Dirt Play

I was pondering the educational needs of our children this morning and what values my husband and I want to impart to them. After a half hour or so, I came up with this deep concept. We really want them to play in dirt.

Dirt play is an ongoing series of experiments. Dirt is part of science. Dirt is part of childhood. Being dirty means they got outside instead of sitting in front of an electronic screen. Dirt is something brothers can share and there is always enough to go around. Dirt is universal.

This is going to sound like a change of subject, but it's not. Today I decided the boys and I would have an impromptu ice cream party outside after lunch. The flavor was chocolate Oreo. Seeing that they were already covered with a wet brown mess (to be fair, it was mainly the younger one who was covered in it, but there were signs on our five-year-old as well)...

...led to my second aha! moment of the day. Why not let the boys play with dirt and mud after the ice cream?

We got out a couple of toy shovels and containers and put a little bit of water in our dirt circle. (By the way, the dirt circle was not our choice for backyard decor, but it is our sons' favorite outside toy, along with rocks and sticks.)

You can see I was conservative about the amount of mud! Someday soon I plan to get into it more in-depth and make mud castles and everything.

Recommended related book: i love dirt! 52 activities to help you & your kids discover the wonders of nature by Jennifer Ward

Clarification: I didn't just think this up out of thin air. My husband and I have talked together about what we want to teach our children and what is important to us as a family. He specifically mentioned them playing in dirt the other day. :) A beloved family member gave us the book mentioned above and it has a section on ways to play with dirt and mud (educationally, of course).

Winter Fun in the Summertime

Some of us live in climates where the heat of summer is more punishing than the cold of winter.

During the winter season, there are posts everywhere to help families have fun when it's just too cold to take the children outside.

Let's twist that and talk about finding fun when it's just too hot to take the children outside. 

In the summer, those who live in hot climates will still have their share of picnics and water play...heavily shaded with sunblock or clothing, of course. (Especially if your family has fair skin and a history of melanoma like ours does.)

But what to do when no one wants to go outside or when the temperature is actually dangerously hot?

My Number One Summer Tip for Parents In Hot Climates:

Take another look at those winter activity posts and do them now!

Image courtesy of clker.com

Some involve snow play, which won't be possible, but even those can be tweaked. Get creative, and don't forget to ask your children for input.

Activities:

1. One example of a winter post I found useful in summer was Surviving Winter: Bath Play from Children's Learning Activities.

2. Another way to do water play while avoiding the glaring sun is to locate the indoor pools and water parks near your home. Does your YMCA have an indoor pool?

3. Now that it's summer, get serious about checking out those museums you've been wanting to take your children to. Don't forget to look up "free museum days" for the museums near you.

4. You know those vintage-y pictures of people by the fireside drinking hot cocoa and playing games? Make homemade slushies (from The Motherload) or old-fashioned lemonade instead to drink while you play Uno, Settlers of Catan, or Candy Land.

5. Movie Marathon! You could go two ways with this: Either watch everyone in the family's favorite summer movie or make a list of favorite winter movies and watch those.

6. Go to the library. The local library might be our country's most underused resource for the number and value of programs it usually offers. Pick up a copy of the summer calendar.

7. Get a head start on Christmas by holding a Christmas Planning Day. This could be combined with #5 for great ambience if you choose to watch favorite winter movies. Everyone can make a list of things they'd like to make or buy for other people. After the lists are completed, plan to go garage-sale-ing to look for bargains or start your homemade projects.

And of course, get outside when it's not dangerous and not quite as punishing!

I will elaborate on each of the examples above as summer gets underway, so look for those Winter Fun in the Summertime posts.

Must Have: A Store of Knock-Knock Jokes

My son has just gotten to the age when he wants to tell and hear knock-knock jokes several times a day. Any parent of a five-year-old needs a good store of knock-knock jokes. Right? I know I'm not the only parent of a five-year-old who has run into this.

I ran out of knock-knock jokes.

So I went hunting online and this site has a few good ones in the comments. It's not a joke site but it yielded some good results for my challenge.

One of my favorites from that site - because my son actually gets it instead of just laughing because he thinks we're being silly - is this one:

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Interrupting cow."

"Interrupt-"

"MOOOOOOOOOOO!"

