All God's Critters

Growing up, each week of our summer was assigned a different theme by my mom that included activities, treats, outings, books, crafts and more. My mom felt very strongly that she wanted to keep our minds active and engaged during the summer months. It's often too easy to let video games, TV, and other mindless activities fill the leisure hours of a child's summer vacation and in fact, research shows that the average child loses 20% or more of their previous school year's knowledge by the time the next school year begins.  For this reason, and I imagine because my mom also didn't want bored children nagging her for three long months, my mom created her "Summer Magic"- themed weekly "units."  I can honestly say that aside from stimulating our young brains with cultural and educational activities, her weeks of "Summer Magic" were just downright fun! 

That's why I am so excited to do my mom's "Summer Magic" units with my little boy this summer, and even more excited to share them with you!! I hope they will give you some great ideas of how to have fun with your kids this summer while keeping their minds active and engaged! 

So without further adieu. . .

WEEK 1:

Here's how to have the buggiest bug week ever as you celebrate all of God's "critters."

Eat Bugs!

Have a picnic at the park (or your house) and bring lots of bugs to eat! Here's what we serve up:

Lady Bug Cream Cheese Crackers

Crackers spread with cream cheese; with red jam for "spots" and black licorice cut to look like "heads."

Spider Sandwiches

Sandwiches (any kind you prefer, I did peanut butter) cut into small circles with pretzel sticks for legs.

Fuzzy Caterpillars

Cheetos Puffs

Ants on a Log

Celery sticks topped with peanut butter and raisins.

                                                          Catch Bugs!

Head outside with your bug net and a bug box or jar to see if you can catch any bugs! Even if they get away, at least try to spot as many bugs as you can!

I found this darling Melissa and Doug© Brand bug catching puzzle. The magnetic net "catches" the bugs! My little guy LOVED it!

 Bugs in a Jar!

I'm not a fan of real bugs, especially the kind in our neck of the woods (cockroaches and scorpions). So I came up with a fun alternative to the traditional idea of catching bugs in a jar. It works just like an easter egg hunt, except instead of plastic eggs you hide toy bugs around your yard. Then, arm your kids with a mason jar or bug box and set them loose to search for the "bugs." As they find each one, they can put them in their jar! 

What do you suppose?

A bee sat on my nose.

Then what do you think?

He gave me a wink

And said, "I beg your pardon,

I thought you were the garden."

~English Rhyme

     Be a Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Act out the story and eat the foods the caterpillar does in Eric Carle's Book The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

My mom had the idea to skewer the foods from the book and then, as she read the book to us, have us act out the story and eat the foods as the caterpillar does.

To make Very Hungry Caterpillar Shish Kebabs, skewer one slice or piece of each of the following in this order:

Apple

Pear

Plum

Strawberry

Orange

Chocolate Cake 

(I used brownie bites)

Ice Cream Cone 

(This obviously doesn't skewer very well so I used mini snack sized ice cream cones and just brought them out of the freezer at that point in the story. Drumstick© Brand or Trader Joes© makes these mini ice cream cones.)

Pickle

(Use snack sized or mini pickles)

Swiss Cheese

Salami 

(Use beef stick salami or a cooked bratwurst sliced)

Lollipop 

(Like the ice cream, a lollipop doesn't skewer, so I just had lollipops on hand for when we got to that point in the story.)

Cherry Pie 

(I used a slice of a cherry danish which skewered nicely)

Sausage 

(Use Lil' Smokies sausages. Cook first.)

Cupcake 

(Use mini cupcakes)

Watermelon Slice

Green Leaf 

(1 spinach leaf or leaf of lettuce)

                           

Now that your shish kebabs are ready, you're all set to be a Very Hungry Caterpillar.  

1. Begin reading the book. The Caterpillar starts out as a small egg on a leaf which hatches. Have your kids roll up in a ball on the floor to pretend like they are an egg. As the caterpillar hatches in the story, have them pretend like they too are hatching. 

2. Next, as the caterpillar eats each food, have your kids likewise eat that piece of food off the skewer. 

3.  When the Caterpillar is full (and so are your children), he forms a cocoon. Roll your kids up tightly in a blanket or towel to make their own cocoon. As the Caterpillar emerges from the cocoon, have your kids likewise break free. 

4. Now the Very Hungry Caterpillar is a butterfly. Have your kids put on wings and antennas and run wild as beautiful little butterflies!

We made a pair of our own butterfly wings using poster board and elastic. I followed the instructions on this blog here! My son had a fun time coloring and decorating his wings! 

He also loved coloring these free coloring pages while I made our shish kebabs.

These coloring pages can be downloaded and printed here!

. . . . .

I also just thought these were so cute, and had to include them here. They are a fun alternatives to our shish kebabs, incase you're interested:

Give Bug Reports

Head to the Library to check out books on bugs!  Below are a few of the ones my son and I found at our local library.  Then, have each of your children pick a bug they want to know more about and help them to research facts and information. Have them write up what they learn and include some fun pictures of their bug and then take turns presenting their bug findings to each other! This activity can easily be adapted to fit the various age levels of your children. Older children might find the internet or encyclopedias helpful to learn about their specific critter while youngsters, like my toddler, can enjoy simply reading books with you and coloring pictures. 

