Ducks Love the Rain

One Rainy Day by Tammi Salzano

Ducks love rainy days and custom scrapbook boots. 

Tea Time

"What?!? Some countries have tea parties everyday????"

I think we may have just adopted a new custom. 

Halloween Fun

Masking tape mummies, witch legs, a sticky spider web, bean bag pumpkins, charades and roll-a-monster. We stayed busy with friends!

Happy Hour

Big paper + lots of markers + relaxed day = happy everyone. 

Fall Trees

Use texture to rub crayons on coffee filters. Add fall colored paint, watered down. Dry. Make trunks while you wait. Eat pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Cut tree tops and falling leaves. 

Answer questions like, "what are these {coffee filters} really for?" Try to explain a machine you've never used and your daughter has never seen. :)

Remember to Be a Helper

Some lessons are hard to teach to the next generation. Finding age appropriate ways can be challenging, but this quote and a challenge from a group of children born on 9-11-01 is a great place to start. 

At 9-11day.org a short video shares what some of the children born on 9/11/01 want to do for their special day. They provide service and also hope. The website includes a challenge for all to find and share acts of kindness in this day often marked only in tragedy. 

We find joy in art! Especially glue sticks! We made some 9-11 art and also made a few extra sets to share with little friends. We wanted to help bring them the happiness of art therapy on a day that often brings tears.  

Daycare TrailMix

Dried mangoes

Dried blueberries

Raisins

Pretzels

Yogurt covered pretzels

Marshmallows

Peanuts

Almonds

Chocolate chips

Yogurt raisins

Chocolate raisins

(Pretty much anything from Trader Joes snack heaven aisle)

Revisiting: Sacramento Children's Museum

It has been a few years since we have been to the museum. We were annual pass holders for a year but I didn't renew because the kids weren't as excited with visiting. And I wasn't excited that large school groups were ALWAYS there, often with bigger kids and rougher behavior. 

But thanks to a thoughtful donation (free passes for 4!) we checked things out again. It was nice to see some new exhibits/play areas. 

The noodle tunnel was pretty clever though I would stand there wondering if one of mine was still wandering through or mixed up and going back another direction. 

  

The painting wall is always a huge hit, if you are lucky enough to get a spot. I think I just need to install some of this plexy onto my backyard fence. 

And always have a change of clothes for after- the water tables are more like showers for toddlers. 

Glad they had a sand box set up- kids and sand! So glad when they can enjoy it (somewhere other than my house or where I wonder how many animals have left some business behind).

Theme Week: Mexico

A short week with planned closures, but we enjoyed Mexican food, a game of Loteria and a little art history lesson. 

 

The big girls helped cover corn and flour tortillas with melted butter (I agree, lard probably would have been a little more authentic) and cinnamon sugar. Baked in a hot oven until crispy. As close as we could get to Churros. Thumbs up by all. 

Adelita, the Mexican Cinderella story, was a big hit. With follow up questions the girls worked on comparing and contrasting with the movie that came out a few months back. 

 Our homemade mini piñata a were a little anticlimactic. The string didn't rip the bottom open. But they were still fluffy and pretty with cut tissue paper. 

Peacock Party

We enjoyed an early morning at the Folsom zoo for Miss E.'s 2nd birthday. All she wanted to do was follow the "peeeeeacooooocks!" around. They didn't disappoint. 

France Week: Bonjour!

School is out. Time for a daycare staycation- this week France. 

French food:

We served French toast, crepes with homemade whip cream, baguette, chocolate croissant, Madeleine tea cookies, French fries and for dinner one night, homemade French onion soup (amazing but not beloved by the youngsters). 

Fun cheese tasting activity:

Brie was the winner and goat cheese caused scrunched noses. So proud of the kids for trying something new!

Art projects:

Art by Joel has AMAZING paper cities to print and cut. Free! But not free- you should send a donation. Talent!

Monet water lilies 

Paper square collage flag 

Make your own flag!

Eiffel Tower of straws (idea Cutting Tiny Bites)

Some of our favorite books:

Gus on the Go - a fun vocabulary app from the Apple Store is only $3.99 and very easy for the kids to play. The 6s had fun as well as Mr. 11 year old. The website also has a few free printable a that go along with it. 

Theme Week: Italy

Books we read:

Art Collage:

Alps Mountain Climber:

Tissue Paper Flag:

Foods we Tried:

Spaghetti and Meatballs, Tortellini, Risotto, Gelato, Biscotti, toast with espresso (but really, cocoa for kids) and of course, pizza. Children helped make homemade breadsticks.