Jenae, Author at I Can Teach My Child!

67 Ideas for Fun and Learning This Summer

May 14, 2013 by Jenae — 9 Comments

Summer is almost here! Woo-hoo! I love nearly everything about the summer (except for the bugs). I love the warm weather, I love the pool, I love longer evenings, I love having my kids home. I’ve compliled a list of 67 activities that you can do with you child(ren) this summer. Some of these things are plain ol’ fun and some encourage learning. I hope you will incorporate a mix of both into your long summer days! :)

Rather than creating a calendar, I thought I would make a list of activities you can pick and choose and cross off as you complete. I intended to provide a printable list, but I’m having some technical difficulties. You can always copy and paste the text below into your own word processor or print the selected text straight from the screen. :)

Without further ado, here are 67 Ideas for Fun and Learning this Summer:

1. Make ice cream in a bag.

2. Create a foil river.

3. Use snappers to learn to “pop and learn” the alphabet, numbers, shapes, or sight words!

4. Make a marshmallow slingshot.

5. Play hide-and-seek with a puzzle and a sensory tub.

6. Create your own hurdle run.

7. Make edible playdough.

8. Create your own 3D Angry Bird Game.

9. Make dinosaur fossils.

10. Go on a “Learning Walk”.

11. Have a Sponge Relay.

12. Create fireworks in a jar.

13. Paint with water at the pool.

14. Make fizzing sidewalk paint.

15. Create “mud” playdough.

16. Go on a Giant Shape Hunt.

17. Download some new apps.

18. Make your own finger paint.

19. Create salt-absorbing fireworks.

20. Make letters (numbers, shapes, etc) in shaving cream.

21. Create red, white, & blue bubble snakes.

22. Make a nature bracelet.

23. Create a geyser.

24. Build a fort with tree branch blocks.

25. Paint a mural using only golf tees.

26. Make your own alphabet track on your driveway.

27. Create your own bathtub paints.

28. Build a hovercraft.

29. Make a candy campfire.

30. Play with sand-dough.

31. Pound a letter/sound.

32. Plant a seed in a baseball card holder.

33. Make a miniature bow and arrow.

34. Play hide-and-seek as a family.

35. Paint with apples.

36. Create a stained glass butterfly.

37. Play with oobleck.

38. Play “Memory” using Hershey Kisses.

39. Go to a waterpark.

40. Make your own stilts.

41. Use legos to make picture puzzles.

42. Go on a scavenger hunt at the zoo.

43. Make popcorn in a paper bag.

44. Play balloon badminton.

45. Play flashlight spot-and-tell.

46. Make homemade face paint.

47. Blow up a balloon with baking soda and vinegar.

48. Bake the World’s Best Sugar Cookies.

49. Invent your own bubble wands.

50. Visit your local fire station.

51. Create playdough monsters.

52. Make a race car snack.

53. Paint with toy cars and trucks.

54. Create your own solar oven.

55. Make floor tape letters.

56. Play with water beads.

57. Invent your own cake.

58. Make elephant toothpaste.

59. Go “ice fishing”.

60. Make your own water colors.

61. Paint with corn syrup.

62. Play with cloud dough.

63. Play sight word bingo.

64. Make your own lava lamp.

65. Invent your own kite.

66. Create a book out of Ziploc bags.

67. Throw a javelin.

There you have it. A great list of ideas to get your summer fun started! :)

Feel free to leave a link with your favorite summer activity in the comments.

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Filed Under: 2-3 years, 3-5 years, Outdoor Fun, School Age

Squooshi Product Review and Giveaway

May 13, 2013 by Jenae — 23 Comments

I love the squeezable packs of applesauce (and smoothies) that are currently available for kids. They make eating on the go convenient and healthy. The only problem is…they are kind of expensive and the packaging can be wasteful.

Enter Squooshi.

Squooshi makes reusable pouches for this purpose. You fill the pouch with whatever soft food you want at the bottom of the pouch (applesauce, smoothies, or even baby food for babies) and then zip it up. Your child sips from the tube at the top. After he/she is finished, you unzip and wash it out or you can even put it in the dishwasher. Oh yes you can (although I have found it just as easy to quickly wash them with a little soap, rinse, and let them dry on my dish rack).

