laundry game - count, sort, fold!

After Noah and I got home from morning drop off, I felt somewhat misplaced - in my own home. Glancing over my to-do list, nothing seemed appealing... maybe its because I'm still not use to this "early" schedule. Letting out a big sigh, I look around the house to see which pile would explode first. Noah is out of underwear... bingo. We have to do laundry.

Wanting him to be in the same room as me {instead of playing on the computer}, I recruit his help.

Me: Noah, can you find your underwear and count how many pairs you have?
Noah: You said underwear. {He laughs}. Ok. But first.... You like my new hat Mommy? Do I look cool? {He laughs uncontrollably. Winks his eye, snaps a finger, and bobs his head back and forth}.
Me: You are soo funny Noah! Let me get my camera. {I snap this just before he pulls it off}.



So how many pairs did you find? Let's sort them. First tell me how many you have, and then how many Ava has. And then tell me, who has more? {I fold the remainder of the laundry while watching him}.
Noah: 6. I have 6. And Ava has {he counts} 6 too! Wow. How did that happen? They are the same!
Me: That's pretty cool. {Um... let's see what else we can do.} Oh Noah, can you please help me find all the yellow napkins? I think they are buried under here.
Noah: Yeah. One... two... three...four, five... This is like a treasure hunt. I can't believe it. Five! Is there any more? {he keeps digging}



Me: Well there should be 6 yellow napkins. {He pulls out the last one}. Let me show you how to fold them. First you make a big square like this.  {I demonstrate}. Then take two of these corners and fold over.... like this - wait a sec. What shape is the napkin now?
Noah: A rectangle!
Me: That's right. Now watch. I fold take these two corners here - and fold over to the other side. Look what happens. Now what shape is it?
Noah: A square!
Me: And if I fold it again, its a {I'm interrupted}.
Noah: No. No. Let me do it. I know, I know. First you make it flat. Oh. There's not enough room. {He picks up the napkin, sits up and starts over again}. Okay, okay. I got it.



Noah: Then you make a rectangle. {He makes a serious face. Holds the corners with his fingers...} Then you make a square. Like this? No, wait. I can do it. {He repeats this over again to himself}. Then you make another rectangle. Like this Mommy?



Me: That's right Buddy. You got it. Now do the same thing to the other... five!
Noah: {He takes his time, and repeats, "rectangle. square" to himself until he finishes}. I did it! I did it! This is my luckiest day ever! {literally squealing}. Watch how I do it.... {he unfolds one and shows me}. I can't believe I can really do this! {squeal}.



Who knew you could folding laundry could be this much fun to a 4 year old? And learn at the same time... We practiced counting, sorting, which was "more or less", matching, and making shapes. This "laundry game" turned out to be a hands-on experience {which to me, is much more fun than any workbook exercise we've been doing thus far}.

I may not have dinner napkins that are perfectly matched on all corners - but what I do have is a very proud little boy.


I'm sure there are many more learning opportunities that stem from the "every day" - what are some of yours?

just a cardboard box

Oh... the simple joys of a playing with a cardboard box! Ava came into the bedroom wanting to tell me about the weather - in a very reportedly way. So I found her empty radio box in the garage, cut out a "screen" and put it over her head. And just like that, she was reporting the weather from the tube. Its quite funny hearing her interpret the news - since we don't watch it at home. But she described the sunny day ahead very vividly, and flipped her "paper" to move on to the next topic.

The "TV" didn't have to be painted, or fancied up - kids see past these so quickly so that they can focus on the good stuff - the fun! With just a little creativity with what you already have at home (no store bought stuff) playtime using our imaginations - is indeed priceless. You might want to also grab your video camera too - oh the things they say....

setting sail

Who needs pool toys, when you can sail a boat? To change things up a bit during splash time, Ava and I made 20 paper boats with the stack of square fluorescent note sheets we had at home. I can't remember how old I was or who taught me how to make a boat, but after looking online to link for this post, I realized I do it a little bit differently. I'll have to share that with you in a second post. After doing it just once, Ava was able to make some of her own... and then we played the voices of the ships preparing to hit the high seas...

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.