 

This series of insect books by Backyard Books are DARLING and teach awesome facts about each bug! Check them out!

            Make Bugs!

Make some fun bug crafts with your kids. There are a million ideas out there, but here are just a few:

Thumb Print Bugs

http://lessonplans.craftgossip.com/10-bug-craft-activities

http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/bug crafts

     Watch Disney's A Bug's Life!

        Visit an Insect Museum

A lot of cities actually have one of these or at least a collection of bugs on display within another larger museum. Our science center, in fact, is dedicating this whole summer to bugs with a new exhibition called Pestology. What a perfect addition to our Critter's Week! You might want to stop by an insect museum where you live to enjoy an up close and personal bug experience with your kids and learn a ton about bugs while you're at it!

      Sing and Dance to the song
          The Ugly Bug Ball

Once a lonely caterpillar sat and cried,
To a sympathetic beetle by his side.
"I've got nobody to hug,
I'm such an ugly bug." 
Then a spider and a dragon fly replied,
"If you're serious and want to win a bride,
Come along with us,
To the glorious
Annual ugly bug ball . . ." 

   Visit the International Peace Gardens 

  (or another monument to peace and cultural diversity)

My mom got the name for this week's theme from a notable song "All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir" written by Bill Stains. (It is now in book form, see below).   The point of the song is that every living thing from the human race down to the tiniest bug has value and an important role to play. 

While our Critters Week centered around bugs -bug activities, bug foods, bug books - the deeper meaning in this particular week's theme was to teach us children to have respect for all living things- all people, all races, all creatures, all critters. 

In our discussion of the idea of having respect for the diversity of God's "critters," we would visit the International Peace Gardens- a beautiful garden in Salt Lake that is dedicated to world peace.  I'm so sad that while living away now, I can't visit the gardens this year- and even more sad to find that our current hometown doesn't have a similar monument or garden like this.

"The International Peace Gardens, located on the bank of the Jordan River in Salt Lake City, was founded as a citizenship project and as a lesson in peace and understanding between nations. The endeavor is evidence that people from many lands can unite in building a monument to peace....Each participating nation group is allotted a plot in which to create a garden with native plants, garden architecture, and statues of world peace leaders typical of the homeland and its culture. The Peace Gardens currently represents the cultural diversity of twenty-six nations and encourages pleasant wandering and meditation by visitors." 

You can learn more about this Garden here! 

"And He inviteth them all to come unto Him and partake of His goodness; and He denieth none that come unto Him, black and white, bond and free, male and female and he remembereth the heathen and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile."

2 Nephi 26:33

After our visit to the gardens, for lunch we would enjoy food from a different country in order to show respect and interest for others' cultures. In so doing, we would try ethnic fare that is more unusual to us than say Mexican or Chinese.  In the past we've had Greek, Indian, Japanese and Vietnamese. This year as part of our Critters Week, my family decided to go Polish with pierogies and kielbasa!  

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our "All God's Critters" Week and that you got some ideas of how to have some critter fun of your own!  

 Stay tuned for more "Summer Magic"!  
Under the Sea Week is next!

TOAST THE SUMMER

I'm so excited because now that summer is here, I get to share with you all about my mom's summer "units" (or themed- activities). Believe me, you are not going to want to miss out on these! So tell your kids to turn off the T.V. and kiss their summer boredom good-bye because the next three months are going to be filled with the magic of summer  like you've never seen before!  

  

"TOAST THE SUMMER"

To kick off our summer season, the first item of business is always to Toast the Summer! On the first day out of school, for breakfast we sit outside on our back patio and indulge in delicious yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit parfaits or chilly fruit smoothies. With raised glasses we toast the summer sun and welcome the season of adventure that lies ahead!

  

Then... we immediately head to the car to take off on an annual tour of our hometown!

 "CITY TOUR"

 My mom started doing this with us years and years ago as a way to explore the unique characteristics and hidden gems of our city that we tend drive by all our lives but never stop to really see.  {If any of you live in Salt Lake City I would love to share with you the awesome stops on my mom's original City Tour! Just ask! There's an artesian drinking well, giant whirly gigs, a rock wall mural, a visit to Penny Parade Drive, and more! } 

But since my husband and I now live out of state, in my mom's fashion I created our own City Tour of the town where we now live. And you can too!

  Ahead of time, make a list of quirky, unique, artistic or otherwise interesting landmarks and features around your city. These may be things you've noticed while out driving or you can always use the internet to glean inspiration. Then, mark each stop on a map to plan the best driving route for your tour. You might even consider typing up a list of your stops (kind of like a scavenger hunt) and give one to each of your kids to mark off each stop as you drive around!

Here's what we did for our City Tour 2013!

STOP 1: FIRE FIGHT RELIEF STATUE

A beautiful relief sculpture adorns the entrance of a local fire station. This is one of those things we drive by all the time, but have never stopped to really look at. It was fun to get out of the car and take a closer look.

