Side note:

I thought I’d mention my top places to go to find Kid activities if we’re bored or are trying to find a preschool activity:

Crafty Crow

Frugal Family Fun Blog

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The long Thread’s lists- top 100 tutorials for each year, 50 summer kid crafts

Summer Fun School….a tragic Tale

Hi y’all.

You may remember when I started summer school off with a huge list of themes? I had 8 weeks planned. And I accomplished 4.

I was off to a pretty good start. Then we went on vacation, came back, my mom came to visit and we had a staycation of sorts….then I never got back up to my old speed. Especially because I started teaching in Young Women’s again, sewed something for a friend, and started exercising everyday (which I’ve done for 2 weeks now! Go me!)

Needless to say, if I wanted to get any rest at all, or have time to stare into Leo’s baby blues, summer fun school wasn’t going to happen. Being a teacher to your kids, along with normal life, is hard  y’all. Major props to the homeschoolers out there. I don’t know how you do it.

But I have a ton of compiled ideas for the other 4 weeks. So here are the ideas, in all their glory.

Science Fiction – aka Princesses, Unicorns, Dragons and Mermaids

1. Make mermaid tails out of pillowcases (From make and takes- scroll down to middle of post)
2. Dragon puppets out of old socks- dye green or tie dye
3. Unicorn Headbands
4. Make up your own fairytale book about people in your family. Have the kids dress themselves- and make up costumes for parents, act out the book and take pictures or video tape. If you take pictures, print them out, have the kids dictate the story.
5. Princess relay races- sack race with mermaid pillowcases, cinderella race with one high heeled shoe on, snow white-bob for apples
6. Braided necklaces- I don’t know why, I just thought princesses would like it. And they know how to braid.

Farm Animals

1. Make little pictures of animal food- carrots, apples, corn seed, hay, grass, etc. Match farm animal figurines with their diet
2. Make pictures of animal products- eggs, bacon, leather, hamburger, wool, etc. Match with farm animal figurines.
3. Animal riddles. i.e.- I’m pink and I love mud. What am I? Have the kids make them up for each other. Sophia LOVES this game.
4. Make butter or ice cream from milk in plastic bags. Milk goes in one, placed inside bag of ice. Let kids churn.
5. Make yogurt in a crockpot. Google it- its not that hard
6. Draw a farm animal picture, or construct one using simple construction paper shapes. Use farm animal crackers to play or act out a farm story ($1 white bag of animal crackers from kroger are the best in my opinion)
7. Animal foot print stamps
8. Sing Old Mac Donald and “ Down on Grandpa’s Farm” – of  course!

Buildings

1. 3 little pigs- make mini houses out of straw, twigs, and then legos. Have fun blowing them down.
2. Graham cracker houses- try to build one in a pile of sugar and one on a plate or a solid block of wood. Talk about foundations.
3. Play Jenga.
4. Have a tower building contest as a family- give awards for most creative, shortest, most square, etc.
5. Save your cereal boxes for a few weeks, then take them apart and make a doll house. Spray paint or Decorate with scrapbook paper, scraps of fabric, cotton balls for pillows, buttons for clocks, the possibilities are endless…

Bubbles and Experiments

1. Make Pinwheels.
2. Bubble blowing- bubble snakes ( water bottles and fabric), huge bubbles (with string and a washer), using random objects (slotted spoon, straws, etc.)
3. Gak/Ooblek
4. Chocolate bowls with balloons
5. Shrinky dink with #6 plastic (take out container plastic)
6. Bubble Painting or Ice cube painting on sidewalk (talk about temperature)

Come to think of it, maybe I will try to squeeze in one activity every day or do a few for family home evening. 

Now go have some fun with your kids!

What’s in a Name? (A talk on Names, Family, and the Savior)

I gave the following as a talk in Church this morning. I thought my family might want to read it. Hope you enjoy.

When a new baby joins this earth, he already has so many things going for him- a body, parents who love him, grandparents, aunts and Uncles. There’s automatic wiring in his brain, ready to learn about the world and progress. He has DNA- possibly an ear for music or a taste for cooking. He may even be wealthy in his infant state, and some babies already have their own room and a closet full of clothes when they are born. One thing that will set him apart from other people though- is his name.

It’s one of the first things we ask when a babies born. What’d they name him? What is the word that will signify their life, their mannerisms, they’re personality?

