Being 2 means...

 having lots of

                             UPs                                  &                      DOWNs

I have mixed feelings about summer break being over.
Sometimes it's nice to have extra time with your kids.
I mean, they won't be kids forever, right?
At the same time, it's nice when school starts again and a schedule is established.
Plus, grocery shopping with 3 kids, while 8 months pregnant... not fun!

The 2 year old definitely does not like being left behind!

Summer Houses

The holidays are just so crazy!
It's often hard to sqeeze in each and every fun tradition that you and your kids want to do.
So, I thought it would be fun to make gingerbread SUMMER HOUSES.
One more fun thing to do in the summer and one less thing to do at Christmastime!
Perfect!

Cardboard box fort

Had an odd shaped box laying around.
So, we turned it into a little playhouse.
They weren't too interested in decorating the outside to look like a real house, like I suggested.
But, it was very important to have a sunroof / lookout widow!
The inside did get decorated with a tv and video games though.
Only the essentials!

Summer Reading List

Thought I'd pass this list along. It was complied by a friend of mine who is currently a reading tutor.
These are her recommendations. Some I've read, so I have not.
My kids love to read and be read to.
We try to hit the library about once a week. (There is one about 5 min. from our house.)
So, it's always good to have new ideas.

Picture Books
When Sophie Gets Angry
LaRue For Mayor
Skippyjon Jones
Click Clack Moo
Dooby Dooby Moo
Science Verse
Math Curse (has problems for the kids to solve)
Walter the Farting Dog
Squids Will Be Squids
Hooray For Diffendoorfer Day
Chicka Chicka 1 2 3
Chicka Chicka A B C
Piggies
Big Plans
The Touch of the Master's Hands
The Missing Piece Meets the Big O
Pricilla and the Pink Planet
How Do Dinosaurs...
The Giving Tree
Tuesday
Duck For President
Grace for President (great for teaching about elections)
Purplicious
The Day I Became a Pirate
Pirates Don't Change Diapers
What Pete Ate
I Can Be Anything


Workbooks
Summer Bridge series or Brain Quest Series
Primary journals (available at Walmart) to write an entry every day


Early Readers (30 minutes a day recommended)
Step Into Reading books level 1 (not Fancy Nancy though)
Hop on Pop
Fox in Socks
Cat in the Hat
Go Dogs Go
Easy Readers for Dr. Seuss series

Grades 2 - 3 (30 minutes a day recommended)
Junie B Jones series
Frog & Toad
The Magic Treehouse series
Step into reading level 2 and 3
Amelia Bedelia
Super Fly Guy

Grades 3 - 5 (30 minutes a day recommended)
Clementine
Star Girl
Matilda
BFG
James and the Giant Peach
Lemonade Wars
Lawn Boy
Hoot
Time Warp Trio books
Stink
Grades 5 -7 (30 minutes a day recommended)
Wrinkle in Time Series
Tuck Everlasting
The Bronze Bow
Prom
The Little Prince
Star Girl series

My 7 year old has gone through the Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones series. Now he's onto Beast Quest, but he doesn't have many more of those left. We'll need a new series soon.

Are there any books or series that you recommend?

How Cool is This Guy?

Came across this blog a few days ago.

He has some really unique cutout things.

I love how everything is so simple yet creative.

Check him out.

We'll be making these to take when the boys need to sit still for a while and have something to do.

(car rides, restaurants, etc...) Did I just say restaurants? Hmmm... Can't remember the last time...

Building Discs

Are your boys into helicopters? This one looks and fun too.

One more. There are other fun things on his site. These were just some of my favorites.

This is a great tool for those learning their letters. You could really use it as a learning tool for almost anything your child needs to work on. And, it's practically free. It's made of rocks! This guy is clever!

We'll be working on something really fun this weekend.

If all goes well, I'll post an awesome boy project on Monday!

Disguise Kit

Found this cute printable on another blog.

The boys had fun being silly with these.

Print the disguise kit here.

Cheerios = Sanity

Who knew a jar of Cheerios could help me keep my sanity this summer?

I know plenty of moms who do things similar.

This is just my "I'm a cheapskate" version.

Take kids to the dollar store and let them pick a few prizes.

Go home and hide them in your closet.

Pick a behavior or attitude that you would like your child to improve on.

Everytime they display that type of positive behavior, put a few Cheerios in a jar.

When it's full, give them a prize.

Repeat.  

Either with the same behavior or pick a new one to work on.

Right now we are working on doing things the 1st time I ask!

I find it best to just work on one specific goal at a time. And, I don't take Cheerios out for bad behavior.

I try to keep it positive.

Sometimes I will say, "That could have earned you Cheerios, maybe next time,"

when they don't display the positive behavior I'm looking for.

Does anyone have a behavior changing idea?

GAK Attack

We liked making and playing with the OOBLECK so much, that I searched around for something similar.

This time we made GAK.

It's just 3 ingredients and not as messy as the oobleck.

I'm sure we'll make it again.

I even let the 2 year old play with it... outside that is.

Ingredients:
1 cup Elmer's glue
Food coloring (optional)
1 cup liquid starch (found near the spray starch & laundry detergent)

Mix glue and food coloring in a plastic container.
Add the liquid starch a little at a time. You can stir with your fingers or with a spoon.
Soon, the mixture will resemble putty.
If it's too sticky, just add a little more starch until it's a nice rubbery consistency.

Border's Free Book Program

We did this last year.

C & E both got a free book!

E wasn't reading yet, but I just read to him and still got the free book.

The website lists several free books to choose from,

but last year there were way more choices in each age category.

I'm thinking that when we get to the store, they will have more choices.

Click here to download the form and check out the program.

*p.s. if your kids like reading, check out your local library.

they may have a similar summer reading program.

we have done one with our local library for several years.

they get lots of prizes, coupons and a free book every year.

