnic too,
We will have a picnic too,
With Sandwiches and oranges.
Home we head with Sunburned Cheeks,
Sunburned Cheeks, Sunburned Cheeks,
Home we head with sunburned Cheeks,
and treasures from our visit.


Pete's Beach Blanket Luau - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse



For the adventurous - How to Hula

Note: at the beginning of this video there is discussion about it being sensual - but the dance itself is very fun to do with your children and is about celebration. 

Week Four - Beach - Craft time

This weather has me inspired to offer a few more easy options for indoor fun.

Today's crafts include making a boat (it floats!), a sun catcher (I would love to catch ANY sun after all of these days of rain), and sand dollars.

All of these crafts involve items you see at the beach. While you are making these crafts, ask your child to tell you what they see at the beach. What items did they forget? What things do you only see at the beach? Work on letter sounds, and see if you can come up with one word for each letter for things at the beach (example: animals, beach ball, crab, etc.) Here is a list of some beach words to give you some ideas (good luck with q).

Make your own sand dollar. The link takes you to Disney FamilyFun where they have very detailed options that involve glueing to circles together and using clothespins so they dry well - which is great but a little to much for my four year old. I suggest you use two white paper plates (the cheap kind), a stapler, a q-tip, glue and barley (if you don't have barley on hand [what's wrong with you??!!] use tan construction paper and tear it into little pieces and ball them up).

First, tear the tan (or brown) construction paper into little pieces and make them into little balls (this does not have to be perfect - just give them the 3D look). This was a highlight for Little Man - he was a paper tearing champion. We had a lot of fun with jet this step (in fact the rest was really for me). You can skip that first step if you were able to put your hands on some barley (go you!). Next, take the back of one of your paper plates and using the q-tip draw a star that reach almost the the end of the plate in glue (these look best if they are thin stars). Put the balled construction paper (or barley) onto the glue - let dry. Once it is dry staple the other paper plate to the back of the first, back side out to give the 3D feel (you can skip this step). If you are really a perfectionist cover staples with white out or white paint. Tah Dah! Sand dollar.

Create a sun catcher. You will need heavy paper or card stock, a push pin, yarn or thread (something to hang it - tape work too), something to put underneath the sun when using the push pin, and crayons or paint if you want to decorate after you are done. Cut out a sun shape (template for those of us who are not born artists), if you did not use printed paper - decorate it with crayons, stickers, paint, etc, let your child create a decoration with the push pin by placing it on cardboard and pushing it through the paper. I was nervous about this but Little Man loved getting to use the "big boy" tool. Attach thread and hang by a window (I taped it to our sliding glass door). Enjoy!

Make a paper boat that really floats - perfect for the beach! Use the link for step by step directions with pictures. This is a little complicated for preschool hands but Little Man was good at following me step-by-step. The look on his face when a boat he made launched was priceless. I would suggest if you are going to bring the boat to the beach that you waterproof the bottom of the boat with clear plastic tape.

Finally, in case you are stuck in the house like I am here is a free online game the encourages kids to help pick up the beach. It is a great opportunity to talk to your child about keeping our world clean and doing our part to make sure the places we love are kept for the next kids that want to enjoy them.

Week Four - Beach - Read!

Let's hit the beach! If your weather is anything like ours, the weather week seems more appropriate, but maybe this will serve as a nice get-away. I will need it after these three days of rain. Remember when you were "single" (this is how I refer to before kids) and rainy days were the best - pjs, a good book or movie? Now, I would rather take my kids to the dentist then spend another day inside.

This week we will make some sand dollars (need: white paper plates and some form of barley or tan construction paper), a sun catcher (construction paper and paint) and a personal ocean (a clear jar with lid, baby oil, glitter, and a plastic floating toy).

The books for the week are: On the Way to the Beach by Henry Cole, A Day at The Beach by Ed Briant, At the Beach by Mandy Stanley, Sunny Bunnies by Margie Blumbert


Sight words for the week: find, here, the, for, to, well, am, be, our, at


Here is the book for the week: 
Beach

Tomorrow we will get crafty. Have a good day - and here is hoping we survive rain-ageddon. 

In case you want to share!

Week Three - Weather - Movies and Shows

Another week has come to a close. I wasn't sure how this one was going to go over - Little Man is already a fan of space and anything summer but weather, not so much - but our family really enjoyed it. I hope you did too!