I’d like to talk about Names this afternoon. I’ll discuss the significance of names in our culture, what I hope our family name will represent, and how we take upon ourselves the Name of the Lord.

Names gives you an identity, makes you separate. Names of families or sports teams or fan clubs can unify a group of people- signifying a shared identity. There’s a sense of ownership there- which is why some people get upset if someone “steals” a baby name they’ve chosen- but I chose it first- it’s mine! There goes my unique child!

In the scriptures the Lord gives new names to some prophets in the Old Testament, as their identity changes. When they dedicated themselves to the Lord, and their lives changed into disciples, they were given a “new name” by the Lord. From Abram to Abraham, and or Saul to Paul.

I feel as though we go through this change slightly, you know someone is from church when you hear “Sister or Brother Daley” rather than Mrs. Or Mr. And missionaries go through this transformation as they are now referred to Elder or Sister all the time.

Names by themselves usually aren’t anything special- it’s what they represent or allude to or sound like that has all it’s appeal. I loved my name Jacqueline growing up because I fancied it sophisticated. And I chose each of my children’s names partially because of their meaning, and I chose some “family names”- Names chosen from our ancestors. Just like names from the Old Testament, where every name has a meaning, and I hope that giving my children their grandmother’s name will be in a sense a prophecy- that they will live up to the standard set by their ancestor.

As I pondered this talk, and yesterday’s Pioneer day, I thought a lot about my ancestors, John’s ancestors, and how sometimes they are just names on a chart, but there are lives behind each name. And each life contributes to the family identity and my personal identity. As I hear stories of hard times and faith and difficulties, I am reminded that every time period has trials like mine- and the same blood ran through their veins that runs through mine- so perhaps I can be just as strong and just as full of Faith.

If you’ll indulge me for a few minutes, I’d like to tell you some family stories, and what I feel they represent for the DALEY family name. It is my hope that this will inspire you to go home and call your parents, your great Aunt Hildy or whatever and ask them to tell you about their life. Write it down. Email it out to all your cousins. You’ll be happy you did. Sit and talk with your family, figure out what you want your name to be known for in the world. You could even make a family mission statement and read some Covey books and you’d be well on your way to family unity.

DALEY- Want our family to be a family of…

Courage- Sally Ridley Buchanan - middle Tennessee (unknown) (6th great grandmother)

Sally Buchanan worked with her husband, Major John Buchanan, at their home, Buchanan's Station, a fort in Davidson County. Like all the settlers in middle Tennessee, families initially lived together within the walls of these stations for protection from the Indians.

When 400 Indians attacked Buchanan's Station in 1792, Sally Buchanan, a large woman, was pregnant with her first child. There were only 17 men inside the fort. As the men began to run low on ammunition, Sally "came amidst the raking fire of bullets singing through the picketing" and with a bottle of whiskey in one hand and an apron filled with bullets, she began to distribute her supplies, making several rounds around the fort. When one of the women at the station became hysterical and decided to take her children outside the walls of the fort to surrender to the Indians in an effort to save their lives, Sally ran out and brought her back convincing the woman that she would see victory. And they did gain victory. She lived to have 13 children. I hope the Daley name represents Courage like Great Grandma Sally Buchanans’s.

Affection: John’s grandparents- John’s Grandpa Mathew was 19 he was working in a random outpost town during the depression, for the gov’t and moonlighting as a Boxer. One night he went to a dance and fell in love at first sight with a girl on the dance floor. He danced all night, and gave up his ride home to walk her home- all 5 miles to her house and then the miles back to his camp. They were married a year later, Throughout their lives, they worked side by side- even on their Canadian logging operation, and every year in the garden, side by side, even at the dinner table. I hope the Daley name represents Love and Affection like Grandma and Grandpa Daley’s.

Adventure: My great grandma, Clara Petrina Schlumpberger- was working in Seattle, in the early 1900’s as a school teacher. She was told she wouldn’t be able to survive working in Alaska. She said she could. Someone dared her to go. So she did- and taught for 50 years in Alaskan outback. Small communities of 10 families and 2 dozen children, she was the teacher, the firemen, the nurse, etc.

