Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Dinosaur Zoo

We needed a great project outside while Uncle Greg and Daddy were building our retaining wall. 

CP and I created our Dinosaur Zoo! 
Grab your sidewalk chalk and hit the driveway, patio, or sidewalk! Have fun!!! 

 
Each dinosaur, no matter the kind or size, got a fence, some sort of water feature - lake, pond, stream, or puddle, and some grass. According to CP, some needed "extra grass". I am not sure how those were decided but he was a giving man this day. 

We used different sized dinosaurs from our collection.
I bought jumbo dinosaurs off Amazon and he has had a blast taking care of them. (He even feeds them milk and puts them down for a nap - too cute). 

The smaller dinosaurs are from Hobby Lobby. They can be found in the model section. There were different sizes. These are GREAT because I can throw a handful in my purse on our way out to dinner or when we need an activity. Definitely a must have! 

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CP has combined his small model airplanes, insects, and dinosaurs to create quite the scene. Here, his brontosaurus is riding his jetliner! 


Make sure to have a conversation with your little one as it is the fastest way to create a strong thinker, build vocabulary, understanding, and a critical thinker. Try asking why and how questions. It will increase comprehension

 
Great Little Man!



Friday, May 3, 2013

Summer Reading Themes: Plants


Most kids LOVE to get dirty!!

Ok, so not my daughter. She refuses to play with our rice sensory box, sand box, moon dust (flour and baby oil - see older posts for ideas and recipe), play dough or dirt. - She LOVES our homemade GAK - see older post

My daughter received a Melissa and Doug Garden set for her 1st birthday and it has been great for her 
This set came with a mini shovel and rack. Super cute and great for little hands! 


Let your little water with a squirt bottle, so much less mess!!! 


 
I ordered a Common Core standards set of books from Scholastic for toddlers to four years of age. Common Core is the new Nationwide standards for K-12. Just a fun way to get ahead of the curve. 

This unit is all about planting, gardening, dirt and worms. It is great! I handed my son the box of books and he was excited! The guidebook has a ton of ideas, support and suggestions for conversations! There are vocabulary lists, supplementary book suggestions, synopsis of each book, an a link to online resources for games, worksheets, coloring activities, etc! 



 You'll love the units that are ready to go! 

Contact me for some great resource on scholastic or if you want to place a book order. 
Most of these books can be found at your local bookstore (we love Anderson's in the Chicago Burbs) or on many websites, Amazon, etc.