The Color Game

Another way we have been practicing colors is with the color game.  This is a fun game that we started playing outside on our patio, and moved inside as the weather cooled off.

Materials needed:

• sidewalk chalk, 6 colors (if playing outside)
• different colors of construction paper, 6 colors, 2 sheets of each color (if playing inside)
• large die
• labels (to put on the die)
• packing tape (optional)

Set up:

• Using the sidewalk chalk, draw a circle on the sidewalk.  You will need 6 different colors, and 1 circle of each color for each person playing.  For example, I drew 2 pink circles, 2 blue circles, 2 green circles, 2 white circles, 2 orange circles, and 2 yellow circles.  For inside play, arrange your 6 colors of paper in a circle. 
• Using the labels, label each side of the die with one of the colors you used for the circles.  (Optional- put packing tape over the labels to ensure they do not fall off.)

To play:

• Roll the die.  Whatever color lands up, the player (preferable the toddler) must identify the color, then jump onto a corresponding circle.
• Repeat.
• Don't forget to giggle and have fun!

Get ready to jump....

Blue!

What ways do you incorporate learning into gross motor skills?

We linked up to No Time for Flash Cards Linky Party!

Bubbles

Little Guy loves to blow bubbles. On a recent trip to the dollar store, we picked up a new bubble blowing kit.  Little Guy loved it! An added bonus was that he was much more successful at blowing bubbles out of these big wands than he usually is with the regular wands!

What great finds have you made at the dollar store?

Our garden...an update

Remember way back in June when we planted our vegetable garden?  Here's an update to how it looks now!

Our garden!

Daddy made the tomato cages out of PVC pipes.  We didn't get the cages in until kinda late, so that is why a couple of the tomato plants never got very tall.

What we have harvested so far:

• several cucumbers
• 2 big tomatoes
• a dozen-ish cherry tomatoes
• a handful of yellow pear tomatoes
• 2 jalapenos
• 2 orange snack peppers

Our first cucumber!

Our peppers, a cucumber, and a few tomatoes that made it into the house.

We have a lot of green tomatoes on the plants still, so I hope that warm weather holds out until they ripen!

Little Guy has loved helping to pick things from the garden, especially the cherry tomatoes.  When we pick them, we can usually get a small handful at a time.  Little Guy has been loving this so much that the tomatoes usually don't make it into the house...he's eaten them all before we get inside! 

Our sunflower plants finally bloomed! Remember way back in May when Little Guy and I started these plants out as seeds?  They have just grown and grown, and now are taller than all of our other plants and me! 

Our sunflower.

How is your garden?

Our (new and improved) garden

When we moved into this house, there was a small garden plot in the corner of the backyard.  Over the last few years, we have continued to use this spot as it was to plant a small vegetable garden in the summer.  This summer was to be the same.  You may recall that we already planted pea seeds out there.
Well, Daddy decided it was time for an upgrade to our garden plot!  Over a weekend, he built a raised garden bed out of cedar!  It is beautiful!

Little Guy likes to help Daddy!

Using those tools!

2 clamps are better than 1.

What a good job hammering.

Doing some work on his own!

After the box was built, we had to fill it with soil and compost, then put in our new plants!

Making sure the soil is mixed!

Good thing he has a wheelbarrow!

Mommy and Little Guy digging together.

Putting in a tomato plant!

And here it is!

Our wonderful garden!

Our peas never came up, so we weren't worried about planting over them.  Our garden contains:

• 6 sunflower plants (that we started from seeds!)
• 4 different types of tomatoes
• 3 types of peppers
• 1 cucumber

We planted Scottish moss in the little inset, as it can handle being stepped on.  The inset is so I can reach all the plants!

Can't wait to see what we get this summer and fall!

What's in your garden?

Beginning our garden

In between our last two trips, we began our garden.  So far, we have planted a row of pea seeds outside in our garden area, started sunflower seeds to be transplanted outside, and planted a pot of flower seeds. 

We started with the pea seeds.  I spent naptime turning the soil to try to have things ready.  Little Guy came out after his nap and helped to put in the seeds and water them in.

Carefully put in the seeds.

Water is so good for our seeds!

Then we planted some flower seeds.  Little Guy was helpful in filling the pot with soil, sprinkling in some seeds, and then watering.

All done!

The next day we planted our sunflower seeds.  I chose mammoth sunflowers, so these should be fun to watch grow this summer!  These will eventually be transplanted by the fence in our backyard.  I made boxes from newspaper to use to hold the seed starts.  This way, when we are ready to transplant, we can just plant the whole thing.  Little Guy helped to fill each box with soil, push in a seed, and then to water.  He is such a good helper!

Hmmmm, this feels different.

Make room for more soil!

Put one seed in the middle of each box.

Water to help them grow!

Fast forward to after our last trip, about 5 days later.  The flower seeds in our red pot had sprouted!  Little Guy loves to look at them and tries to count them.  When he wants to look at them, he points and says "Grow!"  He really likes to water them, too.  I love watching how excited he gets over these plants!

Wow!  Look at the plants! Grow!

What have you and your toddler planted?