Chronicles of Summertime: Day 1

Hello Friends! I know I have been away a LOT recently. I feel I have been so busy that I haven't done anything worthy of blogging about. But, I have decided to chronicle all the things we do this Summer and hopefully somewhere in there will be something that is useful to someone or at least you may enjoy following along with our journey. So, here goes. Me trying to entertain the 2 1/2 year old (Snugglepuppy) and the 2 month old (Squeaker) by myself with a little learning along the way.

Day 1:
Today we went to a local metro park. We decided to play on the playground and visit the nature center. Snugglepuppy had lots of fun looking at the animals and playing with the interactive nature board (see photo below). We also worked a floor puzzle of butterflies and insects. We had to leave there pretty fast as Squeaker had a poop-splosion of epic proportions. It leaked out into the car seat and down through the car seat onto the wagon and everything in it including the umbrella and Snugglepuppy's feet! Ughh, it was pretty gross. Needless to say, that ended our trip.

After cleaning all that mess up, we ate lunch and I put Snugglepuppy down for his nap (which he actually took!) Meanwhile, the free iPad arrived in the mail! We are currently searching for awesome free apps for kids. Leave a comment if you know of any. We took a walk later on that evening. Snugglepuppy made another attempt at riding his tricycle, but once he got started pedaling, he forgot to steer and ended up in the grass. Oh well, just needs more practice.

We made it through day 1, thank goodness! Mommy was exhausted after putting the kids to bed and then working on my cake pops and chocolate dipped pretzel sticks. Finally got to bed after 1 am. Hope tomorrow's more relaxing.

Trip to the Art Museum

We took a little trip today to the Columbus Museum of Art. While I've read some reviews of the museum that say it doesn't have a lot or that it's not as good as Cleveland or Cincinnati's Art Museum, and keeping in mind this is the only art museum I've been to, I think it is a good one. I love how everything is interactive. Most of the exhibits have a station set up where you can make your own art with various materials such as foil or mosaic tiles or a puzzle you can do that matches some of the art on display. 

Also, I love the kids area. There is a place where kids can climb through a "fun house" with all kinds of tunnels, walls at odd angles and tubes. Kids can also create doors or forts with curtains and pegs that they can hang up.

The kids area has a section with wooden animal parts that kids can put together to make regular or make-believe animals. 

They have a huge wood sculpture of a head and a giant metal head that kids can use lots of magnetic metal items to try to make a head to match the wood sculpture or just a silly face. Also, they have a station set up with play foam that children can use to sculpt into a creation of their own. 

They had a table with dishes that kids could re-arrange to make art. And last but not least, they have an area where kids can make a mobile by hanging shapes from a central hook using metal rods and s-hooks. And the best part is, there are people from the museum walking around and helping and teaching the kids.

All in all, it was a fun time! L enjoyed it.

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Wishlist Wednesday: H is for Homeschooling

This week's wishlist is provided by Sierra from H is for Homeschooling. I am so excited to finally have her guest post. I have gotten to know her blog pretty well, mostly through linky parties! Please drop by and leave her a comment on her amazing site! I know you will find some great treasures there, I always do!

Hi Cachey Mama's Classroom, Readers! I'm Sierra from H is for Homeschooling, and I am so glad to be a guest blogger for Lori today! This series is a fun way to look ahead and hope for the best, both things I enjoy doing. My Hubby-Man and I have two amazing little boys- "Boogie", who is almost 2.5 and "Bam Bam" who is 9 months old. I started "tot school" with Boogie at the end of the summer, which is also when I started blogging. I wanted to remember our homeschooling journey from the beginning, and blogging is a great way to make memories and join a community. The way we do tot school has developed and changed over the past 7 months, and we are currently in a period of child-led play more so than structured play. This is what works for Boogie right now, so I am making it work for me too, even though I have a background as an English teacher and really like structure. Someday, when the train table is put away, I will cry for these slow, unstructured days and miss them. Even knowing that, I do daydream about our future classroom. In the wee small hours of the morning, when I am feeding my littler one, I catch up on my Google Reader feed and often see posts featuring homeschool classrooms. Since we mostly do tot school in the kitchen on the floor, and because my supplies are in diaper boxes in the laundry room, or spread throughout the kitchen in various boxes and cabinets, my wishlist item is a homeschool classroom. I don't ask for much, do I?!

Here are the top 3 spaces I love, and why.

Source: 1plus1plus1equals1.blogspot.com via Sierra on Pinterest

I love this classroom from 1+1+1=1 because of all the wide open space, the storage space (closets and bookcases), and the fact that each child and their mom has their own work area. The only downside is that there are no windows.

Source: homeschoolcreations.blogspot.com via Sierra on Pinterest

I love this classroom from Homeschool Creations because it is so bright and sunny!! I also love the ceiling, the window seat and reading area, the color on the walls, as well as the wide open space, and the separate learning spaces for each child (there is also a table they use for working together) and their mom.

Source: confessionsofahomeschooler.com via Sierra on Pinterest

I love this classroom from Confessions of a Homeschooler because of the windows, the giant shared table, and the incredible organization. There are also a lot of great things hanging on the walls, like the map and alphabet banner you can see in this picture, but there is also a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree and a huge whiteboard.

So, if anyone wants to buy me a house with a spare room that is huge and has lots of windows and a couple closets, my family would be much obliged :P

Thanks, Lori, so much for letting me come over here and share my wish!

Wishlist Wednesday: Mess For Less

This week's guest blogger is from Mess for Less. There are so many good and creative ideas on the blog, so please take a moment to check it out. Thanks for posting!





Thank you so much to Cachey Mama for asking to me guest post here today about some of my wishlist items.  Over at Mess For Less, I blog about children's crafts and activities, so I always have a wishlist of things I want to try with the kids! There is a Lakeshore store nearby and I always go in there and look at all the teacher supplies and wish I could get it all.  Here are a few Lakeshore items that I would get if I had the budget. Classroom Clay and Dough Designer Kit

My kids love play dough and I love finding ways to spice it up.  I have added Popsicle sticks and googly eyes to make Monsters Vs Aliens - Toddler Style and this kit seems like it would also add fun to ordinary play dough.  The scissors and other small items can help with fine motor skills, while the different shape cutters add to creative play. Super Safe Craft Tape Center

When I was teaching Preschool, this was such a big hit in my classroom.  The kids used it for so many things from making their own books, to creating roads in the block area.  You can also make some really pretty pictures using the colored tape. Lakeshore Water Play Kit

All educators know the benefits of water play.  Kids can explore science and math concepts as they learn about what will float and measuring.  We have a water table in our yard that I have filled with various cups and scoops I have found at the dollar store.  I would love this set so I could have everything in one place.  

I should mention I am not affiliated with Lakeshore in any way.  I get nothing for mentioning them, not even a free product.  I am just a customer.  You can find my wishlist items at any kind of teacher supply store or website. Thanks to Lori for the chance to share some of my favorite items, and thanks to you readers for indulging me.