Celebrating the Sun or a Week in the Heat

This week has been difficult because of the heat and Tobias is reaching the age when he thinking about getting rid of one nap, so everyone has been a little cranky.  We also had to hold off on some of the outside activities like shadow tracking.  Still, we have had a lot of fun.

Camp Creativity at Michael's this week was Finding Nemo/Dory themed, which followed up on our discussion of fish the week before.  She practiced using scissors on foam sheets and used her fine motor skills to set out beads to melt together.  They have patterns and I offered to help her follow them, but she likes to do her own thing and I prefer she do it herself.  The final product doesn't matter.  It's all about the experience.

Story times this week focused on water, since it's a great way to keep cool.  We have a little wading pool for them to play in too.  It was also animal week at the library, when an animal rescue group shows off some of the animals they care for and talk about the best ways to protect wild animals.  We saw a kinkajou, a bush baby, a baby raccoon, a lemur and a large Burmese python.  Everyone was invited to pet the snake.  Genevieve also learned this week that cutting up a library book is not the thing to do if you want to keep it.  The library was able to repair it, but we decided she can't check out any more books until July.  And we modeled the proper behavior by adding books she wants to the Amazon wish list we share with our family.

Tobias had a great time on the trampoline this week in gymnastics.  He didn't want to stop running and bouncing.  Genevieve worked on a new skill on the trampoline too, jumping backwards.  She had a lot of fun trying to travel across the bar as well and is getting great practice mounting the balance beam.

Soccer this week had a great obstacle course, where they worked on ball control, jumping, multi-step instructions, and shooting.  They played some running games like Avalanche and Red Light Green Light to work on endurance and listening.  Then there was a passing game for teamwork.  I also love that their fitness activities stress stretching and hydration, even if Tobias doesn't want to sit through the stretches.

We had a friend over for a science play date, where we tried out some of the Magic School Bus Chemistry Kit.  We used baking soda and vinegar to blow up a balloon, made some oobleck and used salt to make ice stick together.  We also played with prisms, used different types of scratch paper to demonstrate opaque and transparent, made kaleidoscopes, and made solar prints.  Our friends were really lucky, because that was the day our caterpillars started forming their chrysalis so they were able to observe that.  It was also nice, because our friends have a girl and a boy close in age to both kids.

We started trying out chore sticks.  I put different chores and activities the kids can do like reading, sweeping, and playing games on some colorful craft sticks.  We draw from there at random to find things to do when we have a break in activities.  She's drawn art, hugs, reading, helping put laundry on the line, and playing a game to name a few.  So we played the Owl Game and Hi Ho Cherry-o.  We also played a lot with puzzles and wooden trains this week.  Tobias has been practicing empathy, and has the cutest "Oh no" face when something sad happens.  He's also making bee noises at the bees pollinating our pumpkins and getting good at signs like please, cookie and fish.  He's trying to say kitty more too.

Father's day and Flags

Gymnastics and soccer started back up this week, so we are in the full swing of things.  Sadly our dance class didn't have enough numbers, so we are dancing at home but everything else is running.  We tried out Camp Creativity at Michael's, where Genevieve created some Minnie Mouse crafts.  After storytime, we enjoyed a performance by Zun Zun, learning about water, music and conservation.  We had some fun with silly dances there as well.  We enjoyed time in gymnastics.  She's getting really good at the bars, and he loves the slides.  We had our second class at the Sacramento Zoo; this one was about camouflage.  We learned about different animals that use camouflage and practiced camouflaging a stick bug.  Genevieve got to pet a snake and a kinkajou.  We had another storytime and ended the week at the zoo again, to celebrate the 90th birthday.  She enjoyed face painting, magic shows and a snow cone as well as the animals.

We've read some great books for Father's Day.  Genevieve enjoys the humor of Daddies Do It Different and How to Surprise a Dad.  Tobias loves The Daddy Book.  They both enjoyed the textures in Are You My Daddy and the illustrations in Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me.  We made daddy a special gift, a plaster heart with mosaic tile.

