What is the Weather like Today....On Jupiter

This week we began our new monthly unit about weather. Who doesn't love this theme? Mother Goose Time has us all prepared to delve into sensory play with all things wet and dry. We will be learning about dealing with and getting excited for personal change and change in the seasons and weathering the storms we experience.

We kicked off the week with a trip to the Adler Planetarium. If you find yourself in the Chicagoland area with a space-loving child, you should check it out! We happened to have this little trip on an exceptionally warm Fall day. All this to say, we turned our space exploration trip into a weather inspired field trip.

Prior to going on our trip, I flipped through the lesson plans for the first week and saw we would be able to incorporate our learning about the sun, wind and clouds into our trip. In the days prior to our trip, we made artwork of the sun and moon and discussed their places in our solar system and the importance that the sun has had on making our earth habitable. Then we practiced our comparing and contrasting and ordering by size with our bear manipulatives and coordinating colorful kites. This also created a great fine motor cutting practice opportunity. We made "wind-formed" art with straws, paint, leaves and more. We read one of our favorites, It Looked Like Spilt Milk and made our own cloudy art.

When we arrived at the planetarium, there were models of the sun and moon, (wind powered) rocket making stations, and an IMAX movie experience that mentioned weather on the different planets. Secretly, as I wandered about the tourists, space fanatics and coffee-fueld parents, I beamed. I had prepared to get more than just a two hour run around the museum experience from this trip. I had prompted questions, I had planted ideas, excitement and fuel to for my son to get the most out of this day with our Mother Goose Time lessons.

As we left, we walked along Lake Michigan discussing how the wind impacts the water and how my son really needed to check his pinwheel when he got home. We have been using Mother Goose Time for a year now, and this month we are lucky to receive it in exchange for sharing our experience. It has helped make so many experiences, moments and days brighter; and I am glad to have it as part of our educational experience.

When Learning Something Sparks New Curiousity About Everything

This week, we wrapped up our unit on My Amazing Body with Mother Goose Time. We have touched on everything from our senses to our bones, and our heads to our feet. For us, this unit sparked a strong newfound interest in the brain. He wants to know how our brains work, what we do to make our brains work, what our brains do with out us realizing and how our brains can work differently from one another.

This is one of the reasons why I love Mother Goose Time. It propels new interests and creates questions in a natural way. My son and I both created a self-portraits from simple materials in the Mother Goose Time kit, but then it prompted to ask why I had made myself with a blue shirt, because I wasn't wearing a blue shirt at the time. I told him that my interests and likes influence how I portrayed myself. He then went full blown orange explosion on his self-portrait. My son often sees the world in a literal way and relies on those around him following rules and being predictable. I'm glad that I was able to have an conversation with him about using my mind and imagination to create a picture of myself that made me happy. It was organic.

We also worked on fine motor lacing and pattern cards with the monthly manipulatives. Because we were already talking about our brains and bodies, I used this as an opportunity to explain that these are fun ways to teach are brains to do things that will help us grow faster and smarter. I also talked about how my body and my son's might work a little differently. He might have a stronger memory and I might run faster.

After that, it was full on questions about the brain, our senses and why we like different things or do things differently. I utilized two extra Usborne books to delve a bit deeper. We looked at a lift the flap book called, Look Inside Your Body and the sticker book called, My First Book About Me. The first really spoke to the scientific part of my son's mind. He loved seeing inside of the body and seeing how everything is interconnected. He was fascinated to know that our brain sends signals to our heart to beat or our lungs to breathe, without us having to think about it all day. He enjoyed labeling body parts and talking about our feelings in the sticker book.

Overall, we had a fabulous month delving inside My Amazing Body with Mother Goose Time. We were so lucky to have received this month's box in exchange for sharing our honest, personal experience.

How I Don't Stay Organized...and I Am Okay with That

I am a disorganized person. I literally had gloves with a long strand of yarn fed through the arms of my winter jacket until I was 12. My mom was just completely over buying three to four pairs of gloves a year.

