Mrs. H

Marble Run Fun

STEAM THEME: Engineering, Math (estimating, height/width), Science (gravity concepts)

Yes, I know it’s not STEAM Thursday yet. Yes, I know that it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted. But this Thursday I’ll have a very special post, and I wanted to go ahead and get something – anything – out here b/c I know ya’ll are just dying for some new ideas, right? 🙂

Well, so back when the consignment sale was going on, I picked up a marble run set. Totally on a whim – because it was only $10. And I have never been so happy about a consignment sale find ever. (And I get pretty excited about my consignment sale finds, ya’ll… I mean, seriously, seriously jumping up and down excited. My friend Kim can tell you just how consignment sale happy I am.) But, I digressed. If you don’t have a marble run set, here’s a fabulous one to start with from Amazon (aff link, thanks!)Marble Run 37-Piece Set This is a small portion of the set that I got… from looking online, I think I ended up getting a combination of this 37 piece set and two of the 80 piece sets. (Big score, ya’ll. Big score!)

We have had SO MUCH FUN making a wide variety of marble runs. There are so many ideas that I can’t remember all of what we’ve done to share with you, but I love setting up engineering challenges for Becca. Here’s a few of the conversation/activity starters we have done:
1. How wide can we make it where it all ends up in one finale?
2. How tall can we make one? (She loves to stand on our hearth to reach the top.)
3. Can we build a square tube?
4. Can we build a triangle tube?
5. Can we set up two runs and see which is the fastest? (Tip: For our run races, I write a number in Sharpee on each marble so we can track which ones are the winners. She gets three marbles and I get three marbles. She gets to design her track, and I design mine. I try to keep mine about the same height as hers, but obviously use different pieces, then have her guess which one will win. She always guesses that hers will win. And sometimes she’s right!)
6. Which pieces of the track does the marble roll fastest/slowest down?
7. Estimate how many clear holders we need to fill the spaces between the track pieces? (Fyi: Becca won’t estimate. She was wrong once. So don’t force this subject, but for your kiddos who enjoy estimating, this is a fabulously fun and easy way to estimate with small numbers.)

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

I could sit down and write you, oh, say an entire blog… ha! About this last year and all the wonderful things that have happened in the first year of my baby boy’s life. But then, I’ve sorta already done that. So I decided rather than drone on about all the things I love about the most adorable baby boy in the whole entire world, I thought I’d just share a bunch of smiles with you today. One year ago today, right now, I was in the hospital waiting to meet this most incredible little man. And how proud am I to be his mama? Oh, more proud than you’ll ever know. I love you, Lil Bear!

Even Tom Sawyer needed his pacifier, right?

Tom Sawyer? I thought my name was Huck Finn!

Yup, Huck Finn! That’s me!

You think if I take Daddy’s Rock Band guitar I’ll look like a real rocker?

Oh yeah. I’m cool now. Rock on!

All photos shown here were taken throughout the month of May. His actual birthday is today, May 26.

Grayson has four teeth. He says “Mama,” “Dada,” “Dais” (Daisy, our dog), “up,” “Uh-oh,” “tan-tu” (thank you), “ah-duh” (all done), and often says “hi” or “bye” as he waves hello and goodbye. He loves to hum along to the radio, and bang on things like everything is a drum. He is a bottomless pit that eats everything in sight, but he particularly loves strawberries, blackberries, cheerios, and Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. He is beginning to love having books read to him, loves to play with a wide variety of toys, and is just generally into EVERYTHING. He is all boy – much prefers to live around the house with no shirt on – and always has a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He loves his multiple footballs and is the Texans’ number one fan – ready to get this season started! His favorite tv shows are Sesame Street and Curious George. He likes to take his sister’s toys, pull her hair, and just generally drive her nuts. He wants to be just like her, and is almost ready to take off and walk on his own. He can climb all the way to the top of our stairs now, and is learning how to safely get back down. He’s a big boy – wearing size 24 mos. or 2T clothes, and size 5 shoes. We’re happy to be celebrating his birthday with a few family and friends this coming Saturday.

Happy Birthday, baby boy! Mommy and Daddy and Sister love you SO MUCH!