While talking about daddy, we also talked airplanes and clouds.  Tobias likes to point out airplanes and trains, so we watched for planes and did some cloud watching.  We both like to imagine what the clouds look like and talk about what type they are.  Genevieve put on a cloud show and made cloud art.

In enjoying daddy stories, we also read Mister Seahorse and talked about fish.  We've read several books about fish, created a Nemo and Dory banner and looked at fish in the pet store.  We've also worked on our vacation book, painted a flag for her kingdom, and found a dragonfly.

Butterfly in the Sky

This week we've been trying to get back to our routine, with soccer and storytimes.  We started the summer reading program and stopped by the UC Davis Language Learning Lab so Tobias could help with a study.  We also started the summer zoo classes at the Sacramento Zoo.  This week was on the eye.  We talked about how hawks can "zoom" in their vision, cats and dogs see limited colors, slugs have blurry vision, and bees see a target in the center of flowers.  Birds can see in the ultraviolet range while other animals see in infrared.  They made their own binoculars, played with kaleidoscopes, and created an eye spy shaker.  Genevieve also created a slug.  We did some painting as well.

When we weren't in classes, we've been studying butterflies and caterpillars.  We read Butterflies in the Garden, which talked about the types of flowers to grow in order to attract butterflies.  A Butterfly is Patient includes many types of butterflies and their caterpillar.  For metamorphosis, we enjoyed From Caterpillar to Butterfly and How a Caterpillar Grows into a Butterfly.  The Magic School Bus taught us about different methods butterflies and caterpillars use to protect themselves while Tanya Kant gave us extra information on the monarchs migration.

We talked about how butterflies start with B so painted B butterflies and used symmetry to create other butterflies.  We used the edge of a paper plate to create a curved caterpillar, which was great for talking about stripe patterns, and played with our gear caterpillar.  We also got a butterfly kit to start raising our own butterflies.

More Exploring with Family

We took a few days to recover, then jumped right back in to visiting with family and exploring Ohio.  Our down time caught us spinning and dyeing wool with Grandmum, throwing a birthday party for Grandy, and another backyard camp out.  This time Uncle Ian and Rachel stopped by.  We also headed out to see Great-Grandpa Napier and his sheep.

Our first stop was the Neil Armstrong Museum.  It's a smaller museum and not very hands-on, but Genevieve knows about Neil Armstrong from Ready Jet Go.  So she was excited to see some of his astronaut uniforms.  She was disappointed there wasn't more on stars, the planets or her favorite moons of the solar system, Enceladus and Europa.  But she enjoyed showing Grandy around.

Next up, we left Ohio for a zoo from my childhood.  I spent many a day at the Fort Wayne Zoo and have many fond memories.  Of course, I also remember when I got separated from my parents and tried to get sympathy ice cream from the employees while waiting to find them, but that's beside the point.  Genevieve liked feeding the giraffes, riding ponies and riding the carousel.  Tobias liked playing on the train structure and riding the water adventure.  And we all enjoyed the antics of the young orangutan.  Despite being a Friday, the crowds weren't overwhelming and it's fairly easy to navigate as it is set up in 3 main loops.  There's not a lot of backtracking.  And they still have the lion's mouth water fountain which is great for pictures.

We had to stop at Wright Patterson Air Force Base to enjoy the "airplane museum" with daddy.  Tobias loved the Presidential planes because we got to go up and down stairs and they both enjoyed exploring all the buttons in the cockpits.

Genevieve took a final trip to the park with Aunt Jessica and Uncle Nathan to try out a different park.  Smale park has water features and a carousel but is also great for climbing.  And since she's fallen in love with the Great British Baking Show, they stopped at a nearby bakery before heading back.

Soon we were back on the plane and trying to get back to our routine.  Tobias has picked up some new words like Nathan, Grandy, crash and go.  He's more interested in learning about what animals are called too.  Genevieve enjoyed trying out new games and all the opportunities to explore new places with family.

