I had a request at work last week for Back to School graphics! Seriously – back to school already!!
For those of us who are just passing our first week of summer break, I have good news – there’s more to come! We plan on doing some camping this summer – this is the first summer I’ve felt very motivated at all to take the kids into the wild. But they’re at a good age where they know enough not to eat the trash they find, and they’re technically old enough to listen to mama. Technically.
Today we put out our tent, its been a couple years since I’ve seen that thing. We bought it when we had one child and were still under the delusion that the children would simply fit into our lives instead of rearrange our lives. Anyway, camping is a must, you know? I have the happiest family memories of camping together. I don’t remember extravagant holidays or even the copious amounts of money that were spent on the annual fair. But I do remember camping. So camping we must do. Even if it kills us. Arg.
The tent is fine. It was easier to put up than I remember. It has 3 rooms and is really very large. My youngest, grabbed her blankets, some toys and books, crawled inside and started reading to anyone who would listen. Or no one. Or the cat. The girl loves to read. She’s 5 so it is still quite a novelty that she can read the words now. The 6 year old though, would rather run up and down the stairs a dozen times, help her sister get dressed, organize all her jewelry, and count her coins than read a single word. So we have to be sneaky about it.
We love monopoly. Well, the girls and I do. Mike accommodates us every now and then when we convince him to join in. That’s not to say he isn’t an involved dad. Heck, he’s more involved than I am. But not at board games. Mike found monopoly on his iPad which makes it now a fun thing to do, but it takes away the ‘banker’ role which means there’s no more counting but large denominations which has been really good for their counting skills.
Computer games count as ‘screen time’ in our house. Not that they aren’t also educational, because they are. But they are played while the participant is on his/her rear end, no? Thus, screen time.
Here’s some fun games for reading and writing when you are all sunburned and staying inside for a few hours:
- LifeMadeDelicious Spring Bingo
- Friendship Bracelets (Family Fun)
- Printable Memory Game
- Bicycle License Plate (kaboose.com)
