Summer camp at home: Week 7 -- Racing cars

With Cars 2 out this summer -- and also because my boys just love cars -- we had to have a week about car racing in our summer camp at home. Last time we went to Disney World, we had to visit Ridemakerz in Downtown Disney to check out the kinds of toy cars we could custom make. My preschooler made a ... well, a rescue dump truck. How's that for customization?

Anyway, this week will be about cars and racing. One thing I'd like to do is count the number of toy cars my kids have -- honestly, I have no idea. We will put them in rows of 10 for a real-world, hands-on visualization of numbers and counting. We can sort them by color, too. Other things on tap this week:

- Have a racing playdate. Invite friends to a park to have races. Everyone is a winner for participating!

- Dress up as race car drivers and pretend play/role play.

- Have kids draw pictures of cars they would like to drive. (I know mostly it will look like scribbles; that's OK.)

- Make a racing flag (perfect for the racing playdate!) and maybe even a craft trophy.

- Make a cardboard race car to play in (great for pretend play!).

- We might see Cars 2. Again.

- Read R Is For Race, World’s Fastest Cars, Hot Rod Hamster, If I Built a Car, Little Racing Car and other books from our public library.

I had wanted to take the kids to one of the local speedways (there are two about an hour away, one north and one south), but nothing is going on this week. Probably because it's too darn hot! If there is a speedway near you, a visit might be another fun activity.

Summer camp at home: Week 6 -- Out on the ranch

Summer is halfway over. It's hard to believe that in a month, I'll be lining up things my preschooler needs to go back to school. So we're going to enjoy summer while we have it -- a more fluid schedule and more impromptu fun.

This week, we're going to be cowpokes out on the ranch:

- Visit a local farm. There's a county park a couple cities away where we can see ponies, a pig, goats and even peacocks! We would ride ponies, too, except both of my boys shy away from them.

- Cowboy pretend play. (All you really need is a cowboy hat or a bandana!)

- Pretend a water park is an ol’ watering hole and cool off. As much as we love water parks, I can't believe we haven't been to one since we went to Aquatica in early June.

- We might make hobby horses. Here are instructions for making a hobby horse that don't look too hard.

- Read Charlie the Ranch Dog (by The Pioneer Woman blogger Ree Drummond), The Cow Loves Cookies, Good Night Cowboy, Cowboy Small and other books we come across at the library.

We are also going to go on playdates, play at the park, play with magnetic fridge letters and anything else we find fun to do -- cowboy related or not.

Summer camp at home: Week 5 -- World Traveler

With our patriotic "America, the Beautiful" themed week of summer camp at home a couple weeks behind us, it seemed natural to have a week focused on other countries of the world as well.

It's never to early to teach little ones about the world they live in, and that includes different cultures. Even if my four- and two-year-olds don't get everything we might explore this week, I think they will still learn something -- and they will have fun.

Each day, we'll focus on a different country. That's the goal, anyway -- we had an unusual day yesterday because of a doctor appointment and having family from out of town, so we didn't do any special projects at all. The boys were wiped out! But I plan to make them a little passport-type booklet to have "stamped" when we "travel." I'd also like to make a little suitcase that we can cover in stickers featuring various lands the way they used to. (That's where Google Images comes in and I can print out a little picture on sticker paper, then cut it out and use it like any old sticker.) We'll pretend to travel by airplane, train or ocean liner.

Other ideas for this week:

- Make simple costume props, and/or projects from Michaels craft store Passport to Fun craft projects from around the world.

- Listen to foreign music

- Do any coloring pages we have that feature other countries, or this It's a Small World coloring page.

- Have an “It’s a Small World” party with friends and dress up in traditional clothing from our favorite countries! (Please let me take this moment to acknowledge the extreme annoyance and even hatred some people have for this Disney ride, and the song, despite the fact most little kids love it. I'd also like to suggest that Disney sell toy dolls from this ride, as apparently it once used to. I found one Small World toy the last time my family went to Disney World, and it was a bathtub toy boat. One toy. If Disney can take the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and turn it into a popular four-movie series, just think what a Small World movie would be like for the preschool set. Come on, it would have to be at least as good as The Smurfs!)

- Read Country by Country Guide: Our World; A World of Wonders; Travels of the Zephyr and other books from the library about the countries we are going to learn about this week.

We have a busy week ahead in addition to learning about other countries. Playdates, invitations, playing in parks, running errands.... It seems we've just gotten used to it being summer, and after this week it will be half over already. How's summer going for you?

Ranger Rick's Geocache Trails comes to South Florida

Ranger Rick, the National Wildlife Federation's ambassador to kids who want to learn about wildlife and nature, is the host of a new adventure -- geocaching! Ranger Rick Geocache Trails is a fun way to get families outside, learning about the outdoors and exploring the world!

