sunprints!

Can't wait to do this! Thank you to my friend Jeanne!!

Check it out here...

little sprouts finger paint

We've discovered a LOVELY little place in West Chester, PA called Little Sprout's Village. Miss Noreen has brilliantly and graciously opened her home and gardens to the little people of her community and offers classes on cooking, art, and so much more.

Monday's Big Hands/Little Hands class involved using HOMEMADE finger paints {I will post the recipe as soon as Noreen emails it to me} and found objects to create art. She even swirled some sand into some paint. Really great tactile sensation! Amazingly, most everyone also went 3D with their creations...

stuck on Da

Mama and Daddy had a wedding to go to...yeah! so Dasch spent the night at Mumsie and Da's which means there were a WHOLE LOT of projects going on in the wood shop. Pics to come!!!

saturday bird feedin'

This project is simple, simple, simple, but is fantastic for developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination...for big and little people alike. And the repetition is quite meditative. plus, you're recycling materials and communing with nature. Yes!

Cheerios Bird Feeder

Materials
2 popsicle sticks
String
Cheerios

How to:

1) Tie one end of the string around the popsicle stick {we used fancy plastic cocktail stirrers}. Leave about 18" at the end so you can tie to a branch.

2) Start stringing your Cheerios.
3) Once you feel it's long enough {or you've run out of cereal}, tie the other end of the string to the second popsicle stick and Voila!....bird feeder!!


4) Go hang from a tree and watch the squirrels go nuts trying to have at it :)

choo choo charlie

Today we left the car at camp and trekked on down the street to the Regional SEPTA line and landed in Bryn Mawr. We had NO idea where the wind would blow us. We just knew the train ride was KEY.

We ended up at Milkboy Coffee and were treated to several showings of the espresso machine in action...from a professional barista — who was nothing short of wonderful and gracious — and PATIENT!! Did anyone know that you need to level and tamper the finely {dust-like} grounds to allow for proper water flow??

Our lunch was iced with an alley FULL of air conditioners. Raised ones. Sooooo cool.

ahhhh-rboretum

Well, it's tranquil for most. That's if you actually choose to walk the trails. Nonetheless, we WILL return...even if it is just to hydrate ourselves.

For thoses of you more determined to immerse yourselves, Jenkins Arboretum in Devon, PA is nothing short of spectacular and they're doing some really groovy things with Geothermal heating & cooling, people-powered guided tours {another big hit...there were cranks and buttons}, water choices when flushing the "potty" and SO much more.

on the wagon...

Farmstand shopping!!! Aaaaaaand they had a wagon. 'Nuff said.

snugglin' hide-n-seek

Spending a fun morning at camp and a splendid afternoon and evening at Mumsie's doesn't leave a whole lot of time for projects. So, we snuggled in bed and — thanks to the postwoman — discovered a new adventure waiting for us to explore.

By the way, for those of you who waited anxiously {as did I} every month for their Big Backyard and Ranger Rick, this is the preschool version — Wild Animal Babies {compliments of Mimi & Grampa}. Quite fun, and they also have a Facebook page where you can post your own pictures of Sammy the Skunk hiding in your own "world". I smell another project!!!

yummy summer treats!!

Okay, okay so they are Weight Watchers recipes, but can't Mama watch her girlish figure while we make sweet treats? WIN-WIN!!

Peach and Ginger Sorbet and Watermelon Granita

expanded view

So the DISassembling of a Shopvac was Daddy and Dasch's project for the day. Our little mechanical savant pulls out the instructions for the "unit" and decidedly conveys that "Yes, indeed, Daddy, that piece 17 does separate from the base." This all within a matter of minutes — his research solely based on what he had seen and played with inside the vac and then his review of the expanded illustration. Looks like we'll be looking into some deconstruction projects...

ideas are a-brewin'

Even the local Clipper can give you some easy ideas. And when it comes to paint...a coupon and an offsite venue is priceless! If you're local check out Busy Bees. They even have a Thursday "Story and Paint" special event for little ones.


Some other ideas we've been throwing around...

1) A Letter to Santa {hey, it's never too early}

2) Painting frames for our ChalkBoard Wall

3) Air Conditioner Book

4) Scavenger Hunt


And my fabulously creative and lovely cousin-in-law suggested these sites. Perfecto!!
smalltypes.com and childhood101.com

We've got a lot of options...

puzzled...

Day 1 actually had many projects...gardening, painting, some more gardening, even vacuuming the steps — much more fun for one of us than the other, but this is the one that seemed the most special.

A puzzle. One he's done a MILLION times on his own. But today when we sat down together, it was miraculously calming despite a very tumultuous day. Because we left everything aside and just did a puzzle.

The Depot

So EVERY first Saturday — like the continuation of the party of First Friday — The Home Depot has FREE kids workshops. This morning's "kit" was a pencil box. One that you hammer away at for as long as it takes to get our your morning frustration and to allow your mother at least 3 full gasps when you swing aforementioned hammer near your face.

But, nonetheless, you come away proud as a peacock — equipped with a certificate, free sundae card for McD's and a collector's pin. Not too shabby for under an hour's work. PLUS, your Da was thrilled with the design of the kit, you spent an extra hour ogling power tools {that don't plug in, Mama}, and you're set up for a solid nap.

Day 1 Ideas...

Perculating, perculating...

Here's what we might wear for Day 1. Because we might be taking pictures of our favorite thing — air conditioners — so we can make a book. And it might be really, really sunny.

welcome!

Our first day will be Sunday, August 7th. It's just a good project kind of day....

Stay tuned for what we've got planned OR help us out and share your own ideas.