My disorganization probably is a bit due to my ADHD diagnosis and a bit my personality. My brain works like a run-on sentence. I have ideas for businesses, blogs and how to be a better parent constantly jumping around in there. No joke, I did a load of dishes between the third and fourth paragraph of this blog. Being a toddler mom has probably brought my disorganization to an award winning level.

Not only am I a toddler mom, but also a mom who is supplementing education at home. As of this blog, I have officially used the Mother Goose Time curriculum for one year. Last year I prepared myself for the experience. I reread old textbooks, I got the Melissa and Doug work table, I ran out and bought poster boards to create a tidy work space that I decided would be most conducive to my son's learning. I bought extra decorations and "flair" from OrientalTrading.com. It was so shiny and new. It continued to look that way until about January.

What my son loves most about life and Mother Goose Time is the creativity of it all, the art, the mess the dance moves and the total immersion into a world of learning by doing. So around the new year, we continued discussing the calendar and weather with the poster board, but I realized that laying out the games, puzzles, I can Read books and other items across the living room floor was more his style; and in a way, more my style.

I realized that using an old baking sheet on the kitchen table and painting himself blue with a toothbrush, while pointing out how he's using the different senses that we've discussed in our month's unit, is more his style. I began to appreciate the open ended projects and prompts that Mother Goose Time has pre-organized for my and my son. My son loves when I tell him about the artist or style that Mother Goose has introduced to us, but he also then loves to make "Adrian's style." We are so lucky that this month we have received the curriculum box in exchange for sharing our experience.

I encourage any preschool parent to check out Mother Goose Time. You don't need the perfect poster board (Although you get everything you need with this curriculum) or the special toddler desk to invest in your child's education and entertainment. Plus, Mother Goose Time basically does most of the organized for you, with individually wrapped projects and daily activities. No special yarn and glove contraption required!

How to be a Toddler Teaching Parent

Are you talking to, reading to, cleaning with and cooking in front of your toddlers? You are the natural teacher and they are the natural learner.

During preschool years children are able to learn volumes through natural experiences. With so little, they create, explore, and discover. Your job is to foster a love of learning, an awareness of the world and put educational items in their path when they show interest and readiness. 

• Just read. Read 3 books or 30, there is no right amount; but for the most part more is better. Read what they want to read. If they only want to read Splat the Cat today and it drives you bonkers, read about the darn cat for a half hour then go scream into a pillow. It's worth it. If your toddler wants to take out 10 library books, just do it! You will have the occasional late fee, you won't regret later. When they are 18 months to 2 years, start pointing out words, asking beginning sounds of common words. "Buddy, Splat is a Cat, right? What sound does cat start with? 'Kuh,' 'Kuh' cat. The C is cat says 'Kuh.'" They are picking it up, I swear. One day they will spell cat with refrigerator magnets, and it will blow your mind. 

•  Invest in products that don't light up or make a ton of noise. Invest in products that your children can create with, make mistakes, use again and use in different ways. We happen to get a monthly curriculum mailed to our house called Mother Goose Time. with Mother Goose Time, I essentially feel like you can replace all the little crafts, small toys and bits that add up over time. This is because the box has a month's worth of crafts, manipulatives that can be used for STEM fun, stories, puzzles, writing and more. Since we don't exclusively homeschool, we have treated this subscription as a fun and educational addition to our routine. This month, we have a received Mother Goose Time in exchange for sharing our experiences with the product.

•  Create a routine. While we all have bedtime routines, our kids often crave and benefit from anticipating certain activities. Have a story time with breakfast one day a week or sticker box experience after lunch. It's fun and gives a sense of order and calm to lots of kids in a very stimulating world.

• The library has free stuff. Story time, music time, weekly crafts. If you decide to use Mother Goose Time, they will even give you a super simple library list of books that work with the theme. Go get your free stuff.