For the weekend (if you are not in the lines to see Brave [please take me, mine are not interested]) here are some movies and a show that will continue the theme. Movies about weather that are appropriate for kids, are a little hard to come by - I could give you a million options for adults and all involve weather/the end of the world - so some of these are a little bit of a stretch. Work with me.

Also, something I found while trying to find some decent weather movies was a website called CommonSenseMedia.org. They allow you to search movies and provide suggested age, ranking of different "appropriate" levels (sexual content, violence, language, positive message, etc.) and ideas of what families can talk about after they watch the movie. Check this site out - I think it is a winner, especially when trying to decide if a movie is right for your child.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh - blustery days, rain, floods - Pooh has it all. This is a lovely movie with all of the classic stories and characters. There are a couple scenes of heffalumps and woozles that can be a little scary, so use caution there. Also, if you have not watched the new Winnie the Pooh, check it out - so sweet. Again, there is a "scary" Backson but Little Man was fine once it was explained.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs - this may be a little higher level (this is rated a "know your child" for 4 years olds at CommonSenseMedia) but it was by far the closest kid weather movie I could find. We have not seen this in our house, so I am not speaking from experience - but according to what I read there is a lot of rain of the food variety. If you watch it write a comment and let me know if it was any good.

The Wizard of Oz - As they say in Modern Family, "gay cinema's most famous tornado." I kid, but seriously this is one of the best family films of all time and it includes a very famous tornado - on the list! Once again, this may be a little old for the preschool set, but it is a great time to talk about friendships, strengths and weaknesses in all of us and how we keep trying to find what we need to grow. As a note if you haven't seen this (gasp) there are some scary scenes.

Show:

Sid the Science Kid - (learning games for kids if you follow the link) This is a great show about a curious boy and his classmates learning about science. It teaches basic science methodology and shows great adult/child roles in the learning process. They dedicated a whole cycle to weather including the episodes: Sid's Rainy Play Date (activity - Rain, Rain Don't Go Away), Sid's Special Dad Day (activity - Sunblock Investigation), Sid's Holiday Adventure (activity - Temperature Investigation), The Wind Did It (activity - Wind Power). The links provided take you to an activity suggested to reinforce the theme of the episode. In case you get hooked, this page gives you a list of all of the episodes with activities for each.

Next week we are going to focus on the beach. This should be fun and get the family ready for any upcoming vacations. Have a great weekend.

Week Three - Weather - Science Fun

Three great (and easy - bonus!) projects to get in our science and weather combo. These are so simple you could actually do all three but feel free to pick just one.

First, create a sun print. This is great project for kids to understand the power of the sun. It works best with cheap construction paper. You need three items - cardboard, construction paper, and sun. Find items around your house, or create pictures using the internet. I found you some weather related items here (you know how I am about themes) - print them out on card stock or print them and cut them out and then trace them onto cardboard. Place your items or cutouts on your cheap construction paper and place it in a sunny place. Feel free to place items overlapping in order to make interesting prints (but leave some of the construction paper uncovered or you won't see a difference). Leave it in the sun for a while (you can check it but keep the paper in the same place) and when you are ready remove the objects (or cutouts) and see the pretty prints. Ask your kids - where else do we see the sun's power? (sunburn, burnt leaves, things growing, etc.)

The other two come from Weather Wiz Kids. Your kids will enjoy it because it is giving them power over nature.

Make it rain. This is so simple and so cool. Follow the directions on the website and watch your kids be amazed. You will need hot water, ice cubes, a glass jar (recycle), a plate and white card stock. Talk about how this happens on such a large scale. This is a good time to talk about the water cycle. The link will take you to Kidzone and has a fun way to talk about the water cycle with kids and bonus coloring pages.

The last one you can do at dinner (or whenever you are enjoying a glass of water and it is sunny), make your own rainbow. Make sure you check out the explanation at the bottom of the link to explain the science of it all. Also, this is a perfect time to talk about the colors of the rainbow. Here is an interactive color the rainbow game. 

We had fun with this - after we made our rainbow we drank the water and talked about how there were rainbows hidden inside. I asked Little Man if he thought the water tasted different which lead to a whole discussion about what would rainbows taste like. In case you are interested, he thinks each color would taste differently.

Week Three - Weather - Movement and Songs

Time to dance! This week I provided the usual action and teaching songs, and kid songs but I also gave you some parent friendly music - in case you (like me) are getting a little tired of all of the kid stuff :)

Enjoy!

