summer camps and classes

SavvySource, an online source by parents - for parents, is always one step ahead, and is now featuring a full online source to help parents locate a summer camp or class near you! Summer? Already? Just getting use to Spring? Oh yes. Spring is when we plan for summer... And finding a summer camp during the summer months isn't as easy as just dropping in. Registration is required - and they fill up early. And if you have two in tow like I do, you'll want to make sure there's room for them both {plus most offer a sibling discount}. You can research what's available in your city by visiting Savvy's Camp Classes right here.

Attending a summer day camp is an exciting venture for us. Even though most families think of this as a break between the school year, for us, {since we haven't technically started school} its a chance to try out an entirely new adventures that isn't offered any other time of the year. 

One of the places we love to try each year are the Little Explorer classes offered by the Nature and Science Museum. Here's Noah learning about volcanoes - needless to say, this one was a hit! More about this class and projects here.

From museums to ranches - this is when we can join in with other kids and take advantage of facilities that may otherwise be filled with day-to-day members or visitors. I had a lot of fun researching summer day camps in Dallas - and I'm thrilled to say, there's lots to choose from. I see a summer day camp as an investment and experiment - to try something new and see how the kids respond.

Who knows... maybe Ava has a natural knack for horseback riding, or Noah baking baklavas {oh I wish!}, or just good 'ol fashioned swimming lessons... {hard to choose right?} But that's why its all listed right there for you on SavvySource.

If you already pre-registered, or are returning to a camp your kids love, please share!

laundry re-do

Did I ever share with you our laundry room makeover? It's still a work in progress, but here is a quick snapshot of where it is now:

For before/after photos of converting what use to be a closet, jump over to the Art of Family Home.

Spring is in the air, and we're having picnics... well, indoor ones. And learning kinds. The Learn the Alphabet Picnic Basket we picked up from Lakeshore Learning last year proves to still be A and N's go-to game for fun. For Ava - this game is just as fun (if not more) than having a tea party. Perhaps because of all the cute miniature pieces it comes with...

Whatever the reason - I simply love how learning is byproduct. The focus is on having fun, who can match the fastest, and yes... there even is some dramatic play.

yea! the kids are old enough to...

wash our cars!

homegrown tomatoes

Everyday, Ava has been checking on her tomato plant. Anyone who comes over, she immediately wants to take out back to share how much her tomatoes are "growing." Occasionally we've been finding holes around it - dug up in neat burrows {still unsure what kind of critter is responsible...hmm....} But the tomatoes are still safe, and gardening has become one of Ava's favorite things to do. Today, they were riper than ripe... well one of them...

why having a good {and patient} dental hygienist helps

lesson plan - spring, windy, rainy day

Sunday nights, I try to hide in the children's art room and draft a lesson plan for the week. We were anticipating rain, so I found a few craft projects the kids could do. But first, I had to make our Spring tree {made with just large sheets of brown construction paper}. I also cut out green leaves and placed these in a small tray - each time the kids complete an activity, we can write on the leaf what they learned about "Spring" and add it to our tree {my hope is that it'll "bloom" before summer!}

Index cards with weather pictures are taped to the mirror on the side so that the kids can observe and talk about the weather... Today, it was...

Rain is in the forecast, so we started an umbrella art project.

For the full scoop on how to do this sticky umbrella art project and what they look like finished, see our Creative Crafting Corner.

Onto the rest of our lesson plan... I read Charlotte's Web and The Very Busy Spider and made spiders of our own with colorful pipe cleaners and googly-eyes...

The kids practiced their worksheets found in their baskets {I cut theme-related sheets out from their preschool workbooks} focusing on the colors red and orange, and cutting and pasting the shapes rectangles and squares. I really like how organized the day was. Not everything had to be written down in the lesson plan book either {that would have drove me insane}. Instead, we let the day open itself up for learning opportunities around us. Like when we were in the backyard, Noah went through a web and he felt a "string" stick to his arm... or when he played with his ambulance and police cars - and he noticed the "rectangle" shapes... oh yes, learning is everywhere...

How do you organize your learning day? Do you start out with a theme? The weather?

star wars makes a come back

Up in the attic, I came across Aaron's "bag" from childhood. A small maroon bag holding years of war, triumph, and probably some brother rivalry. In this bag was Aaron's collection of Star Wars figures - and its been sitting in our attic for far too long. Since Aaron had already introduced these characters to the kids during their bedtime stories - I thought it was time for them to see the characters themselves. Albeit its nice how they used their imaginations. But to me, this was one less thing to collect dust. Aaron refused. Until today...

Aaron took a deep breath, and made an introductory speech...

They didn't know what to make of some of the creatures. It probably didn't mirror what they had imagined. They looked on with interest. Noah picked up Luke and admired his sword.... I on the other hand wasn't too impressed with some of the not-so-cute figurines and weapons. So while the kids weren't looking, I started to sort through the crowd and placed some back in the bag.... these were our favorites...

As for the rest, well - it was time to play! In her tutu, Ava gathered two Princess Leias, and the three of them went right into action...

It made Aaron surprisingly happy to see years and years of his joy playing {as boys did back then} in the hands of his daughter and son... who pretended the Ewoks were ordering pizza from Jabba the Hutt... simply priceless!