Move: I Spy Cookie Sheet

Here are a few ideas of things you can do with an old, beat up cookie sheet and a set of cheap magnetic numbers. I'll get us started, and then y'all take it away! :)

1. Play I Spy: I Spy with my little eye....a 7.

2. Manipulative Magnetic Math: Move around numbers to solve math problems. Great for kinesthetic learners.

3. Personification Number Problems: Once upon a time there was a happy, yellow number who looked like a snowman...

4. Who Done It?: Give a total, and see who's responsible for making it (Example could be "45"...guilty parties could be a 9 and a 5). Try addition through division for older kids.

5. Luck of the Draw: Pick an action card (blink, clap, hop on one leg, etc). Then close eyes and pick up a number. Do the specified action that number of times. 

Your turn! What would you do with this resource?  

Calendars and Countdowns

Let me tell you about our August, from the perspective of my preschooler:

* Our biblestudy group leaves for our annual beach trip in one week (between us there's now a total of 10 kids under 6-years-old, but who's counting!). 

* We're meeting my parents (Grammy and Papa) in the mountains the week after that. They just moved about 1200 miles away from us, and Landon misses them terribly. He can't wait to see them!

* The week after that is Daddy's birthday.

*A few days later is Landon's birthday.

* Our first day of preschool is a couple weeks later (September). 

Due to the nature of the above list, I've had the equivalent of the "Are we there yet?" conversation multiple times a day with a certain very excited little boy. I'm not usually one to get frustrated by repeated questions, but I realized that, though I understood his excitement, my patience was beginning to wear thin after the 28th time of trying to explain what 'two weeks' was to a three-year-old. 

So, I scoured the internet for a calendar to help me show (and teach) days, weeks, and months visually to my kiddo. I found some good ones, but here's the one that he and I both liked the best: http://disney.go.com/preschool/printandcolor/html/calendar_maker/index. It allowed him to pick a character (there were many to choose from), and I was able to mark important days with fun icons.

Last night, as we were driving home from one of his beach buddies houses', he did ask, "Mama, how far away until we go to the beach?" Sweetly, without a hint of impatience, I simply said, "You know honey, we'll take a look at your calendar together when we get home." He was pleased with the answer (he's very proud of his big boy calendar), and 

I was pleased to give it! 

Make/Move: Shaving Cream "Spelling"

I used to do this with my 5th graders the day before a Spelling Test. It's easy, cheap, really fun, and did a great job cleaning off the tops of grimy school desks! :)

Begin by lathering some shaving cream (foam is better than gel) all over a surface (we used a light, portable serving tray). Start slow, by letting your kiddo use paintbrushes, or their fingers, to create drawings and designs in the fun, squishy medium. Then, be creative! Preschoolers can work on numbers or letters. Elementary kids can play a game of hangman with sight words. Tweens can refresh their memory on how to multiply and divide fractions...actually, I could use a quick refresher on those as well!

What ideas come to your mind??

Manage: Accountability Scheduling

When Landon was a baby, his schedule was somewhat sacred. We stuck to it to the point that friends probably whispered behind our backs...and though it worked well for us at the time, looking back, I can't say that I blame them. As he's gotten older though, and as we've all settled into "summer mode," our day-to-day happenings have become a bit too flexible. I decided that a happy medium would do us all some good, especially with fall and preschool approaching, but knew that I needed an accountability partner to keep me on track (I've mentioned before that I tend to have time-management issues...). After looking high and low, I realized that a certain little man (who, at the moment was dressed in pirate gear and playing with legos), was probably my best, and let's face it, only bet for the role. I looked him up and down for a moment or two, wondering how to make this partnership work. I pondered deeply what might entice a three-year-old towards responsibility, and came up with this....his own giant "watch," as he calls it, something that he an manipulate, bright colors, and pictures of himself. Add in a huge heap of "you're-such-a-big-boy-to-help-your-Mama-know-what-to-do-next-today," and we sealed the deal.
So, my current accountability partner is a preschooler.
And, even crazier...it's working!!

Our (Semi-Flexible) Schedule:

9:00ish- Breakfast, Morning Show

10:00ish- Chores

10:30ish- Play

12:30ish- Lunch

1:30ish- Quiet Time

2:30ish- Nap

4:00ish- Special Time with Mama :)

5:00ish- Daddy's home!

6:00ish- Dinner Time

7:30ish- Bath Time

8:30ish- Bedtime

How to Make the Clock:

*Supplies highlighted*

1. I used a paper plate to trace a circle onto a cheap, thin, flexible cutting board.

2. I used colored Sharpie Markers to draw numbers on the clock.

3. I added tiny pictures of the things Landon does at different points in the day (I just cut, pasted, and printed these off in a Word Document).

4. I used a tiny piece of extra cutting board material to make the spinner (see above), and colored it in with a black Sharpie. I then poked a hole in the spinner and the center of the clock, and attached it with a standard brad. 

5. To keep the pictures in good shape, I covered the whole surface with a couple layers of Modge Podge (you could also just paint it with Elmers glue). 

Question for you...Do you stick to a schedule or routine? 

If so, how do you do it?

Move: Beach Ball Fun

Materials:

1 Beach Ball

1 Permanent Marker

Playing with your kids is all about connection, and nothing sparks that like conversation. This activity is great for all ages, and can be used in a lot of different ways. Basically, you just pick a theme (see below) based on the ages and nature of your kids and then write applicable "questions" on the ball. Next, just toss the ball back and forth and take turns "answering" whatever touches, say, your right thumb. I used this as a fun review tool before tests as a teacher. Even reluctant-to-share-preteens thought this was great! Add water and some silliness, and you're sure to get everyone talking...and laughing! 

Here's a few themes (off the top of my head) to get you started. Anyone else have any other ideas? 

* Would You Rather?
Example: Would you rather EAT A WORM (right thumb) or WALK A TIGHTROPE (left thumb)?

* ABCs
Example: Your thumb is on a T! Can to think of anything that starts with a T?


* Solve the Mystery
Example: Okay. I'm touching WHAT. So...what job does the man have?

* Action Ball
Example: You're touching STRETCH. Let's see you touch the sky!

*At the Zoo
Example: I went to the zoo and I saw a...MONKEY. Okay, let me see you imitate one!

* Dream Ball
Example: Hmmm...If I could LIVE ANYWHERE, I would pick....

*Funny Favorites
Example: My favorite ICE CREAM FLAVOR is....

*Tell Me a Story:
Example: Once upon a time there was A STINKY SOCK...that was lost under a little boy's bed.

We-Gotta-Get-Outta-the-House Hopscotch

A super fun way to learn those numbers that, as Landon says, are "a lil' bit tricky!"