Her daughter Jacki (my namesake) was married at 19 and lived in a gold mining camp as a newlywed. In the wintertime when there was 10 feet of snow, they utilized their second story window to leave the house. And there’s no need for a freezer- You just go out back and cut some frozen meat off the dead moose hanging from the tree. I hope I have a sense of adventure and endurance like my Grandma Jacki and Great grandma Clara.

Persistence: Judy- Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis while in her 30’s, she’s now in her 60’s. For the last 15 years, as it accelerated and took her into a wheelchair, she’s gone to Water Aerobics at her local YMCA. It’s the only exercise she can do, so she does it with vigor. She’s fighting against her body to deteriorate. She also took care of her husband after his multiple strokes, and learned to communicate with him even though he couldn’t talk or have enough motor control to write or sign. Seeing them together, still having fun and enjoying each other’s company was moving. I hope the Daley name represents Persistence like Aunt Judy.

Creativity and Optimism- Grandma Susie - My Grandma died a few years ago when Sophia was still a baby. Here is an excerpt from the ulogy my Father gave at her funeral.

Mom buried two husbands and a son. Mom had never worked outside the home, but she went to work. She did oil photo refinishing, and was good at it. She worked to keep our family together. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for her, but I can assure you that it was not made evident to me, maybe to Jud and Judy, as they were older, but not to me. In this trying period of her life, she painted and produced some of her best art. She did not wallow in self pity. She moved on. She did not see through jaded eyes. Life to her was beautiful. That’s the way she saw it and as such, that’s the way she painted it. Flowers, beautiful landscapes, smiling portraits, to her the canvas was not meant to dark and dreary but vibrant, full of color and life.

At 85 she was telling slightly off color jokes at the Thanksgiving table. She had a sense of humor about everything- even joked to the cardiologist he was prescribing rat poison. After she had a few drinks she would sit and tell stories, but she had to sketch as she told stories, she thought in pictures. I hope that the Daley name represents this Optimism and Creativity like Grandma Susie.

Faith: Mom- Grew up Catholic Her friends down the road, the Oberg’s, who rode on the bus with her, invited her to Primary. She went to Primary on Tuesday nights for a year, then started going to Sunday meetings. The church helped her survive a tumultuous home full of alcohol abuse, and she knew she had another family to run to if she needed help--her church family. She wasn’t allowed to be baptized as a child, so she attended until she was 18- and then was baptized. I remember my mom serving in the church as Primary music leader even though she can’t carry a tune, and as Relief Society president. That was one calling she thought about turning down, simply because she didn’t think she could fill such a big role. But she accepted anyways. And she had fun and loved it once she started serving.

Then there are John’s ancestors, the Ord family. They came over in the 1840’s from England, leaving a good railway job and comfortable circumstances, only to stay in Iowa too long waiting for their Handcarts and crossed the plains with the Martin Handcart company. They made it to Utah through miraculous circumstances, and went on to settle in the valley near the future Manti temple.

I hope that the Daley name represents Faith like my Mom’s and the Ord family.

There is another name that we have or “take upon ourselves” in this life- the Lord’s name.

The Lord is fairly protective of his name- he commands us not to take it in Vain, or in other words, not to deface it by using it idly, or making promises in his name that we don’t intend to keep.

The list of names given to the Lord is long and exhaustive- if you pause and think of all the names given to Christ, All shed some light on various aspects of his nature and mission. Lord: Savior, Messiah, I am, Immanuel; Jehovah; Lamb of God; Living Water; Redeemer; Alpha and Omega, Anointed One; Bridegroom, Good Shepherd.

One way the prophets of the past, particularly in the Book of Mormon, speak of the Lord’s name is “believing on his name.” What is the meaning of this phrase?

First, let’s see what Alma says. In Alma 5:48, Alma is testifying of Christ coming. He says:

I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name.

(Alma 5:48; Alma 9:27; Alma 11:40; Hel. 14:2.)

Elder Oaks in May 1985 titled “Taking upon us the Name of Jesus Christ.” He discusses believing on Christ’s name. He says:

The scriptures proclaim that the Savior’s atoning sacrifice was for those who “believe on his name.”

Thus, those who exercise faith in the sacred name of Jesus Christ and repent of their sins and enter into his covenant and keep his commandments (see Mosiah 5:8) can lay claim on the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Those who do so will be called by his name at the last day.

Another time we hear about the Lord’s name upon us is during the Sacrament prayers. Each week when we partake of the sacrament, we renew our baptismal covenants and we signify we are “willing to take His name upon us.” We are witnessing to God that we want to do HIS work, in HIS way, to be marked of the believers to others.

