The Arts - Music

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Lesson Plans - Week 3

And the 3rd week of plans is now available. The dinner menu is all from Can You Stay for Dinner? This website has healthy, low-fat meals. I can not say if they are tasty, as I have not tried them yet. I'll get back to you on that. Just go to the "Weekly Mommy Plans" at the top of the page.

I just started the plans this week. So I just finished up the 1st week of plans. I have to say, it's going pretty well. I'll admit, I didn't get to everything. My downfall seems to be exercise. Grrr. I really need to make that happen. Plus, I have been having a hard time getting to some of the cleaning duties. I really need to get better at keeping the toddler occupied. Too much time is spent trying to keep him from scaling furniture or defacing things with the pens he has somehow gotten from the baby-proofed drawer. (He might be a spy one day.)

The photos on here are highlights of this week. I am taking pictures each week. You'll notice in the 2nd week of plans, I have started a scrap-booking project during learning time. I will let them use the photos from the previous week to paste in their books. They will write about what we did. The 9-year old will write on his own, but the 5-year old will dictate his sentences to me. They will get to add sticker to the page afterwards. We think I may only be able to stay at home for a year due to finances. So, this is the year of Mommy and I want to make sure they remember what we did.

At Home Science

I love doing science projects with my kids. I know that as a teacher, doing science projects at school are really hard because of  all the set up. Doing them at home is soooo much easier. I want to start adding science projects to my Lesson Plans, so I am doing the research today. Here are the fruits of my labor.
The Kitchen Pantry Scientist has the most amazing kit with links to printable science experiments. The rest of the site is pretty incredible too. I plan on visiting it a lot. I am excited to try the Nasa Soda Straw Rockets.
Okay, we have all seen the make your own bouncy balls a hundred times. But that doesn't make it any less cool. About.com has a great tutorial on making a Bouncing Polymer Ball.
Science Bob has a great site with experiments, videos, and science fair project ideas. I am especially excited by the Fizz-Inflator.
When I was a kid,I loved looking at constellations and the stories that went along with them. When I saw these Constellation Viewers by the Austin Children's Museum I was so excited. In fact, these will be in next week's lesson plans!
Steve Spangler Science has a plethora of science experiments. The best part about this site is it has video tutorials for the projects. I think the Square Bubbles video and project is pretty fun.
Since one of my kids is preschool age, I like to have some projects geared for his age level. Preschool Crafts for Kids has some great crafts that can be incorporated into science ideas. I especially like the Sun, Earth, Moon Model.

Second Week Of Mommy Lesson Plans

Very excited to have finished next week's "Lesson Plans". It seemed like they took forever to make because I kept getting interrupted. As moms, I'm sure you can relate. In fact, I just got interrupted again trying to write this post!
The Dinner recipes have been taken from the website Ready Set Eat. I like this site because it offers simple, inexpensive recipes that take little time to prepare. If you ever want to access past plans, just click on the tab above.
Mommy Lesson Plans Week 2

Water Fun

Vegas in the summer is about as close to hell as you can get. Unfortunately, 6 months out of the year requires us to be inside. I hate this! Kids should be outside playing! The only way that this is going to happen is if we play water games. Here are the top five water activities that I found (besides the pool). The links will take you to lists that offer other activities as well.
Bouncing Balloons Game sounds like a blast. Basically what you do is have the kids bounce a water balloon on an old sheet. The trick is getting them to catch it back on the sheet. My kids would love this!
Frozen Feet sounds hilarious. Fill a kiddie pool with ice and  have the kids race to remove the ice to fill their own personal bucket. The person with the most ice wins.
Jump Rope on the Sprinkler seems like an easy set up. All you have to do is turn on the sprinkler and have the kids twirl the jump rope through the spray.
Freezing Water Tag is a variation on freeze tag. The "It" person runs and sprays others with water using a spray bottle. When someone is sprayed they have to freeze. The last one to be sprayed wins.
After reading the above activities, I realized that I didn't really pick good activities for my toddler. So, this one is for him. Break the Ice requires some prep work. Make large ice cubes using plastic bowls or pans. Hide little plastic toys in them. Let the kids use plastic hammers to free the toys.
So why are you still sitting here on the computer. Get your kids outside! (I guess that goes for me too.)

Learning Time Part 2

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Geocaching and Letter-boxing

My boys are adventurers. So, when I tell them that we will be going on an adventure, they get involved whole heartedly. So, geocaching or letter-boxing seems like the perfect fit. But, I really have no clue where to begin. This requires research. This is what I found.

According to Wikioedia, "Geocaching is an outdoor sporting activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device^[2] and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world."
I think my boys would love this. After all, it includes mystery places and treasure. But how do we begin?

• Make and Takes has a cute and easy explanation of Geocaching for kids.
• The Outdoor Guy also has a wonderful description of this fun activity. So, I think that is a good start. 
• But, the official website for GPS locations and explanations is http://www.geocaching.com/.

