Bird Nesting Orbs

Today is my Daddy's birthday. Still active and doing it all after all these years. (I told you before that my daddy knows all, does all and can beat up your daddy . . . much like . . . Superman!) 

Along with so many other things, he enjoys bird watching and has several bird feeders in the yard. Since they live out in the country, he constantly has to come up with ideas to keep racoons, squirrels and other critters away from the feeders. That's alright, I believe he enjoys the challenge. And thus far, I believe, he has been winning the battles.

Since he is such a bird enthusiast, we decided to make him some nesting orbs to hang in his yard.

Materials- 20-22 gauge wire, scrap pieces of yarn, ribbon, cloth, felt, cotton and anything else soft, a soft ball about the size of a tennis ball.

Procedure-
1. Wrap the wire around the ball to make an orb shape.
2. Squeeze the ball and pull out of the orb and then reshape the wire.
3. Fill the orb with your materials.
4. Hang in trees for the birds to discover.

Gnome Hats and a Nursing Home

My mom lives in a complex for elderly and disabled folks. On pleasant days, most of the residents migrate outside to sit on their porches. My little mister looks forward to these days because suddenly, he has innumerable grandparents. They dote on him something awful. He, in return, bats his long eyelashes, gives high fives and hearty handshakes. Scribbles on paper are often exchanged for candy and various other treats.

I have noticed Little Mister is the only visitor that some receive for long stretches of time. It breaks my heart. How lonely they must be at times. This got me thinking about others that may suffer this same fate and what we might do to spread a few smiles. We decided to visit a nursing home and take along some homemade treats!

Rylee's Gnome Hats:

Bugles stuffed with peanut butter with the bottoms dipped in chocolate.

What's My Name

Of course Little Mister knows his name but, we are trying to recognize it in print. For some odd reason, my little guy knows the letters T, O and E. He points them out on everything. However, when you ask him to spell toe, he cocks his head to the side and says, "Huh?". HeeHee, I have to laugh because I am so blessed!

Objective- Recognizes first name in print (MS Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers: Language Development 1.3.4)

Materials- File folder, letter stamps, paint, card stock, glue, scissors

Procedure-
1. Stamp letters of first name on card stock several times and cut out for game pieces.
2. Stamp letters of name across the top of another page and glue the page inside the file folder.
3. Stamp "Name Game" across the front of the file folder.
4. Glue an envelop inside the folder to hold your game pieces.

Once everything is dry, let the play begin.

I mixed up the game piece letter, he then placed the corresponding letter on top of the matching letter on the paper. He loved it and screamed RYLEE every time he completed placing the letters of his name. He then wiped them away and did it again!

We also did some watercolor resist with his name! Simply use white crayons on white paper and paint away to discover what's underneath. 

It's Raining . . . Rocks

Well, it's still raining and we are getting a severe case of cabin fever around here! With all this inside-time on my hands I have been trying, rather unsuccessfully, to inventory all our craft items and get them straightened out AGAIN. During this process, I found a box of rocks that we collected on our last trip to the creek. I thought, it's raining cats and dogs outside, why not rain rocks inside? So, we poured, scooped and moved our treasured rocks around with tongs for over 2 hours. I'd say it was a successful distraction. Not to mention a tune-up for Little Mister's motor skills.

A Country Zoo

On our way to Aunt Tina's house, we pass by a virtual country zoo. Absolute bare necessities for a little boy who loves animals. First, we saw goats and chickens. Then, we passed cows and horses. Little Mister wanted to get out and ride the cows. Yes, I said cows not horses! When I told him that the cows would probably not appreciate that, he announced we should "open the gate and cows go to beach." As you might imagine, this sparked a few interesting story lines that you may hear about at a later date.

His favorite part of this particular visit to the country zoo was mooing at the cows. We all laughed until our sides hurt and cheeks ached. Our impressions ran from sick to mad to psycho. Not one of us can boast of speaking fluent cow. However, we had a great time trying. Best of all, it was free.

chickens running for cover ... it started to rain

Get Better Cards

I am a cancer survivor! 

In the mid-90's I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I received 6 months of chemotherapy and 24 radiation treatments and won my battle after a long and difficult struggle! Currently, Little Mister has two Aunts battling with cancer, my sister and one of my husband's sisters! One is currently in the hospital and the other just got home a few days ago! It is hard for him to understand that we can't go see her today because she is sick! So, we decided to make some Get Well cards and talked happily about his aunts as we worked on each!

Bare Necessities

Sometimes in life, it's the bare necessities that seem to sooth the soul or make a merry heart! 

As parents, sometimes we get trapped in the buy-a-toy craze to make our children smile! We want them to have the latest gadget or the newest fad! When in reality, a big box would do just as well... or often times, be of much greater fun! So, this week, I encourage you to put aside your schedules, turn off the technology and just play! Bake cookies, make a wooden boat and go sailing, build a tent in the living room or chase birds on the beach! Have some family fun! It's the simple pleasures that will make the most lasting memories! Cherish the times you have with your little ones ... much too soon they will be grown!

Chasing birds at Paw-paw's beach

Colored flashlight under out living room tent

  

Boat Racing with Daddy!