Geocaching has become a popular outdoor activity. Using a GPS device or app, people find caches that others have hidden by using the latitude and longitude coordinates and special clues. Some caches are small (like a pill bottle or film canister), but others are watertight boxes filled with fun treasures that you can collect or swap! It's like being a modern-day treasure hunter. Some caches contain trackable items called travel bugs that people pass along from cache to cache -- some going around the world! When you find a cache, sign your name in the log book inside, then put the cache box back where it was to keep it hidden for the next geocacher. You can also log your visit at the Geocaching site (an account is free). If you really love geocaching, you can even hide your own caches for others to find.

That's what I have done with my sons. We have hidden eight Ranger Rick Geocache Trails caches around the area where we live in South Florida. All of the caches include fun Ranger Rick activities for kids. Some of the caches also contain fun surprises! The parks where the caches are hiding are kid-friendly -- most with playgrounds. And we've tried to make the caches easy to find.

To get started finding a Ranger Rick Geocache Trails cache, start by downloading your special passport. This makes finding the caches more fun, as you can take the stamp inside each cache to mark your passport (and learn about wildlife in the process!). Find all the caches in the trail to fill up your passport with wildlife stamps. It's fun!

There are Ranger Rick Geocache Trails in several states, so if you don't live in South Florida, check for others near you. If you don't find one, maybe you'll want to become a trail host like me so kids in your area will have fun outdoors with their families.

Geocaching is a fun outdoors activity that is now more fun for kids with the Ranger Rick Geocache Trails. You and your kids just might get hooked.

Summer camp at home: Week 4 -- Space

With the last space shuttle launch happening on Friday, this is the perfect week to focus on space for summer "camp" at home.

We live about a three-hour drive away from the "Space Coast" of Florida and plan to go there to get a better view of the launch. (We can sort of see it where we live, but it still looks like a shiny blip.) Years before our children were born, my husband and I had it on our bucket list to see a shuttle launch up close -- so this is our last chance.

(We didn't call it a bucket list back then. I think we called it a life wish list.)

Our boys are so young now they might not remember seeing the last shuttle launch, but they can still say they were there.

Here are some other ideas for space week:

- Visit a local planetarium or science museum

- Build a cardboard rocket ship

- Dress up like astronauts for pretend play / role playing (I don't think I'll make a costume this week. An astronaut costume revolves around the helmet, and my boys usually don't like to wear things on their heads. We'll still have fun playing, though.)

- Build a solar system model (I like model #3 on the linked page, made with food, which I think preschoolers would probably get because food is something they're familiar with. Also, no mom can resist teaching their kids "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas.") If you prefer not to make one, check out this glow-in-the-dark solar system model.

- Learn more about the planets.

- Wish upon some stars

- Read The Best Book of Spaceships, The Space Shuttle, Living On A Space Shuttle, The Complete Book of Our Solar System, First Space Encyclopedia and other books from the local library.

When we're not "spacing out," we'll go on playdates, swim in the pool and play in the park.

Hope you're having a fun summer!

Host an owl-themed birthday party

It's hard to believe, but my baby is going to be two years old this week. Sniff, sniff.

We had a party for him on Saturday with about 40 family members and friends showing up. I don't think my baby knew everyone was there for him -- but he had a good time.

It was my husband's idea to have the party at a local wildlife rehabilitation and nature center, where biologists bring out various animals for the kids to touch and teach everyone about them. The nature center asked what my baby's favorite animal is. I told them a giraffe. Heh! Well, they don't have any giraffes, but they do have owls, and he does know what an owl is, so I thought that was great.


Eastern screech owl

And owls are fun fun for a party theme. I started with a blue owl party decor package from the Bee & Daisy Etsy shop. The image files allowed me to make a party invitation:



And candy bar wrappers. I resized and cut out the head of the owl to paste on plain brown paper lunch bags to make the goody bags.



The goody bags also contained an owl finger puppet (I love finger puppets!) and bird seed ornaments for the party guests to hang in their trees:


This one is in the shape of a shark. There were other shapes, too -- including an owl -- which I made with cookie cutters.

I made a pull-apart cake (a cake made out of individual cupcakes) in the shape of an owl, thanks to an idea by Family Fun Magazine.



And owlets.



I made some of the owlets wheat- egg- dairy- and nut-free for my preschooler.

The Bee & Daisy Etsy shop decor stash included printables to make a banner.



Because the nature center didn't allow balloons (too easy to get tangled in the ceiling fans of the screened-in pavilion and a hazard to wildlife), I had to make something else that was fun. Tissue paper balls it was.



Everyone had a fun time!

Summer camp at home: Week 3 -- America, the Beautiful

There's a long holiday weekend ahead! Independence Day is next Monday. I know lots of folks will be traveling or barbecuing with friends and trying to stay cool. In my plan to keep my boys entertained and learning something for the 10 weeks of summer at home, we're going to keep things simple this week -- not too many activities, both to recoup from my baby's birthday party last week and also because his actual birthday is this week -- but more relaxing and just playing.

Whatever happened to just playing?

