Blizzard in the Playroom!!

There is a blizzard in the playroom!! This week we are busy welcoming winter and a blizzard has been created in the corner of the playroom...Glad it's a nice and warm blizzard and we aren't really getting cold and wet! :)

A Still Butterfly

A couple of weeks ago we were out in the play yard and amongst the yellow fallen leaves the kids discovered this yellow butterfly. It did not move, probably because its chilled fragile wings would not allow it. The kids marveled over it for about 15 minutes though it did nothing but sit there. It was delightful to see their faces filled with wonder and awe. Butterflies usually don't sit still for them to observe, so they took advantage of it, soaked in the beauty of the tiny creature that usually flies away as quickly as it lands in the summertime. This little moment in our day got me thinking about how sometimes the kids are like butterflies in the summer.. their days filled with activity, flying around from here to there, so often I am just trying to get them to slow down long enough to eat, do an activity, wash their hands, take a nap that I forget to soak in the more calm moments and marvel at who they are and let them know what amazing little people they are becoming. Sometimes I get so busy with all the "doing" and forget to marvel at their "being." Each of your children are so special, unique and growing soooo fast. I truly treasure each one. It is my prayer that each day I will remember to (as they did with the butterfly) get down on their level and marvel at their wonderful, unique nature. 

Using sight, sound, touch and taste to experience the ocean and its creatures!!

This week we are learning about the ocean and its creatures! Early in the week we watched a video online of a real, live octupus underwater...well, we watched it about 3 times because it was REALLY fascinating and the squeals of delight and amazement were too precious to not be repeated! Then we tasted salt water and talked about how the ocean is very salty and not very good water to drink. On Wednesday I was very excited for our little tactile experiment using plastic bags, blue hair gel and gummy fish to create an ocean and fish we could squish. The kids definitely LOVED squishing around the fish in the gel, the only problem was that eventually the fish disolved into the hair gel creating a nice purple mush that you all got to see when brought home! At least it was kept contained in the ziploc! :PWell, hopefully all the way home..:)  We also listened to different nature sounds; the kids did a great job distinguishing between a babbling brook and the ocean. Of course we also read some sea creature themed books(Commotion in the Ocean and an underwater animal pop up book) and sang our fish song with hand motions each day, along with craft projects. Now if only there was a Red Lobster nearby for a field trip..now that would make our week complete! :P

I am a little scarecrow, ragedy and worn, I wear a hat and a shirt that is torn....

Hello all! I hope you are enjoying fall!  I was so sorry to have to cancel Fall Family Night due to illness, but would much rather have everyone, including myself, feeling healthy ALL WEEK LONG. I would love to reschedule, however, our schedule on the weekend is pretty booked all the way until Thanksgiving. Perhaps we can all get together for the Parade of Lights the first week of December; we could tailgate it with hot chocolate and snacks! :) Let me know your thoughts!


This week we are having a lot of fun learning about scarecrows with a week-long project where each child is making a lifesized scarecrow of themselves! We started this project today by tracing around their little bodies on paper and coloring them. We will add patches to their knees and elbows, a picture of their face so it truly looks like each of them, a hat and of course some straw! I am sure they will be proud to bring home their scarecrow twin later this week! Here is the start of our project; can you tell who is who?!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip & Update on Family Night!

We had a great time on our pumpkin patch field trip last week! It was a beautiful, but hot, fall day at Devries Pumpkin Patch. We were very blessed to have Papa Jack and Grandma Carolyn (Mason's grandparents) accompany us on the trip to get our $5 pumpkins. The kids were soo anxious to get out there and choose a pumpkin! White, large, long and skinny, and classic round orange pumpkins were chosen after much tromping through the pumpkin patch. After each child had chosen a pumpkin, we had a seat on some hay bales for a snack while Papa Jack entertained us by pulling some hay from the bales, placing it on his head to become a scarecrow and danced around. :) Then it was time to pile into the van, wave goodbye to all the pumpkins awaiting to be picked by other little ones and head to the meeting spot to see another favorite "p" , our parents!

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Family Night now has a firm date! It will take place on October 24th at 5:00 PM.  Chili and corn bread, some sort of pumpkin dessert and drinks will be provided. Feel free to bring an appetizer if you'd like. We will have games, a short video of the kids and just a really great time! Hope to see you there! :) If you have any questions, please let me know.

Happenings this Week & Fall Family Night!!

October is coming soon! Hooray! To me, there is no better season than fall! I am always getting a jump start at decorating for fall and start wanting to bake all things pumpkin usually mid-September! This week we have been learning about the 4 seasons!
"Winter,
 Spring,
 Summer,
 or Fall,
which is your favorite season of all?"
This was our song/chant of the week. We've studied what attire you wear in each season, gone on a hunt for stories that take place in each season, had an "indoor blizzard" using the swamp cooler and homemade snowflakes and today were the "Kings and Queens of Fall" with our leaf crowns we made! Such a fun time we've had learning about the seasons! Next week we will study leaves, taking us right into the fall season.

Fall Family Night!!! 

 I am planning our Fall Family Night and am looking at the evening of Sunday, October 24th. Family Night is a time for all the families to get together, eat a bit, play some silly games and get connected, as well as a time for you to see some of the things we have been doing. The kids seemed to have really enjoyed it in the past and are already asking if it will be soon. I definitely look forward to the night and hope each of you can join us!  Please let me know how this works for you. Sunday nights seemed to be the best for everyone last year, however, we have a few new families so I want to make sure this is a good time before I set a firm date.

Teddy Bear Take Over!!

Oh no! This week while Miss Christi was picking up the kids, the teddy bears took over! Eating breakfast in the highchair, driving our yellow car, and even making a den to hibernate in under our table! Silly bears!