The Lord also signifies over and over in the Scriptures that he puts his name upon a church, or the Temple or a work to signify it is his- and to give us Authority.

Elder Bednar discusses this in May 2009 in his General Conference talk “ Honorably Hold a name and standing” He first explains about the Lord placing his name upon the work of the Temple. I’m going to paraphrase a little here.

In Doctrine and Covenants 105, 109, and 110 the Lord speaks about

1. the Temple being built “built unto my name” (D&C 105:33; see also D&C 109:2–5; 124:39).
2. Joseph Smith petitions the Lord “that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them” (D&C 109:22
3. And when the Temple is finished, the Lord declares: , “For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house” (D&C 110:7).

Elder Bednar explains the significance of these scriptures. He says:

These scriptures help us understand that the process of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ that is commenced in the waters of baptism is continued and enlarged in the house of the Lord. As we stand in the waters of baptism, we look to the temple. As we partake of the sacrament, we look to the temple.

We pledge to always remember the Savior and to keep His commandments as preparation to participate in the sacred ordinances of the temple and receive the highest blessings available through the name and by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in the ordinances of the holy temple we more completely and fully take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.

So, to summarize, when we believe on the Lord’s name, and enter into his covenant in the waters of baptism, we access the Atonement and have his name upon us. Then when we covenant in the temple, we do so with the Lord’s authority (doing things in his name) and in his House, (that was built unto his name). As we leave the Temple and go back into the world, we do the Lord’s work- in His Way and hopefully we are viewed as one of Christ’s disciples.

Just as my family name represents Persistence, Love, Faith, Adventure, etc, and it sets me apart from the world and provides an identity with my Family. The Lord’s name upon me sets my actions and intentions and destination to be different from the world- but the same as the other Followers of Christ.

I want to bear you my witness that I know the Savior atoned for my Sins. I know that his name and Authority is upon his Temples, and in them we do the work of the Lord- for ourselves, and then for our eternal Family. We can honor our family name and Christ’s name by being a disciple of Christ and living up to the Covenants that we’ve made. In this journey it will not be easy, it will be full of Trials and difficulty. But the Lord is by our side, and he will help us. When we call upon his NAME and ask for his help to guide and inspire us.

Kids Apron and a Birthday Outfit and a Faux Hawk and a Rainbow!

On Monday we had a birthday party to go to, so we whipped up this little apron and hat. I modeled the hat after one we bought at Target, and the apron off an apron my mom made the girls. Basically the same dimensions as a normal kids apron, you use a contrasting fabric for the bottom 6 inches, and cut a strip twice as long so you can ruffle it.

We gave it to Sophia’s friend with a brownie mix. I mean, who doesn’t want a brownie mix for their birthday??

Like the messy house? That’s what happens when you spend all morning sewing, you can’t find a spot in the house that doesn’t have random stuff all over.

 

Sidney’s Five Year Skirt

This was a skirt and shirt I made for my niece Sidney for her fifth birthday. She is a girly girl through and through. I bought out Target when they had girl’s classic tee shirts on sale for 1 dollar. Then I appliqued a 5 on the front. I gathered chiffon to make a rose then sewed a safety pin on the back so she can move it to wherever she wants.

The skirt was inspired by Dana at MADE (can can skirt). I made a simple gathered skirt. Then cut the chiffon fabric out to be 3 inches by 4 times as long as the circumference of the skirt, and gathered as I sewed. At first I tried to baste and gather, then pin and sew- big fat FAIL. So I gathered as I sewed, in little foot long sections of chiffon.

Speaking of chiffon, I used the no fray kind- the kind from Jo Ann’s frays. So I bought it online.

And Sidney loved it, put it on as soon as she saw it out of the box. :)

In other news about packages…we got this cute vest from my Aunt Judy. I took some pictures to send her. You’re never too young for a biker vest…or a faux hawk. Am I right Ladies?

This morning I was having a pity party for myself because I had ambition to get things done, but no clear list of things to do, then no real way to do them with a cranky baby. I snapped myself out of it with some exercise and bbq chicken pizza.