• Let your child make mistakes. As the parent of a child who is strong-willed, and prone to intense emotions; I have learned the importance of encouraging trial and error, letting kids lose a game and being wrong sometimes. This month with Mother Goose Time, we talked about Our Amazing Bodies. We did everything from paint and brush giant teeth to make instruments to tease our senses. During one art project where my son was expected to decorate and lace together a bejeweled crown, I asked him to place two dots of glue and two jewels on each triangle that was in front of him. I told him that I was hoping we could practice counting by twos. As he was working, I pointed out that a couple had three jewels. It's not a big deal I know, and maybe to some, not worth mentioning, but I want my son to practice following directions so that soon, he can complete the things he enjoys independently. He wasn't happy that I pointed it out, he said I "should have said some two, some three!" I told him that it was okay, and next time I will give him a reminder or ask him to help me pick the number. In fact, I get two sets of Mother Goose Time art projects (a small cost difference) so that we can have fun, make mistakes and have more chances to learn.
  

• Find out if a friend or spouse has a free or discounted membership through their job to local museums, gardens etc. Or find out about free community days. We LOVE our local botanic garden. My son rolls down hills and I take home free seeds for my garden. 

• Go on Meetup.com and Facebook and add yourself to home schooling groups, mom or dad groups. There are a ton. Some are lame. Some are awesome. Go to a meet up. Your kid might find you a new friend and that friend might have new ideas for you. If you give a mom a meet up, she will find a mom to drink coffee with and talk about lack of showering with.

Apple Picking and Painting Apples

Apple picking has been a tradition in my family for over twenty years. Every year we drive from our home in Illinois to a small town in Wisconsin to pick a variety of apples, take a hay ride and buy delicious cider and donuts. This year is no different.

However, this year we are turning this into a bit of a field trip for our preschooler. Because...everything is pretty much a field trip these days. So before we went, we used our Mother Goose Time curriculum box to pull in more educational elements. This month our curriculum kit is themed around Our Amazing Body. We have talked about body parts, our senses and more thus far. Along the way we've practiced writing skills, recorded observations and made multiple art projects.

One art project that happened to line up nicely was an exploration into pointillism. We defined the style of art, looked at an example and proceeded to make out own apple tree paintings inspired by the movement. Mother Goose Time provided the inspiration photo, information, pom pom balls and clothespins. We used these items and then to take it one step further, made a second painting with single and grouped together Q-tips, for a different effect. I like to talk to my son while he's painting about how the art ties into the bigger picture of our month. We talked about how apples keep our bodies healthy and how we can use our senses when explore the orchard and eat the apples.

This month we enjoyed a curriculum box in exchange for sharing our fun experiences, Mother Goose Time provides an amazing list of books that I've been grabbing from our local library to read alongside our lessons. Between projects, reading and the apple orchard experience, my so was able to have a multi-faceted experience that not only resonated as a family outing, but prompted more questions and investigating!

The Year of No Glitter

So this summer we went to the pool a whopping four times. You might be saying, Nicole that's pretty good! Well, it would be great if we didn't pay for the all summer pass and lessons. Ugh! Most of this summer it was cool, or rainy, or it randomly got warm enough to swim at my child's bedtime or we had a cold. It was kind of a bummer.

I had to compensate with a lot of play dough, paint and baking projects. That's fine, but I think I've hit a wall and it isn't even Fall yet. I have an entire Midwest winter filled with kinetic sand and glue sticks to get through. So before the first day of September even passes, I am banning glitter. I'm done with it, it's evil. It can't be contained in a baking pan or a plastic box or the bathtub, so I am saying no thanks.

I've decided we will still do art projects and have messy time, but I'm allowed to ban glitter and anything that involves bathing or vacuuming after five minutes of play. So I wanted to share some of my latest cleaner alternatives for passing the time and engaging in creative play.