What’s the Weather Like Today

(to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)

Fill the blanks in with the type of weather (sunny, rainy, snowy, cloudy, etc)

What’s the weather like today?

Like today? Like today?

What’s the weather like today?

Let’s go look and see.

Outside it’s a ______ day

__________ day,

___________ day.

Outside it’s a _______ day,

Look outside and see.


The Rain Rain Rain (came Down Down Down)

Lyrics

Rain (spoken)

When the rain comes down drip drop drip drop,
(flutter fingers down in front of you)
Windshield wipers flip flop flip flop,
(bend arms in front and move them side to side)
Boots in puddles plip plop plip plop,
(move feet up and down)
I wish the rain would never stop.

(cross hands over heart and shake head)
Drip drop drip

(flutter fingers down in front of you)

Flip flop flip

(bend arms in front and move them side to side)

Plip plop plip plop

(move feet up and down)

PLOP! 

(jump!)

When it Rains - Lisa Loeb

Whistling Wind
Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It
If you hear the whistling wind,
Cup your ears.
(Cup your ears)
If you hear the whistling wind,
Cup your ears.
(Cup your ears)
If you hear it in the trees
(Raise hands up high like branches)
Making music with the leaves,
(wriggle fingers in your tree pose)
If you hear the whistling wind,
Cup your ears.
(Cup your ears)
If you feel the Blustery wind,
Whirl around
(turn around)
If you feel the blustery wind,
Whirl around.
(turn around)
If you feel it lift your hair
(lift up hair)
Like a kite up in the air,
(hold out hands like flying)
If you feel the blustery wind,
Whirl around.
(turn around)

Umbrella - Mandy Moore

Lyrics


Weather
Tune: BINGO
There was a day, when it was hot and sunny was the weather
S U N N Y
S U N N Y
S U N N Y
And Sunny was the weather.
Other Verses
There was a day when it was wet and rainy was the weather.
There was a day when it was cold and snowy was the weather.
There was a day when I got blown and windy was the weather


The Rainbow Connection - The Muppets

Lyrics

Pocket Full of Sunshine - Natasha Bedingfield

Lyrics

Week Three - Weather - Craft time

I don't know where you are, but this week is coming at the perfect time for Florida. We are full on into the every afternoon showers, and it is so nice to have something planned to do while we are stuck indoors.

Today is craft day, and I love the little weather mobile I found at Education.com. This is great because it gives you some freedom to let your child's inner artist roam. Do not feel that you have to include only the snowflake, sun, rain, and cloud. There are plenty of other options - hail stone (balled up piece of grey construction paper), tornado (cut a funnel shape and paste on yarn), hurricane (cut a hurricane shape - use the internet! - and glue down cotton everywhere except the center eye), wind (a leaf you find outside, plastic wrap with blue waves inside, use your imagination) - the choices are endless.

Talk with your child first to see what four items they would like to make. Use Weather Wiz Kids (left side bar) to find the weather choices made by your child and explore the science of it together. I love the pictures, and animation and Little Man loves it too. Then using your inspiration (and in some cases newly acquired knowledge) get to crafting. I have to say I am surprised at how much I don't know. As a note - Little Man LOVES it when I don't know, so I make sure to tell him. I think it makes learning that much easier because he isn't doing it on his own.

Speaking of learning about weather, this is a great time to talk with your kids (and spouse) about disaster preparedness. There are great options online for kids, that help them be ready without being terrified. Sesame Street, one of my personal favorites, does this better than anyone (in my very biased opinion). Go to their site and find a video, printed step by step plan, and printable activities. The Weather Channel has a more adult focused information that can help make sure we are all ready.

Enjoy!

Share with your friends!

Week Three - Weather - Read

This week we will focus on all types of weather, especially weather we see in the summer. Think, rain, hot sun, clouds, hurricanes, tornados, etc. If you see weather (and obviously you will unless you live in a bunker) over this time period make sure you talk about it with your little ones. A quick easy way to have the conversation is turn on the weather channel - see what they say about your day and others around the country. Ask your child to guess what each weather graphic means and why they think that. Then go outside - does it match what the saw on TWC? If so what do they see that matches the graphics shown on tv, what else could have been included? If not, which graphic should have been used, why?