My personal favorite - because I could remember it when my son suddenly wanted to do knock-knock jokes - is this:

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"Boo."

"Boo who?"

"Please don't cry, sweetheart!"

The orange-you-glad-I-didn't-say-banana one is appreciated but not understood around here.

This site has lots more knock-knock jokes that children would find funny, though maybe not adults.

One Hungry Mama Blog

I know this blog is not about food or cooking, but you really must look at this quality blog by a Brooklyn mom who used to, among other things, create educational TV for Sesame Street Workshop. Her site, One Hungry Mama, is full of recipes I would be proud to serve my family and there are some helpful back-to-school lunch posts there, too!

Her tagline is: "Kids change the way we cook, but they don't have to change how well we eat."
 
I found out about the website through my lovely sister-in-law who is helping to design the charity cookbook for Japan that you will see highlighted on the site.

To keep it about learning activities, check out this post where One Hungry Mama shares a "recipe" for a truly edible finger paint.

Storybook Week 7: Harold and the Purple Crayon

This week the storybook is Harold and the Purple Crayon, written and illustrated by Crockett Johnson.

1. Read the Book

Language Arts/Story Interest

Together with your child, read the book or watch the storybook video.

2. Make a Safety Town

Arts and Crafts/Safety/Dramatizing/Pretend Play

In Harold and the Purple Crayon, Harold decides he needs a moon, so he draws one. He needs a path, so he draws one to walk down. Through his adventure, he keeps hold on his purple crayon so that he can create what he needs, whether it be a shortcut across a field or a whole city. This is a powerful concept for children. The idea that they can create the world they want to play in through their imaginations is a breathtaking one.

I like this Safer Strangers, Safer Buildings video from Child's Eye Media to combine safety information for young children with a way to play pretend with these new ideas. Look at the end of Part 2 to see the safe buildings the children make to create a safe town. It looks like they are making the buildings out of small cardboard boxes about the size of instant oatmeal boxes. The boxes are covered with white paper so that the children can draw any embellishments or signs they like on their buildings. Adding people and vehicles to the town would of course make it even more fun.

3. Purple Paper Night Sky

Arts and Crafts

Your child may want to draw with a purple crayon after reading this book. That would be fantastic; let your child do what he or she likes with a purple crayon and paper. Be prepared for a nice story about what is being drawn.


A different activity for children who are not interested in a purple crayon is to use purple construction paper and white chalk to make a night sky. The texture of chalk on construction paper can be a learning experience in itself.

For a baby or toddler: Allow your baby or toddler to use chalk on construction paper if baby is old enough to safely hold and use chalk. Your toddler may be quite fascinated with making white marks on a colored paper instead of the other way around.

For a preschooler: Ask your child to draw stars and a moon on your purple paper to make a night sky. You might even add to the picture yourself.


For an older child: Combine learning about constellations with drawing some on the paper. If you have not already learned together about constellations, look up some pictures of constellations in the sky. For this arts and crafts activity, have your child make up his or her own constellations and name them.

4. Sailboats

Story Interest/Science

Harold draws a sailboat and sails across water. How does a sailboat work? What makes it go?

Explain that a sailboat needs its sails to be up so that wind can blow the sails and push the boat.

For a toddler or preschooler: Find two plastic bath toy boats, one with a sail and one without. Draw a bath, put your child in, and do an experiment. First put in the boat without a sail. Blow on it. Allow your child to blow on it too. The breath might move it a little bit but likely won't push it forward very far. Now take that boat out and put in the boat with the sail. Blow on the sails. This boat should move forward much more easily because there is wind in its sails.

For an older child: Have your child build a sailboat. Here is a link to a 5th Grade Sail Boat Project.

5. Finding Your Room

Geography/Story Interest/Physical Activity

Start in your child's bedroom. Now lead him or her out to another room. Instruct your child to go back to the bedroom. Ask how they found it. Go to another room. Tell your child to get back to the bedroom as quickly as possible. Try this from one other room.

For a toddler: Do the above activity, emphasizing which room is your toddler's room. Have fun with it! If your toddler needs an extra challenge, try it with all the lights out and a flashlight.

For a preschooler: Do the above activity, asking your child which direction they are going as they navigate to their room. Do the flashlight variation because a preschooler will be delighted with it!