In addition to playing and going on playdates, we'll also be learning a little bit about our country for America, the Beautiful Week:

- Look at maps of America and our state. Start learning how to read a map.

- Make construction paper flags.

- Sing patriotic songs while doing crafts or playing.

- Use glitter glue to draw fireworks on paper.

- If you're interested in more Fourth of July crafts, check this out.

- Rent and watch DVDs "An American Tail," "This is America, Charlie Brown" and "All Aboard America."

- Read A Is For America; America: A Patriotic Primer; America Is; The Scrambled States of America; America the Beautiful; Good Night America or other books we find at the library about America that are age-appropriate.

And of course we'll watch fireworks next Monday when the actual holiday rolls around. Have a fun Fourth!

My preschooler's 9 trips to Disney World

On my family's most recent trip to Disney World a couple weeks ago, I found myself thinking my oldest son had now been to Disney 10 times.

And I was a little shocked. So I started thinking about that.

He is four and a half, so that averages out to be about two times per year. Going to Disney World twice a year doesn't really sound that impossible. Disney World is a three-hour drive from our home ... our boys don't like to sit still for long trips ... Disney is a kid-friendly place to go ... we get Florida resident, seasonal pass holder and Disney Visa card member discounts.

Does it sound less outrageous now? I hope so.

My preschooler's first trip to Disney World was when he was 15 months old. He discovered the splash pad at the now-defunct Pooh's Playful Spot in Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom:



I had to buy him a new outfit in the gift shop across the way at the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride because my boy was soaked through, and it turned out to be a cool evening.

My family liked going so much that we decided to make it an annual holiday-time trip. We love Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!

So we went back the next holiday season (when he was two years old), and I was pregnant with his little brother. It was cold, but we waited for the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party parade to begin:



...And the next holiday season, after my big boy had stopped being afraid of costumed characters (and was now a big brother):



We returned a few months later, and we always, always have to ride the train at the Magic Kingdom:



We went back again in the spring, when he was three and a half:



(That trip would be my baby's third trip to Disney World before he turned one year old!)

My family returned to Disney World for our annual holiday pilgrimage last year. This time, my preschooler got a special certificate from the engineers for the Animal Kingdom Wildlife Express train:



And he was wearing the same train shirt the next month (this past January) at Epcot:



This past May, my family visited with the hope of meeting up with some of the moms who got into the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. My boy was fearless in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids play area in Hollywood Studios:



And we visited the Magic Kingdom a couple weeks ago for one day because we happened to be in town. Here's my boy on the It's a Small World ride:



I don't know when my family will go back to Disney World. We will likely keep our holiday-time vacation tradition, but we might visit before then (maybe around my son's fifth birthday?). Whenever that 10th visit mark is, though, I know it will be just as magical as the first visit!

Great American Backyard Campout

This coming Saturday, June 25, is the Great American Backyard Campout. Organized by the National Wildlife Federation, the idea of the Campout is to get kids enjoying the outdoors -- where they feel safe and comfortable.

I think it's genius!

(Not to mention, I know plenty of grown-ups who would say yes to camping in their own backyard over a wilderness area. Any month of the year.)

If you ask me, June isn't exactly the right time for tent camping in Florida (The heat! The oppressive humidity! The disease-carrying mosquitoes!), but my family is going to try it this year. Ever since we went camping in the Everglades over New Year's weekend, my preschooler has been asking to go "tenting" again. If we get miserable, we'll just go inside and say we gave it a try.

I think that's what's so appealing about the Great American Backyard Campout: There's little risk and little commitment, but a big chance of fun.

If you want to camp in your yard or a local park that offers camping, check out the Great American Backyard Campout's site for tips, games, recipes and more. You can sign up to say you are planning to camp out and also make an optional donation to the National Wildlife Federation to support its programs for kids.

And then we can swap Campout stories....

Summer camp at home: Week 2 -- Camping

My family loves camping, and because Saturday, June 25 is the day of the Great American Backyard Campout, next week seems like the perfect week for a camping theme for our summer camp at home.

My love of camping started early. As a kid, my family camped at a state park and national lakeshore near our house. Later, my husband and I were invited to go camping with friends two months after we were married. We bought a little dome tent (in the picture) for $50 on clearance. He and I had such a good time that we ended up camping in several places throughout Florida. Most recently, we took our boys camping in the Everglades.

If you're following along on my nerdy plan to do summer camp at home with a different theme each week, here are some ideas for you and your kids. It's going to be kind of a light week for me with the activities because I also need to prepare for my little one's second birthday party. So you might come up with more ideas than I've listed.

- Build a blanket-and-chair fort every day for pretend camping in the family room. (I would have loved trying to make a teepee out of cardboard boxes, but I don't think I'll have the time. Someone should try it!)

- Lead an ABC nature walk. As you head down a trail, look for things that start with each letter of the alphabet. Take photos or notes of each item if you like.