Here’s how it works (via the Squooshi website):

We have used these for the last few weeks and we love them! We have filled them with applesauce and yogurt. The boys love the cute animals on the pouches and I love that they are easy to clean and cheaper than buying the pre-filled pouches at the store! I have found that the larger sizes are much easier to fill.

Would you like to try out Squooshi pouches with your family. TWO winners will receive an 8-pack assortment (shown below), worth $35.88 each.

To enter, just leave your e-mail address in the Rafflecopter window below (not in the comments, please). If you can’t see the window, go here. This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (apologies to my international readers). The giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on Thursday, May 16th (EST). A winner will be randomly selected shortly after and notified by e-mail. By entering, you are agreeing to these official rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* I was given this product at no cost in exchange for a review. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Filed Under: Giveaways, Product Review

Show-and-Share Saturday Link Up!

May 11, 2013 by Jenae — 1 Comment

There were lots of great ideas shared last week. Here are just a few:

And Next Comes L shares this idea for an ABC Quiet Book Page.

Check out 25+ Ideas for Summer Service Projects at Pennies of Time.

Even though Mother’s Day is tomorrow, you still have time to make these beautiful hearts from An Idea on Tuesday.

Have an idea or activity to share??? Link up below! Next week I’ll be sharing my favorites from the ones you submit!

Feel free to add the button to the post you’re submitting! Just save the image below and add a link to the homepage (http://wwwicanteachmychild.com).

ICanTeachMyChild.com

*By linking up, you are granting me permission to use and/or repost photographs from your blog.

Can’t see the link-up? Go here.

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Filed Under: Links

Teaching Children the Difference Between Wants and Needs

May 8, 2013 by Jenae — 5 Comments

Although our boys are relatively good about not constantly asking for stuff, I want them to know the difference between “needs” and “wants”. ”Needs” are the things that we rely on to live (comfortably). ”Wants” are not essential to our life, health, or hygiene; they are just things we would like to have.

No matter how much or how little we have, everyone wrestles with this issue (adults included). With all the poverty and suffering around the world, I want our children to have a realistic perspective on what we should feel entitled to (news flash: not much). And am I the only person whose blood boils when this commercial comes on TV???

Here’s what you’ll need: magazines and flyers, scissors, glue, and a large piece of white paper (I used our fingerpaint paper).

1. Make two columns with “Needs” on one side and “Wants” on the other.

2. Look through the magazines and mailers together with your child and talk about things we need and things we want.

Continue cutting…

Needs: Bread, Toothpaste & Toothbrush, Socks, Sunscreen, Vitamins, Cereal, Dish Soap, Coat, Milk, and Blueberries.

Wants: Bat Cave, Cookies, Soccer Foosball Table, Lightning McQueen Toy, Golden Key?, Pizza, Veggie Tales movie, Waterpik Flosser, Blocks.

Because a person “needs” to have Palmolive prominently present in their life. :)

Big Brother is really interested in his oral hygiene…he “wants” a Kids WaterPik Flosser! :)

I decided that I should give this a shot too…it would be good for my perspective as well!

My Needs: Healthy food (fruits, vegetables, nuts), exercise, “A Good Night Sleep”, and my home.

My Wants: Sonic Dr. Pepper, (all. the. time.), Awesome abs, and a white sofa. Because everyone knows that having a white sofa is an excellent idea with two rambunctious boys.

How do you teach your child the difference between wants and needs???

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Filed Under: 3-5 years, Parenting, School Age, Spiritual and Moral Development

Personalized Mother’s Day Tea Towel

May 7, 2013 by Jenae — 2 Comments

I love giving my mom and mother-in-law something cute and personalized from the boys each year. Two years ago, we made personalized pot holders and candles and last year we made refrigerator picture magnets. We were running out of ideas this year, but decided to make a cute little tea towel using some extra fabric we already had and fabric markers.

Here’s what you’ll need: some extra fabric (or a plain store-bought tea towel), white fabric, a sewing machine, and fabric markers.

1. Take your scrap fabric and cut it about the size of a typical tea towel (I didn’t measure…just eyeballed it). Fold over half an inch of fabric and sew the edges on each side of the tea towel. Most people pin when they do this, but I am too lazy…I just fold it over as I go along. :)

2. Cut a small piece of white fabric. I used pinking shears to cut it, so the edges wouldn’t unravel. Pin it on your other fabric and use a zig-zag stitch to secure it on.