I found a couple of great experiments and a fun craft for this week. There is not much needed that you don't probably already have in your home: construction paper, cotton balls, yarn (or any type of string), a hole punch (you could work around this), and a resealable glass jar.

The sight words for this week are: big, not, is, in, it, no yes, was, now, too.

Here is a quick story to help reinforce this week's words:
The Big Boom

Also, as a reminder here is a link to some sight word flash cards. I mentioned in an earlier post about placing these on the wall but they are also great for playing reinforcing games. One we like at our house, is picking one of the words we have learned from a bowl (using the flash cards) and then being a "word detective." You can be a word detective in the grocery store, errands, while you read a book together or around the house. Just have them bring the flash card they picked with them and find its match.

Books this week: All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon; Blue Sky by Audrey Wood; Split Splat by Amy Gibson; Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane by Joanna Cole; Hide and Seek Fog by Alvin Tresselt; Albert by Donna Jo Napoli

Week Two - Night Sky - Movies, Shows and Father's Day

Once again we have reached the end of the week. I hope your family enjoyed our trip to outer space as much as my family did. Below is a list of some movies for family time over the weekend that still bring in our space theme.

Also, as a reminder - if you were planning on grabbing the card for Father's Day I posted about on Tuesday don't forget to visit Kiki & Company's site today!

Here are the movies/shows:

Wall-E: This is a favorite at our house. Little man (who is slightly below the age suggested) is enchanted by the visuals and loves laughing at little misfit Wall-E. This is a good one for parents as well - it is a pleasure to watch. There is not much dialog in the film Wall-E mostly communicates through beeps and electronic noises - so make sure to talk about how great it is that we use words but other ways that we can communicate. Not much scary fare in this one, some loud spaceship landing and weather if your child is sensitive to that sort of thing.

Space Chimps: We have not seen this one at our house, but I can imagine great delight at the idea of monkeys doing...well...pretty much anything. Monkeys are a source of great humor to Little Man so I couldn't pass up including it, but watch at your own risk.

Muppets from Space: Who doesn't love the Muppets? This is classic Muppet fare with a focus on Gonzo, one of my personal favorites. This is still a little old for my family, but might be a perfect fit for yours - and I know the adults will get a kick out of it, sample quote "Midnight. The lone alien stands before a naked sky. The mood is tense. My hair looks *great.*" - Miss Piggy

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Space Adventure - This is for the younger set who love Mickey. This is great if you have a book you would like to read while watching, but not ideal if you will be actively watching with your child. The antics get a little grating after a while. It is a nice shorter movie/show option and Mickey is always a younger set crowd pleaser.

Disney's Little Einstein's: Race for Space - Ok, the characters on this show can be a little much (I am looking straight at you, Annie) (oh and you Quincy when you can "not believe it!", I mean how shocked are you really? You ride in a rocket made from mobile, and who lives under your friends house in a garage he built himself and you play every instrument known to mankind - you have to know something incredible is going on, just embrace it)...BUT the show is great for teaching musical basics and giving kids experience with classical music. Little man LOVED this show (if you can't tell by my ..ahem..slight animosity), and he learned a ton about musical vocabulary and music in general.

Have a great weekend, enjoy Father's Day with your family.  On Monday we start with weather. Talk to you soon.

Week Two - Night Sky - Science Fun

Today's experiment is a winner! I enjoyed this as much, if not more than little man. Of course that being said (you will be surprised to know science is not my strong suit) - the blog where I pulled this gem, Science Bob, would want me to tell you that it is a science demonstration - because you are not actually testing anything.

You will be creating a simple rocket. As I mentioned at the beginning of the week, this is where the film canister and Alka-Seltzer comes in.

The experiment calls for safety goggles - since it is summer you can use your sunglasses. As a note, these things really fly so we instituted a count down and I would suggest drawing a circle around in chalk and making that a "no fly" area. Little Man loved running in with me to set down the canister and then running back outside the circle - bonus calorie burn!

How your child will see this!

Questions to get the discussion going - how high do you think the rocket went? Taller than a giraffe, the house? two of mommy? how many of you? Where would you take a rocket? How would it feel to fly that high or go that fast? Why do you think it makes that popping noise when it blasts off? What noise do you think a real rocket makes?

Hint - my canisters were the black version, not the white Science Bob suggests, and the first times we tried it didn't blast off. In order to create a tighter seem I used masking tape around the mouth of the canister and it worked perfectly.

Enjoy and get ready for plenty of giggles!

