Have you ever gotten home from the library with a whole stack of children's books, but none of them keep your children's interest (or yours for that matter!) I am sometimes amazed at all of the books that do get published especially after hearing how many there are that don't.
Well there are lots of things I love about the library including the Children's Reference Section that has great teaching aides from finger plays to book lists, the Children's Video Section, the LeapPad books and Cartridges, On-line Holds and Renewals that make things so much easier with little ones, and Story Times and other programs.
I often, however, get frustrated with the books themselves. So I love it when we find an author we like. This morning I was reading a Robert Munsch book to my kids and was amazed how they all started gathering around me. I started reading it to the almost 3-year-old and by the time I was done I had the 5-year-old on my lap too, the 7-year-old was close by making comments and the 10-year-old was do other things, but definitely listening. We love his stories. His most famous one is I'll Love You Forever. It is totally different than all of his others which are sillyand fun. They are exaggerated stories of things that you can relate to in family life. Some of his titles are More Pies, Get Out of Bed, Aaron's Hair, and many more. He also has some of his books in Munschwork Collection books with 4 stories in each book. I recommend checking them out -- they're a lot of fun.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Winter Exercise=Laps...Race Car Style
The long days of winter here mean little chance to "get the wiggles out" around here. I don't know what we'd do without our (at least) daily "race". (Usually I turn on the music when I get the call that Greg is on his way home from work. They will usually keep at it until he gets home 15 minutes or so later!) Thankfully our townhome is shaped in a circle on the main floor. So, there is a well defined little lap to make. (You may need to be creative on defining your racetrack.)
Our race includes:
The Cars Soundtrack
(The first track is all we really use for racing. You can download it off of Itunes. It's called "Real Gone" with Sheryl Crow and John Shanks.)
+
Racing number and Exhaust pipe
(Number just printed off of the computer and mounted on cardstock. Exhaust pipe is a tinfoil-covered toilet paper tube with thin elastic tied to each side so it fits on like a belt.)
=
Brace yourself for some engine-revving, paint-swapping fun!
(Usually there are two boys and no push-toy. But, today while Nathan was gone, Joshua wanted to race on his own.)
Our boys like it best when we're willing to do their "pit stops". After every few laps they stop for some "gas and tires". We "glug, glug, glug" a little gas into their tummies and "zrt, zrt, zrt, zrt" down by their feet to change their tires.
Our race includes:
The Cars Soundtrack
(The first track is all we really use for racing. You can download it off of Itunes. It's called "Real Gone" with Sheryl Crow and John Shanks.)+
Racing number and Exhaust pipe
(Number just printed off of the computer and mounted on cardstock. Exhaust pipe is a tinfoil-covered toilet paper tube with thin elastic tied to each side so it fits on like a belt.)=
Brace yourself for some engine-revving, paint-swapping fun!
(Usually there are two boys and no push-toy. But, today while Nathan was gone, Joshua wanted to race on his own.)
Our boys like it best when we're willing to do their "pit stops". After every few laps they stop for some "gas and tires". We "glug, glug, glug" a little gas into their tummies and "zrt, zrt, zrt, zrt" down by their feet to change their tires.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Crayon Rubbings
We went on a great outing today! The weather is unseasonably warm and it was time to get out. Before we went, though, I had each kid make a notebook to do crayon rubbing in. Each child cut two pieces of paper into quarters. I had drawn lines on it and both Matthew (who is almost 3) and Sarah (who is 5) were able to cut the 8 pages for their 'notebooks' with the exception of one page that Matthew cut too much of.
Then Sarah wrote her name on her notebook and I wrote Matthew's name on his. We stapled them together and put their notebook and a crayon with the wrapper removed into a plastic bag. Then we put those and a snack in their backpacks and we were off.
We went to this great bike trail that has leaf imprints in the walkway. I thought that they would be great to do rubbings of, but they actually didn't work out too well. We still had a great time exploring, eating our snack, and finding all different kinds of textures to try 'rubbing'. We found some raised letters on signs, logs, old leaves, and other textures.
The kids felt like it was a real outing to get to wear a backpack, go exploring, and stop for a snack. I had a great time being out of the house in the beautiful air enjoying the kids and having some time away from the jobs at home.
