{Bubbles} Preschool Unit...

Bubbles and bubble gum are things that make me think of summer.  They remind me of being outside and enjoying the carefree time summer brings.  Here are a few preschool ideas I gathered to do on those summer days when your little one need a fun activity! 

Bubble gum listening page – Print the bubble gum page and then follow these instructions.  Tell your child they will have to listen for the instructions you give.  Color 3 gumballs red, color 4 gumballs blue, color 3 gumballs yellow, color 3 gumballs green, color 2 gumballs orange, color 2 gumballs purple, count how many are left, color them any color you choose.

image from Kid Activities with Alexa

Circle painting – Cut a couple toilet paper tubes in half.  Kids can dip the tube in paint and stamp it on paper to create circles or bubbles!

Bubble gum, Bubble gum – This is a fun rhyme and different way to practice counting.  You’ll just need some blocks, or pom poms in a bowl to represent the bubble gum.  Then lead your child in the chant shown in the link, roll a dice or show them a number and they count that many pieces of “bubble gum”.

Shape matching – Print the bubble game shape matching activity.  Cut out the shapes along the bottom and then have your child match the shape to the correct bubble gum machine.

Rainbow bubble foam – If you want to be adventurous, get out your bubble bath and hand mixer for this fun activity!

Blow bubbles – Get outside and blow bubbles for your child to pop.  At school they always go crazy over chasing the bubbles and popping them!  If you don’t have any bubbles, try making your own!  You can also make a wand out of pipe cleaners!

Bubble number identification - Grab some chalk and get outside!  Draw some good sized circles on the sidewalk or driveway and put a number inside each one.  Have your kids jump inside the bubbles, shouting out the number as they jump!  You can also have your kids practice drawing circles with the chalk!  

And of course, some songs and books...

Icky Sticky Bubble Gum

Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler

Bubble Factory by Tomi DePaola

{Checking Out} and Tracking Books to Read...

I always love to have a reading list of books I want to read and usually have quite the stack.  I find that in the summer I read more often, probably because I have more time.  Although I think I'm more of a book collector than reader...LOL!  

The notes pages in the back of my Erin Condren planner are perfect for tracking what books I WANT to read and what books I actually end up reading!  I used this hexagon section to track books I want to read.  

I used one of the lined notes pages to adhere this cute printable.  Here I keep track of the books I actually read.  I should be through more of them by now with all my extra time but somehow I'm not!  Oh well, I have ALL summer!

Here are some free printables if you are interested in creating a similar page...option 1, option 2 & option 3!

With our current pandemic circumstances how do you get the books you want to read or any books at all?  I don't like to buy every book I read.  I usually utilize the local library.  I know most libraries are currently closed but our local library is going to offer curbside pickup very soon!  They also have digital downloads available from their online catalog. 

You can also check your town for little libraries.  These are stand alone structures that usually look like giant bird houses...lol!  The idea is to take a book when you need one, but also to leave a book when you can.  We have one in our subdivision.  Plus there are several more in the neighboring town.  Not all little libraries are registered but you can try searching for some in your area here.

Some other ideas to get books are borrow from friends via porch drop offs and/or check Google and Amazon for free downloads. I also love checking the Dollar Tree. If you are venturing out, they sometimes have great titles for only a buck!

What's currently on your to read list?

Summer Schedule

This is the last week of school for my daughter.  She is in 6th grade and can pretty much take care of her school work all on her own.  She has been really good at getting online and making herself a checklist of what she needs to accomplish each day.  I just check in to make sure she gets to her zooms on time and has everything completed.

It has been so good to have a "schedule" of sorts to get school done at home.  I was so glad when she came up with the idea of a summer schedule!  She created this all on her own and I was so proud!  I just helped her laminate the sheet after she created it.  This way she can use a dry erase marker and check off the items once she's completed them each day.  

She is taking a couple honors classes next year that will have summer work, so that is the math and ELA on the chart.  Then she also needs to practice piano and read every day.  The "jar" idea was also hers.  Basically like an "I'm bored" jar.  

She cut a bunch of strips of paper and wrote ideas of things to do each day.  Some examples of items on her papers were...