Tonight we went on a family run/bike ride. (Tried out my new-to- me jogging stroller. I felt so athletic) We had to come back after 30 minutes due to a thunderstorm rolling in. When we got home we looked out the window to see a rainbow. John immediately started quoting that obnoxious double rainbow youtube video. Sophia and I went outside to take pictures.

It was a nice ending to my day- a reminder that there is a silver lining to the thunderstorms of one’s life. It’s so easy to complain about life’s inconveniences, like babies that won’t sleep when you want them to and a house that always needs cleaning- but 2 months ago I just wanted the baby to be born and healthy, and a year ago I wanted to be pregnant, and we worked dang hard to save money to buy a house. I prayed for this type of weather, so I’m trying to enjoy it.  Cute kids like these, and a good adrenaline pumping  jog in the storm air  makes it easier.

Happy Weekend to you!

Ironman…for non-athletes

We had a great ward activity yesterday – a field day of sorts. There’s nothing like seeing a bishopric member dive for the finish of a three legged race, and take his wife down with him,  or watch a well mannered person dive into a watermelon with their face and hands. And nothing like grown men compete to see who’s airplane goes the longest.

There were stations for the kids (big and little!) - paper airplanes, long jump, squirt gun targets, obstacle course, water balloon toss, bean bag toss.

All morning long there were events- Stick Pull, Foot races, 3 legged race, wheelbarrow race, headstand contest, watermelon eating.

The best event in my opinion? The frozen sock contest. New socks, dipped in water, frozen. The first to thaw their sock out and get it all the way on wins. It was hilarious.

 

John competing in the stick pull

Sophia in the foot race.

Natalie and Sophia in the three legged race. Here I am telling them- go inside, outside, inside outside.  And don’t run, just walk really fast.

 

My stage mother advice worked- they came in second.

Here’s John and Sophia competing in the wheelbarrow race. They did these all afternoon long once we were home.

A frozen sock. People were breathing on them, using their body heat to try to warm it up.

My husband in the bottom right corner- people bashed them against the table to  get a better bite. Or used their hands.

The girls lunch for the day. I was amazed they ate that much watermelon.

 

And me in the sprinting foot race- totally came in last. See my face? Thumbs sticking up? Totally run like my mom. Yikes!

Vacationing at Home: Indy Style

If you come to visit me in Indy, I promise we’ll have tons of fun.  Times five. This week my Mom visited, and we did some of the attractions all in one week. I could have easily filled another week with activities…that’s how great this City is. I kind of love vacationing from home. I get to sleep in my own bed every night, my kids aren’t too thrown off, I get to pick all the food we eat.

Day 1: Plainfield Aquatics Center. See this awesomeness? So fun. That huge pineapple bucket on top fills up and spills every 5 minutes. Mini waterslides for the kids. Huge waterslides for the big kids. We went the day after July 4th, it was packed.

My kids were fascinated by the people “with drawings on their bodies.” Welcome to Indiana kids- every other person is tattooed. And some of them? More tattooed skin than non. Even though it’s a pain to be in huge crowds, I love people watching. I was amazed to see mothers wearing bikinis with no fat on their bodies…and amazed to see people who look like Kramer in Seinfeld’s crispy chicken episode.

The whirlpools were my kids favorite part. They have a lazy river type area, where you swim with the current (no floaties) . At the end is the 10 ft wide whirlpools, where the lifeguard is standing. The water goes in circles and if you pick your feet up, you do too.

Day 2- Indianapolis Zoo- forgot my camera card. So sad. They had a splash park running and everything. Oh well :(

Day 3- Sit around, bake cookies, get a haircut.

Day 4- Children’s Museum! New Etch a Sketch exhibit. Check out the Jayz awesomeness:

And the Barbie Mariposa live costume:

And Leo’s first (and probably last) picture with Barbie

On Friday we went to a Paint your own pottery place, which I promptly forgot to take pictures during.

And at night? The ChickFilA Cow Appreciation Day. We got our whole meal- for free! Totally having the rest of my salad today for lunch. Natalie was a cow ballerina, Sophia was a cow with spots only on her front. They were jumping up and down with excitement to see the cow.

 

My mom was a green cow (“A cow that went out to pasture and got sick”) And my spots were falling off. Excuse the dark circles under the eyes, I’ve got a newborn, so cut me a break, all right?

They had a carnival games area for kids to play and win cheap prizes (the wooden snake was the best!) And this game, Shockwave, had all the kids stumped. Sophia was better at it then I thought she’d be. And John mastered it. Won us a water snake prize. That’s my man right there, the one with the mad hand eye coordination. Woot! Woot!