- Make crayon rubbings of leaves by placing a sheet of paper on top of a leaf and coloring over it to make the shape of the leaf appear on the page. Older kids can make several rubbings of different leaves and find out which leaf comes from which tree.

- Color pictures of wildlife and talk about their characteristics.

- Make toilet paper tube "binoculars."

- Make rock necklaces out of the best rocks the boys can find. (My toddler is so fascinated by rocks and carries one around with him if he finds one he likes.) These pressed flower pendants are pretty, and I like these sea-bling rings too -- hey, people camp by the beach!

- Make bird seed ornaments.

- Play with our well-used explorer kit. (This one looks fun too.)

- Read camping-themed books every day, like Curious George Goes Camping, When We Go Camping, S Is For Smores or other books we can find at the library.

- Pitch a tent in our backyard for the Great American Backyard Campout!

If you don't have a tent, ask family or friends if they can loan you a tent for the night. Frankly, I'm not sure if my family will be able to sleep outside all night long because it is H-O-T! But I know the kids will have fun trying.

Where we live in southern Florida, it's best to camp December through mid-April or so because of the heat and mosquitoes. So a week of camping activities in the summer will be a fun way to tide my family over until we can camp again for real.

Summer camp at home: Week 1 -- Mr. Popper's Penguins

Today begins the first full week of summer for my preschooler. I've got big plans for our summer together, which lasts 10 weeks. If you are looking for things to do with your children over the summer and ways to keep them entertained, please check out my initial post about having summer camp at home. I will post what we are doing each week in more detail.

This week, the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins comes out. It's based on the book by Richard and Florence Atwater that was first published in 1938. The movie, starring Jim Carrey as Mr. Popper, is a modern take on the book.

My preschooler loves penguins -- actually, he owns 12 plush penguins and several books so he's officially obsessed! -- and we have been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins leading up to the movie. It's been fun.

Reading books is going to be a big part of our summer. In addition to the bedtime reading we already do, I want to read books with my boys about our theme of the week after we have lunch every day. Here are other projects I hope we can do this week:

- Make reverse-stencil penguin T-shirts (to wear to the movie!).

- Visit Jungle Island, the closest place to see penguins.

- Make a penguin mask out of a paper plate.

- Do more penguin crafts and activities based on Mr. Popper's Penguins.

- Go on a couple of playdates.

- Pretend we are penguin researchers in the southern hemisphere.

- Play at a different park every day, or swim in the pool at home.

- Go to the cinema to see Mr. Popper's Penguins!

We'll also do regular playtime activities like drawing with chalk, playing with Play-Doh, working with puzzles, etc. I am also going to work with my preschooler on writing his name every day.

I think this could be the most fun summer yet for my kids!

Enchantment: Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions ... in your family

This past weekend, I was lucky to go to SheCon New Media Expo in Miami Beach (hi, new friends!), where the keynote speaker was Guy Kawasaki. At the conference, he dived into details that highlighted what's in his latest book, Enchantment: Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions. After his talk, I got to meet Guy Kawasaki in person! He signed the cover of my book (provided free at the conference). He seems like such a genuinely smart, funny and nice guy. Uh, Guy.

I know Enchantment was written for achieving success in business, but as Guy Kawasaki was talking, I couldn't help but think his tips also apply to family life. I don't think that's such a stretch, because he mentioned his family to illustrate some of his points.

For example....

1. Achieve likability. Guy Kawasaki said, "Start with a smile. You want crow's feet." I do believe in the old adage that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. When it comes to family, if you want your child to do something or encourage him to grow in a certain direction, I think you will be more successful if you are sweet -- or likable.

2. Achieve trustworthiness. Guy said to trust others and ask, "How can I help the other person?" Kids need to know whom they can trust. And I believe, innately, they do. If they don't trust their parents, they will find someone else to trust. In the worst-case scenario, it could be a drug dealer, gang leader or a pedophile. So, a parent needs to be there for the kids so they will be trustworthy.

3. Prepare. Guy talked about coming up with a "premortem" -- what you might do if your plan fails. I think most in-tune parents have a Plan B for their kids. (OK, if I put the baby in the crib and he wakes up crying, this is what I'm going to try next to get him to sleep in his own bed....)

4. Prepare to Launch. Guy said, "Plant many seeds." He was talking about spreading your business' story far and wide because it's the "unknown" people who tell others about your product or service that can make it successful. The takeaway for family life, I think, is to plant many seeds within your children. Kids are still developing and becoming the person they are going to be. They need seeds. They need for parents to plant those important messages about life, many times.

5. Overcome Resistance. If anyone knows about (or dreams about) overcoming resistance, it's parents. One of Guy's tips was to find a way to agree -- to harmonize objections. He said to find a bright spot -- instead of overcoming an obstacle, go where things are flowing well. I think these ideas definitely apply to getting along with children in your family. I don't think of this as giving in to a child's demand to, say, eat a cookie in bed after you have tucked her in for the fourth time in one night. But there is wisdom in giving kids options so they feel in control of (at least part of) their lives and making it seem to your child that you are both on the same wavelength, as detailed in Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach and other books about parenting spirited or downright defiant kids.

