A Week of Photos

MONDAY

Are you always stuck with clean up after playing a game? I try to make it fun for the little ones, so that they learn to clean up after themselves. I put the box in the middle of our play space and we have  a contest as to who can get the most pieces to land in the box when tossed! This makes it a game after the game. For games with smaller pieces, we use a timer and time each other as we each put away certain parts of that game.

 TUESDAY

Last week  I got my first bread maker! I quickly got to work and made up my first loaf. It was so much fun to do and I'm already hooked! My husband and kids? Couldn't get enough!!

WEDNESDAY

By the time Wednesday rolled around, I felt so stressed out from various factors, that I just had to STOP and think. This quote was so very true and I need to learn to embrace that more.

THURSDAY

Do you menu plan? I MUST MUST MUST, or we end up eating thrown together meals that just don't satisfy anyone. I sit down and plan for 2 weeks on every other Sunday. I do it all in pencil, so that I can adjust or switch days if needed. I also put my list on the same page and I take it all to the grocery store with me. I buy most of my groceries every 2 weeks and supplement the fruits and veggies at farmstands, farmers markets and the like.

FRIDAY

Math and Counting can be much more fun when surrounded by a puppet show! He sold tickets to his show and snacks, this allowed him to work with money and count out pieces of candy, food, popcorn and also add and subtract. It was so much fun and he didn't even know he was learning!!

 SATURDAY

Parts of the Body can often be boring for little ones to learn, so I look for as many things that make it more fun! This is a LARGE and Double Sided puzzle by Melissa & Doug. As we put together the pieces we say aloud what part of the body they go to. This helps them retain so much and in a fun environment.

 SUNDAY

We love to use games in so many ways, not just the way they were intended for. This allows us so much more creativity. Scrabble is more difficult for my younger two still, so we make it easier. Add in sight word cards and it allows everyone to join in. The older people play as normal and then the younger guys pull a car, find the tiles they need from a tile bowl and put them on the card to match them up. NEXT, they find a spot to put their word. The scoring remains the same and it becomes a game that everyone can play. For our version, we use  the Scrabble Tiles from 3 games, this way the little ones can always find what they need out of 2 games worth of tiles and the older people use 1 set and pull 5 blindly as required.

Enjoy your weekend my friends!!

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Fun with Games!

Today, I want to share some fun that we came up with recently! My kids love stringing beads on anything and everything they can get their hands on, so I put them to work making bead counters with pipe cleaners. 10 beads per pipe cleaner and we had counting rods. This became perfect to pair with a set of flashcards I made up from a 1-100 pack. I pulled out just the 10s and put them together on a tray with the counters. Perfect for my younger 2 to work on!

Counting to 100! We have an awesome 100s chart that I LOVE and is well used. I had it laminated and we use it with a dry erase marker too. Sometimes you have to get creative and think of new games, to keep the learning fresh and fun. I picked up these colorful card stock circles and made a ring of 0-100 flashcards. Here, they just pull a car and say it aloud (without showing it to the other person) and the other person has to put a circle on the number called out. It can also be played alone as a matching game, which is how my youngest plays!

Alphabet house search is my favorite game and theirs too, I'm sure! I put in little pink letters into different slots of these boxes and the kids head out in search of items that are the correct size. This game is perfect as it allows them some creative learning fun and gives me time to clean house! Yay!

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Thrifty Thursday!

Thrifty Thursday is here again! I always have to seem so many ideas that when Thursday rolls around, there is just no time for a post about thrifting! These finds are some of my best yet! Maybe because many were found in free boxes, but mostly because they are all excellent learning tools!

The 4 books were each had for .25 each: (For more info on each title, just click on it)

A trip to the Zoo

Guide to South Korea

BATS

Bats Night Fliers

3 Fraction Dice were in a free box! Can't wait to come up with a fun game to use these with!

Animal Counters and Math Cards were also in the free box! These are perfect for my kindergartner and pre-k kiddos, since they need to get started on learning these!

The 4 board games were .99 each and are each complete, in fact 2 of them were NEW IN PACKAGE!!

(For more info on these, just click on the title)

The Scrambled States of America

My kinder and 1st grader need to know all the states and their capitals and this is a fun tool to teach, while having a blast! I already own the game, so this backup is perfect for using in different ways! I plan on laminating the mini maps so that they become portable and wipeable! (New in package!)

Quiz-N-Learn Sight Words, I unfortunately cannot find any information on this game online, but it is fantastic! 

It's a sight word BINGO game that really helps to reinforce what they are learning through reading and flashcards. It makes word recognition and recall quicker!

Match It Shape Shuffle this was the other new in package game with everything still shrink wrapped! It's a great pattern and matching game! My youngest has a ball with it, but there are enough pieces and cards that multiple children can play it together!

Wiggle & Giggle, not quite a learning game, but it's awesome physical activity and these balls are perfect for a  variety of activities!! I'm actually taking them with us for an obstacle course I made!

 
Thrifty doesn't always have to mean thrift shop! I sometimes find and love great deals found in stores or make my own with coupons! I found these blocks at a church tag sale for .49 and they are FANTASTIC phonics block. I figured I would make up a great game for them and added in a 4 pack of dry erase boards from Office Max (.99!!!!) and a pack of Dry Erase Markers from Michael's! (1.50 with 40% off coupon AND an additional 20% off entire purchase coupon!!). This game has proven to be a favorite already! There is something about kids and wiping writing off a board!

Link up in the comments with your Thrifty Finds!!

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