Instant Costumes for playtime

Steph and Kayleigh are Movie Stars!

Doctor: Grab a white jacket, a stethoscope, a disposable dust mask, a bottle of jelly bean pills an a pair of glasses. 

Superhero: Don a cape ( use a towel and safety pin) and eye mask, a felt S pinned to a T-shirt, and a pair of blue tights or long underwear. 

Princess: Drape yourself in everthing fancy, pin on ribbon and lace, stick on rhinestones, wear a tiara.

Deep- Sea Diver: put on your swimsuit, snorkel mask and fins. Jump into your pool or bathtub.

Let the kids imaginations soar, but looking thru the closets to find instant play day costumes!

ASL word of the day...popsicle

 

Popsicle / Ice Cream:  R.J. wants to eat a Popsicle.

• (represents eating a popsicle/ice cream) Pulling the right S hand toward the mouth with a downward twist a few times. The tongue may also be shown.

bear tales...Which?

Which?
joyce l brisley

Whenever I'm walking in the wood
I'm never certain whether I should
Shuffle along where the dead leaves fall
or walk as if I'm not there at all

It's nice to rustle as hard as you can
But I can't decide if it's nicer than
Creeping along, while the woodbirds call
Pretending you are not there at all!

Hands on learning...spiders

To catch it's dinner, a spider spins a sticky silk web for insects to land on.
Question: why doesn't the spider get stuck? Some think that the spider uses a oily liquid to cover it feet.

Try this: 

• Have your child rub a bit of shortening on their fingertips. 
• Place a long strip of tape (sticky side up) on a table
• Use the shorter pieces to tape down the ends.
• Now your child can easily walk his fingers the length of the strip.

lost day

A Day is Lost

if one has not laughed!

traveling fun

Renee  is off to Philadelphia and Chicago this week to see what is new in the craft world! 

If your stuck in traffic  and need a change of pace, try these games:
Sharpen your wits... Kids love to bet how much or how far or how many. Ask them to guess the number of french fries are on your plate or maybe how quickly you can walk to the car.
Friendly competition: Want a moment to think? Hold a 5 minute quiet contest or challenge the kids to a race.

ASL word of the day...EAT

Eat n. To take food into the mouth and swallow it for nourishment:
Austin and Bekkah love to eat.

• (putting food in the mouth) Bring the fingertips of the right flattened O hand, palm facing in, to the lips with a repeated movement.

Whirligigs are a prairie toy

 prairie doll with stick horse and patchwork blanket.

you can purchase these items on reneesworkshop.com

During the 1800's while many families crossed the plains on their way to the west, children needed to play with simple toys made from things that Mom might of had on the wagon.Toys like the cloth doll pictured above, tops, and the whirligig. The whirligig is simple to make from some string and a button. I find the bigger the button, the better it works

• Thread the string through the button hols and tie the ends to make a loop. The loop should be as long as your shoulders are wide.
• Hold the ends of the loop so that the button hands between your hands. 
• Swing the button around in one direction to wind up the string
• Once the string is wound up, quickly pull both ends of the loop outward at the same time. 
• Move your hands together and apart. 
• Then button will keep spinning and humming!

Bear Tales...A Strange Beast

A Strange Beast
carl s. junge

The Malay Tapir it is claimed
Is Most appropriately named
Yet stanger than its tapered shape
Is what at first seems like a cape
Of white unpon a blackish hide
Draped on its back and down each side
When this strange coat we now compare
To coats the junior tapirs wear
It's rather tame, since these young tots
Wear coats make up of stripes and spots

Banana Dog Snack

Who's the banana dog now Uncle Chad?

This is a great wholesome snack that is easy to make.

