January 2012 Stuff

Here are some of this month's activities, in no particular order.

We went to Swakopmund on the coast of Namibia.  We had a great time playing in the ocean.



Ryan got some tinkertoys for Christmas and the boys LOVED them.  I found some on clearance at kmart.com and got them some more.  What a great toy!  Unfortunately, I don't think the quality is as good at the tinkertoys I had as a kid.   They have changed a few of the pieces, not for the better.  Oh well.

In Swakopmund we went on the living desert tour with Tommy.  Best tour ever!  Here is Tommy bringing Ryan back up a dune to where the vehicle is.  Evidently it was easier to go down than up. :)



In Swakopmund they also had a children's play place for kids to play as much as they wanted for about USD $4 a day per child.  Justin and Ryan both enjoyed these boats.

We went over to Walvis Bay and went for a dolphin and seal cruise.  Unfortunately, Justin appears to get seasick.  Note to self for future trips on the water!

We use dot a dot markers on these coffee filters and then attached them to pipe cleaners for a cheery bouquet.

Justin was exploring weighted numbers with the balance.  Who knew there were so many ways to get to 10?

We sorted things according to size.  I had three different sizes of each object and the boys compared to put them in the right place.

Here are some of the objects we used.

Our yard is incredibly uneven and in a moment of weakness I made an indoor bike course for the boys.  It really helped them figure out how to control their bikes.  Now they can manage better on a bumpy, slanted surface.

We traced things (like our hands) and measured them using nonstandard units of measure such as crayons.

Ryan found this in the scrap box and insisted on doing it.  I cut, he matched and glued.

This month we have been making a lot of games.  Some make more sense than others.  I guess a lot of the fun is in the creation.

For my birthday we went to Na'an ku se Wildlife Sanctuary.  This is one of the animals we got to see.  He and a few friends escaped from Etosha and needed a place to live where they weren't killing farm animals.

Ready, aim, fire!  We shot at targets. 

January/February 2011

 January continued to be a rather relaxed period.   So many new things to play with since the boys have Christmas AND their birthdays in December.

We took a trip to Swakopmund on the Namibian coast.  The boys loved the water and the playground.  The snake house, crystal palace, and other more typical tourist attractions were not as exciting for them.

The beach at Swakopmund, Namibia.  Ryan LOVED the waves and the sand. Justin was a bit more cautious of the ocean.

Ryan and Justin LOVED the bouncy castles and various other inflatable climbing and sliding structures.  Justin must have gone up (and down) the water slide a million times.  I think this was his highlight for the trip.

  

To help celebrate my birthday, Justin and Ryan made birthday crowns for everyone.

February still pretty laid back.  Justin is more interested in doing his own thing rather than doing a lot of structured activities.  He loves all of his games, old and new.  He plays them the correct way and also his own creative versions.  If I am playing, I would rather stick with rules I understand. :)

There are a lot of different spins on the traditional three bears!

J was more creative with his valentines than I am.

Ryan's version had the whole word to match rather than individual letters.  Good practice cutting, something Justin really needs.

Activity related to Mama, Do You Love Me? book.

One of the robot valentines we made for friends,  Body is a Hershey's mini candy bar.  Justin really enjoys folding the paper for the arms and legs.  Ryan is all about the wiggly eyes.

Some of the Valentine books we read over and over and over...

Even more Valentine/love books

Ryan "writing" his alphabet letters.

Justin and his writing.  He needs to work on appropriate grasp and letter formation, but doesn't want to hear about that from Mom!  I get in the way of his creativity.

Watching the video show how to make the letters is better than listening to Mom.  If it is on the TV it HAS to be good, right?  This is from the Waterford early education series.

We taped markers to Thomas trains and drew on some of the paper that was used as filling in packages we received in the mail.  A great activity for a rainy day.

We had MANY trains available for drawing/racing.

We have to drive by this church regularly and, though a major tourist attraction, had never gotten out of the car to look at it.  We FINALLY did.  Justin calls it a gingerbread church and Ryan says it is a castle.  Although it was supposed to be opened, the doors were all locked.  I have read that the inside is nothing special, but the boys were a little disappointed.  At least now when we drive by I don't have to promise that someday we will stop to look at it.  We finally have!