E even did it when he was only 2 years old.*

FREEZE DANCE

This is a great game.

All you need is some music
and
some
kids!

Turn on some music and let them dance!
(which for boys usually means karate chops, jumping off the couch, front rolls, air kicks...)

Then, when the music stops, they freeze!

We did this a lot last year when I did a co-op preschool with some other moms.

It was a good way to kill time constructively while we waited for their moms to pick them up.

Variation: Take turns being a leader. Everyone has to copy your dance moves.

Failed Attempt

Well, here's how it went down...

My first grader had a half day (out of school @ noon).

So, for a week, we had planned on going swimming at our community pool.

The boys need to brush up on their swimming skills to get ready for summer swim team.

It had been in the 90s for over a week.

Wouldn't you know it, we woke up to cloudy skies, wind blowing and a high of 65 degrees!

Can't really complain, 65 feels awesome, but not in a swimming pool!

So, I had a little project I've been wanting to try.

Perfect day to do that, right?

We went to 4 stores trying to find the right kind of water bottle.

We never did find them!

But, I thought I'd post the project anyway.

Hopefully I'll find the right water bottle one of these days... or maybe you will...

Here it is:

HOVERCRAFT

Materials:

- balloon

- glue or duct tape- CD

- spout from water or juice bottle (not just any spout - it has to be the kind with the pop top, or maybe it's called a sports top?)

Instructions:

Glue the spout over the center of the CD. You can use craft glue, or a hot glue gun. Masking tape or duct tape would work too, but be sure the seal is air tight.

Push the spout down so that it is closed and no air can pass through.

Blow up the balloon. Don't tie it! Carefully stretch it so that it is over the spout.

Hold the bottom of the balloon in place with one hand. With the fingers of the other hand, carefully lift open the spout.

 The air in the balloon with be forced out through the drinking spout. It will create a blanket of air almost like a hovercraft. The CD, propelled by the balloon, will scoot all around the floor.

When it stops, just blow the balloon up again for more fun.

Sounds cool, right? Maybe some of you out there can find the right spout. Let me know if you do!

So, after trying 2 different fun activities, we made a fort with my old dust ruffle and the dining chairs, and threw in all of the plastic animals we could find.

It kept them occupied for all of 15 minutes!

You know what kept them happy for even longer?

The balloons from the failed hover craft attempt!

My 2 year old played with them for quite a while. In fact, he's playing with them again today.

Sometimes I wonder why I try to get all fancy with different projects and crafts!

Sometimes it's the simplest things...

Packing Peanut Building

My 2 year old's teacher at church told me about this one:

You can use packing peanuts to build things!

They have to be the biodegradable kind or it will not work. I happen to have some in a package we had just received in the mail. But, his teacher said that you can buy them at any packaging place like UPS.

Put some water in the bottom of a shallow bowl and dip one end of a packing peanut in the water for just a second. They need to get moist, but not soaking wet, or they'll start to dissolve.
My 5 year old wanted to make Ninja men. So, we let them dry for a minute and then used markers to decorate them.

Toys for 2 Year Olds

My cute cousin left a comment the other day,

"...what do you do with a 2 year old? i am going crazy!!!"

Anyone who's had a 2 year old can sympathize. It can be a tough age!

Normally I try to only post about things that don't cost much money.

I mean, anyone can go to the toy store and spend a bunch of $ to try and keep their kids happy.

But, today, I thought I would show a few of my favorite toys for this difficult age.

First, this race track. We got it for my 2nd son, who loved it and now my 3rd son loves it too. It folds up pretty flat and small for easy storage which is also a plus.

Next, all 3 of my boys have spent a lot of time with this gumball machine thing. It just mezmerizes them. You put the ball in the top and then push the lever to make the ball roll down and then out the bottom.
Anything with a ball has been a bit hit with each boy.

The last toy is so much fun. Sorry, I don't know where to get it, but I know you can find one similar.

(We got it when we lived in Japan). You rest a ball on the hole in the top and then you use a little hammer/mallet to send the ball through the maze and out the bottom.

Here is something similar.

Again, anything that lets them watch a ball go through some sort of maze has been

a favorite of all 3 of my boys.

 

Hope this helps all the moms of 2 year olds out there!

Hang in there!

They do get older!

(I'm not sure if that means easier, but definitely less physically demanding!)

Shaving Cream Murals

In a former life, I was an elementary school teacher. One the last day of school I would spray each child's desk with shaving cream and let them play around a bit before using a paper towel to wipe it all away. It was fun for the kids and it was a great way to have them clean the desks. It really did take off all the old pencil marks and made the desks look new.

I had forgotten all about this, until a friend mentioned that she does the same thing with her kids at home.

This is a great activity for a wide range of ages. I had mine do it on our patio table outside so that we could just spray it off when they were done. They made a HUGE mess, but I think they would have been ok doing it inside with a little direction about keeping it on the table!

Easter Morning Idea

I'm going to start this tradition at our house this year...

"We wake up Easter morning to find the Easter Bunny's maze winding through the entire house.
He ties a different color of yarn to each of our children's bedposts, and the kids have to follow their color (collecting their yarn as they go) to find their Easter basket hidden at the end of it.
The maze is really complicated too!
The yarn crisscrosses over stair railings, around doorknobs, through table legs, and, of course, over the other threads."

http://familyfun.go.com/easter/easter-games-egg-hunts/easter-morning-yarn-maze-706889/

Edible Playdough

This has kept my boys and their friends busy MANY times!
Just mix equal parts
Marshmallow Cream & Creamy Peanut Butter.
Couldn't be easier!
Then, let them shape the dough into all kinds of shapes with their hands or cookie cutters.
Mine also like to have toothpicks & raisins to help make their creations even better.