Field Trips Galore

Genevieve changed her mind just in time to make it to the fair.  We walked through the livestock stalls and she rode some ponies.  They had a nice little area for the kids to practice farming and paint a flower.

We were flying to see family, so got to explore an airport.  Tobias loved watching all the planes and trucks at work, and Genevieve liked being in the clouds and seeing the world from above.  Tobias had the best laugh whenever a suitcase came up to the baggage claim carousel. Genevieve loved riding in the shuttle too.  We talked about some of the people and science that makes commercial flight possible, and tried to guess what kind of clouds we were flying through.  We enjoyed our Baby Loves Science book about aerospace engineering.

We explored a new library, but missed storytime as they are getting ready for summer reading program.  But there were new books to discover and toys to enjoy.  We also were able to share toys both new and old with family.  We saw great grandma, and aunts and uncles as well as grandma.

We went to the Newport Aquarium.  Jeremiah and I both spent some time working there, so it was nice to see it again.  They've added more touch pools since the last time we visited.  Genevieve liked seeing the seahorses, stingrays, and penguins.  She remembered the penguins from the last time she was here, because she loves to look at those pictures.  She played with the frogs and checked out the paddlefish too.  She was a little sad not to see any octopus or jellyfish right now, but all the turtles, the chuckwalla that tried to climb to us and the 3 large alligators made up for it.  Tobias slept through the beginning but woke up in time to see the great tunnels through the stingray tanks.  He splashed in some of the touch pools, watched a stingray eat and got a up close view of the shark rays.

We played at the Duke Energy Children's Museum, another place I used to work.  A lot has changed but I still love it.  Dr. Mike still DJs for storytime.  Both kids loved the water, the balls and the train table.  The newer dentist area and kids space are nice.  Genevieve made a sculpture out of red clay in the kids space, while Tobias built with blocks.  I miss the idea of Children Just Like Me, but I understand why they replaced it as it wasn't as interactive as the other exhibits.

Some family members are building their own house, so we stopped by to see what's inside our walls.  She really liked how he used glass bottles in the wall to create a colorful effect.

Her Aunt and Uncle let her help them set up a tent for backyard camping.  She quickly got it assembled, with a little guidance from them, then gathered twigs for a fire and grabbed her sleeping gear.  She had fun playing camping and eating s'mores, but wasn't ready for a night outside.  She looked for stars but could only find airplanes before she came inside to sleep.

We explored the Discovery Garden at Glenwood Gardens, which had a butterfly garden, a play tree to climb, and a model train that Tobias loved.  The wobbly bridge and fairy garden are cute additions.  Genevieve liked the scarecrows too.

Genevieve loves art, so really wanted to see an art museum.  We took her to the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati because we had heard it was better for kids because of the Unmuseum at the top.  That was more her speed as the current exhibits didn't interest her.  She played with a cube that played musical notes, built skylines, and she made some of her own art.  Her favorite thing though was the swinging lights by the stairs.

We tried out the Cincinnati Zoo but it was too big for her taste.  She wanted to rush to the cheetahs and almost missed her favorite giraffes.  The map didn't always reflect the roads well, so we spent some time backtracking.  Plus we were there on a Friday, which meant we had to fight through the field trips.  We made it to the train, but be warned the carousel and many of the kiosks close at 3:00.  We reached the carousel at 3:05 and suffered great disappointment.  But they enjoyed seeing the polar bear and some of the other animals we don't usually see at the Sacramento Zoo like manatees and elephants.  They had some of her favorites like bats and penguins as well.

Parky's Farm was a fun destination we hadn't tried before.  It's run by the park district and has lots of farm animals to see and touch.  Tobias loved the little pedal tractors while Genevieve rode ponies and ran around the indoor playground.  After the rain stopped, they played on the outdoor playground, watered the garden, and checked out the wetlands where they found a tiny red eared slider and really little brown frog.

