Opposites

I have been starting to work with Snugglepuppy on opposites. We got the book from the library, Exactly the Opposite by Tana Hoban. I like this one because there are no words, so you have to decide on your own what opposite the photos are supposed to represent. If you have ever read a Tana Hoban book, you know she uses natural photographs of everyday things. It is easier for children to connect when they see familiar things they recognize.

Another book that we have is the Richard Scarry board book Huckle's Opposites. It's a cute little book that tells a story and has the opposite words in bold, so it's easy to pick them out. The book is ideal for retelling by children.

I also like 2 pop-up/pull-the-tab books on opposites. The first is Popposites. It is very interactive, things to lift, pull and pop. Kids really get into it. The other is called In and Out: A Baby Bug Pop-Up Book. This one has a pop-up on every page with a box showing a bug inside or outside, on top or under. It is really exciting for the kids to see what is coming up next.

There are tons of books you can get to teach about opposites (see below for some of our favorites), but I have found the best way kids learn is to point them out in everyday play. For example, use the words "fast" and "slow" when playing with cars. Use "over" and "under" when they are building a fort or "in front" and "behind" when they are playing hide and seek. The more you use the words, the more children will pick them up and begin using them correctly themselves.

Please leave a comment and let me know your favorite opposites book!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 31

Over the weekend, we went to some yard sales and my parents came to visit. Snugglepuppy swung on his swing, shot his new water squirter, and did his outdoor scavenger hunt using this printable. Here are some of the things we found on the scavenger hunt:

Spider Web

Helicopter Seed

Moss

Pine Cone

Natural Letter (I)

Pine Tree

And one that wasn't on the list, but Snugglepuppy thought was cool, a seed.

I got all this for $5 at yard sales and a foldable stepper for $25!

Day 31:

Today, grandma and grandpa ate breakfast with us and then went home. We had to run to Walmart for a few things and both kids were very good on the trip. Snugglepuppy played on his own while I cleaned house and Ladybug slept, then we got into some art. He painted and drew with crayons. He started getting really fussy and so had a very late nap. After that, he only had time to eat dinner before bed. That was it for today, nothing too exciting.

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 30

Day 30:
Today was a fun-filled day that started out on a playdate at a friend's house. She is 3 years old and plays well with Snugglepuppy. They played inside for awhile with the kitchen set, the keyboard, and some dolls. Snugglepuppy's friend had her older sister there and she took him upstairs to see her room. Then, after a yummy snack of chocolate chips muffins and grapes, we went outside and they played in the sand and water table as well as a small playset they have in the backyard.

We went home and got cleaned up from all the sand and I fed Ladybug. Then, we went to an aquatic center at one of our local recreation centers. They were having teacher appreciation week, so we all got in for free! Everyone splashed and had fun including Ladybug. Snugglepuppy slipped and fell a couple times. Being there alone and holding Ladybug, I had a hard time helping him up. But, everyone there was really nice and helpful. In the end, we had a really great time!

On the way home, I got Snugglepuppy a happy meal and let him play with the iPad a little when we got home. Then, when daddy got home from work, we went and got ice cream! We decided not to do pizza pizza party tonight since Snugglepuppy wanted a happy meal. It was an exhausting day for all. Time for bed!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 29

Day 29:
Not much to blog about today. We made it to library storytime. First was toddlers and they did books about cars and vehicles. There were a LOT of kids there today, so it was kinda hectic and Snugglepuppy got a little distracted. But he participated more than he has before. I let him play for a bit in the play area afterward while I picked out some books for him. Then, we ended up going home instead of staying for baby laptime as Ladybug was getting fussy.

That was about the extent of our learning for the day. Mommy had to get some things done like grocery shopping, but Snugglepuppy was a big help and Ladybug slept through it all. Mommy tried taking a nap in the evening, but Snugglepuppy kept crawling on me, LOL. Also, we read Froggy Goes to Camp. Snugglepuppy has been really getting into the "Froggy" books. He likes to read along on the "Frooooogy!" part.

That was pretty much our day!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 28

Day 28:
We headed out first thing this morning to meet the cousins at Blits. It's like Chuck E. Cheese or Magic Mountain. Games, pizza, that sort of thing. Snugglepuppy had lots of fun playing the games. Basketball and bowling were his favorites. We enjoyed pizza and then used Snugglepuppy's tickets to buy him a football, a sticker, vampire teeth, and some candy. Afterwards, we hung out with the cousins some more and then ate out at Bob Evans. It began storming and we drove through some rain and got stopped by some downed wires and traffic lights that were out. We finally made it home.

Tonight, Snugglepuppy had some fun with daddy and we read some books before bed (including Where the Wild Thing Are), but his big accomplishment was using the potty! He finally pooped! We were all excited. I was beginning to think he was going to wear diapers forever. Let's hope this continues!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 27

Day 27:
Today was a kind of relaxing day to try and recover from all the family fun we've been having. We stayed home all day and it stormed on and off anyway. One thing I did was find an old story reader when I was sorting through some things in my closet. I let Snugglepuppy play with it and as it turns out, the 2 books I have for it are some of his favorites, Spongebob and Dora. He had fun with that, especially Dora because it is a sing-a-long and comes with a microphone. He liked hearing his own voice on the speaker.

Also, he came with me to the basement when I did laundry and we played some basketball and throwing ball pit balls at each other. I also played a little Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii. Snugglepuppy played some on the iPad. He loves his PBS Kids app where he can watch clips from some of their shows. While we have never watched SuperWHY on TV, he really loves that one. I was watching him today and they were saying the alphabet and then stopping and asking what letter comes next. Snugglepuppy did very well answering those! He asks for that show by name now, so I guess I will start recording it on the DVR.