For an older child: Have your child first walk back to the room, then sit down somewhere and draw a map to show the way they walked. This map can be as simple or as elaborate as necessary. Some preschoolers can do this activity.


Note: Anytime you or your child gets excessively frustrated with an activity, take a deep breath and remember the purpose of the activity. Some of your purposes may be: To teach, to learn, to have fun, to spend quality time together, and to evaluate your child's abilities. It is usually better to avoid an outburst of frustration with each other than to complete an activity. Sometimes just taking that breath, looking each other in the eyes, and thinking for a moment about the real issue bothering one (or more) of you is extremely valuable.

Bedtime Routines

PowerLaunch recently posted about The Power of Routines, including a poignant passage about the power of a bedtime routine.

Our youngest is a great sleeper. People always comment on how he goes straight to sleep when we put him down. This usually happens even when we are in a new environment like visiting in someone else's home. What he has is a bedtime routine that has been the same from about two months old until the present time, twenty-three months old. That is twenty-one months of the same routine for each nap and each bedtime. If I did my math correctly, that is over 1,600 occurrences of the same ritual.

We do a bath every other day, followed by diaper and pajamas, followed by tooth brushing and flossing, followed by zero to three bedtime books (depending on the day). Then he has the same lullaby sung to him and he is laid down on his bed with the same litany describing his bedtime objects. His music box is then turned on and I say the very same good night message to him.

Any bedtime routine that includes healthy wind-down activities and an expression of love is a fantastic bedtime routine.

What is your child's or children's bedtime routine?

A Sensory Experience Craft

Aprile at The Steady Hand recently did a review of the Deluxe Textured Craft Kit from 1-2-3! Textured Products. If you have a child who would benefit from working with a variety of textures, this kit or something similar could be a great activity.

This kind of kit is also something that could be made at home after collecting a variety of materials from craft stores and around the house.

If you go to The Steady Hand's post, you can see how she and her daughter used the Hugs the Hippo kit.

Three Ways to Teach Children a Work Ethic

A work ethic is something most parents want their children to learn. Here are three ways to begin to instill one in your child.

1. Start Early with Cleaning Up.

Every time your baby plays with toys, have a clean-up time when it's time to move on to something else. You might use a clean-up song to sing each time. Definitely use the term "cleaning up," even to your tiny baby.

You will start by cleaning up all the toys yourself. Do it cheerfully to show that it is a good and fun thing. As baby gets older, he or she can have a turn dropping a toy into a basket. You and your baby or toddler can take turns dropping one toy into the right place. Saying, "My turn! Your turn! My turn!" etc. also sets up the concept of sharing and taking turns for later lessons.

Each time playtime is over, have your child pick up toys. You can either cheerfully help or limit the number of toys available to a number that your child can pick up on his or her own.

If you do these things every single time, your child will naturally learn to clean up, with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of cheerfulness. Okay, it may not work perfectly every time, but it does lay the right groundwork.

2. Be the Example.

Groan. Another hard thing to model for your children, right? Being the example is the best way to teach your children anything in the world. Show them what you do in your daily life. Later you can tell them why.

Do your tasks until they are finished. Let your children see you working. Try to maintain a cheerful (or at least neutral) demeanor while working. Note: For me, these are things I have to work on continually. Keep in mind that, just as you are not perfect, neither will your children be. (Thank you, Chronicles of a Babywise Mom, for that good lesson.)

3. Trade help.

By the time your child is a preschooler, he or she can help you out in many ways. Babies can help pick up in the manner described above, and toddlers can help, too. Some toddlers can fold washcloths, some can sort laundry, some love to unload the dishwasher with you, and some can set dinner utensils on the table.

Next time your child asks for your help, help him or her. Ask him or her to agree to help you next time you need help. All of this should be done and said in as chipper a tone as possible. Get your child's agreement.

The next time you do a task that your child could possibly help with, ask him or her to help you. Give a reminder of how you helped them and asked for their help in the future. Use their help!

Depending on the age of the child, you might not want to require more than five minutes of help. You want this to end on a positive note, with all people feeling proud of themselves. On the other hand, if you have hard workers who can do more than five minutes, have them do as much as they can so that they have something legitimate to be proud of.

Storybook Week 6: Diary of a Spider

This week the storybook is Diary of a Spider, written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Harry Bliss.