Loveland Castle was holding Castle Days, which seemed interesting as it promised a family friendly event with shows and knights.  It sounded like a mini-Renaissance fair, but it was not as advertised.  We went with the hopes of seeing princesses, but didn't find anyone in fancy dress.  There were some belly dancer but they didn't hold Genevieve's interest.  Mostly she was intimidated by the narrow stairs inside the castle.

When we weren't exploring, we got to play a lot of board games.  Genevieve brought Candy Land because she was anxious to play it with her uncle.  She really enjoyed Strike, which gave her the opportunity to make matches and we discussed more and less.  We laid out some cards from the picture version of Code Names and tried to come up with descriptive words to create matches.  The adults played Spice Road, and she got a cube each turn to try to make a match.  She really enjoyed another game of her uncle's, in which a cat tries to catch toy cars.

A Fair Affair

To celebrate summer and a year of lessons under our belt, this week we've been playing fair and carnival games.  We were going to end the week with a trip to our local fair, but Genevieve fought the very idea.  She was more excited about her dentist appointment.

We started off by lining up a row of Solo cups and tossing balls into them.  It helps if you weigh them down a bit.  We tried different balls to see which was easiest to throw with precision.  In the future, we may number the cups and aim for a total or add letters inside the cups and try to spell a word for prizes.  We also practiced building a pyramid out of cups and trying to hit them with a ball.  We played with balloons and sang "We're Going to the Circus.". Genevieve and I pretended to be popcorn popping.  We held a dice race with our set of different gaming dice, guessing which would move the most spaces each turn.  She decorated the window for summer as well.

Genevieve loves the Miss Bindergarten and Miss Fox books, so we read Miss Bindergarten Plans a Circus with Kindergarten, which follows the alphabet and reviews colors, and Miss Fox's Class Earns a Field Trip, which deals with math.  I enjoyed Lloyd Moss's Zin Zin Zin a Violin, so we tried another of his books about instruments, Our Marching Band.  Genevieve found an interesting book about Alexander Calder and his sculptures, Sandy's Circus.

A Look at What We Have Learned this Year

This week started with a playdate at the zoo.  We met some friends at story time and met a beekeeper who spoke about raising bees.  We pretended to play baseball, counting the bases as we ran.  Speaking of pretend, we performed a number of shows for one another, from song and dance to acting.  We sang about water animals in Music Makers.  We ended the week with a second trip to the zoo and a stop at Fairytale Town with grandparents.  Genevieve practiced soccer and tried to write a recipe as well.

And through all the running around, I have been reflecting on the lessons of the past year.  I have discovered that after being napped on, I feel drained in the afternoon so it is best for me to plan quiet times for the afternoon.

Tobias has learned to walk and say Mom and Dad.  He attempts to say Genevieve and can sign a few words like bubbles, all done, dog, music and nursing.  He has started showing his interests, rolling the cars and making motor noises or choosing blue items and hexagons.  He enjoys the books of Todd Parr and Eric Carle.  He loves music and has a better sense of rhythm than my dad, moving and drumming to the beat.  He also loves to build.  He's started gymnastics but can't wait to play soccer like sister, especially if they play with parachutes.

Genevieve has moved into the Frozen, pink, princess, and My Little Pony stage, but still likes robots, animals and science.  Her fear of bugs that developed this year is odd though, as she's never been afraid of them before.  She's learned to count to 4, and can count 7, 8, 9 but struggles to connect them.  She does know that the last number indicates the number of items though. She's been having fun identifying and trying to write letters like T for Tobias and G for Genevieve and Grandma, while I get to practice working with a lefty.   She knows shapes and colors.  She loves art, and to study family photos and maps.  She likes to draw her own maps, and  has gotten better at staying in the lines while coloring.  She can finish 12 piece puzzles, while last year she would get frustrated with them. I love hearing her tell me about her favorite moons, the ice moons Enceladus and Europa of the gas giants.  She likes to tell me about the food different animals eat, and can identify many animals and dinosaurs.  It's also amazing that she has learned to sit through classes and shows without me there to remind her to behave.  It's harder in active classes like dance and gymnastics, but she knows what to do in music and storytime.