“The Lego Game”

STEAM Topic: Math / Engineering

Whew. We’ve been busy. More than just a little bit. I’m honestly not real sure where the last month went… I so appreciate those of you who have stuck with me through this, and realized that this is just one more way that I’m real. Sometimes, I just don’t have time to write. BUT! I’m slowly coming back. I’ll have a few posts here and there, and then the goal is to be back to full strength once both kids birthday parties are done. (Party planning for two parties within two weeks of each other is super fun… and also confusing… and will probably result in multiple blog posts over the course of the next several years…)

But one thing that we picked up around a month ago or so was this game idea for a Lego building game. I honestly don’t remember where I saw it – somebody shared it on Facebook. And I didn’t actually take time to read the blog – I just saw the picture and ran with it. So here’s our version of what Becca has just called “The Lego Game.”

You’ll need:
1 die
6 paper plates
a bunch of random Legos, divided onto the six plates
some flat “starter” pieces on which to build

The beauty of this game is that it evolves as you go. It just kills me to see kids that HAVE to have a schematic drawing to build with Legos. Obviously, that requires a certain level of skill, but part of the FUN of Legos is just taking random pieces and seeing what you can make with them! It’s an important part of creativity that kids need to learn, and should be encouraged to enjoy. This game definitely does that.

So here’s how it works – once you have your random pieces assigned to the plates, just take turns rolling the die and selecting a piece from that numbered section. You can build and rebuild your design multiple times throughout the game as it evolves with the new pieces you collect.

We have some super fun accessory pieces that are also included, so you can get (for example) a motorcycle or a piano to add to your design, if you’d like. There are flags, flowers, and a magic wand as well. Along with a ton of regular bricks in a variety of colors.

Every time we play the game, I love seeing what Cody and Becca will come up with – and I always make something new, too. It’s a great way to practice taking turns, and Becca now has the dice memorized and knows immediately how many dots are on it to know which plate to pull her piece from. For quite a while it was a counting game, but now she’s got those dot patterns committed to memory.

You could extend it by rolling two dice – one die would tell you which plate to select from, the other would tell you how many pieces to draw. Or put a colored dot on each side, and you’d have to select a brick of that color. The options are endless!!

We typically set a timer and just play until whenever the timer goes off. It can be a 5 minute game, a 20 minute game, or a 45 minute game.

We have found that Becca does much better with bedtime if she has a focus activity between dinner and bedtime. Sometimes she plays games on her Kindle or watches a video on it. Sometimes we set up marble runs or train tracks. Other times we’ll do a board game or “The Lego Game.” She just needs some sort of directed activity to focus her brain on so that she will be able to calm and get ready for bed. Obviously, every kid is different. This sort of activity right before bed might make it impossible for your child to sleep. Thankfully, you know your child, and I know mine. Hopefully this is a fun activity that you can find an appropriate time to play with your kids!! Bring out their creativity! Find the inner engineer inside each of you!

NOTE! Don’t have a bunch of extra Lego pieces? Visit your local Lego store and shop their brick wall, or check out the Lego website to purchase some sets of randomness! (not an affiliate link, but a good link!)

This One’s For The Moms

I wanted to take a moment to stop and tell you about some moms I know. You might know them too. One of them might even be you.

There is a mom. She only ever wanted one blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl. And God granted her that wish. She always loved her baby girl fiercly, and she was always there. She was a rock through every storm. She’d always listen, always love, always be a shoulder to cry on. Always.

There is a mom. She had two beautiful babies with the love of her life. Only one day he changed. Drastically. Angrily. Violently. So she did what she had to do to protect her babies. Now they live in a much smaller house on a single income. She is the strongest mom I know. She has no regrets and claims her children are her reason for living. She always listens, always loves, and is always a shoulder to cry on. Always.

There is a mom. She works hard for her family. Every day she drops her baby girl off at day care and tells her she loves her. She puts 250% of herself into her job, and when the clock strikes 5:00 she isn’t always the first to leave. She’s carrying another baby now, and will work just as hard for that baby as she does for big sister. She’ll always be there to listen, always love them both, always be a shoulder to cry on. Always.

There is a mom. She goes to school every weekday at a special school so that her son can be there with her. She didn’t plan to get pregnant at 14. But life happened. And now her baby boy is almost three, and she’s about to graduate from high school. She has worked hard so she can get a good job to provide for his future. She’ll always be there to listen, always there to love him, always be his shoulder to cry on. Always.

