PlayFoam Fun!

Play-Doh stinks. It just smells bad and after about five minutes of smelling it my stomach starts to turn and do things that no stomach should do. It also dries out quickly which totally bites. I stopped buying Play-Doh a while back for these reasons.

Enter Christmas wish lists... The only thing that Bug asked for this Christmas was Moonsand. And yes, Santa was more than happy to oblige. Moonsand claims it never dries out and I hope that is true because Bug really loves the stuff. Another plus is that it doesn't smell at all. But the downside, it is very messy. When playing with the Moonsand it gets everywhere - and it really is like sand, IT'S SAND, so I mean it when I say it gets everywhere. But it is fun, and he likes it.

However...

Enter Christmas presents from our neighbors... The kids both received something better than any of the above. Something I had never heard of before and that has made me one very happy Mommy - PlayFoam. PlayFoam also claims it never dries out and beyond anything else in the sculpting toy world I hope they mean it - and even if they don't it certainly is cheap enough to buy more. This stuff is AWESOME!!! It does NOT smell, it is NOT messy - in fact, it doesn't get on anything! We had this stuff all over the dining area and it didn't end up stuck to anything, under anything, or in any way that I had to sweep and mop - I love PlayFoam>!!! I love it so much that I sat here all afternoon and played with the kids with the PlayFoam. We made a PlayFoam village, we made a beach, we made PlayFoam food, we just had so much fun! What I am really excited about is that this stuff is going to be great for using in homeschooling for doing things like sculpting letters with Bean to help her learn.

I don't usually gush about stuff, and I certainly am not being paid to tell you this, I just think this is one of the best Christmas gifts ever received by my kids and I totally wanted to let you know because if you buy it I am certain you will also love it as will your kids.

Oh, and did I mention that this sculpting of stuff is a great activity for exercising those fine motor skills - it really is a good way to get Bug's hands working and with as weak of muscles as he has I am really happy to use anything that will help.

Educating Bean

Ok, she is only 3 years-old. I know that. She will be 4 years-old in April. I know I shouldn't stress her learning as she is young, but I do want her to retain something.

It's been really hard with Bean. She will listen to me, but she shows little to no interest in anything school related. We look at letters and do flash cards, play little games, and I have this electronic letter toy that I have tried to get her to use to help her learn her letters... Yeah, not much is helping. She just doesn't get it. Nothing is retained. I was growing frustrated, but then I got this burst of brilliance and decided to look into something completely new.

I have an iPod Touch. There are TONS of apps for the iPod Touch/iPhone that you can download. There are also tons of educational apps out there. Bean isn't much interested in the computer, but she often asks to look at my iPod. Yeah, this was brilliant!

I found the best preschool learning apps ever! Bean has been playing them since I downloaded them and she is actually learning! These games excite her - they keep her focused! And I have watched her actually go from not knowing to totally getting it with letters, numbers, AND shapes in just a short time! Sure, she isn't perfect, but she is getting better and these games are making it happen.

I am all about using whatever resources I can find that work so I wanted to share the links to these apps for you as well.

The first is Toddler Teasers - I downloaded the shapes, numbers, letters, quizzing, and whatchamacallit. If you click that link you can see all the games and if you select specific games you can see screen shots. They are very simple, but very fun! After getting a few questions right the kid (Bean) is rewarded with a "sticker" - you pick a sticker and place it on a wall. Bean LOVES this! I hook the iPod up to speakers so she can hear the talking and sound effects - instructions are read out loud so she is hearing the letters, numbers, shape names, etc... It is just awesome!

The second is Giraffe's Preschool Playground - This one centers around animals and has some really great music to go along with it. The games are fun and rewarding and Bean loves hearing the animal sounds.

I can't believe I didn't think about getting these apps sooner! She is actually excited about learning! She keeps turning to me saying, "Momma, I got it right! Momma, I am learning my letters! Momma, I am learning!"

So fantastic!

Safari

Jambo! (Hello!)

We just came back from a safari in Kenya. We saw zebras, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, lions, and monkeys! We took pictures, we rode on a super cool bus with big windows that we got to stick our heads out of so we could get good pictures. We also visited a Kenyan village and talked with some of the local children and played soccer with them. We even ate Ugali made by a local family. After eating, one of the Kenyan children taught us how to count to five in Swahili!

Moja (moh-jah)
Mbili (im-bee-lee)
Tatu (tah-too)
Nne (nah-ney)
Tano (tah-noh)

It was such a wonderful trip and our stuffed animals played along so well.

I love homeschooling!

Approaching 100 Days

We are fast approaching our 100th day of homeschooling and it still blows my mind that we have been at it for this long. When I first started thinking about homeschooling I had serious doubts about my abilities and I wondered how far we would make it - a month, two months... a week? What I discovered is that Bug is an ever better student than I gave him credit for. Yes, we have days when we are both frustrated. Yes, we have days when I have seriously given thought to quitting. Yes, we have days when we just throw in the towel because nothing is getting done. Yes, we are human, LOL! But, and it is a big but, the good days far outweigh the bad and even though I have been reduced to tears on occasion I am not giving up.

It's really true that homeschooling does at some point cease being this thing that you do and starts becoming a way of life for your family. With both kids I am finding ways to incorporate learning in just about every activity they do. The teacher hat is always on as I find new and exciting ways to engage their minds. Basically, I just want to say that I am still very glad we made this choice to homeschool.

Nearly 100 days... It is a great accomplishment.