Let's Share!

Summer is a great opportunity to share. It is a fun time to fire up the barbecues & invite friends to swim, eat, and play. We share our homes & families as we create life long memories!

Setting a good example by sharing the luxury of a home is one way to introduce the concept to a small child. Another way is through this super cute book, Let's Share! (A Mind Your Manners! Story Book). We enjoy reading this book together & the illustrations are so fun! It even has a chart with reward stickers to keep track of sharing moments.
Sharing is so awesome. We can't wait to share our Summer fun!

Toy Boats

Introducing the science of power to a child is a challenge. "Why do it?" you may ask. It only takes a moment each day to introduce a complex concept to a child. Even if the learning result isn't immediately obvious, the seed has been planted and the idea introduced.

This week we are learning about wind. We sailed small toy boats in a kiddie pool. The cute little wooden boats were left over birthday party favors that I had ordered from http://www.thetoyboat.com/ . I had planned to put a large fan out there to keep the breeze moving the boats, but lucky for us the REAL wind kicked up. We played in the water & talked about the wind. It only lasted but 15 minutes, but the kids were still talking about it when I tucked them in.

International Flags

Sailing was the theme for my son Jack's 2nd birthday. I came up empty handed as I shopped for decor on-line, so we got creative! For the decorations the kiddos helped me construct International Code flags from construction paper. It was so fun & interesting too. Each square flag represents a different letter of the alphabet & the triangular shaped ones represent numbers. It was interesting for me to learn the designs of the different flags and their meanings, and fun to discuss it with the kids. They took an interest in learning their meanings which I thought was very cool. We taped the flags up on twine and strung them around the house. It really lent a summery, nautical air to the atmosphere!

We decided that the International Code flag decor would be very appropriate for ushering in our nautical theme for the summer, so we are leaving them up!

International Code Flag art courtesy of Donna Imgemansom

Flags!

We are kicking off "Catch the Wind" week by making construction paper flags. What a more perfect day to do this than Flag day?! We cut some constuction paper stripes & punched out some stars with a star shaped paper cutter, glued them all together.

"I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty & Justice for all.

The Great Summer Stay-cation!

"So what exactly are you going to do with the kids this summer?" My husband asked me this question last week while we were discussing the final days of pre-school. I paused for a moment, and didn't answer. We canceled our planned vacation this year (for the third year in a row) because three kids are expensive & this economy just doesn't allow us to do much. I decided at that moment that I was going to do something to create a fun & stimulating environment during the break. In the spirit of Abby Sunderland & all those other adventerous and ambitious youngsters, join us as we "Sail Away!"

artwork courtesy of Tutti Shafir www.tutti-studio.com