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!

st. paddy's day treasure hunt

Lucky for me, the kids slept in on Thursday. I wanted to do some of the activities I had suggested in my SavvySource article yesterday, so I spent some time searching for a scavenger hunt idea and came across this DIY St. Patty's Day treasure hunt post. Lucky for me (again) there were downloadable files pre-written with fun limerick clues. And well, one thing led to another - where I ended up in the art room, watching a how-to-video on YT on making four-leaf clovers, cutting and whip stitching "pot of gold" goody bags out of felt using the one-minute craft blog idea {which actually took closer to an hour} because you know me, I had to improvise... and well, I think the kids had fun...

First clue... in a shoe...

2nd clue... where you keep your hands warm...

3rd clue... under a plate...

Ava and Noah loved the treasure hunt - it's such a thrilling momentum for them. We'll be doing another one this weekend for our New Year holiday on Sunday {can't wait!} Noah ended up wearing his pot of gold around his neck {since he had to eat breakfast first}. After some clean up, we went into the backyard and what's this?

Could it really be shamrocks peeking through from the cracks? {Why is it that I never noticed these before today?} Needless to say, we're now hunting for four-leaf clovers...

weather... no matter how bad

Today I'm over at Savvy, talking about why its important to get outdoors everyday, and how no matter what's in the forecast, everyone can have fun! 

art project: secret playhouse

It's not often that Ava asks for us to buy something she sees in a store {except for candy} so when she spotted this cardboard playhouse, Aaron and I thought it'd be a fun project we could all do together. The entire house was simply "unfolded" and then attached together by the chimney - and just like that, the little ones scurried in and out of the house with their toys.

teaching with a new friend

When it comes to teaching and strengthening our children's educational skills - we've turned to many of the essential teaching tools - flash cards, preschooler workbooks, even computer games - but the most fun and creative - are in just the day-to-day experiences - like when we collect leaves, or analyze how many noodles need to be eaten before getting 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream {smile}.

To extend that natural learning, where they themselves initiate questions, answers, and activity ideas, I bought a Melissa & Doug princess puppet - a princess for the simple fact that Ava seems to be very tuned into crown wearing gals these days - and a puppet, because I wanted to introduce a new way of teaching and practicing the concepts we're learning. Little did I know how quickly both Ava and Noah would receive this golden-haired royalty- where she has taken on the role as their teacher, classmate, and even a new friend...



She's also a great storyteller - even if she needs help pronouncing the words - "What's that word..p...pp...?" - and the kids shout, "pocket!" like in the book, A Pocket for Corduroy. The princess also helps them explore what's happening on the pages by asking questions - What are laundromats? How do dryers work?

Not only do they listen intently to the story being read by a new friend, but they are also engaged by teaching her in return - pointing out interesting facts or sharing what they themselves think happened or want her to know.



I am thrilled to welcome this little "princess" in our home - over any Disney figurine any day {where we are talking about things that the kids are interested in - not reenacting scenes of a damsel in distress looking for her prince to rescue her}.

This kind of learning reminds me of my own learning, and how in Kindergarten, literacy came alive when I befriended the Letter People - remember those? I think its time I broke out the Letter People records {I scored a complete set at Half Price books!}

There is no doubt a very strong association children have at this age with characters that talk directly to them, and exchange ideas and lessons in a language and attitude that resonates with them the best - playfully...

and we are all absolutely loving it.

home games

Welcome November, and welcome cooler weather... we are loving your rain and cold wind today. Since we couldn't do much outdoors, we played at home a lot today. Ava likes to dress up in her "princess" attire still, and since I haven't put up my Halloween decorations yet, Ava asked if we could hide them around the house and then race to find them. Sure! Why not? Let's get more life out of these before they get stowed for the year.

"Hunts" are an I-did-it kind of achievement for the kids. Since it was such a hit for Easter, we've been incorporating it into our parties ever since... like Noah's birthday car party... and now Halloween. And it doesn't have to be a fill-able container either. Just something big enough to see, small enough to hide, and a lot of them to find of course...





