Here lies a great reason to blog my 2012 list! How much longer will it take to type out my list of things we want to do this summer??
For now, last years’ summer fun list:
http://thewhimsicalsweet.com/2011/06/27/gearing-up-for-a-summer-of-fun/
Tag Archives: kids activities
What We Ate: Monkey Snacks
19 JunBefore the outdoor temperatures started approaching one hundred degrees, we went on many, many picnics. Our oldest, three and a half, was constantly requesting picnics throughout the winter days. We did sneak a few in there during the milder temps. Now that summer is juuuuust about here, picnics are a must-do on our summer list.
Here is a version of our very popular-among-all-kids banana/peanut butter/honey wraps. Normally, we’d put these ingredients inside a whole-wheat tortilla & call them “Aah Aah Wraps” (name given by our then eighteen month-old), also known as “Monkey Wraps”. Instead, to make things picnic/snack/OCDparent -friendly, I made these into a popable treat. Okay, so they’re not the healthiest, but they are not terrible, especially if you make your own peanut butter & use fresh bananas & local honey. 
This “recipe” couldn’t be more simple. Peanut butter (we use crunchy organic, but I’d like to make my own someday), banana slices (red bananas are tasty!), & honey (again, organic/raw/local, if possible). I smeared each cracker round with all three ingredients. Guaranteed to be devoured by everyone in the household!
My apologies for the blurry photos; gotta get me one of dem tripod thingies 
What We’ve Been Up To
9 MarThings have been very busy around here lately. Since I’m not quite prepared to post a pregnancy update, I figured I would share our last few weeks through photos I took
on my phone. So, not the best quality, but enjoy! We’ve been trying to cram in as much fun as possible in between preparing for the newest Sweet arrival. We hope everyone is well!
Kids Out And About
13 FebJust thought I’d fill you “locals” in on a great resource for parents with kids of all ages. We are probably not going to get out much in a few short weeks, so I had to remind myself to see what’s happening around town while we can!
If you live in the Albany, Rochester, or Buffalo, NY area as well as Fairfield County, CT, definitely take the time to check out this site. We are signed up to receive emails & are thankful for the reminders of upcoming events, things to do indoors & out, etc. They even have a sledding hill page! It’s rare that they oversee an event/activity…a fantastic site.
Check your local resources if you’re not familiar with what to do around your area. It’s definitely great to have the internet!
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Homeschooling Fun: The Five Senses
12 Feb
We have yet to be involved in a homeschooling co-op locally, but that starts soon & we are so excited! In the meantime, we’ve been learning things at home per our 3 year-old’s request. We let her lead & tell us what she wants to do & when she wants to do it. It works pretty well. There are days when she chooses to sit with a workbook for hours. We can’t believe her attention span sometimes.
One concept we’ve been working is the senses. Each week, I would explain a different sense, & we would pick out a few printables from the internet. (Try this site, this one, or this.) Along with a great book I found (at a great sale price!), “The Ultimate Book Of Homeschooling Ideas” by Linda Robson, we came up with a fun project.
We started with the basics…we use our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our mouths to taste, our noses to smell & our fingers (& toes!) to touch. Then we cut out examples from magazines of these senses being put to use and pasted them onto construction paper. Tavia colored in the words & decorated the pages.
For the sense of taste, we had a blind taste test of all different flavors & textures of food. She used great adjectives to describe the foods…sweet, salty, tangy, sour, spicy, rough, smooth, mushy. One of my favorites used to describe a lick of a popsicle: frigiddy! Another favorite word to describe a bite of a marshmallow: squishyish!
She got the hang of it rather quickly & was sputtering examples throughout each week. At dinner, she would say “Mmm, this tastes yummy! Hey! I just used one of my senses!” Or she would ask me to feel something soft or fuzzy when we were out and about. We knew she was learning. We could see her learning. What a cool observation to be witness to! It gets me every time.
We hung the display we created in the kids’ learning area so she could teach her brother what she learned about the five senses and recall what she had learned. She loves teaching him new things.
We would love to hear your ideas if you’ve taught the five senses…whether you’re a homeschooler or teacher! I’m sure we’ll always be learning how our senses guide & help us through the day!
You can find me on Pinterest where I have a board of homeschooling ideas. Please follow me there & share your ideas, too! (Look for the “P” in the right hand column of this page.) You can also subscribe to my blog, thewhimsicalsweet, by clicking on “follow” at the top of this page.
