Earth Day with kids

It's Earth Day! The kids here and I have been learning about outer space, sun, stars and of course, our planet, Earth! I wanted to share with you our fun and easy ways we have been helping our planet.

Friday, my sons, along with their two cousins and I  headed outside and cleaned up part of our ditch on our road. Sadly, we didn't even get as far as we hoped before filling 4 garbage bags and a wagon. I was proud of the kids for their dedication and how much trash they were able to grab and help clean our Earth. It is also nice to see them feel proud and know they are doing something instead of nothing to celebrate Earth Day and help their home.  As we were walking and picking up trash, one of my neighbors had even came down their driveway and thanked us for picking up the ditches. Of course we had gloves on and everyone needed to wash their hands when we got back from filling our bags.

Another fun way the kids and I like to help our planet is recycling! Rather its bringing the recyclables somewhere to be recycled or doing fun activities! One of our favorite ways is reusing milk jugs or other size bottles to make bird feeders! Not only are you reusing the plastic rather than just tossing it but you're helping provide some of the wildlife with good food all year round. (don't forget, birds need to eat in the winter months too!) The thing to know about plastic is that it survives FOR A VERY LONG TIME. It is very tough stuff. We don't want to be throwing it away and having it in our land or someday floating in the waters. Reuse it!
 Other ways to reuse plastic could be for
- making fun pen or pencil holders
-musical shakers
-twisters in a water bottle (I'm sure Pinterest has fun ways to create this!)
-sensory bottles. In the past I have filled bottles with Dr. Seuss supplies to celebrate Dr.Seuss's birthday!

 reusing paper towel or toilet paper rolls
for fun crafts! Binoculars or like we're doing this week, telescopes.

 cascade containers or fun boxes.
 Here, Ben and I use to get Keto boxes from onnit or graze snack boxes in the mail. Instead of just throwing them away, I have saved plenty of them for future nature walks we will have this summer!! Each kid will get their own box, decorate it and any treasures they may find can be put in their recycled boxes!

I not only want to take care of our planet and help provide a nicer home for our children (and our future grandchildren) when they grow up but I absolutely enjoy sharing with the kids how many easy ways they can grow up to learn to help keep their planet be safer for the them AND the wildlife they enjoy seeing. As PBS "Nature Cat" and his friends sing "Its Earth Day everyday...Its even better than your birthday and we will do our part!"

fingers in the mouth again?!

Fingers in the mouth? What is the fascination? I understand having those little habits that we just can’t stop but jeepers, the school boys are my worst for the fingers in the mouth. I know babies are learning, toddlers are teething but then the school boys (4, 6, 7)  just love the fingers in their mouth. 😝

Today during quiet time, I, in a jokingly tone, told the boys I'm going to be putting hot sauce on everyone’s fingers.

My son Maverick: I love hot sauce (in a calm matter of fact tone )
Me :                         Then I’ll do spicy mustard
Maverick:                  I like that too!
Me:                           Then soy sauce
Maverick:                  Oh! (Small chuckle ) I do not like that.

Navigating emotions

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

 I'm sorry I haven't been very active on here lately. I love my blog but I love my busy life even more! Lately I have been focusing on teaching my group of kids and son how to identify their emotions and keep calm during upsetting times. In a past post or two I wrote about my son getting upset and how I planned to handle it. In that case I previously wrote about, he was showing lots of empathy but in general my son gets frustrated both with others and himself very easily. I decided I wanted to take more control and help my son. What I learned was the best thing I think I can do for my son (and his friends ) is help them feel some control too. I actually need to relax more and let go of the control I wanted. I am the boss but how many of us end up feeling so drained at the end of a day because of all the repeating and demanding of respect from the kids? I decided, for sure parents and other adult figures need to be respected by their children but we may not get that too much if we start to turn red and get upset....the exact thing we don't want our children to do. Ever hear the expression "Monkey see Monkey do" ? Well, with some common sense we can all agree, our kids are going to grow up doing more of what we DID rather than what we SAY, am I right? Not always the case but usually that's what ends up happening.

Disciplining is not a treat for me. I don't like harping on them all the time but it comes with the job. Both from working with children and being a mother. It is our responsibility to them to help them learn and grow into good people as they get older. I talk about discipline with emotions because sometimes when an emotion can become too much for a young child, they can become rude and unpleasant for others to be around. What I am telling my son is, its ok to feel mad. It is ok for them to feel however they want to feel but it is never ok to make someone else who isn't hurting you, feel bad or stop someone else from enjoying their time.

Here are some books I ordered from scholastic to help my son and his friends navigate a little easier through their emotions. Some have a happy ending and others end leaving you on a bit of a cliff hanger but giving you something to discuss with your child.