My boys are at the age where we have to designate a “postal” helper for the day and take turns. They both LOVE to get the mail and bring it in the house, mainly because they love to see if anything has their name on it! So this summer, I’ve found a way to get mail to my kids!
Are we having fun yet? Get ready for some easy and entertaining ideas for this week! Read more…
I’m one of those messy moms. I buy playdough every couple of weeks (that is, when I’m not making it myself). I let my kids draw with markers that aren’t washable from time to time, and we even create art with pudding and other foods. Making a mess is part of exploring the creative side of yourself. So, fingerpainting is definitely a “must do” at our house! However, I don’t always have fingerpaints on hand, so I came across this great recipe for making some at home. The best part is, it is completely washable. So, make up a batch, set the kids out on the porch with some paper and fingerpaints, then hose them down when they’re done!
In the wake of Hurricane Dolly here in Texas (and the storms/heat/all other yucky outside weather stuff going on), I thought I’d share a great activity to try indoors this summer. This is a great project for pretty much any age; if a child can hold a marker and scribble or color on a paper, then they are ready for this one. All you need are markers, a timer, and a sheet of blank paper for each participant.
The dog days of summer are definitely here! While the term, “dog days of summer”, actually stems from the position of the Dog Star, Sirius, during this time of year. Sirius rises and falls with the sun right now, and the Ancient Egyptians thought that this action is what made this time of year so much hotter. Whatever the reason, cooling off is on tap for this week!
Besides being an awesome place to find cool and unique products for ever-growing minds, WonderBrains has embraced a learning philosophy unlike most others. Products at WonderBrains are centered around an educational idea called Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Peter, one of the co-creators of WonderBrains, has a wonderful article on the site that explains in depth what Gardner’s theory is all about.
I recently attended a teacher training session specifically geared to enlightening early childhood teachers in this theory. While most of us associate intelligence with either verbal, mathematical or logical astuteness, there are other categories to consider. While many of these are difficult, if not impossible to measure in the “standard” sense, they are valid areas of intelligence. Read through a few of these, and see if you can identify any of these areas in your child or even yourself.
With our second child, we learned early on that in order for him to be successful, he needed to be in charge, or in charge as much as we could let him. Letting children make their own decisions gives them ownership of the situation and can help them learn to behave well.
We’re halfway through the summer! The weather here is hot and sunny - not a cloud in the sky. So, look for quite a few outdoor activities this week. Join in a few, and be sure to submit suggestions of your own to add!