What I love about games (besides how much the kids have fun with them) is that there are learning opportunities to go with it. Ava and Noah found 11 pumpkins... how many are still left? Addition, subtraction - they get excited thinking about it. There's still 4 more out there... and the chase continues...



Another fun game we play that originated when the kids pulled the draw strings of my yoga pants one day, and I pulled back - taking both Ava and Noah in one swoop to the floor - They cracked up. Ever since then, this incident has turned into a game for them (similar to tug-of-war), and they pretend they are "hauling" me to one side of the room. While they pull with each step, we all say, "Hee-Ho" (not sure where that came from) and Ava and Noah have to work together to pull and reach the door to win. But this rarely happens, because the fun is in me pulling back to my side of the room, where they hang on for dear life, and slide on their stomachs across the floor (still holding on). I've lost some draw strings as a result, so we now use a tape measure. Plus... Aaron can play too. This is such a great game in the evening to get some energy flowing again at the end of a work day...







I love home games - and I love that the kids can turn whatever they see into one. Our dog Zoe doesn't want to miss the action either, and she will follow us back and forth - sometimes sacrificing getting her jungle paws stepped on (she's been called Jungle dog as of late since we haven't had her groomed in awhile).

As long as there is movement, challenge, (and learning) involved, we are all in to play. Granted... knees and arms do get bruised lovely shades of purple - but that's part of childhood isn't it? At least we're not falling from trees or anything... (yet)...

What home games do you enjoy or remember as a child?

Travel Study: Brazil

Our first package finally arrived from Little Passports, a subscription to a "global adventure" that we signed up for last month. Ava had no idea why the box had her name on it, and had no idea that the suitcase would hold a world map with a passport and photo of 2 travelers that want to share parts of the world with her. The suitcase caught Ava's fancy immediately - and she registered her boarding pass online and played her first game.



Before I could tell you that this package arrived, she has already received her second - from the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil! And the souvenirs were a hit! An amethyst stone from a "mine in Maraba," a photo of a red uakari monkey, and a wooden toucan puzzle. She also received a letter and stickers to post on her luggage, passport and map - Ava and I examined the globe to find exactly where the souvenirs were from.







This is such a great idea - I kick myself for not coming up with the idea first. It's so easy to replicate and make one at home. You can find these suitcases (set of 3 for $20) online at The Land of Nod, and fill with a penned letter, and souvenirs from a country you'd like to study as a family. Souvenirs can be picked up on Amazon or your local dollar store - whether its rocks, a musical instrument, or a doll wearing national clothing - the opportunities are endless!

So this month, we'll be exploring Brazil... and sharing with you more very soon!

playing store

Avoiding her vegetables, Ava excused herself from dinner to go play in her kitchen. By the time we wrapped up with the dishes, I realized that she had expunged every play food stored in the back corner of our hutch. Cleaning up the mess, it dawned on me that the items could be organized better, sorting out the fruits and vegetables and so on... when Ava blurted out, "would you like to buy some apples please?" in a funny accent.

And just like that, our very own grocery store was open for business!



Our shop sold pizza - by the slice, so I ordered one with mushrooms... I needed a cake for the birthday party I was having... pretzels for Aaron... and of course, a large chocolate chip cookie for Noah...





Paper money from lost gameboards finally found life again, and were shuffled in and out of a ringing register... Ava bagged my groceries in small brown paper bags with handles. I loved how a cleaning spree turned quickly into a themed play activity, and we added items to our store as we went along... My most favorite part was when it was my turn to play shopkeeper, and I told Ava that her credit card didn't work.

Me: Your card isn't working.

Ava: why?

Me: Because there's no money on it.

Ava: Oh [takes the teapot and taps it on the card] Now there is money on it!

Oh, how I love to play store....

Opening Your Own Store - Our Tips:

1. You don't need much space to buy and sell. We actually dedicated one cabinet from our kitchen hutch, suitable to her height, to store her groceries, and then placed baskets on the shelf to help her sort and display. Plus, it's a lot easier to see what we do have so that when I'm out thrifting, I won't buy the same pieces again.

2. My Dad actually scored this register from curbside! in perfect condition. We saw the exact same model at Lakeshore for over $20. It has a built-in calculator, so counting is made easy. If you don't want to splurge right now, jewelry boxes with pull out drawers and a large-faced calculator will also do the trick.