6. Endure. Like businesses, parents need endurance. The nature of parenting demands it! Guy said to build an ecosystem -- a supportive community -- to make enchantment endure. I'm fortunate to be part of a couple mom groups where we share ideas and tips on raising kids or even just commiserate with one another on how hard it can be to be a mom. And we have fun together. Having fun with your kids and others goes a long way toward being able to endure, I think. Another big point here that Guy made was to invoke reciprocation. He said when people thank you, say, "You would do the same for me," in addition to "You're welcome." In other words, enable people to pay you back. I think this would work great with teenaged kids, and also teach them the value of reciprocity.

Guy talked about using push and pull technology, and then how to enchant your employees and your boss. I think the chapter about enchanting your employees would be a great read from a parenting angle. One of his tips is to provide a MAP (mastery, autonomy, purpose), and as parents, this is our goal for our kids: people who are independent and filled with a sense of purpose for their lives. Another, sometimes humbling, key from Guy is to suck it up and show you are willing to do what it takes -- that you would never ask someone else to do something you wouldn't do yourself. I love this tip because I hate it when I see parents using their children as gophers in unpleasant tasks. (One time, my stepmother made me take an overdue rent check to our landlord because she didn't want to face him. I felt awkward, and when the landlord complained about how late the rent check was and told me to give my parents the message, I felt ashamed even though it wasn't my fault. I'd never want to put my kids in that position.)

Guy Kawasaki's presentation at SheCon was full of good advice for bloggers and business owners -- and parents -- who want to be so enchanting that resisting them is futile (as he wrote on the cover of everyone's books).

If you'd like to win my extra copy of Enchantment, please leave a comment about family life, the book, Guy Kawasaki or another related topic. I'll randomly select a winner next week. Good luck!

Thomas & Friends Adventures on Misty Island MEGA Bloks train set

Look what I won at a Twitter party recently: a Thomas & Friends Adventures on Misty Island MEGA Bloks set. My preschooler was so happy when I surprised him with it! (Whoever thinks Twitter is a waste of time doesn't know how you can form friendships and connections with people -- and sometimes win something cool!)

I just happened to see the Thomas & Friends Twitter party going on one night and joined in because my sons are completely indoctrinated in the cult of Thomas. We have several bins full of the Thomas Wooden Railway, Trackmaster and the Take Along lines of toy trains. And now, the boys can play with their new Thomas MEGA Bloks track.

My son wanted to play with the set immediately, and I took everything out of the box. I was a little intimidated setting it up because I'm just not used to putting together 101 pieces of anything while following directions in a booklet. I think it took me 20 minutes to put the set together.



I did a fine job, no?

My preschooler excitedly played with it (he had the set to himself because his little brother was taking a nap), but after about 40 minutes, he had dismantled most of it and wanted me to help him put it all back together again. I told him he should try to do it himself, and he found new ways of putting the set together. He got frustrated, but he did it.

So while a train set with lots of little blocks may be intimidating at first, the great thing is the MEGA Bloks set can be put together several ways. In fact, the layout shown on the outside of the box it came in is different from the way the booklet shows how to put it together. The downside is the little blocks come apart with play, but the upside is unlike some other train sets, kids can build and rebuild the track however they want.

It's a new world of trains -- and creative play -- for my preschooler.

Summer camp at home: the 10 weeks of summer plan

It's hard to believe there are only a few weeks left of preschool for my oldest boy and that summer break is starting. It doesn't seem like that long ago, it was spring break, and all the ads and buzz about summer camps were pushing themselves into parents' awareness. ("Hey! Wake up! Get your kid into our camp now for the most awesome summer, or you will be stuck with him for three miserable months!")

Most camps are for older kids, not preschoolers, and cost more than I want to spend. Besides, my oldest is going into his last year of preschool this fall, and he will be gone every day of the week (not just three days a week like now) I feel this summer will be my last chance to have both my kids together for a significant amount of time until ... well, until next summer. So I told myself we'd have "camp" at home and have our own "most awesome summer," thankyouverymuchsummercamppeople.

(And then I stumbled across a super-cheap day camp at a church nearby and signed up my preschooler for two weeks. I'm still going to do camp with my little one and friends, though.)

My guy will have 10 (or maybe nine?) weeks of summer break, I realized when I looked at the calendar. So I started brainstorming, making lists and poking around the Internet, and I developed a 10-week summer camp at home for my boys. Some of our friends are going to join us, too, which I think will make it more fun.

Here's a preview of our 10 weeks of summer, in case you'd like to have some fun with us, too -- virtually. You can use this as a jumping-off point for your own ideas, or just a few weeks here and there, or however you want to use it. I start each week on a Monday and give each week a theme. I will post more details of each week the week before, so you can get organized for the week ahead.

