{Our 'Pick A Spot' Jar: Summer Reading Fun}

I don't know about you, but we're looking forward to summer freedom from school! We're counting down the days, although we continue learning throughout the summer. We have lots of activities planned, and a few fun learning units, but I'll save those for another day. This week we put together a little activity that puts a fun twist on summer reading. My daughter happens to be in loooooove with books, and always has her nose in one, but it's still fun to mix it up a little. If you have a reluctant reader, this might be a wacky way to motivate them just a little more!  Just shake, reach in, and pick an interesting and wacky place to read!

YOU NEED:

craft sticks

marker

plastic container from your recycling bin (ours is a Crystal Light container)

decor - paper, stickers, etc.

your imagination

First we brainstormed several unique places that would be fun to read in, as well as a few old standards.

Then my kiddo wrote them out on craft sticks, and we added them to our Crystal Light container.

 She decorated the container and voila! Now when she grabs a book, she can grab the "Pick a Spot" jar, too. It just adds an extra element of fun and imagination. And...if you think of new spots, it's easy to add a new craft stick.
Wouldn't this be a great little thing to have at Grandma's house? :)
Enjoy snuggling up with your kiddo and a good book!
Take care,

Linking up over at:

{Disney Countdown Calendar}

I soooooo wish I had more (and better!) pics of this, but this will have to do. We were in the middle of the chaos otherwise known as Christmas-is-coming-and-we're-going-on-vacation, so I didn't get a ton of pics. You get the idea. I've been wanting to post this for a while and keep forgetting about it. Now WE always go to Disney in either November or December, but I know everyone else goes year 'round, so maybe this will be a fun activity for you and your family as you look forward to your own trip to Disney!

This was for my daughter's second trip about 6 months ago(6.5yrs old at the time), and since she's a big reader, I wanted something that was fun and educational, too. (My teacher brain NEVER stops working. It's in the blood.) I saw a few countdown ideas online, but they were very fact-based, with Disney trivia, etc. All very well, but just not what WE were interested in, or something that I thought would be fun for my kiddo. So here's what I came up with, at the above mentioned time otherwise known as Christmas-is-coming-and-we're-running-around-like-crazy-people....meaning it was put together FAST. You could make yours much, much cuter if you were not in the middle of the aforementioned time!

I used:

small package of smaller posterboard

Mickey paper punch

miscellaneous Disney stickers from our stash (not my fancy scrapbook stickers mind you!)

marker

printer

On one side I punched several Mickeys with my paper punch, then printed numbers to 28 (about a month in advance) and circle punched those to fit inside the Mickey face.

On the right side, I typed up 28 little tidbits about our trip or Disney World, then printed and cut them out. I personalized these in a way, because they are really geared toward things we had talked about doing, rides we have/have not ridden, characters we wanted to meet, etc. I will list them for you here, so if there are any questions, please email me! :) I did try to make them in tune with us, so I hope they make sense to others. Then my daughter helped me embellish with our el-cheapo Disney stickers. I actually had to continue the 28 'tidbits' to the backside as well, but it was no big deal to flip it over when needed. Each day she crossed off a Mickey ear until the big day.

Here's my countdown : Disney Countdown Printable . It will give you some ideas to personalize your own countdown!

It was a big hit, and fun for all of us Disney nuts. :) I will definitely do this for our next trip as well. Have fun with it and make yours really geared toward your family, ages, interests, etc!

Take care,

I Heart Naptime

{Happy Heart Day!}

Happy, Happy Heart Day!!

Here's a little of what we'll be doing to celebrate today....

Enjoying ice cold "Love Potion" (aka Crystal Light Pink Lemonade)......

Delivering special messages to each other with our fancy new Mail Pouches ......

And watching the kiddo look for her Valentine surprises by reading 10 heart clues on our Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt...........

This is the first year for doing this, and I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to brag and tell you that my Kindergartener is reading like crazy at a high second grade level (backflips from literacy mom!), so this is the perfect activity this year. I've laid out 10 clues that lead to a linen closet where she will find her surprises!

In addition to the above, we'll also be eating LOTS of candy. :)  

How are you celebrating today? 

Whatever you are doing, make sure to have fun and enjoy the ones you LOVE today!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

XOXO,