Week Two - Night Sky - Movement and Songs

Time for songs and movement. This is a favorite in our house, and I hope you enjoy it as well. There was a ton to choose from for the theme, so I grabbed our family favorites.

Before we get to the songs, I had to share something that I saw the other day on the internet. This is what I think we are trying to do over the summer, remind kids there is life beyond technology - enjoy!

Here are today's songs:

WE’LL BE ORBITING ‘ROUND THE MOON

Tune:  “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”

We’ll be orbiting round the moon, yes we will, 

We’ll be orbiting round the moon, yes we will.

We’ll be orbiting round the moon,

We’ll be orbiting round the moon,

We’ll be orbiting round the moon, yes we will.

put a ball in the center, and walk around the "moon"

                                   

Continue with other verses, such as: 

We’ll be landing on the moon

 jump in place, then slowly squat down

We’ll be walking on the moon 

exaggerated walking, with big steps

We’ll be blasting off again

jump and pretend to fly

We’ll be landing back on Earth

jump in place, slowly go into a squat, pretend to step out and wave

 Jean Warren

                          © Warren Publishing House

Rocketship Run by Laurie Berkner

Lyrics

I'm a Little Rocket  

  TUNE "I'm a Little Teapot" 

I'm a little rocket pointing at the moon.     

Raise arms above head and fingers tips touching 

Now I'm getting fueled up     

Wiggle hips 

We'll be ready soon.      

Stand up straight and tall 

When it's time to board me, then I'll say     

Slowly bend knees and crouch down - arms still above head 

Blast off! Zoom!   We're on our way.  

  Jump up and shout!

Moon Moon Moon by Laurie Berkner

Lyrics

Since we are talking music and this made me smile, here is a little something for your day - enjoy!

See you tomorrow!

Week Two - Night Sky - Craft Time

I have a bunch of crafts to choose from today. I will start with the ones for father's day and move to the space/night sky theme.

Father's Day:

I found some great free printables for a superhero themed gift for dad. This can easily be personalized, and if your house is anything like mine your kids will get a kick out of talking about superheroes. All you will need is card stock (thick paper - but it can be regular paper if you don't have any), a printer, and if you want to add a gift - some of Dad's favorite snacks.

First the card. From Kiki & Company and featured on Today's Creative Blog comes an adorable plaque for dad. It reads: "The most incredible, powerful, strong & daring superhero lives here. We know him as dad."Suggestions for making this personal: Have your child draw a picture of "Dad the Superhero" either on the back or a separate piece of paper. If you do a separate paper frame both together either with actual frames or paper ones. If you are doing it on the back, add a piece of yarn or ribbon to hang on Dad's door. If you have access to it, laminate it! Kiki & Company has a whole adorable set that you can get free for signing up for her newsletter.

You can also ask your child some great questions and help them write their answers. I have provided a sheet for Dads (below), Papas, and Grandpas. If you would like another version - leave a comment and I will post.
My Superhero Dad

For the gift: Alpha Mom has a great printable to place on all of dad's favorite snacks. You will need a printer, glue or tape, and nice bags (if you want them). Alpha Mom also suggests a wooden box to keep the treats, but I think they are cute enough to stand alone, or go in a gift bag. Combine this with the Superhero craft above and I think you have a sweet gift. You could also theme the snacks and add a movie (Sherlock Holmes 2 just came out and might be a dad fav) or a TV series. Have fun!

Crafts for the Night Sky:

I have two great options this week, all from Busy Bee Kids Crafts.

This is a great time to talk about traveling to space. Here are some great resources to explain the solar system and space travel from KidsAstronomy.com. The site is interactive, so have the kids nearby and ready to help navigate. I love the questions below to help me answer little man's questions.

First option, create a space shuttle. This is a super simple way to create an eye catching rocket to the stars. Kids will love launching these - and how often do you have a craft that they can play with?  Suggestions: set rules on how high it can fly - if it is a concern perhaps a toilet paper role would be better (and lighter). This would make a great indoor activity on a rainy day, especially with high ceilings. If you have several rolls - make a couple of rockets. "Race" them - see how far the go, launch them together, etc.

Second option, help them make a planetarium you can hang on their window. Construction paper, glitter glue, and wax paper are all that is needed to create a very cool discussion piece. I love how the sites planets look perfect ever though they are created from construction paper - but lets be real - not all of us are that artistically capable. Feel free to print out your planets after running a quick google search. If nothing else you can use them as guides (especially if you find your inner artistic paper goddess) or be like the rest of us and use the printed version - card stock for those will probably be best.