Then Sarah wrote her name on her notebook and I wrote Matthew's name on his. We stapled them together and put their notebook and a crayon with the wrapper removed into a plastic bag. Then we put those and a snack in their backpacks and we were off.
We went to this great bike trail that has leaf imprints in the walkway. I thought that they would be great to do rubbings of, but they actually didn't work out too well. We still had a great time exploring, eating our snack, and finding all different kinds of textures to try 'rubbing'. We found some raised letters on signs, logs, old leaves, and other textures.The kids felt like it was a real outing to get to wear a backpack, go exploring, and stop for a snack. I had a great time being out of the house in the beautiful air enjoying the kids and having some time away from the jobs at home.They love each other -- they just each needed a side to HOLD ON too!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Formative Years
I was reminded again lately how the 'preschool' years of a child's life are the most formative years. I strongly believe that, but with the birth of our 5th child and with two 'older' kids busy in school and activities I realized I was doing what I never wanted to do. I was having my preschoolers accompany to many activities, but I had quit enriching their lives in the ways I want to. So this blog is to encourage me to do fun things with my preschoolers (and other kids) and to share these ideas with others.
At What Cost
Some of these ideas will cost money -- not a lot of money, but some. I am very tight with money and have always had to justify these costs. Here are some of the justifications that I feel good about:
Co-op Preschool: I am in the middle of my 7th year of co-op preschool. This is like Joy School except we come up with our own curriculum and ideas. So how it works is we get together with other Moms in the neighborhood or ward that have children that will be in the same grade and take turns teaching a week of preschool each (2 days). We rotate through the school year. It has worked out really well. Around here preschool costs $150-$220 a month depending on the school and the number of days and hours. This adds up to a significant amount of money that I'm not spending every year. So I feel good about spending some money for fun crafts and activities for preschool days and other enriching activities.
We haven't had cable or high-speed internet until last September. Then we got them in a package deal. We are about to get rid of cable again (but keep the internet). When we've wanted to have cable in the past we've always decided that we'd rather spend that money on other fun family things rather than trying to get our money's worth out of cable. It just feels better.
Around here there are lots of neat community classes. We have participated in some of them. Occasionally they have really been worth it. Most of the time, though, I come away feeling like we could have invited a friend over and done as well or better on our own. And if I'm not driving them there and back to a class that provides time that I could be enriching all of my children's lives and not just the one that the class is for. On average these classes cost $10 an hour. You can buy supplies for a pretty neat craft or activity or treat for $10!
So there you have it. Maybe money isn't an issue, and maybe you've tightened as far as you can and there still isn't money. We hope that there are still fun things in here that work for you and your kids. I have come to really view the time I spend with little ones as treasured time that is worth every minute and every penny. This is my job and my calling -- it feels good to magnify it.
At What Cost
Some of these ideas will cost money -- not a lot of money, but some. I am very tight with money and have always had to justify these costs. Here are some of the justifications that I feel good about:
Co-op Preschool: I am in the middle of my 7th year of co-op preschool. This is like Joy School except we come up with our own curriculum and ideas. So how it works is we get together with other Moms in the neighborhood or ward that have children that will be in the same grade and take turns teaching a week of preschool each (2 days). We rotate through the school year. It has worked out really well. Around here preschool costs $150-$220 a month depending on the school and the number of days and hours. This adds up to a significant amount of money that I'm not spending every year. So I feel good about spending some money for fun crafts and activities for preschool days and other enriching activities.
We haven't had cable or high-speed internet until last September. Then we got them in a package deal. We are about to get rid of cable again (but keep the internet). When we've wanted to have cable in the past we've always decided that we'd rather spend that money on other fun family things rather than trying to get our money's worth out of cable. It just feels better.
Around here there are lots of neat community classes. We have participated in some of them. Occasionally they have really been worth it. Most of the time, though, I come away feeling like we could have invited a friend over and done as well or better on our own. And if I'm not driving them there and back to a class that provides time that I could be enriching all of my children's lives and not just the one that the class is for. On average these classes cost $10 an hour. You can buy supplies for a pretty neat craft or activity or treat for $10!
So there you have it. Maybe money isn't an issue, and maybe you've tightened as far as you can and there still isn't money. We hope that there are still fun things in here that work for you and your kids. I have come to really view the time I spend with little ones as treasured time that is worth every minute and every penny. This is my job and my calling -- it feels good to magnify it.
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