The Learning Family Summer Update!

Wow! It sure has been an exciting Summer around the Learn Mommy Learn house. As the heat started to rise in early June, the Learning Daddy and I finally tied the knot. That's right, after seven and a half years we finally married. Of course, we wanted Bug to play a large role in the festivities. We asked him to be our Ring Bearer, but he refused stating, "I already know how to be a ring bearer, so I don't have to practice anymore." Apparently, being part of my cousin's wedding last year was enough. We finally compromised on Bug being the "Ring Pilot." Instead of carrying a pillow down the aisle our little guy "flew" a hand painted, wooden airplane model for our guests to enjoy. He also insisted on carrying the real rings, so I placed them in a cute pouch and put them in his pocket right before the ceremony started. I just loved how proud he felt of himself for being well behaved and completing such an important role. We had a fabulous day and are enjoying married life.

Then, three weeks after our "I dos" another of my cousins was married to the love of his life. The Learning Daddy, Bug, and myself traveled to Kentucky for their nuptials and other family events. The wedding was held in the quaintest little church in a small town. The bride was as radiant on the outside as she is on the inside, and I am so delighted she is officially part of our extended family now. The reception was enjoyed by all and Bug had a particularly  wonderful time on the dance floor. The food was simple yet wonderfully tasty. I must have eaten three full plates by the time we called it a night.

Having Fun In The Photo Booth At The Reception

While in Kentucky for the wedding my parents took us on a quick train ride through the country side. Bug had never been on a real train before so this was a special treat. We drove to a nearby town (there may or may not have been a stop light there) where we bored the train and rode(very, very slowly) for about twenty minutes.

2012 Early Year Review

     It’s hard to believe February is coming to a close. It seems as if we just rang in the new year. The last two months have been very full for our family. And although I have not posted in awhile, it is not due to a lack of material. Bug (“B” has asked me to refer to him as such) has been exposed to numerous exciting (and one sad) learning opportunities recently. I thought I would take a moment to briefly sum up our 2012 experiences thus far. 

Annual Family Ski Trip

Bug in Ski School

     We began the year with our annual family ski trip. This was our third year in a row visiting beautiful Breckenridge, CO. Bug had been asking to return to Breck at least twice a month since our February 2011 trip and he was thrilled when our winter vacation finally began. Not only was he excited to spend an uninterrupted week with Mommy, Daddy and Big Brother (18 yrs old), but he was also finally ready to hit the slopes for his very first ski lesson. Our little Bug was a bit apprehensive  about beginning his one day at Ski School, but by the end of the afternoon he had requested a second day. 

A Kid's Tree: The Perfect Display For All Of Those Handmade Holiday Crafts

     11 Days! Only 11 days until Christmas! Can you believe it!?! I am getting so excited. B is nearly four years old now, and this year he is loving the holiday season. We have been been watching Christmas movies, singing carols and reading tons of holiday books. One of our favorite activities has been crafting. B has been making ornaments and decorations nonstop. By the end of the first week of December our home was overflowing with handmade holiday crafts. The entire family has enjoyed the daily additions to the holiday decor, but really, what are you supposed to do with all of those paper decorations? Well, you make a kid's tree of course!

 

    
     B had been asking for a real tree in addition to our traditionally decorated artificial tree which is safely tucked away (from little hands and wagging tails) in the foyer of our split level home. I was unsure if we should get one at first because what kid wants a tree that he can't decorate? And  what decorations are going to hold up against a very active (read "crazy at times") little boy and two spastic dogs (one of which is a smallish lab)? The only thought I had at first was plastic ornaments. We don't have any plastic ornaments. Then, I looked around our overly decorated living room and started smiling at the sight of all those oh-so-cute handmade paper decorations. PAPER DOESN'T SHATTER INTO A BILLION PIECES!!! A special Christmas tree just for B's crafts, how perfect!

     With a spot in the house in mind and a bundled up little boy snug in his car seat, we all headed down to the local Christmas tree farm. During the thirty minute ride B kept trying to convince us to tell him where we were going for his "special surprise."  As we pulled into the farm he was thrilled to discover row after row of beautiful Christmas trees. I wish I would have thought to video his recation when we arrived. It was priceless!

     After a nice hayride around the property we got down to the business at hand. B was off to find his tree. Since we were there on a Monday afternoon we had the entire place to ourselves. B was able to wonder though the trees looking for just the right one. We finally chose together and my little guy helped his daddy cut down a tree for the very first time.

     We had a wonderful time at the farm and have some amazing memories and photos from the day. And now B has his very own Christmas tree decorated with his own colorful crafts.

     I have enjoyed watching B admire his tree especially as he adds to it each day, and I know this will be a new holiday tradition for us. And who knows, maybe one day  (a very, very long time from now) I will sit back with a cup of hot coco and look on as B helps his own child decorate their own first "kid's tree."

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Happy Holidays!!!

The Letter Games

     Don't you just love watching your child learn through everyday play? I know I do! I was recently treated to an evening of playful learning with B when he decided to make a road out of his See & Spell word game puzzle. Although B often lines the individual puzzle bases end to end to form a road for his vehicles, I decided to make this time a bit more educational and fun.

  
     I sat down with my little guy and we worked together as a "word road construction crew." I handed B the puzzles and he laid them together. Then we dumped the letter pieces on the floor and filled in the "holes"  in the road to form words his trucks could ride over. As he was filling in each hole, B told me the sound the individual letter makes. After the road was completed we had a wonderful time driving emergency vehicles to the places they were needed (B is very interested in helping rescue those in need). Occasionally a letter would pop out of place and B would excitedly say which word had lost a letter and return the pieces to their correct locations.

   
     Before it was time to leave the playroom for the night I decided to try one more new game with B.  I asked him to dump all of his wooden letter pieces on the floor, which he happily did at once. It always amazes me how excited he gets when I ask him to make a mess! We worked together to flip all letters face up then B sat quietly listening for what I would say next. In my very best game show announcer voice I explained the rules of the "Quick Letter Find Word Building Game."

1)The announcer (that's mommy, of course) holds a word card up so that the player (that would be B) can not see the word.
2) The announcer lays the card puzzle in front of the player.
3) The player finds each letter needed to complete the word as quickly as possible and puts the letter pieces in the appropriate spots on the word card.
4) The player sounds out the word on the card before receiving well deserved applause from the announcer. Repeat steps 1-4 until all cards have been used or the player (and announce) needs a nap.

  
     B had a great time finding the letters as fast as he could and he was so proud when he read each completed word to me. I was thrilled with the fact B was learning so much all while playing an exciting new game. He was working on his patience while sitting quietly waiting on each new card to be shown. Looking for the puzzle pieces was helping reinforce his letter recognition (he still stumbles with a few letters from time to time). While adding each letter to the word puzzle he was saying the letter's sound and then actually reading the word at the end. In addition to being fun and educational, this game also served as a wonderful self-confidence booster. B was so proud of himself for knowing the letters, reading the words and "winning" the game.

     We will definitely enjoy these games many times again in the near future. And, I will continue to search for new and exciting educational play activities for my little learner. I hope you have a great time learning and playing with your little one too!


As you can see from the pictures above, B really enjoys his Melissa & Doug "See and Spell Learning Game." I was not able to locate this product on the Melissa & Doug website, but if you are interested in purchasing it you can find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.

I happily linked with the following: 

 

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Happy Playful Learning!!!