Big Energy-Little Learners...Can I do it all?

Mothers day is usually a day I get to choose what we do for the full day.   With our schedules being ridiculously busy and my husband working this year mothers day turned out to be a little bit different.  We had a few hours to celebrate me-the mother- and those hours passed way too quickly.   But in them we did get to do the what I love to do every year on mothers day and that is to hike!  We were not able to talk all of our kids this year but we still got out of the house and enjoyed the spring weather.   The sky was overcast which was beautiful! It kept us nice and cool out in the bog.   There is little natural shade there so the clouds were welcome!  This was Lady Dragons first hike on her own.  We didn't hike a lot last year because of the difficult age she was at and this year she is a bit too big to carry.  So she was off on her own.   Mostly she did a good job staying with us and keeping her at...

Summer evenings are the perfect time for a fire.  When the night cools off and the air is fresh you surround a fire pit with chairs and enjoy the view. Fires tend to bring on good conversation...because we unplug a little while we are entranced by the flames.  This is a great bonding opportunity for the family. So stack up your fire wood grab some tinder and lite it up!    When we have a fire we like to, first of all, take seflies!   We usually do this while daddy makes the fire and the wood gets heated.  Soon after it's time to eat.  We like to have food cooked by the fire.  So we usually do hot dogs and sometimes some roasted veggies.  After food is done the kids are usually ready to be up and moving (before finishing their food) so we administer some games for them.   Such as catch and racing This builds up their appetites again just in time for some s'mores!  The sun is down and the fire is now our light ...

There are many, many, outdoor play activities you can look up online but sometimes it's about those spontaneous pretend play moments that make playing outside a whole new world!  Give the kids some swords, guns, and imagination and they will play for about an hour, more if you are lucky.  I don't know what they were playing, but they were running around yelling and catching imaginary somethings.   I do know they were having fun.  Climbing Trees Is also a great spontaneous summer activity.  I don't even remember the last time I climbed a tree it has been sooo long.  But the girls asked if they could get in the tree so up they went.  Sports Find a ball and a bat and you have some summer baseball.  We also played some kick ball in the backyard and taught the kids to run bases.  Catch, soccer, and Frisbee were some other sport type activities we played this summer.  ...

This is a great outdoor activity for a hot day.  It is also really easy prep.   To set up this activity you need ice some kitchen utensils freeze some toys for more ice options (optional of course) tongs While making breakfast I just filled some containers with water and placed a toy inside then stuck it in the freezer.  By the time the weather was nice and hot the water was frozen.  I really like having tongs for this activity.  It is great for fine motor skills.  I used this bin as a distraction mostly.  After our Paint Squirt Gun Fight I set out this bin to help calm down all the energy from running around.  I was also able to take each child individually to get cleaned up while the rest played in the bin.   The plastic 'ice' gems were a favorite for everyone.  They were really gold to start with but when the water inside them melts they are still gems. Of course the other ice melted. ...

I am blessed to live in a state that is very community based and provides many activities for families. We took the opportunity to visit the event provided and both the kids and I learned a lot. The Kinder Realm provides a craft, small informational class time, and a hike.  We have been to two Kinder Realm classes, blue birds and foxes.   As the kids arrive there is a coloring page for them to do while waiting for the class to fill up. Then the information about the animal was given.  These were fun facts that I enjoyed hearing too.  Real fox fur was passed around for us (even the adults) to discover.  The claws, teeth, and ears were also still intact for observation. After class was a game or activity.  Picking up worms as a blue bird or playing/jumping with food as a fox.  Next was craft time. The kids made caterpillars and puppets Last there was the hike.  ...

We did this as a Fathers Day project, but it fits in outside play perfectly.   I liked this for Fathers because it was an interactive activity for the kids to do with Jerry to celebrate him and the time they enjoy spending with him. I filled 1 gun with yellow paint and 2 guns with black paint.  The squirt guns we used were from the dollar store and had a decently big hole to pour the paint into.  Some squirt guns have itty bitty holes that make squirting paint into the gun very difficult. Taped off the canvas...and made the kids pose Then the guns were handed to the kids and dad.  Instructions were to shoot the canvas not each other. Very simple. Start squirting!   The squirting went on and on.  I refilled the guns a couple times so the activity could continue.     Jerry also took time with each Dragon to squirt with them.  With a Star Wars theme we were looking at having blac...

I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to do this activity ever since I saw a post about painting with squirt guns. Paint squirt gun fight!  And it was AMAZING!  I first bought an 8 pack of large boys white t-shirts.  I wanted the shirts to fit all of the kids and I wanted them to be able to save the shirts for the future. The 8 pack was perfect. I filled the water guns up with paint and a pinch of water.  Each gun had a different color so we could determine a 'winner'.  I squirted each 'player' with their color first.  So they knew their color and to demonstrate where to aim.  Talking about the aim was very important.  All of the kids involved were 4 and above.  Aim had to be in the tummy or the back.  No faces, bottoms, heads/hair, or legs. We didn't want paint in eyes, noses, or mouths. The other places would be more difficult to clean and giving two aiming places was simple.        ...