3. Reuse small paper gift bags and stash these in a drawer close by. Or better yet, craft a small fabric tote they can use for shopping "trips" over and over again...

4. We love playing with wooden food - the texture and size make playtime fun and the nostalgic and lasting quality for parents - are comforting. If you're looking to start a new collection, Melissa & Doug make fun wooden pantry goods to play with and perishable foods to practice cutting. Oh, and don't forget the pizza! Since these products have been around a long time, you may luck out and find sets also at a second-hand store.

5. Make some signs! Bring some creativity into your shop time by hanging a chalkboard announcing today's sales.

Playing "store" didn't require us to buy anything - just a unique storage space and open imagination. We love how we can just open/close the store without having to dismantle anything - and cleaning up is part of the store play, where we unbag our groceries and display them neatly for our next customers. We're looking forward to getting more ideas and creating things for it as we go along.

Good luck with your new business!
Mom & Ava - Owners

bugs in our tent

Our Ikea tent has provided the perfect backdrop to many secret hideouts, important meetings, scary stories, and even nap times in these past few years. So I was thrilled when Ava unearthed this abode while cleaning out our storage closet.

After Aaron pitched up the tent, Ava filled it with pillows and everything unplanned that followed - was the perfect plan for spending the evening together.

We read our favorite Ed Emberly books, and snacked from our after dinner fruit bowls. There was this one incident - when one of us really did get scared for a brief moment.... I won't say who, [ahem] but it involved Aaron jumping on the tent in the middle of my story... the other two campers had buggy flashlights and lanterns swirling in the dark - so they were too busy to notice.

Camping is such a fun and easy way to re- create indoors for kids. And telling stories in them is a perfect twist to the regular bedtime story routines. A tent purchase is not even necessary as we have also used sofa cushions, chairs, and blankets to prop up our forts. The only essential thing you need is your imagination... and maybe, even a bug flashlight...

Scary Tent Story Ideas
Bye, Bye Big Bad Bullybug
Go Away Big Green Monster
Looking for a Moose

another hot summer

Every summer I am always confronted with the same question. Why am I still living in Texas?

There were just two things that struck the Yankee right out of me that first summer we moved here- One, the unbearable heat, and two - seeing animals I've only ever seen in a public zoo eating grass in fenced backyards on my way to school everyday. Well, I got use to the farm animals - but two decades and kids later, I'm still singing the refrain from an adapted country western song - "why am I --- still living in Texas?"

The Texas heat is somewhat bitter-sweet to me. Sweet in that you can always count on sunshine to fall on your back - comfort and encourage you to finish writing that theology paper you need an A in. Bitter in that sometimes, the sunshine punches you in the face, making you feel like you can peel layers and layers of your skin off, and then some....

It's hot. And no matter how often I chant my disdain for the Texas heat, I still find myself outdoors, melting and enjoying the summers....

With toys scattered on the lawn, I can't help but join their quest to make the most out of the moment - albeit hotter than all the wood burning pizza ovens in Italy combined - we throw down an old bedsheet and indulge on nature's cooling weapons - watermelon!

Noah plunges his plastic fork into one and up comes a watermelon-"pop" which he quickly shows me with his one eye. [*Side note - Noah's eye is healing beautifully! Thank you for all your prayers and emails!!]



Our picnic turns into an obstacle course, as the kids find it hilarious to pass the box of blueberries up and down the slide to each other. They stop and take notice of the ants - unearthed by their barefeet, and then bring one to me. I slap Ava's hand and send the ant spiraling somewhere onto our food and then shout, "they're coming! hurry, hurry! they are going to bite you! Let's go inside!"

Shameful... I know. In one breath, they grab their blueberries and run upto the front doorstep and turn. Both had a disappointed look on their face - as if they were expecting to see armies of ants marching in rage, ready to strike, behind them in their shadows.

The so-called invasion on the other hand, was only threatening in my head. I wipe the sweat, the only deathly pandemic to this summer day - off of my brow and say, "Whew. That was close. We better go inside - where it's safe...."