Kalbs & Yules: July 2015

I've been obsessed with making Yules a water-wall for water play! So obsessed in fact that I have not made her one for the past 2 years! Haha! But this year, I was determined to get 'er done! I spent lots of time pinteresting my options and then ultimately came up with something completely different! Instead of a wall, I decided to make my water exploration movable! I made a water-cart! The cart is from Ikea and light weight and cheap! I liked that I could easily bring it back into the garage when we were done playing. This was a super easy project that anyone can make! Everything is zip-tied on, so that it can easily go back to being a regular cart afterwards! A collection of scoops, buckets and vessels fits nicely onto the shelves!

Unfortunately, Yules doesn't think it's the coolest thing ever like I do! BOO! She is quite content with just a squeezie bottle! But this water cart was intended to grow with her... all the older kids quite like it, so in due time!

So obviously I'm so awesome at blogging and keeping you guys updated on our super awesome day to day shananigans! Insert sarcasm! Well here you go, here's what we've been up to around here!

1. Duplo
The monster is super into Duplo, which I love... even though it is plastic and colourful (2 of my worst toy nightmares... thank goodness it doesn't make noise)! Lego is great for fine motor and the kiddos get so creative with it. Yules likes to fit as many pieces on the base as she can... this masterpiece is an "animal castle".

2. Horiculture

I've started to dibble dabble with gardening lately. My dad has a super green thumb, but it's not something I'm really into... until now! We've been experimenting with growing all sorts of things indoors and outside as well. We've started our own grow-op!!!! Haha! It's a fun process for Yules to help with and also great to observe the changes as our plants grow. More on this later in the summer! Here's Yules growing her own insta-flowers!

3. Goldfish

My dad has a giant arowana fish that eats feeder goldfish. Every Thursday my brother buys a giant bag of goldfish and Yules helps put them into the tank. She loves looking at the fishies... what kid doesn't? So I had this wicked awesome idea to buy cheap feeder goldfish for Yules to observe in her sensory table. I planned to keep them for a few days and then bring them to my dad's place to feed his arowana. Sounded like a solid plan to me... haha NOT! Apparently goldfish need lots of oxygen and can't just survive in a bowl like we always see them pictured. Yules and I bought 5 goldfish and by the end of day 1, we only had 1 left!! YIKES!! But the one little guy left was a fighter and lasted a few days until we brought him over to my dad's place. Husband said that I am a cruel goldfish killer! Hmmm... what's worst? Dying a slow painful death gasping for air or swimming as fast as you can fearing for your life as a giant fish tries to eat you? Either way, I really am a cruel goldfish killer. Even though Yules really enjoyed observing her fish and is too young to be traumatized by it all like I was.... we will not be doing this activity again. There will be a day when "He went away" will not suffice as an answer to "Where did the fish go"?

And this is the little guy in the corner before he became dinner!

4. Dinosaurs and blocks

It's so interesting to see the difference in how girls and boys play. Yules methodically laid out the blocks to make little rooms for each dino. Haha definitely different then what the boys were doing with the dinosaurs!

5. Goo

Who knew cornstarch and water could be so much fun? It's super neat to leave it for a while and let it harden and then come back and play with it for a while and it becomes a total liquid.

6. Keys and Locks

We've been playing with keys and locks because it's great for fine motor and wrist rotation and cause it's just fun. One time we were playing with them and the monster turns to me and said "here's some soap, wash your hands". I was like "huh, what the"... and then I saw the connection that she had made. Do you see it? I love it so much when she makes those connections and uses her imagination like that!

The lock looks like a faucet in case you still have no idea what she's talking about.

7. Pondscape

Errr... I think this was supposed to be a pond in our sensory table. Yules did a great job creating this but I'm pretty sure ponds don't have seashells and sharks! Haha!

8. Numbers and Letters

When it comes to teaching Yules the alphabet or numbers, I have never actually "taught" her... in the traditional sense that is. I always try to set it up in a simple way where she doesn't even realize I'm teaching her and only when she's interested. Otherwise it's just rote learning and she isn't associating any meaning to it.

I was super impressed when we were playing with an alphabet puzzle and she held the letter L and then went off and grabbed the number 7. She told me they were the same. I asked her if there were any other numbers and letters that were the same... this is what she came up with! Ahhh it seriously makes my heart sing when she makes these connections!

9. Barbie Spa

Yules had a great time giving her Barbie the spa treatment. I gave her some little mini hotel toiletries and she went to town. Barbie got a full body scrub, hair washed and conditioned and even lotioned too I think!

10. More numbers

Sometimes when we are reading a counting book, I'll also whip out some magnetic numbers on a baking sheet. Yules likes to find the numbers as we read. You can also do the same with an alphabet book. Super easy and fun!

Haha I just noticed that the book looks super scary. It's a Starwars counting book in case you don't recognize all those scary creatures! I don't even like Star Wars *gasp*... I just bought her that book to give her some street cred!

11. Card making

Yules and I rarely ever do crafts! Besides learning to follow directions and creating something cutesie, there is no real point in my opinion. I would much rather allow Yules to create art on her own and focus on the process rather than the product. But once in a while I don't mind at all, plus the Grandmas love this stuff! So we made some handprint cards for Mother's Day!

12. Building "castles"

This is a fun activity that Yules really likes. All you need is Styrofoam, golf pegs and a toy hammer. She can hammer away and build whatever she wants... this happens to be a castle!