• Spread a whole grain hot dog bun with peanut butter
• Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
• Top with a whole peeled banana 
• Squiggle on some of your favorite jam

Have some milk with it to make it a wholesome meal

(make a banana burrito by using a tortilla instead of the bun)

make it yourself CHALK

This Version of Chalk is perfect for sidewalk use

• Mix 2 parts plaster of paris with 1 part warm water
• Add powdered tempera paint to get the desired color
• Line a toilet paper tube with wax paper ( use one for each color)
• Seal one end with tape and pour mixture in tube
• Tap the tube to release bubbles.
• Let harden

Knowledge

If you have Knowledge

Let others

Light their candles by it

Table Top Hockey

Here is a quick and easy game for when the kids are bored. This is perfect for this time of year as it is Berry season and you can get the  plastic berry baskets needed for this game. You might have one in your refrigerator now.

• Cut a plastic berry basket box in half. 
• Invert one half and set it on one end of the table. 
• Now your kids can line up at the opposite end and try to score by flicking button pucks into the "net"

ASL word of the day...swim

SWIM v. to move through the water by moving the arms, legs tail or fin.
Sariah does not get to swim this summer.(related form: swimming n)

• (Demonstrates the movement of the hands when swiming) Beginning with the fingers of both open hands crossed in front of the chest, palm facing down, move the hands apart to each side with a double movement.

Bigger Bubbles

make a giant bubble wand and a batch of bubbles from  things you have at home

You will need:
cotton twine
drinking straws
scissors
liquid dishwashing soap
light corn syrup
shallow tub

What to do:
Thread cotton twine through two straws (cut off any flexible section of the straws) and bend to make a rectangle , knot and trim excess

To make bubble mixture:

• 10 cups water
• 4 cups dishwashing soap
• 1 cup corn syrup
• mix in a shallow tub and stir 

Keeping the blower slack, dip in mixture and lift out.
Pull tight and blow
( this could take some practice)

Bear Tales...The Dryad

The Drayad
rowena bennett

A dryad lives inside this tree
   I'm sure it must be so
For I can hear her whispering
   When summer breezes blow
And I can see her flowing hair
   Flash green-gold  in the sun
As she nods to all the shadowy things
   That hug her feet or run
Along the edges of the wind
   At night her leafy locks are pinned
With silver stars, and on her wrist
She wears the new moon in a twist

Snack Mix

6 cups toasted whole grain wheat flake cereal
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 packae (6oz) butterscotch pieces
1 can (6 1/2 oz) peanuts
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted

Into a large bowl, measure cereal, sugar, butterscotch pieces and peanuts.
Mix with hands, coarsely crumbling cereal.
Drizzle with margarine;
Toss.
Spoon individual servings into small plastic bags
24 servings ( about 1/4 cup each)

Tour your own city

You don't have to be on vacation to have some special family time. With a little creativity and imagination you can have a memorable getaway without ever leaving town...  
You just have to pretend you are a tourist. 

• Call your chamber of commerce or visitor's bureau for local brochures and maps to area attractions
• Take a nature walk at a local park, conservation area or reservoir
• Hop aboard a train, trolley, bus or subway just for the fun of it
• Look in the phone book for your area attractions
• Check you local paper for weekly activities

Have a great time learning about your own city!

Bekah and RJ at the children's muesuem

summer day

A rainbow tinted dawn,
a lush, green forest;
Kite tails riding the wind of a summer's day
These are the scenes
that steal our hearts away.
    catherine otero


Tim and the kids on the ferry from Alaska

Icy Free for all game

 Here's a fun game to play in the pool to help you cool off.

• For each team, nestle a large plastic bowl or small pail in the center of an inflated pool doughnut and set it afloat in the pool ( if using a small blowup pool, place the buckets outside the pool and toss the cubes in)
• Once every one is in the water, dump a large bag (or two) of ice cubes into the center of the pool
• The team that gets the most cubes in its bucket within 3 minutes wins the game.

ASL word of the day...Watermelon

Watermelon n. A large, edible melon with a hard green rind and juicy red or pink pulp

• (water and melon) Tap the index finger side of the right W hand, palm facing left, against the chin with a double movement. Then with a double movement flick the middle finger of the right 8 hand, palm facing down, off the back of the left S hand, palm facing down, bouncing the right hand up slightly each time.