Summer camp at home: 10 weeks of summer

June 13: Antarctica. Use this site for penguin activity ideas. Visit local animal park to see penguins (and other animals). Make a paper plate penguin mask and/or walrus mask. Top off week by taking kids to see Mr. Popper’s Penguins movie on Friday, June 17. We have been reading the Mr. Popper's Penguins book a chapter a day; we'll read the additional penguin books we already have.

June 20: Camping. This will lead up to Great American Backyard Campout on Saturday, June 25, when families will be pitching tents in their backyards or local parks. Make a cardboard teepee. Take an ABC walk, make crayon rubbings of leaves, color pictures of wildlife, make toilet paper tube "binoculars," etc. (Read Curious George Goes Camping; When We Go Camping; S Is For Smores)

June 27: Space. The last space shuttle ever is launching on Tuesday, June 28, in the afternoon. We plan to go to Kennedy Space Center this day (about three hours away). We might not see the launch, but if we don't it will be timely anyway. If you don't live near a space center, you can watch the launch on TV and/or visit a science museum. We can dress up like astronauts, learn about the planets in our solar system, build a solar system model, build a cardboard rocket ship, visit a planetarium, etc. (Read The Best Book of Spaceships; The Space Shuttle; Living On A Space Shuttle; The Complete Book of Our Solar System; First Space Encyclopedia)

July 4: America, the Beautiful. Maps of America and our state -- start learning how to read a map. Make flags. Sing patriotic songs. Do a fireworks craft. Maybe make some day trips around our state to our favorite places. Rent “An American Tail,” “This is America, Charlie Brown” or “All Aboard America.” (Read A Is For America; America: A Patriotic Primer; America Is; The Scrambled States of America; America the Beautiful; Good Night America)

July 11: World Traveler. Each day, we'll focus on a different country and have a passport stamped each day and a little cardboard suitcase that we'll make covered in stickers featuring different locations. We can pretend to take a trip by airplane, train and cruise ship, make simple paper costume props, listen to foreign music, do coloring pages, etc. Maybe have an “It’s a Small World” party. (Read Country by Country Guide: Our World; A World of Wonders; Travels of the Zephyr)

July 18: Out on the Ranch. We'll try to visit a farm. Dress up like cowboys. Pretend a water park is an ol’ watering hole. Go to the local children's art musuem. Make and ride hobby horses. (Read Charlie the Ranch Dog; The Cow Loves Cookies; Good Night Cowboy; Cowboy Small)

July 25: Car Racing. We'll try to visit a local speeday. Have a racing playdate. Dress up as race car drivers. Go see Cars 2. Have kids draw pictures of cars. Make a racing flag. Make a cardboard car. (Read R Is For Race; World’s Fastest Cars; Hot Rod Hamster; Little Racing Car)

August 1: Train Depot. Visit local hobby store that has fun train layouts. Visit local railway museum. Do the Thomas & Friends magazine “really useful engine” checklist through the week (where kids try to accomplish a helpful goal each day). Have a train party at our house. Ride the local commuter train with friends. (Read Shark Vs. Train; The Goodnight Train; honestly, we already have lots of train books)

August 8: Treasure Sailors (aka pirates that don’t pillage). X marks the spot, and we need to find the treasure. I'll plan a treasure hunt from place to place where the kids will find new treasure maps at each stop. That will lead us to the beach, where they will discover cute little cardboard treasure chests with coins or other treasure. Do a message in a bottle. Visit a marina and take a ride on a real boat. Make a cardboard ship. Dress up like a pirate/sailor/treasure hunter. (Read Shiver Me Letters; Do Pirates Take Baths?; The Great Pirate Activity Book; Pirate’s Activity Book; On A Pirate Ship; Pirates Don’t Change Diapers; Minton Goes Sailing; Hugo the Lifesaving Sailor)

August 15: Wildlife Rescuers. Some schools start this week. We can learn about our favorite wildlife. Visit our local wildlife rehabilitation place, which has a visitor center. Watch wildlife DVDs. (Read Rescue! Bindi Wildlife Adventures; The Animal Rescue Club; Baby Owl’s Rescue; Dolphins on the Sand; How To Heal A Broken Wing; Diego books)

In addition to the themed activities, I plan on working with my preschooler on his handwriting and other preschool skills. You can get skills workbooks at bookstores and even dollar stores.

Also, at the beginning of the summer, the kids will make a paper bag album. Each week, I'll let them pick their favorite photo of what we did, and they can paste the print into their albums. Then by the end of the summer, they will have a book they made about what they did all summer.

This is going to be a fun summer, and those 10 weeks are going to fly by!

Win a Veggie Tales 'Twas the Night Before Easter DVD

There's never ever ever ever ever been a show like Veggie Tales! The latest DVD from the friendly veggies, 'Twas the Night Before Easter, has the usual good moral and delightful spoofs everyone has come to expect from the show. This time, the moral is about the true meaning of Easter, and the spoof is an American Idol-style audition -- featuring former AI finalist Melinda Doolittle as the newest veggie, singing sensation Cassie Cassava. (You're going to look for cassava recipes now, aren't you?)