Another similar activity is Letterboxing. Wikipedia describes this as, "Letterboxing is an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art, and puzzle solving. Letterboxers hide small, weatherproof boxes in publicly-accessible places (like parks)^[1] and distribute clues to finding the box in printed catalogs, on one of several web sites, or by word of mouth. Individual letterboxes usually contain a notebook and a rubber stamp.^[2] Finders make an imprint of the letterbox's stamp, either on their personal notebook or on a postcard, and leave an impression of their personal stamp on the letterbox's "visitors' book" or "logbook" — as proof of having found the box and letting other letterboxers know who has visited. Many letterboxers keep careful track of their "find count"."
Oooh, art and puzzles. What's not to love? I like that this uses riddles and clues instead of a GPS.

• Letterboxing North America has pretty much everything you need in order to start this fun hobby. I like the section on Getting Started. It is a very easy site to navigate.
• This post Letterboxing with Kids also offers some great information. I love the example that they posted as well. Very cute! 
• Atlas Quest has a ton of information, as well as clues on where to find letterboxes in your area. 
• And check out this super cute letter boxing kit (photo above).

So here's my plan. We are going to make our own "adventure kits" to use for both activities, since we are not sure which one we are going to like better. ( I will post our creations in a later post.) I think I will also get a big map of our state to post on the wall and we will pin where we find each cache. What a wonderful opportunity for us to learn geography!

What's Free

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One of the most important things you need to make mommy lesson plans successful is knowing what activities are free in your area. I have discovered that there are some businesses that offer free activities for kids to do. Unfortunately, most of them are on the weekend. But, the way I look at it, the hubby and I can take tuns taking the kids to these events and give each other a little bit of alone time. Here are the freebies that I have found so far.

1. Lakeshore has free crafts every Saturday from 11 - 3.
2. Click on the link to find out what this weekend's craft is.
   Family Weekend Science is one of the Museum's founding programs. The Program was created to offer new experiences to repeat visitors. This year Family Weekend Science is featuring Critter Connections, with live animal encounters. Weekend Science - Activities every Saturday beginning at 11:15 A.M. & 1:15 P.M. and Sunday 1:15 P.M. Note: All activities are subject to change and will be done while supplies last. 
   Critter Connections - Come face-to-face with one of the Museum's live inhabitants! Connections are every Saturday at 11:00 A.M. & 1:00 P.M., and Sunday at 1:00 P.M. FREE ADMISSION for Bank of America customers on the first full weekend of every month in 2011.
3. Lowes - Saturdays at 10 am. "From project basics to giving your child the opportunity to say, "I built it!", our Build and Grow kid's clinics are a great way to help build confidence! Bring the kids into any Lowe's store and build a FREE wooden project. Each participant also receives a free apron, goggles, a project themed patch, and a certification of merit upon completion of their project."
4. "The Home Depot's Kids Workshops offer useful projects including the creation of toolboxes, fire trucks and mail organizers, as well as more educational projects, such as a window birdhouse, bughouse or Declaration of Independence frame kit. The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children.
   
   In addition to the newly constructed project kit, each child receives a kid-sized orange apron, similar to The Home Depot associates' aprons, and an achievement pin."
   5. Star Nursery Kids Garden Club is for Kids from 3 to 11 years of age every other Saturday. Parents or Guardian presence required. For registration, please click HERE. 
   6. Avengers Assemble at Disney Store!
   • Junior Avengers training and orientation at Disney Store. Come dressed as your favorite Avenger!
     Choose from one of the following Saturdays:
     May 5 or May 12
     Session 1 – 10:30 am
     Session 2 – 11:30 am
     Session 3 – 12:30 pm
     *Minimum age for participation is 3 years. Event limited per session based on store capacity. No lineups prior to 30 minutes before event begins. Event subject to change or cancellation without notice. Call store for more information.

Toddler Fun

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Before I get to the actual "lesson plans", I will need to collect information. This will be used as my "curriculum". Today's focus will be on the toddler. I want to find resources on activities for my almost 2 year old. His needs will be different than the needs of the 5 and 9 year old. I want a toddler time in my plans. Plus, I want things he can do in his high chair while I get chores done.I plan on having a new activity every day.
I love this idea for Toddler Busy Bags. They are perfect for morning chore time. I think I might make a basket to store in the kitchen cupboard. Then I can rotate them, so he continually finds them interesting. I hope I can get my other mommy friends interested in getting together to make these. I think I will assign each mommy a bag and they will have to bring the materials.
Little Family Fun has some great ideas for toddlers. Some of the ideas are too old for my baby, but are perfect for the 5 year old. And like the ones above, they require some prep. So, I may add these ideas to the Toddler basket. My favorite idea is the Animal Tracks painting. I think my son will really like that.
Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds, All for the Boys, Click, Pray, Love and No Time for Flashcards have a lot of great ideas! Of course, these ideas are much more interactive. They are not meant for chore time. Also, many of these ideas are messy, like cooking and painting. But, who cares. The fun and learning is totally worth it. I believe that some of these ideas would be fun for all my boys. I know the 5 year old would like them.
Finally, I believe that music and dancing are very important for kids. I found this great website with a list of Movement and Music Activities for Toddlers. It has ideas for musical activities as well as dancing games. My little one loves to dance and sing, so this i perfect for us.