Bake

Scrapbook

Write a chapter

Diamond art

Recorder

Make bracelets

Spiral graph

Make slime

Draw & Color

Sew

Make a painting

She has multiples of each one, with enough strips for one each day of summer.  

I'm really proud of her for coming up with this.  I think having a plan each day will help the summer go more smoothly.  I love having a schedule and not having to come up with something everyday or worry about wasting time on electronics all day!  This is especially helpful this year with not being able to get out like usual.  Do you have a summer plan yet?  Get your child involved and see what ideas they might have!

Summer Reads

I don't know about you but I'm always looking for a good book to read.  Now, I'm not the quickest at finishing books because I don't always make time for it but I always like having a good book on hand.  My favorite time to read is summers by the pool!  So what better time to start getting a pile together.  Here are a few books from my 2015 to read list...

The Best Yes: Making Wise Decisions in the Midst of Endless Demands by Lysa Terkeurst...I LOVED this book!  Such thought provoking, wise and often funny writing.  My favorite quote from the book is "We must not confuse the command to love with the need to please."  

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty...This is a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style.  This story is a murder mystery that intertwines the lives of three women whose children have just started Kindergarten.  Such a page turner!  I loved it so much I couldn't wait to dive into another one of her books.  I'm currently reading...The Hypnotist Love Story by her.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell...I have seen this author on many must read lists.  This particular book is a young adult novel about two misfits finding love in the most unexpected of places.  

Last One Home by Debbie Macomber...I love her Shop on Blossom Street series and have read a few stand alone novels by her.  This story sounds a little different from her normal style so we will see if it lives up to my expectations!  

Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table by Shauna Niequest... The perfect read for those who love food and connecting with family and friends around the table.  Plus there are recipes included!

I'd love to hear what books you've been loving lately or are on your to read list! 

ready for summer....{duck tape bag}

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and Little Bit was bored!  She had watched a few YouTube videos on making things with Duct Tape and wanted to try something of her own.  We decided on a small bag/purse.  I found this tutorial on Pinterest and we got started!  

These are the only colors of tape that we had on hand so that's what we went with.  It was super easy to make and she loves how it turned out!  So much so that we have made a few other things since...some of her own creations even...LOL!  {lipstick, tissues, keyfob and wallet}

Instead of a garbage bag for the inside, we used a gallon ziplock bag.  I just cut across the top to remove the zipper part and then cut down the sides to have a long rectangular piece to work with. 

She LOVES it!

I can see more Duct Tape projects in our future.  These would be great to do this summer when the kids are out of school.  Little Bit still has 2 more days of school until her summer official starts, but we have already started making a list of project ideas!  Check out my Kiddos board on Pinterest to see what we might be up too!

{summertime} adventures & a crafty project!

I saw this super cool summer schedule while blog browsing one day and thought it was such a fun idea.  So of course I instantly pinned it for future reference! ;)  Even though I love the catchy names of each day...I wanted a bit more flexibility to my weeks.  

 

So I've decided to incorporate these things throughout each week but the order will just vary.  Plus with Little Bit in a cast we can't quite do water days yet.  This was our first week putting our summer schedule into motion and it was fabulous!  

Monday...took a trip to the local museum for a butterfly storytime and played in the children's area

Tuesday...doctor appt, ran errands & met friends for lunch

Wednesday...stayed home, cleaning & organizing day

Thursday...craft day & picnic/play at the park

Friday...library reading program, grocery shopping & garage sales!

Each week will also include...reading time, writing practice, exercise, cleaning, errands, play dates & plenty of snuggling!

I absolutely loved how our first craft project of the summer turned out.  As soon as it was dry I framed that bad boy and hung it in the craft room!  So of course I had to show you all!  ;)  

The inspiration for this project came from Pinterest....where else...it is just such a great resource!  This one uses paper, a plastic cup, and paint.    

 

You start out by stamping circles with the cup.  They used black paint to do this but I tried a black ink pad instead to lessen drying time and I really like the more subtle lines.  

Here are all the circles stamped.

Then Little Bit got to work with her water colors!  She did such as amazing job coloring in each segment of the overlapping circles with different colors.  She even added some personal touches of her own. 

I especially love the little smiley face in the upper left corner!  :-)

So our summer fun is off to a great start!  What fun things do and your kiddos have lined up for this summer?