The DVD “eggs-tra” bonus features include “The Hopperena” Silly Songs Sing-Along, a spotlight on Melinda Doolittle and an Easter cards interactive matching game.

'Twas the Night Before Easter would be a fun addition to an Easter basket.

Want to win one? The Veggie Tales folks are generously providing one DVD for me to give away. Yay! I'll select a winner at random on Friday. Just leave a comment about Veggie Tales or Easter. Congrats to Averyswife on winning this DVD! Thank you to everyone who commented to win.

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Veggie Tales/Big Idea Entertainment/LBI are providing a free DVD for me to give away. All opinions and silliness are my own.

Kids, cookies, books and fun at South Florida malls on March 19

There are some fun happenings at malls in South Florida on Saturday, March 19. Mark your calendar!

First, Take the kids to Macy’s Home Store at Aventura Mall on Saturday, March 19 for a fun-filled and tasty event featuring delicious treats by Chef Sophie Tallon of Yummy Cakes and More Bakery. Chef Tallon will teach kids how to bake and decorate spring-themed cookies! Kids can also enjoy face painting and balloon artistry, plus music and games from Radio Disney. Moms and dads can also enjoy some refreshments from Nespresso.

Then, enter for a chance to win special gifts from Yummy Cakes and More Bakery, Cookin’ Kidz and Joyce’s Something Special, Inc. gift basket company. The first 50 customers to make a purchase of $50 or more in housewares or tabletops will receive a Macy’s lunchbox full of sweet treats and a pass to visit Zoo Miami! Be at Macy's at 1 pm for an afternoon of fun.

In Broward, check out the Simon Kidgits Club Book Blast, also starting at 1 pm. This free event features readings by authors Lisa McCourt (I Love You, Stinky Face), Pablo Cartaya (Tina Cocolina: Queen of the Cupcakes) and Dani Lynn (The Fairytale Project).

Shoppers are encouraged to donate a new or gently used book to Guest Services now through the date of the event. The donated books will support the goals of "Just Read, Florida!" and will be distributed through the Florida Education Foundation to Maplewood Elementary School in Coral Springs and Women in Distress.

Radio Disney will be at the Book Blast with additional games, prizes and giveaways!

Enjoy three new Baby Einstein Discovery Kits -- And a chance to win a Discovery Kit

When my preschooler was a baby, we received a Baby Einstein music CD. I kept it in the rotation of discs in my car, because as soon as he'd had enough of his car seat (which was after about a minute and a half), my baby would start wailing -- and hearing the Baby Einstein music calmed him down most of the time.

More Baby Einstein CDs, books and DVDs followed. (Don't tell his preschool pals, but sometimes my son still likes to watch Baby Einstein DVDs, especially Things That Go, which for some reason he calls "The Squirrel Show.")

(???)

So I think it's great that parents can get Baby Einstein Discovery Kits, which include a music CD, DVD and either a book or Discovery Cards -- all about one theme. Baby Einstein recently unveiled three new Discovery Kits: Baby Lullaby, Neptune’s Oceans & World of Rhythm.

Baby Lullaby soothes babies (and parents!) with classical lullabies by Bach, Brahms and Mozart. Think relaxing ocean waves, cute puppet shows and tranquil images. So sweet! (Level 1)

Neptune's Oceans celebrates amazing marine life in their natural habitats: Penguins, whales, dolphins, sea lions and crabs. And it's all set to great music. (Level 2)

In the World of Rhythm, new characters Pillie, the musical woodpecker, and Coco, the dancing cockatoo, explore rhythm in music, rhythm in nature and rhythm as a form of expression. Cha cha cha! (Level 3)

In addition to the new Discovery Kits, you'll also find six other kits (in all age levels) already out there: Baby Beethoven, Baby Mozart, Animals Around Me, Wild Animal Safari, World of Colors and World of Words. Discovery Kits are typically priced at $19.99 U.S./$24.99 Canada.

Want a chance to win a Baby Einstein Discovery Kit?! Baby Einstein is generously offering one for me to give away. Leave a comment about your favorite Baby Einstein product, or mention which one you've got your eye on. (The Neptune's Ocean Discovery Kit does it for me!) I'll choose a winner by random on Friday, March 4. Please make sure there's a way to get in touch with you to tell you if you've won. Good luck!

I received this free Discovery Kit through a LBi/Baby Einstein program. However, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own (can you tell?), and no other monetary compensation took place.

Download:

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Bringing baby home: 10 tips for new moms

Right now, a good friend is waiting on the word to bring her baby home from the hospital. I know she is eager to have her second daughter at home and to stop going back and forth to the hospital for merely a visit!