Before bed, I got out one of my Dr. Seuss kits, The Cat in the Hat. It was Snugglepuppy's first time reading it. He had seen the plush Cat in the Hat and picked it up to play with today, so I thought it would be a good idea to read it. Most of the things in the bag are from Target dollar section. After we read the book, I had him try to write the word cat on the dry erase board. He did ok for the first time.

After that, time for bed. I hope he can sleep through any more storms we might have tonight.

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 26

Over the weekend, we visited with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma and grandpa. The kids all had fun playing together! We went to a carnival and parade where Snugglepuppy got to ride rides for the first time. He did the swing ride and the cars and the bouncy house.

Day 26:
We went down to visit grandma and the family again today. There were some bees outside, so the kids ended up staying inside playing video games most of the time. Snugglepuppy watched and one of the cousins helped him drive the racecar in the Cars Wii game. He also worked on a puzzle where you match the mama and baby animal. They also used imaginative play with some plush animals. Snugglepuppy especially thought the Yoshi dance was funny. Ladybug was held by all and took a nap with grandma.

Later, when they were able to go outside for a while, the cousins made a movie about some Meta Knight character who was a prisoner in jail. Meanwhile, Snugglepuppy went on an "adventure" with Uncle A to the pond. He saw fish, turtles, and frogs and grandma and grandpa's dog jumped in and started blowing bubbles!

We left soon after that and the kids went to bed when we got home. Ladybug was very fussy tonight. She's been having belly issues :( Hope she feels better soon!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 25

Day 25:
Daddy had today off work! We got up a little late and got ready to head to grandma and grandpa's house. Ladybug wore a new outfit.

We stopped at IHOP on the way.

When we got to grandma and grandpa's, the cousins were already there and running all over the farm shooting each other with squirt guns. Snugglepuppy joined right in even though he was tired from being up late for fireworks last night.

They played all kinds of games including kicking the ball into the soccer goal, riding the little bus around the field, and thieving velociraptors (?). Yeah, not so sure about that last one, but all I know is they were outside for a long time getting exercise and getting dirty.

Snugglepuppy even found a dead bunny and tried to pick it up. Good thing daddy was there to help him put it down and usher him away pretty quickly and get him cleaned up. After it was time for them to come in and eat, they watched some TV and then got washed up. We got Snugglepuppy to bed (he had a "sleepover" with cousins upstairs) and Ladybug to bed in her little portable bed on the floor by our bed and finally went to bed ourselves. Yay, we made it to the weekend!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 24

Day 24:
Happy 4th of July! Today, we went to visit the cousins again at their house along with the other cousins from out of state. Snugglepuppy had a great time running around and having some imaginative play with them. The oldest cousin had set up the "4th of July Store" up in her room to sell glow sticks and other goods. Then, we went to the fireworks and Snugglepuppy did great. He said "boom, boom" when they went off. Ladybug didn't get scared or cry at all either for her first fireworks. I was so proud of her!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 23

Day 23:
Today, we met my hubby's family at Dawes Arboretum for a picnic for grandpa's birthday. Snugglepuppy ran around with the 4 cousins and ate cake. We also climbed up the observation tower and took a look. That was all we had time to do before it started raining.

The words "Dawes Arboretum" are spelled out in hedges.

 We came home and Snugglepuppy watched some TV while I fed Ladybug and made dinner. Daddy got home late, but he still had time to read a few books before bed. I introduced Snugglepuppy to his first Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham. Then we did a mini photo shoot with Ladybug for her 3 month birthday.

My 3 month old big girl!

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 22

Day 22:
Today, we were at grandma and grandpa's house. Snugglepuppy got a lot of play in with them. They had gotten out our old water guns and he loved squirting everything including the flowers. Then, he swung on his swing in the back yard. Grandma and grandpa's house has a big back yard, and he had lots of fun and got pretty wet.

He came inside and watched some movies with grandma. Grandma watched Ladybug while my sister and I did a little shopping. I got a few books at the used book store in town (see below).

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 21

This weekend, we visited with cousins galore! First, we met Aunt T and her 2 kids at Dawes Arboretum. Snugglepuppy had fun running around with them and exploring in the kids area of the main building. He did puzzles, drew pictures and dressed up as a bumblebee.

Then we ate at the world famous Tom's Ice Cream Bowl in Zanesville. After a downpour, we ended up going to grandparents' and seeing more cousins. They ran around and had a great time. We also headed back to grandparents' house the following day, Sunday. He played with all 4 cousins, 3 boys and 1 girl. We had a picnic outside. Snugglepuppy launched his little rocket, played on the swingset and watched the cousins play some video games. Ladybug was held by all and entertained greatly. It was Aunt K and Uncle A's first time meeting her and Aunt K could barely put her down! It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

Day 21:
We headed down to my parents house to visit with them and Aunt M. Snugglepuppy played outside a lot with grandpa. He also got a bank from grandma and grandpa that counts money as you put it in. He put in all the change we could gather up and then walked around asking everyone for "more money." Hilarious!

Then, we went to my sister's Thirty One party at her friend's house and there were 4 kids there for Snugglepuppy to play with. ALL GIRLS! He had fun and it was interesting to watch him interact (or not interact so much) with so many girls. After some ice cream, it was time for bed.

Chronicles of Summertime: Day 20

Day 20:
We went to Inniswood Metro Gardens again today. Snugglepuppy loved playing in the water. That was his favorite part and then he kept asking for the playgound which they don't have. But we went down to the wetlands and across the bridge at the Sister's Garden where we saw lots of frogs!

That was pretty much our day besides our pizza pizza party. Snugglepuppy only took one bite of pizza though. Then bed time!