1. A Mother Goose Time monthly box.
This box comes with 20 + days of activities, music, art projects, manipulatives, books, puzzles and more. I have used this box for it's intended purpose as a homeschool curriculum, but I have also taken it apart as well. I have 2-3 of the art projects sitting ready to go in an old plastic container in my kitchen. If we need an activity while I am making dinner, I pull out one of the activities and within a few minutes my son is set creating, doing puzzles, following patterns and more. While I work, we talk about what he is doing and I ask him the questions provided by Mother Goose Time that correspond to that lesson or project. Some projects do include some messy play and even the occasional speck of glitter, but here is a secret....I don't use it. That's what so great about this box, you can follow a lesson plan to the letter or use the items in the way that best fits your educational or recreational style.

2.  Inexpensive items from the Dollar section at Target
A place mat with all the continents and animals from those areas is a conversation piece that cost me $1. I won't cry if it gets ruined. Gel clings that occupy my son and do not require a magic eraser; worth a dollar if you ask me. Oh, and even better are plastic containers from snack packs of cookies. I have a bag full of them. Fill them with paint for a Mother Goose Time project and then toss them when you are done.

3. Color Wonder Mess Free Markers
Markers and paper that cost more than normal markers and paper but are awesome. Especially if you keep them in a closet and make it a special item.


4. Kwik Stix Paint Markers
When I can't even bring myself to squeeze paint from the bottle or break out the water colors, I use these. They are amazing. They give you the coverage of acrylic paint without any liquid mess. We used them to make a Mother Goose Time project and they worked perfectly on my son's paper bag animal puppet.

5.  Wikki Stix
We received these in our complimentary August Mother Goose Time box and I am sold. Little wax sticks that can be shaped into almost anything. My son wanted to use them to spell out his name. Yes please. I am so excited to bring these to restaurants and overnights at grandparents.

I hope these tips have been helpful in finding some creative, stress-free tools for the cooler months ahead. I'd love to hear your tips for projects that don't involve crying during cleanup!
        

Walk Around the Block Challenge

I spend a lot of time as a parent and educator trying to plan the next entertaining activity for my preschooler. We've been to water parks, botanic gardens, beaches, play places, classes and more. I'm glad that I've done this and don't regret it but sometimes I wonder if do to my own anxiety and those pesky social media posts infiltrating my coffee-fueled brain at 1 am, if I could take it down a notch. My son seeks out a lot of movement and activity to stay regulated, but does that mean daily organized entertainment is a requirement? I don't know. Recently I thought, maybe this Wednesday I won't put on my top hat and sparkly leotard for the motherhood song and dance, and we will just walk around the block.

So starting last week, we decided that every Wednesday we would walk or take a tricycle ride around the block after lunch. We would take our time. I wouldn't roll my eyes if my son HAD to stop to collect three perfect pine cones or see how close he could get to a squirrel before it ran up a tree. These are real important elements to a walk, by the way.

On our first trek around the block, we saw a police car. My son remembered how we talked about police officers and their role as peacemakers in our community. This month, we have been discussing super heroes, their powers and the real heroes in society with our Mother Goose Time curriculum box. My son waved "Hi" and we peddled along to a tree that had been cut into pieces on the side of the street. He stopped, got off of the tricycle and examined the rings and took note that one piece looked like a boot print. He asked what these trees would be used for and if they would be recycled or made into paper. Another school topic from Mother Goose Time.

At this point, I'm pretty sure the Michigan-based company has a GPS on me and knows what topics and craft projects to send based on what questions my child is going to ask....

We then stopped to look at some beautiful flowers that are planted every year by a lovely women in down the block. We see orange, yellow and pink. Two of the flowers have different types of beetles on them. So we take pictures of the beetles to look up later, obviously. We stop to talk to a neighbor pushing her napping son in a stroller and show off our R2D2 helmet, which for some reason reminds both of us that we need to go back 20 feet and find three perfect pine cones.

When we get home, I happened to have a peace symbol project set up. Of course my son needs to replicate the colors of the flowers he saw on the walk to make the Mother Goose Time project perfect. I'm so glad we received the box this month in exchange for sharing our experience.

I challenge you, now that school schedules are getting started, activities are underway and that eclipse is over, to walk or ride around your block with your preschooler. I was pleasantly surprised by the observations we made and the questions it prompted.