There is a mom. She raised her children and loved her husband with everything in her being. And then one day last winter, that love wasn’t enough to keep him from passing through Heaven’s gates. She struggled, she learned to lean on her adult daughter. She learned to lean on God. And then she heard the unthinkable words. Breast cancer. Now she’s learning that her daughter will always be there to listen, always be there to love her, always be her shoulder to cry on. Always.

Whether you are a new mom, or a grandma who’s had that title for years, Mother’s Day is a day for celebrating you. Whether your mom is on this Earth, or in Heaven, it’s a day to say thank you. I have so many beautiful friends who are amazing, amazing mothers. They inspire me daily and keep me going.

I am not a patient person. I sometimes start projects and lose steam and never finish them. I’m too organized in some areas and not organized enough in others. I’m probably way too quick to put my kids in their rooms to entertain themselves. I can’t process laundry and dishes in their entirity in the same day. I’m doing good if I vacuum once every couple weeks, and mop once a month. If the toilets are clean, an act of Congress must have been passed unanimously.

But I love my children. Unconditionally. I make mistakes but I fight for their well being. And I have learned from each of the moms in my life that THAT is what matters. We each mother our kids a little differently, but each of us is mothering a little bit different child. The “Mommy Wars” are pointless because every single one of us has one thing in common:

No matter what we believe or how we live our lives or raise our kids, we are all moms. Whether that baby is 1/2 of our genetic makeup, or is none of our genetic makeup, a mom is a mom is a mom is a mom.

So here’s to you, moms! This day isn’t about our differences, it’s about that precious job title we all have, and that bond that brings us together with our children- be they young or old. Being a mom is a beautiful gift. One to be cherished. So if no one has told you lately, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. YOU ARE AMAZING. YOU ARE HEAVEN SENT. YOU ARE CHERISHED. YOU ARE. YOU ARE MOM.

THANK YOU FOR EVERY MOMENT.

Flashbacks

Well, so we’ve had a LOT going on around here. I mean, just a lot. So we’ve been doing a lot of “flashback” activities. When life gets busy, that’s when you need lots of solid stuff to fall back on. Yes, we’ve also been watching a lot of Sesame Street on Netflix. I refuse to feel guilty. Especially when the word of the day is “scrumptious” and Becca goes around looking for appropriate times to use the word “scrumptious” in her vocabulary throughout the day and suggests we should add “scrumptious” to the S page in her Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Fancy Words: From Accessories to Zany book (aff link, thank you) because “it’s the fanciest word I’ve heard all day.” I’d say she’s learning from what she’s watching, wouldn’t you?

But I digressed. We’ve gotten some new Kindle apps, which I’ll (hopefully) be reviewing very soon for you, and we did try a new-to-us art form yesterday that she loved that I can tell we’ll be doing lots more of in the future. But mostly, she’s been going through her newly organized activity closet and pulling out a few old favorites that haven’t been used in a while. Honestly, it’s nice to see her enjoying activities that I spent time on that got used and used and… forgotten. Here are a few of the “oldies but goodies” that she’s been using the past couple weeks:

Animal Habitat Boxes (This is the last post I did about them, so they are all linked on this post.)

Activity Boxes (Boy these are definitely oldies but man, she has LOVED pulling these out lately! I’m so glad I didn’t dismantle them!!)

We’ve been using our Activity Trays a lot, too!

She’s back to using her Race Car Number Mats again.

She’s again loving her Clothespin Clock.

And she’s been enjoying making her Ten Apples Up On Top tower from our old Apple Theme Center.

All of this to say – if you take time to make up activities for your kids, SAVE THEM FOR A RAINY/HECTIC DAY! You just never know when you’ll need them to be able to pull out something and entertain themselves in an educational manner… None of these things took very long for me to make up, and they have been paying for themselves in spades the past couple of weeks! I hope that when you make fabulous activities for your kids that you will share them with me, and that you will SAVE THEM for later. If you need more ideas on organizing your learning space, I’m happy to offer some suggestions individually. And if you just struggle with keeping it tidy, you might check out my post on getting your kids started with chores to help your family.

Hang in there, moms. You can do this!!! Remember that NO ONE is perfect, but YOU are the PERFECT mom for your kids!

Me and my babies enjoying some time at the park with Daddy on his lunch break for my birthday last week.
I’m far from perfect, and so are they.
But together, we are exactly the perfect match that God planned.
We are a family made perfect by love.

I am blessed beyond words.