STOP 2: A VISIT TO LINGER LANE

On my mom's city tour was a beautiful mansion that touted above its front door the engraved message: Linger Longer.  My mom always loved this welcoming sentiment inviting friends and guests to feel at home within their walls.  When we'd stop to look at this house, my mom would encourage us to likewise have an inviting and welcoming personality to all we meet. 

While out driving one day, I noticed that the city where we now live has an actual street called Linger Lane. In honor of my mom's original tour, I just had to make it a stop on ours this year!

STOP 3:  LA PURISIMA BAKERY

Our city boasts a strong hispanic population and as a result we have many tasty panaderias (Spanish for "bakeries.") To pay homage to this element of our city and because the taste of Mexican pastries makes me nostalgic for childhood days spent living in Mexico, our next stop was one of the best panaderies in our town: La Purisima Bakery.  

I would have had to fight tooth and nail to get that cookie out of his hands- he carried it with him the entire rest of our Tour- sneaking a tiny nibble only here and there. 

                                                       

 STOP 4: CERRETA'S CANDY CO.

Our city is home to the family-owned Cerreta's Candy Co., started by a local chocolatier many years ago. We stopped in for our free chocolate sample and to buy a bag of their Prickly Pear Cactus Chews- made in honor of the desert in which we live! 

STOP 5: TERRITORIAL SHERIFF STATUE

 Once part of the wild west, our city has been home to many a Sheriff. This statue was erected in the Historic District to commemorate one in particular, Sheriff Sam Stout, a "man of strength and courage."

STOP 6:  CITY VISITOR CENTER

We decided to stop in to our local Visitor's Center, mostly because we've never been there and thought it might provide some fun information about where we live. They let my son go back into one of the city official's offices to see a giant Lego Man that was sent to our city for an upcoming Lego Kids Fest.  There are only 4 in the world! The city official also gifted us a beautiful "coffee-table" book about the history of our city. How awesome! This proved to be a fun and worthwhile stop!

   

 STOP 7: MOSAIC HISTORY WALK

Spanning a block of the downtown Historic District is a sidewalk filled with beautiful mosaics representing the history and culture of our city.

Here are a few of my favorites:

 They even had dental pliers to represent the Dental School where my husband attends.

 My absolute favorite though was the barrel cactus with a beautiful butterfly lighting on top of it.

                                           

STOP 8:  "OLD FRIENDS" STATUE

I love this statue and I love its name. So cute! 

STOP 9:  ELSIE McCARTHY SENSORY GARDEN

This garden was commissioned by a blind woman who wanted to create a park that visually disabled people, as well as everyone else, might enjoy by using senses other than eyesight. Plants and trees were selected for their aromatic or tactile features, the sound of water trickles through several large water features, and a brail map at the entrance of the garden allows the blind to orient themselves with the layout. We stopped by and tried to see how many senses, other than sight, we could use to enjoy the little garden.

                                                 

STOP 10:  MARCOMB'S SERVICE STATION

Though no longer in use, this gas station built in the 1930's still stands. It has been turned into a fun little historic monument and, like many of the other stops, was something I'd seen while out driving but I hadn't ever stopped to get a closer look. I'm glad we did. It was really cool!

STOP 11:  LUNCH AT A LOCAL SECRET HOT SPOT

Chino Bandido, is proof that one should never judge a book by its cover. This hole in the wall touts some of our city's best local food and has even been featured on the Food Network.  Its a mind boggling blend of asian and latin food that is quickly becoming our favorite place to take people when they visit us. The people just ahead of us in line were from Chicago and this was their very first stop while in town on vacation! 

In case you're wondering what to order? I like the red jade chicken quesadilla with Jamaican jerk rice and spicy Cuban black beans. 

So remember, you don't need to go on vacation to have an awesome time exploring a city- why not discover your OWN hometown?! 

 GET SET FOR SUMMER

When we get home from our City Tour, the rest of the afternoon is spent getting ready for more summer fun!  Here's what we do:

 1) Buy a new summer water bottle to keep us hydrated all summer long! We write our names on them and decorate them with fun summer stickers (vinyl works best!)

These darling personalized kid-water bottles are available here at Etsy ! 

2)Make individual Summer Reading Lists (A list of books for children to read alone and/or books to be read to by mom. Then we check them off all-summer long as we complete each one!)

Photocourtesy: cityofsafford.us

3) Get our "Summer Treasure Boxes" ready! ( A new pencil box, egg carton, or other container to keep "treasures"  in that we collect all summer wherever we go (special rocks, sea shells, pinecones, etc.)  

Photo courtesy 2.fiskars.com

Some of our favorite books for the first day of Summer: 

Finally, after a long day of fun, we put on our pajamas, snuggle in, and watch the classic movie "Summer Magic!" (Yep, this is where my mom got the name for her weeks of summer fun!)

Happy (unofficial) first day of Summer!! 

Stay tuned . . . more Summer Magic is coming!