1. Read the Book

Language Arts/Story Interest

Together with your child, read the book or watch the storybook video.

2. Start a Personal Diary

Story Interest/Arts and Crafts/Fine Motor Skills/Language Arts

Start with a blank composition book or notebook and pictures that will be interesting and relevant to your child, like pictures of him- or herself, family members, animals, and special interests. Tape or glue a picture of your child to the cover. (Or let your child do this.)

For your younger child, write a heading on top of each page. Categories that work well are Family, Animals, Numbers, Letters, Dinosaurs, Colors, Shapes, and character pages for your child's favorite book and TV characters.

For a baby or toddler: Paste pictures and photographs of each category under the appropriate heading. Allow your toddler to color on pages.

For a preschooler: Paste one or two pictures and photographs in each category, leaving plenty of room on each page. Draw a few writing guidelines at the bottom of the page so your child can write something about the page. Ask your child to draw pictures from the category on each page and then write something about it at the bottom. You may need to write for them, but do ask what they want to say about the page.

For an older child: If necessary, show your child how diary entries can start with the date that they are written. Have them write what they want about their day and allow them to use pictures and photographs to illustrate.

Alternative 1: 

If your child is into photography, allow him or her to make a photojournal on a topic of his or her choice. If it would be easier, use a blog or other online format for your child to post digital pictures. Make sure it is a secure site so it can be kept private if appropriate and so that you and your child can monitor what information is available to strangers.

Alternative 2:

Organized Christmas has a great idea for a frugal gift that can be used in this activity: a Journal Jar. The gift idea includes a journal and a jar of journal prompts to get someone writing. I've included the link to the Child's Journal Jar but there is also one for adults.

3. Spiders vs. Insects

Science/Arts and Crafts

Learn about arachnids. You may have a favorite science book or encyclopedia at home that describes arachnids, or you can use this great fact page from BioKIDS. Talk about the differences between arachnids and insects.

Next, do a fun spider craft together. This is a good one posted at Children's Learning Activities.

4. Babysteps Flash Cards

Story Interest/Organization

Together, choose something your child wants to learn to do. Help him or her break it down into three steps to practice. Have an older child write down each step on a separate index card. For younger children, write it for them. A picture of each step would be helpful and interesting as well.

Show your child how to practice each step, one at a time. Let him or her keep the flash cards to practice at other times.

5. Differences

Appreciation of Diversity/Emotional Awareness

Have your child choose one of his or her friends to talk about. Talk about the things your child likes about the friend. Ask if there are any things about the friend that are different from your child. You can help with ideas if your child can't think of any (hair color, skin color, eye color, length of hair, where the child lives, family, what the child likes to do, the child's favorite color, the child's favorite TV show, etc.) List two or three of these differences that your child likes about his or her friend.

Now think of someone else who is different from your child. This could be another child, a neighbor, a classmate, or a character from a book, game, or show. Think of their differences. Again list two or three differences that your child likes or thinks is interesting.

You may want to ask a few follow-up questions, but this topic probably doesn't need to be belabored. Some examples are:

"Can people who are different be friends?"
"Do you like to learn new and different things?"
"Do you like to meet new and different people?"
"How does it feel to notice something different about another person?"
"How does it feel to be different from someone else?"

Monopoly Junior Lessons

Recently, my five-year-old was given Monopoly Junior. The age range on the box is 5-8 years old. He has just turned five, so I was interested to see how he did with this game. While he and his father and I played the game, I noted the lessons for my son.

1. Addition and Subtraction

Using money and paying in different denominations gave him practice adding and subtracting to make the right dollar amount. He could use more practice, but this is a fun way to get practice in. The denominations are 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 dollar bills, so it is an easy way to start.

2. Game Playing Basics

My son is used to taking turns in games. This game also gave him more practice counting game board squares to move ahead, following directions, "reading" dice, and using his own colored game pieces (marker to move around the board and ticket booths to set up on the spaces he paid for). I was actually surprised to see him happily end the game with Dad as the winner. He usually wants to be the winner at everything. (I don't think he's the only four- to five-year-old with this tendency.)

3. Reading

He can sound out words and read many words from context, but he also has some way to go before he can read many books on his own. The Chance cards and game spaces gave him lots of opportunity to read with very specific context clues. He did great!

