The fun of bringing the outdoors indoors!!!!

     So it's time for another fun filled adventure with those little ones.  This time lets bring the outdoors...... INDOORS!!!!!  Let's go camping.  There is nothing more exciting then gathering ALL the blankets you can around the house and then putting all the chairs you can around the house and of course using the kitchen table if needed to create one of the LARGEST HOMEMADE TENTS IN THE THE WORLD....(well according to those little ones).  Tons of fun.... Then once that is all put together you can bring in the pillows and flashlights and of course one of my favorite stories.... GOIN ON A BEAR HUNT!!!!!!

     Then it's time to take our little backpacks and well HUNT for TREASURES.  You know the kind you can only find OUTSIDE!!!!  Then you have to have SHOW AND TELL and what child doesn't like to be able to show off what they have in their back packs.

     For treats, make some indoor SMORES and POPCORN !!!!!  YUMMY!!!  Be sure and not only send home their backpack's loaded with their treasures, that I am sure every mom and dad want to see.  But do some leaf coloring pictures with the leaves underneath, then color on the top of the paper over them.  Cool prints.

     I can promise you this, once you start the MAGIC of INDOOR TENT MAKING, your children will be BEGGING and BEGGING to do it all over again......
               REMEMBER........  A GRANDMA'S COOKIE JAR IS
                                         ALWAYS FULL!!!!!!!!

           

Let's go fishing!!!!!

     Day 2, A Day Of Fishing.  Lets start out with that wonderful, fun book by the famous Dr. Seuss, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Then it's on to a snack of Swedish fish and fish crackers, along with some blue ocean Hawaiian punch for water and its outside for a fun time. Kids love to fish and even if you don't have a fishing license you can fish it our way.  Great for letting kids figure out how to catch those fish using a magnet on the end.  Great for small motor skills and very tricky. You can give out small prizes for the fish they catch. Then its time to make a under the water fish picture.  Simple way of using water on paper first and then touching the water with different water colors and they run into a master piece.  Then add some leaves from outside and some sand with glue after the paint dries and add some color fish and you have the perfect masterpiece.
      It's a proven fact that children who are read to everyday, yes parents everyday are able to retain more information and memorize.  I spent 1 week reading everyday to my grandson, and he now has 5 books memorized with emotion in his reading.  Not to brag by any means.  But we started the Nursery Rhymes, which I am not sure why everyone stopped having the children memorize them.  But he knows them, we put them all to singing.  Super way for ALL children to learn.
     There is nothing better then giving praise for a job well done, I mean after all don't we all like to get a pat on the back when we come home with a load of fresh fish after along day!!!!!!!

                
 Oh and don't forget to pack along some of those Grandma Cookies!!!!!

Let's PLAY DOH Day!

     One of my FAV all time things to play with is Play Doh!  Now I have heard over and over again how MOM'S HATE PLAY DOH.....  Really?  well you are missing out on some wonderful small motor skills, and creativity magic.
     The reason I hear Mom's don't like is because of the MESS!!!!  Well I am here to let you all know a few secrets for controlling the mess.
First:  Get a plastic table and either take it outside in the warm sunshine for hours of fun or put it on the kitchen floor.  It washes up in a cinch and it makes it easy for the kids to get their cutouts off of it easy.
Second:  Put plastic underneath the table or just let the Play Doh dry on the floor and then just simply sweep it up or if in plastic just gather it up in the plastic and throw it away in the trash, you can do the same thing if you put plastic on top of the table also.

See NO MESS!!!!!!!!

     For fun, create a Shapes and numbers day!  Talk about the numbers and shapes.  Also you can add a WHOLE THEME DAY, which I LOVE TO DO, Make Shape sugar cookies, with cookie cutters, you can make the shapes out of empty cans if you want.  Then while they are baking, let the children play with the same shapes with Play Doh.  Tons of fun.  Then for a added measure for lunchtime, have shape sandwiches.  Be sure and make a paper with dotted shapes and numbers that they can trace.  Then for activity time do the human number count or have a shape cookie walk and the treat is eating the shape cookies.  

     So now it's time to act like a child, and pull up a chair and join in the fun!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF GRANDMA'S ATTIC!

     Don't we all wish we would have had some practical and fun ideas to do with our children and grandchildren.  Well now you have it.  I will be giving some fun suggestions for not only creating fun family time or much needed one on one time with that special little one.  But also some simple ways to help them to create the land of make believe and adventure.  The best part about it is that they will be getting the education they need to begin that magic time in their lives..... SCHOOL!


     After spending time with my GRANDMA TERI'S PRESCHOOL, for several years.  I decided to get involved in the school system, being a para professional aide,  Substituting in Head Start, Elementary, Middle  and High Schools,  I was also involved in the After School Program.  I have enjoyed every moment of my time.  But I soon realized that many of these wonderful institutes and programs lacked some huge factors.  WHERE DID THE MAKE BELIEVE COME INTO PLAY?  WHAT HAPPENED TO SPENDING ONE ON ONE TIME WITH A CHILD?

     I remember very well such a profound statement that my Father told me about his mother and his childhood.  I would love to share it with all of you.

     " Teri, my childhood home was tidy, and picked up.  But my wonderful, loving mother believed that us children would NEVER remember how well the house was kept but WE WOULD REMEMBER all the times that she PLAYED WITH US!!!!!"  My Father went on to tell me the COUNTLESS HOURS that his mother spent outside high jumping with them, playing basketball and softball with them.  He can remember all the songs and stories and poems and nursery rhymes that all her children knew and had memorized.  The many summers they spent CAMPING. 

     So with this NEW BLOG..... I hope to in steal the sense for each and everyone of us to put away all OUR DISTRACTIONS in life and just simply SPEND TIME with those we love especially THE LITTLE ONES, WE ALL ADORE!!!!!!

     So LET'S GET STARTED, IT'S TIME TO BECOME A LITTLE CHILD AGAIN AND TO SIMPLY THINK LIKE THEM!
                                    OH, and be sure and keep some
                                    of those grandma cookies handy!