I shared a review of the Steps4Kids to Draw DVD a couple weeks ago and now it is time for a GIVEAWAY!!!
Win your own copy of this DVD to help teach your kiddos how to draw. Check out the Steps4Kids to Draw review for more details.
School Routines for Children
2012
With school back in session we have been working on our “School Routine”. My first grader has been trying to learn to read a real clock, so I thought it would be fun to set his schedule to it. This is what I came up with and it took me less than 10 minutes to put together:
I broke up some of the basics and wrote each of them down on slips of card stock. Then I used small scraps of paper from cutting the slips to tape onto the clock to use kind of like arrows for each “job”. The whole morning routine takes us 45 minutes. The steps/jobs we included:
- Wake Up
- Eat Breakfast
- Get Dressed
- Socks and Shoes
- Brush Teeth
- Backpack Ready
The clock is placed in a corner of a hallway that is not used for anything else. We can see it on our way down the stairs and from the family room. Like I said, it is basic, but it so nice to ask “What is next on the clock?” instead of nagging my son to do what I tell him. It is a little more responsibility on him and he seems to enjoy it. I have even had him ask me, “Mom! Have we done everything on the clock? What does it say we need to do next?” Okay, so he likes having a little more control of his morning!
I have also added a little incentive for him, too. I am attempting to limit television and computer time after school, so if he finishes his “morning routine” before school then he gets 10 minutes of computer or television time after school. I will share more on that another day. =-)
TIPS:
Last year we practiced lunch a couple of days before school and a few times after school started to make sure my son knew how to behave in the lunch room. This year, we were able to run through our routine once or twice before school started. We started on whatever half hour we woke up on and used it to get ready for the day. I have found this is also helpful for getting ready for church, too.
Pinterest Party Ideas
2012
I caught your interest at the mention of Pinterest, right? I recently joined the V.I.Bee Team via HappyFreebie where I will have an opportunity to share some reviews and may even have a chance to throw a Party via Pinterest. My brain is spinning at all the possibilities of themes or products I could feature during a Pinterest Party. Right now I have Baby/Nursery on the brain, but Camping/Outdoors would be fun, or Birthday, or Dream Backyard or…I NEED SOME HELP!
I would really love your input…Send me some ideas or some names of your favorite products that you would like to see more of.
If I can get a great list of ideas and products, we will have some serious fun!
AND
For those who have not heard of HappyFreebie and wondering what it is, let me tell you…
How Does HappyFreebie Work?
“HappyFreebie is all about cool, new products for moms and dads. Each featured product comes with a giveaway and a discount. The giveaway makes it fun to find out about new products. The discount lowers the hesitation we all have to try new products. As you enter to win, buy at a discount, or refer your friends, you get points which accumulate over time and give you awesome rewards. For instance, when you get 1,000 points, you start getting double entries. Win. Save. Play. Every Day.”
I will be sharing more about entering giveaways (not just via HappyFreebie) in the near future. But until then, know that I personally love how easy and time saving it is to enter giveaways via HappyFreebie. I have been lucky enough to be a winner twice since I discovered them earlier this year.
Go check them out, enter a giveaway and make sure you tell me what your favorite products are or a theme you would love to see via Pinterest Party!
Olympic Fun Ideas
2012
Although we are in the middle of the Olympics, there is still time to have a little fun. In fact, if you really want to, you can keep the “Olympic Spirit” going through the Summer Paralympic games starting August 29th! Here are some fun Olympic ideas I shared over at Rusty and Rosy. Check them out and make sure to add what you have been doing to enjoy the Games in the comments.
Photo courtesy of: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Watermelon Fun…July Family Challenge
2012
When this warm weather rolls around each summer I can’t help but think of watermelon. And luckily it is everywhere right now. So, this month we have a great Family Challenge for you! It’s time to have some summer fun!
The Challenge: Watermelon!
Eat it, play a game with it, create something with it, or do a craft about it. Whatever you do, have some fun with your family, take a picture, if possible, and share what you did with us!
Here are some fun ideas I found on the web:
Watermelon Toss, Spitting , Eating Competitions
Watermelon Carving:
Go simple with a Watermelon Jello Bowl (below) or fancier. (This site has tons of fun watermelon carving ideas).
Watermelon Craft
Paint Watermelon Nails
Make a Watermelon Recipe:
One of many recipes out there is this yummy Watermelon Frosty
I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Share your Watermelon Fun below by:
1: Commenting right here on our blog!
2: Jump on over to our Facebook Page and leaving a comment or a link for everyone to see!
3: Or simply share your Summer Bucket List on your blog and leave the link to your post via our inlinkz tool below:
A new Family Challenge will be announced the first Monday of every month. To find out more details about the family challenges and to receive monthly email reminders for the challenges, click here.
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Doctor Days ~ Because Every Toy Needs a Little Mending
2012
My daughter and I have a new activity. We call it Doctor Day! Over the past few months we have noticed quite a few of her stuffed toys have needed a little TLC like mending and cleaning. So, we have now implemented Doctor Days to help these toys out. You would have thought I told her we were going to Disney Land. She is SO excited when it is Doctor Day! My 6 year old son thinks it is fun, but so far it has not been his toys that we have been saving. I bet he will be more excited when it is one of his toys that need bandaging.
Doctor Days are a great opportunity for me to teach my children how to mend/sew a little, while teaching them the importance of taking care of their belongings. They are definitely more concerned and look after the toys that have been mended in our office.
What You Need:
- Toys, clothes, anything that needs a little mending
- Necessary mending supplies (needle/thread, duct tape, etc)
- One or two very eager helpers
Directions:
Step 1: Gather “hurt” toys and clothing that need mending.
Step 2: Set up a specified day to be Doctor Day. We picked Wednesdays and only open our office on that day if there are patients to be cared for. AND we try to only do 2 patients a day or my young ones loose interest.
Step 3: Get to work and make sure to involve your office helpers. It’s a great hand eye coordination activity as well as teaching some useful life skills.
If we can keep this up, I may have to create little Dr. coats (Dad’s old white church shirts) and Dr. masks for them! Can you see how much fun you can have with this?
Enjoy!!!