This is a ton to do, but I didn't want to wait until the last minute to give you Father's Day options. Hopefully this can help reduce stress instead of causing it. Enjoy the time with your little ones!

Week Two - Night Sky (space) - Read!

It is time for week two and exploring the night sky. This will be fun because kids are naturally curious about the sky and I found some great activities to keep everyone involved! We will review the planets, stars, and space travel.

Also, this Sunday is Father's Day so I will also be including an activity to create a custom gift (or card) for Dad.

Look forward to; launching rockets (pick up a film canister or two at your local drugstore, and some Alka-Seltzer tablets to be prepared), Father's Day craft (card stock, and some of Dad's favorite snacks), and choice between some great crafts (paper towel roll, glitter glue [nice but not needed], construction paper).

Books this week: The Best Book of Spaceships by Ian Graham, Rocket to the Moon by Lerryn Korda, The Sky is Full of Starts by Franklyn Branley and Felicia Bond


Sight words this week: up, look, down, a, and, saw, are, so, that, was


Here is a story for the sight words: 
The Night Sky

Have a great day! Tomorrow, let's get crafty.

For sharing!

Week One - Summer - Movies, Shows and Games

We have reached the end of week one - time for a treat for kids and grown-ups alike. Here is a list of movies and shows that review the ideas of summer and seasons and that kids can enjoy. As a note - not all TV/movies are appropriate for all children. You decide what you want to show your child. My little man is very sensitive to scary images so I will provide a note if he has had a negative reaction to anything to help with your decision, but I would do a quick internet review if you are concerned.

Movies:

 Up by Disney/Pixar - the ultimate summer vacation movie. Lots of adventure and fun. There are some mean dogs that some children (mine included) can find scary. I love this movie, the love story, the cutest little boy ever...to me this is a win when it is picked over say, any of the millions of Land Before Times.

Lilo & Stitch by Disney - a sweet movie about the importance of family. It takes place in Hawaii so the whole movie is in the sun and on the beach. There is a cute alien and some larger loud aliens, but this does not bother my little man. One of the themes of this movie is the loss of parents, so if you child is especially sensitive to emotional drama you may want to talk about it before viewing.

Madagascar by Dreamworks - Follow some humorous animals as they get stranded in the wild. This is a funny movie that has a lot of things that preschoolers find funny. There are some lion type predators and one of the main characters has trouble overcoming his natural predator tendencies. A few scary scenes. My little man needs to have someone with him to view this movie for the scary parts, but I would suggest watching these with your child either way - they are all parents friendly :)

Shows:

Peep and the Big Wide World (found for me on Sprout) - this is a great show that explores pre science and math. Enjoy the simply drawn show that explains things about the world in such a masterful way that you don't even realize you are getting information about science and math. This show takes place outside in the sun. There is a new adventure every day. Bonus - it is narrated by Joan Cusack. Extra bonus - the website is awesome, they have a list of children's books that reinforce every episode, science ideas for families, and coloring pages. Specific summer themed shows: Go West Young Peep, House of Sand and Frog, Peep Prints (just like bubble prints)

Word World (found on PBS) - Pre-reading mania! All of the characters in this world are made of the letters that spell their name. This is all about understanding that letters and words make the things around us. The stories are super cute (although some of the voices are a bit grating) and they have some catchy songs (I dare you to stop singing the OO song after you hear it). Specific summer episodes: Dog Wants to Play Ball, Dog's Camping Adventure, Castles in the Sea, Play Ball

Some other things to do over the weekend:

Sight word flash cards (choose the pre-primer version). This is a simple flash card that includes the words and a colorful border. A nice quick reminder. I like to use these to create a word wall. Once your child knows the word use some tacky putty (the blue stuff that you can reuse, what is the name of that??) and stick it to the wall. My little man gets a huge kick out of adding words to his wall and it is a nice way to acknowledge the accomplishment of reading.

Free online sight word memory game from Dolchword.net

More games to encourage reading on Starfall.com

Next week we start on the night sky and space. I really enjoyed this week - and survived it, so two gold stars for me. Gold stars for you as well. See you on Monday, and remember feel free to leave a comment if you have any other suggestions. Enjoy the weekend!