Marble Magnets

Marble Magnets

These are super easy to make and fun for the kids to make for "I'm Bored time", group activities, & reunions. They also make great gifts.

• Flat Clear Marbles (comes in 3-4 different sizes)
• Pictures 
• Scrapbook paper
• Stickers (optional)
• Clear Gel glue ( mod podge leaves a cloudy look)
• Magnets
• E6000 glue to glue magnets on back of marble

Cut picture or paper to fit by tracing around edge of marble

Spread clear glue on flat side of marble

Add picture/ paper so it is facing upward

let dry

Glue magnet to back with E6000 glue. (This is my personal favorite glue for permanent hold)

Let dry and you have some fun new magnets for you refrigerator or magnet boards.

Bear Tales....Boredom

Boredom
mildred bowers armstrong

I can't blow bubbles.
I haven't any pipe
I can't eat apples
They haven't turned ripe
If  I sit quiet for an hour or two
Will the Fairy Queen come
    to tell me what to do?

Homemade gelatin pops

There is nothing better after a game of tennis

than to have a homemade ice pop... yummy!!

Mix 1 small package of flavored gelatin and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl
Add 1 cup boiling water and stir until the mixture is dissolved.
Stir in 1 1/3 cups of cold water
Pour into molds or cups and freeze for about 4 hours
You can use small paper cups or ice cup molds
( to hold your craft sticks better, cover cup with aluminum foil and insert the stick through the covering.
To remove pop from the mold, briefly run the mold under hot tap water.
It makes 10 small paper cups or 6 ice pop molds

Water Squirtball

This game  is a one on one water showdown.
Players win points by squirting a beach ball over an opponents goal line.
You can use soaker typer guns or garden hoses with piston type nozzles.
Designate two end zones in the yard using cones, firsbees, lawn chairs or what ever you have.

• Each player takes a nozzle 
• The ref turns on the water
• Now the players try to blast the beach ball over the opponents goal line while preventing the ball from crossing their own.

Happy Fourth of July

LET FREEDOM RING!!

Thanks to all those who have served our country to give us freedom and those who continue to protect that freedom.

Strawberry Time

Roll out the family and enjoy some strawberry time

Want a fun afternoon, then go to a "pick your own" fruit farm. You will want to bring towels, wipes, drinks, snacks and a container to put our fruit in. Wear old clothes and comfy sneakers. Don't forget to wear a hat and sunscreen. go to:www.pickyourown.org/statelist.htm  to find a farm near you.

Fun Facts

• The strawberry belongs to the genus Fragraria in the rose family
• The strawberry is not classified by botanists as a true berry. True berries, such as blueberries and cranberries have seeds inside.
• Native American Indians called strawberries "heart seed berries"

Strawberry Gelatin

Mix in a blender:

3 cups strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Strain mixture and pour into a small saucepan

In a bowl pour 2 packets unflavored gelatin over 1 cup cold water and let the mixture stand for 5 minutes. 

Heat the strained liquid until it's just starting to boil, then stir it into the gelatin mixture

Pour the gelatin into a 8 x 8 glass pan and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Frozen Yogurt

Here's an easy  way to make your own strawberry frozen treat. 

Freeze 2 cups fresh strawberries. Combine the berries with 6 ounces nonfat french vanilla yougurt in a food processor, then blend until smooth. 

Serve immediately. 

ENJOY!

ASL word of the day...Baby

Baby n. A very young child: I will hold the baby in my arms.
same sign for : infant

• Action of rocking a baby in one's arms...With the bent right arm cradled on the bent left arm, both palms facing up, swing the arms to the right and the left in front of the body with a double movement.

chase the dog game

To get started...Grab your friends, a basketball and a bandanna tucked in everyone's pocket. ( to resemble a tail). While staying in a designated area and continually dribbling their balls, players try to grab each others bandannas. As soon as a player loses his "tail", he is out. The game continues until only one child, "the top dog" is left with his tail.