Ready for Spring! Peace and calm waters ahead! 

Lily and Evan on the Swing!

Outside play is so much fun for the kids and us!

Lily will swing for hours! She out does Nana! Can't wait to play with them again!

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Get creative and boost literacy skills with this fun write-on/wipe-off flip chart! When kids pick up the pen, they'll get lots of opportunities to read, write, rhyme, draw...and star in their very own stories! An innovative resource to use again and again!

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The joy of grand kids! The loves of my life besides my two daughters!

10 Cheap things to do this summer with your kids! 

Be sure to check it out!

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Educational Toys Plus: 10 Cheapthings to do with your kids this summerHe...

Educational Toys Plus: 10 Cheapthings to do with your kids this summer
He...: 10 Cheap things to do with your kids this summer Here in the southwest of Missouri our winter ended quickly and it seems spring was fo...

10 Cheap things to do with your kids this summer

Here in the southwest of Missouri our winter ended quickly and it seems spring was forgotten and summer came in quick. Soon it will be very warm and school will be out. Have you thought about what are your kids going to be doing when they get out of school? I did some searching around and pulled together some great ideas of what do to and for very little cost!
Hopefully you’ll see something you haven’t done before or you just forgot and this is a good reminder. I have two young grand-kids and they love outdoors so thinking up different things for them to do differently so they don’t become board can become daunting! 

Side Walk Chalk
Absolutely so much fun! Cheapest is from WalMart 48 different colors for under $5. I know little 

ones love to color and with side walk chalk the creativity is endless. 

Bubbles and More Bubbles

Another favorite! It doesn’t get any better than blowing bubbles! It’s a great way to teach the young how to blow. Once they see the bubbles come out their eyes widen and run to pop it! Check out this list of bubble toys a lot under $10 and $5. Outdoor games.

Have a Pool Party

Just for the family! The pool doesn’t have to be big! I did some looking around and found the best price for kid’s pools. They range from $20 to $30. Make it a day at the pool. Have a picnic lunch or BBQ and play pool games. I searched and searched for some fun games for the kids and found a few and wanted to share with you. Pool Games. If you check out this list, there is one I would not do and that’s balancing on floats, this one can be very dangerous! Get cool and have fun!

Play Sports

In yard or park whatever you need to play the sports you want. Throwing balls or kicking them is what young kids love to do. Make up the easy rules and follow through. This is a good lesson on learning how to following instructions. If it’s hot make sure you stay hydrated!

Patio Game Day

Bring out the game boards the favorite ones. If you need to add new games to your bundle check out these favorites under $10. Sitting outside under a tree or under an umbrella makes playing games so much more fun. If it’s too windy and you can’t play board games, here are some other games to play. Red rover red rover, duck duck goose, hide and seek, tag, tag with a ball, race games, make an obstacle course, and simon says. I used to play all these games with my preschool students and my own kids.

When I was looking for great ways to play with kids during the summer, some of the ideas I ran into were kind of not kid friendly. So I kept searching and this is what I found.

Build a Fort

This is a favorite idea! Set up a day and make a huge fort in the living room. Grab pillows, blankets clothes whatever you can get your hands on and bring in a TV. Make it a big deal and let the kids choose their own movie. This is a great time to play board games or card games. This is a great time for reading. Have the kids bring in their favorite books. Coloring is also a good idea. Do one activity a week with a fort for more variety and fun!

To keep track of all the summer activities download this calendar! This can be one of your scheduled activities. You and your kids can color it and add the activities to planned days. They can watch the calendar and get excited about the planned days! This is a good discipline tool as well.

Have a Pillow Fight

How fun this can be. But we don’t want anyone to get hurt so you may have to lay down the rules. This exercise activity will definitely get them exhausted and ready for nap or bed! This activity is perfect for the whole family!

Bake Cookies

Most kids love cookies and love to make them! They can even pick out what kind to make and help you make them. When kids are involved it gives them pride of making something and they eating it! No matter the occasion baking is always a good idea!

Scavenger Hunt

This activity is so much fun in the house or out in the yard. Kids love to look for things and when they find them it gives them self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment. The kids can even help prepare the items to look for and make the end of the hunt the biggest prize. You can even make a theme of the hunt. If your kids can read, give them instructions where to go in different ways. If your kids do not read you can draw pictures to help them search for the items.

Make a Video

Kids love to act. Set up your phone or video and act in front of it. Older kids can do a skit and the younger ones can help in any way they can. If you plan it, you can have props and other things to make it fun. This is a great thing to send to grandparents and other family. You can even start a video or take pictures throughout the summer of the activities you do with the kids. This could be a great gift for a loved one!

Whatever you do this summer have fun with your kids! Please share your pictures and write what you did. If you have any other great ideas please let us know!

Jana Esposito

The talk around the blogs is the learning fun while playing. I have seen some great ideas! Easy to collect items around the house and imaginations opening up making for some amazing games to play indoors. I myself like to play outside with the kids making up games while learning.

Some great fun games do come with all the props included but the kids still love to play if it's competitive fun and exciting. Here's an example the crocodile floor game. This game is great for small and large groups. Some of the props are the colorful vinyl floor mat, two inflatable cubes, and 40 animal markers with a guide.

This game is so much fun that I use it when ever I want to switch it up with more physical exercise indoor and out. I enjoy playing with the kids too! Get down and play today! Have fun and learn!

Join the kids and play with them!               Great way to play! Indoor and out!                                  

All groups large and small

The fun is throwing the dice and seeing how far you can go to win!

Animal Markers, who are you?

Get ready to roll!

Click here if you want to play!

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Have you heard of the "Heads Up Seven Up" game? This is a game I played when  was a young student about 40 years ago. I checked this out today to see if the game is still played. I couldn't believe it still is. Since it's February and day's playing outside are limited, I wanted to share an old time game that has been played for over 40 years is still in the classroom.

Here are the rules if you have forgotten or just need a refresher! Have fun! 

Seven students were in front of the class. The class laid their heads on their desk. The seven went out and each touched a person. That person would stick his or her thumb up. Then the seven would say "heads up seven up" and each student got one chance to guess which of the seven touched him If they guessed right than they changed places. If they did not the same person got to stay up.

OR

Played inside a classroom...everyone puts their heads down on their desks and extends one thumb. The teacher chooses one person as "It." He/she goes around touching the thumbs of six people. If your thumb is touched, you go to the front of the room. When this has been accomplished, "It" yells, "Seven up!" Everyone raises their heads and has to guess which of the seven people is "It."