Days to Celebrate: Space Day

Today in National Space Day!

The Smithsonian has a great activity sheet  and a interactive website

NASA’s website has great interactive learning tools about the program.

DLTK has a great list of different activities all about space.

Making Learning Fun has a variety of activities.

Everything Preschool has a list of fun games about space

Perfectly Preschool has a weeks worth of lessons plans on space.

For more information:

First-school.ws

Space Day

Book Recommendations:

Do you have any fun activities to celebrate this day? Please Share

Ashley

Tips for a Container Garden!

Want to dabble in dirt but don’t know where to begin?  Want a beautiful garden but not the work that goes behind it?  Consider a container garden.

Lisa Stadler of Stadler Nursery begins with soil…..

When choosing plants, it is important to know what type of sun you have to work with.  Certain plants do well in shade while others need partial to full sun.  Some suggestions are…..

  • Plants can be as attractive as flowers if well chosen for their textures and variegated colors.  They have the added bonus of looking lovely all the time even without blooms.
  • Stadler suggests “Cram, cram, cram” so that your garden container looks lovely now rather than waiting for the plants to spread out their own which could take weeks.  She prefers to cover all the dirt with plant material.
  • Consider unusual items such as herbs.
  • Place something tall in the center.
  • Surround an annual such as a Gerber daisy with perennials so when the annual is over the perennials will continue to grow.
  • Stadler also suggests we get over our “economy” mindset.  While annuals can be expensive some las as long as six months.  Perennials run a 50/50 chance of not surviving the frost so in the end annuals may be money well spent.
  • Container gardens are perfect for decks, porches, apartments, hanging baskets.  It’s not necessary to have a huge landscaped area.  Just begin with one or two containers.  Fill with dirt.
  • Fertilize.

A container garden is perfect for children to get involved with.  Have them help water and prune the flowers!

Do you have any suggestions for planting a container garden?  Please share!

Toys Children Play With

It was the day after Christmas and two days after my son’s second birthday, where he got tons of toys for presents and what do we see him play with?  The box and peanuts a package came in on Christmas Eve.  Yep that is right, he wasn’t playing with any of his new toys….he was playing with a cardboard box and peanuts.  At that point my husband and I were reminded that kids don’t really need a lot of fancy gadgets or toys that light up.  The best toys are the boxes that the toy comes in.

I have noticed that he doesn’t play with gadgets very long that he goes for the classic toys like nesting cups and wooden blocks, that those toys keep his attention much longer than the electronic toys.

Technology is wonderful, but sometimes it is too much and good old fashion toys are still the best.

What toys do your children play with?

Ashley

Days to Celebrate:Dr. Seuss’s Birthday

March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’s Birthday!  Let’s Celebrate!

Seussville has some great activities for children.

A to Z teacher stuff has a great list of activities based off of Dr Seuss’s Books

Here is a good list of more kids crafts.

Here and Here are Free Printable Educational Tools

Do you have any other Dr. Seuss activities or crafts?  Please share!

Ashley

Days to Celebrate: Ohio the 17th State to Enter the Union

In 1803 Ohio became the 17th state to enter the Union!

Living Life Intentionally has a free printable pack about Ohio!

Do you have any fun activities to celebrate this day? Please Share

Ashley

Days to Celebrate: Lola’s Birthday!

Days to Celebrate

Today is Lola’s Birthday!  Below are some fun activities all featuring Sesame Street! Sesame Street website has some great free printables. My Coloring Pages has some free printable coloring pages. Comotion of the Ocean has free printables all about Oscar the Grouch! … Continue reading