Last but not least, we’ve got a happy smiling baby around these parts. I was so busy trying to get him to laugh my camera slipped and we’ve got a floating smiling  baby head. A little Cheshire Cat-ish, don’t you think? 

My talented Aunt Judy sent an adorable and colorful train quilt for Leo. Here he is contemplating the free style quilting methods on it.

Next week we’re back to Lunch Bunches, free movies and summer school activities….it was fun while it lasted!

Swweeeet Summertime

Sophia filled up her reading chart so we had a party. Reading party= pink cupcakes with cool whip and sprinkles and board games.

Lately Natalie’s hair has been looking very…Hanson- like. Remember Hanson? Lame songs, 3 teenage boys, long gross hair….I want to cut hers, but she wants it to be long like Sleeping beauty…Maybe I can negotiate for bangs.

Two weeks ago we drove up to Elkhart to John’s parent’s house.

There was lots of sitting around outside in the twilight…

And we had a backyard party for these newlyweds…

The most important part of this backyard party was the BALLOONS! (Well, at least according to the preschool decorators)

Leo slept through most of the party, but made an appearance at the end…

I spent the rest of the week trying to catch Leo’s smile. He’s so good at it, but not when I have a camera out. Here’s a half smile…

There was also a lot of swimming….

And sneaking up to scare the other kids, in true Daley style…

We broke in Leo’s new flip flops…(they last about 5 minutes on but they’re so adorable)

Sophia learned to swim with water wings on…

And we all slept a little better. Grandpa was a pro at getting Leo to sleep.

I had all kinds of plans for our week, and none of them worked out. But we still had fun, how can you not, at Grandma and Grandpa’s house?

Bodies and Families

2 weeks ago we studied the Human body and Families.

On Monday, we looked at our handy dandy encyclopedia, and learned that each part of our body serves a purpose. We talked about the big ones- Skin protects our body, muscles help our body move, bones keep our body upright, our senses help us learn about our world.

Then we painted self portraits. First I drew a large girl, and they painted it in. Here’s Sophia’s:

For Family Home Evening that night, we talked about germs. To teach about germs spreading, we put glitter glue on our hands, then walked around and touched door handles, our noses, walls, computer, etc. Then we washed them all off and looked for it around the house.

On Tuesday we played Daley family Guess who. You start out with a Bingo board with your extended family on it. Like these below:

Then pick a person, they pick a person, and you ask questions to figure out who it is. Use paper or markers (clear rocks in our case) to cover up the eliminated people.

And we measured our bodies to compare sizes and talk about growing.

 

The girls picked which parts to measure ( the best was our smile and our belly button).

On Wednesday we did 5 senses:

For sight we used our eyes to look at a the Dora eye chart, as printed off of nickjr.com. And we looked at pictures of close up photographs and guessed what they were (From the back of our Aldi cereal box)

For hearing I made noises from behind the couch and they had to guess. I did a noisy toy, a xylophone, shoes, zipper, bell, etc.

For taste, the girls closed their eyes and guessed the food I placed in their mouth. I put a huge variety of food on a tray so they could see and not be scared, then fed them randomly.

For touch, the girls closed their eyes and guessed what I put in their hand. A lot of teachers put objects in boxes or under a blanket and let the kids feel without seeing.

For smell,the girls sniffed spices and told me what they smelled like. It was funny to see what they associated them with. Cinnamon they knew, but oregano was “spaghetti sauce.”

 

Last but not least, during this week we went on a few walks and went to the park. Sophia conquered the monkey bars- all the way across by herself, and Natalie did the rock climbing wall by herself. They were so excited to go home and tell John. I need to remember to bring my camera next time we go to the park and document their newfound abilities.

Some other Body and Family ideas:

• Do fingerpainting with shaving cream or different materials
• Add cutouts of major organs (brain, stomach, heart) to self portraits
• Trace body on sidewalk
• Do fingerprints, footprints or handprints on paper, make into animals
• Paint with koolaid- draw the fruit the color smells like, then say “The grapes taste like grapes! The snozeberries taste like snozeberries!”  (current favorite movie around here)
• Make a family tree on a wall, add family pictures
• Show pictures of your grandparents, tell family stories.