I am blessed, lucky and proud to have been able to bring two babies into our home -- my first son, now four, and my second, now 16 months old. Following advice I had read in the Baby Whisperer book, I gave each son a tour of our home (once they were awake!). I was excited to show them the bedrooms my husband and I had set up for them!

There are other things I wanted to do for them to make them as comfortable, happy and healthy as possible. Here are some of those ideas for new moms.

1. Nesting. Before each boy was born, I had an urge to clean the house. Heck, I even dusted the blinds. Curtains were washed. Dust bunnies were evicted from under the beds. Cat fur was abolished. Baby clothes were washed and settled into drawers lined with fresh paper. Then I felt better about bringing my baby home to less dust and other junk in the air. Every mom has a different urge about what has to be cleaned. Follow those instincts!

2. Laundry. In addition to the regular load of laundry for my husband and me, each day I also washed the baby's things. If a blanket fell on the floor, it went into the hamper. (I don't know about you, but I received so many blankets as gifts that I felt, Why should I put a dirty blanket on my baby?!) I also washed a load of cloth diapers at the end of each day. That's a lot of laundry! Be ready for it with plenty of hampers and/or laundry baskets so you can sort the loads.

3. Cloth diapers. I mentioned washing cloth diapers ... it's not really a big deal. There are so many different kinds of cloth diapers to choose from. If you want to try it out, no matter which kind you use, you will have to wash them (unless you use a diaper service). What I did was to keep a large bucket with soapy water in the laundry room. As I changed diapers, they went into the bucket. This way, they could soak. Then at the end of the day, I poured the bucket into the washing machine. I used an extra rinse cycle on them. Then they were dried, and I folded and stacked them next to the changing pad for the next day.

4. Clean toys. Just like the blankets, we had been given more than enough toys for a newborn -- so I didn't bother giving either son a toy that had dropped on the floor. Hey, we have cats. Cats walk into their litter box. Then they walk across our floor. Enough said. Hard toys can be washed in warm soapy water, or wiped or sprayed with disinfectant. Soft cloth toys can usually go in the laundry. It's a good idea to clean all new toys, too, before giving them to the baby. They are new but still germy!

5. Visitors. When visitors came to see the baby for the first time, we asked them to wash their hands first. We also kept a large pump bottle of hand sanitizer in a convenient place. People got the hint! And definitely no sick people or those who lived with family members who were sick were allowed. Set your rules about what you feel comfortable with, and stick with it! If you don't want visitors for three weeks, say so and be firm about it. If you're OK with having a party at the hospital or your home afterward, then that's fine too. (But tell people if they show up, you will put them to work! Heh!)

6. Clean bottles. I breastfed both babies. But I had to go back to the hospital a few days after my first son was born, and because of tests done on me, I couldn't nurse him for four days. I remember shopping for baby bottles and a steam cleaner just for sanitizing them. Sure, boiling works, and I know lots of folks who just use the dishwasher. The steamer was fast, though, so it's good to have if your baby drinks from a bottle.

7. Clothes. As a new mom, I had underestimated how many times I would change my baby's clothes. Who knew a newborn could poop vertically?! I ended up buying more basic bodysuits and pajamas after my first son was born. I think it also helps to try out a few different kinds of clothes, like pajamas, to see which you like. The pajamas that zip? Snap? A sleep sack? The kind with the elastic at the bottom? Then you will know what works best for you for any middle-of-the-night diaper changes. Because you may end up doing it in the dark -- or in your sleep!

8. Pets. We have two cats. Many people are allergic to cats. My husband and I knew that the babies were going to get plenty of cat fur on them, just because. So in the early days, we tried to keep the cats away from them. Oh, we knew the cats would want to give each baby the all-important kitty sniff test, and that was all right. But we didn't want the cats sleeping next to the baby or playing with his toys. Or, gah! sitting in the baby seat (which did happen, and which I promptly cleaned).

9. Hands. Washing hands was very important to me when the boys were newborns. It still is now ... but especially then. Experts say you need to rub soap on your hands for 20 seconds before rinsing for maximum germ-killing effect. I washed my hands so much in the early days! Get a bottle of nice hand lotion ready!

10. Maintenance. After the baby comes home, it's a good idea to stay on top of cleaning in the rooms he sleeps and plays in the most. I changed the crib sheets frequently, and the changing pad cover and Boppy pillow cover too. Dusting and vacuuming help get rid of dust, of course, and once you have a "system," it won't take a lot of time.

I think keeping a newborn comfortable and happy starts with tender loving care and a clean, safe environment. Follow your maternal instincts, keep things clean for your baby, and welcome a newborn into her new world.

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I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Lysol® Wee Wisdom blogging program, making me eligible to get a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Music for Munchkins

The flyer above tells South Florida families what they need to know to enjoy some amazing free symphony orchestra concerts that are geared toward kids! But I wanted to add that I took my boys last year (when the Junebug was just an infant), and we all really loved it. The concert hall is totally noisy and busy with children -- and that's OK! I wish the concerts were year-round.