4. Finance

Okay, not high finance, but this game gives a $2 "allowance" for passing Go, so it reinforces the idea of an allowance. It also shows the properties of ownership. Whichever person paid at a space to put up their ticket booth had the right to collect admission every time someone landed at their ticket booth. Our son got used to paying other people at their ticket booths and asking for money when people landed on his own booths. Another basic idea it reinforced was the accumulation of money. The person with the most money at the end of the game wins. This game is completely based on chance, so it's not due to skill, but nonetheless, if you have the most money, you win.

Storybook Week 5: Curious George Rides a Bike

Curious George Rides a Bike was written and illustrated by H. A. Rey and published in 1952.

1. Read the Story

Language Arts

Read the story Curious George Rides a Bike and/or watch the Storybook DVD.

2. Ride a Bike

Gross Motor Skills/Outdoor Activity

If your child has a bike, go for a bike ride together. If your child is too young for a bike but has another riding toy, use that instead. If your child does not have any riding toy, show him or her how to bicycle your legs in the air while lying on your back. Do pretend pop-a-wheelies this way. See who can "jump the bike" the highest.

3. Get Your Headlines Here

Story Interest/Money

Do you get a newspaper delivered to your house? Start a conversation with your child about how that newspaper gets to your house. Or if you get a magazine subscription, talk about how that magazine gets to your house. If you don't get newspapers or magazines, go to a local store to buy one. Talk about the person who sold the paper or magazine to you.

Pick one of these jobs (newspaper delivery, mail carrier, cashier) and research it with your child. You can simply describe the job and be on the lookout for the person who has that job in your neighborhood, or you can go as deeply into the research as you like. This is a link to the Bureau of Labor Statistics page about United States Postal Service mail carriers.

This may be a good time for a money lesson. Let your child know what your family pays for (home, groceries, clothes, electricity, TV service, etc.). If possible, let your child see the bills and see you paying them. Explain where your family's money comes from. Introduce the concept of having a job and being paid for it. If your child is old enough to ask for or desire money to buy something he or she wants, consider paying a wage for a job that is more than what they are normally expected to do around the house.

4. Make a Boat

Story Interest/Arts and Crafts/Science

Mathematische Basteleien has clear instructions for folding a boat out of paper.

For a baby: Draw a bath or a bowl full of water and float toy boats in it. Let baby play if possible (supervised extremely closely, of course).

For a toddler: Let your toddler watch you fold a boat for as long as it holds the toddler's interest. You may need to fold it later if interest wanes. When the boat is completed, draw a bath for the toddler and both of you can watch while the boat floats. Very soon, it will sink (due to getting wet) and need to be rescued. Have plastic bath boats on hand to replace it.

You may want to do the baby activity instead if that is a better fit for your toddler. Or do both!

For a preschooler: Both of you work on folding a paper boat at the same time. Don't forget to see if they float when you're finished.

For an older child: Show the instructions and demonstrate once by folding a paper boat. Then let your child try as many times as he or she wishes.

5. Make a Circus

Story Interest/Dramatizing

Depending on the age and interests of your child, do this activity either with small figures and doll-type decorations or in real-life size with stuffed animals, larger props, and yourselves as actors.

Small or large items (depending on your scale) that would make a fun circus:

Animals
Tents (toy tents, draped blankets, real tents, or dolls' or figures' umbrellas)
Musical instruments
Music playing in the background
Circus ringmaster and microphone (Here are some ideas for making a ringmaster costume, by Andrea Hermitt.)
Rope, yarn, or string (laid on the ground for a pretend tightrope)
Dancer or acrobat costume (think tights, leotards, and makeup)
Yoga mat for doing somersaults and other acrobatics
Mini trampoline
For dolls or figures, a colorful circular blanket or mat on which to arrange the circus
Clown costume or clown dolls
Popcorn, cotton candy, peanuts (for children who are old enough to safely eat these treats)
Bicycles, chariots, carts
Capes, crowns, scepters, wands
Magic implements, top hat

Now have fun!

Summer Storytime

As summer vacation approaches, don't forget to check what your local library is offering.

There are usually programs offered for all ages that might include: movies, creative writing groups, storytimes, book clubs, chess/checkers programs, board games, video games, or cooking and craft events.