love to laugh and learn Archives - Page 10 of 11

Let’s Play with Toy Guns

December 20, 2014 by Mama Carmody 5 Comments

Let’s Play with Toy Guns

I believe toy guns are getting a bad rap. I must say I hadn’t given it a lot of thought before but now I have a grandson and a couple of great-nephews, so an interest in guns is something we are going to have to deal with.

I raised two girls so guns were never a big subject around our house. We played with water guns and bubble blowing guns but that was about it. But when I was a little girl, I had a cap gun. I wore it in my holster as I strutted around in my cowgirl boots and hat. I loved playing with my cap gun when I was really young. As I got older, I was allowed to use our BB gun. I have always been fascinated with guns but I am definitely not a violent person. The first time I shot a bird, I cried. (We were trying to keep sparrows out of the purple martins’ birdhouse.) It only stunned him, so he eventually flew away but I didn’t shoot at any more birds.

Let's play with toy guns. — Let’s play with toy guns.

The idea of toy guns around the house hit me the other day because I was adding pieces to our dress-up clothes. I had purchased a soldier outfit and a police officer outfit. I was looking for a badge at the Dollar Tree when I ran across a package with a toy gun, a badge and a pretend walkie talkie. I hesitated because I have heard all the controversy about playing with guns and the possibility of instilling violence in our children, but are we missing a teaching opportunity?

My son-in-law serves in the army. Carrying a gun is part of his job. I have deep respect for all of the individuals serving in our armed forces. They carry guns to protect us and people in other countries. I believe that teaching our children how the military men and women are protecting us is a wonderful lesson. Yes, it is sad that there are wars but it is wonderful that there are people willing to put their lives on the line for others.

Then there are the police officers. They also carry guns as part of their jobs and put their lives on the line for others. Teaching respect for our police officers and learning about how they serve us are just a couple of lessons that can be incorporated into your child’s play with toy guns.

There are people that use guns to hunt for food. Wild game is healthy for you and is fairly cheap, in comparison to store bought meat. Many people around the world depend on hunting for their food. They don’t have or can’t afford to run to the grocery store to pick up something.

Lessons that can be slipped in while the children are playing with their toy guns:

Respect for our military and police.
Serving and protecting others.
Honoring our veterans.
Our Constitution and the 2nd Amendment.
How to properly handle a gun.
Where our food comes from.
The benefits of forgiveness and the consequences of revenge.

If we are worried about how our children will grow up and handle guns, shouldn’t we be talking with them about it, while they are young? Rather than avoiding or not allowing the opportunity for role playing and discussion, we should be giving them the opportunity to play and explore.

As children turn into young teens, many start playing violent video games or start sharing their interest of guns with their peers. Is this who and what you want to influence your child about the use of guns?

Some parents are worried that allowing their children to play with toy guns will create violent adults. According to an article on WebMD, titled Toy Guns: Do They Lead to Real-Life Violence?, “studies show no link between playing with toy weapons in childhood and aggression in adulthood”.

So let the kids play with their toy guns and let’s use the opportunity to instruct and raise more gun responsible teens and adults.

Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes

April 17, 2013 by Mama Carmody 11 Comments

Stars: Learning Activities for Shapes

Are you ready to have fun with stars? Take your child out late one evening and lay in the grass or on a blanket and watch the stars. If you live in the city you may have to drive away from the bright lights before you can see them. Enjoy playing with stars, eating stars and doing crafts with them. Please come back and share comments of the fun things you have done.

Content:

Toys
Craft:
Popsicle/Craft Stick Star
Snacks
Story Time
Related Posts

Toys

What star shaped toys do you have? Maybe a shape sorter with a star in it? How about a special pillow you sleep with at night? When I was little I had a star shaped police officer’s badge. I used the Lauri Toys Shape and Color Sorter in my preschool classroom. It has a star shape and the children really enjoyed it. Please leave a comment and let me know what star shaped toys you have at your house.

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Craft

Popsicle/Craft Stick Star

Materials Needed:

Popsicle/Craft sticks
Glue
Paint
Paint brush or foam brush
Paper to protect workspace

Instructions:

1. I covered my workspace with parchment paper because I bought it for $1 at the Dollar Tree. You can cover your space with whatever you have.

2. Since I wanted to use multiple colors I painted my sticks before I put them together.

3. After the paint dried, glue the sticks together in the shape of a star.

4. I’m going to use a ribbon to hang the star in my window.

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Foods for snack or meal time

Star fruit, chicken and star soup, occasionally around Christmas you can find star shaped pretzels or crackers, use a star shaped cookie cutter to cut vegetables, cheese and bread

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Story Time

I See Stars (All about Shapes) by D. H. Dilkes
Reading Level: Birth – 5 yrs old
D. H. Dilkes has a great series of little books that discuss different shapes. In this book you will find many different stars. I like the fact that the illustrations are photographs of everyday items. The text rhymes and is simple which is great for a young child that is just being introduced to shapes.

Laura’s Star by Klaus Baumgart
Reading Level: Ages 4 and up
An adorable book about a little girl and a falling star. Laura was looking for a special friend to tell her secrets to and found it in a most unusual place. The sparkling little star adds so much to the story and the illustrations.

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray and Marla Frazee
Reading Level: Ages 3 and up
A beautiful story to go along with teaching the star shape. The children in the book go on all types of adventures with stars. They see them in the sky and they make some and put them in their pockets. I like how the author encourages a child’s imagination such as saying stars look like silver eggs you could put in a basket. The illustration shows a little girl holding a basket up in the air as if she was gathering the stars. Be sure to take your child along on this wonderful adventure with stars. They will learn that sometimes they might even feel as shiny as a star.

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Review: Conner Prairie with Young Children

October 5, 2012 by Mama Carmody 11 Comments

Back in February, a friend and her 2 year old accompanied me to Conner Prairie Interactive History Park. I was interested in finding out what types of activities there might be for very young children. We were very pleased with the amount of interesting things there were to keep a young child happy and entertained. In February, most of the outside exhibits are closed but we still found plenty to do. Please check out my review Review: Conner Prairie on President’s Day (with a 2 yr old).

This past weekend, Saturday, September 29, 2012, my niece and I decided to take two 1 year olds and one 3 year old to Conner Prairie. We were taking advantage of the free admission offered by Smithsonian Magazine We had a wonderful time and we again found plenty for little ones to do but there were a few things we had not considered. I am going to share with you some of the successes and challenges of our day.

Our first challenge…we were out-numbered. Two adults with three very young children kept us on our toes. Our second challenge; we should have used a wagon instead of strollers. It took so much time buckling and unbuckling kids from strollers that we ended up bypassing a lot of things we were interested in. We did see a really neat fold-up wagon that someone was using. I came home and found one on Amazon.com (EasyGoWagon). I currently have it on my wish list for a future purchase.

Another problem with the day was that we didn’t really consider how many things that we were excited to see and do that very young children would have no interest in. It had been so long since my niece and I had been to Conner Prairie that we were just anxious to get there and experience it all again. We didn’t consider that the children really wouldn’t care about looking around in an old house or seeing a blacksmith at work. We decided early in the day that we were going to make another trip, for adults only, sometime in the near future.

So as not to leave you thinking we didn’t enjoy our time at Conner Prairie, let me share with you all the fun things we found to do with the little ones. Of course, they loved Animal Encounters. There were so many young animals for the children to see and touch.

There were even two week old baby goats. This was one of the places that got a little scary since the adults were out-numbered. Our little ones wanted to go in every direction at once and we were kept hopping trying to keep them within sight and arms reach at all times.

Our next stop was the Lenape Indian Camp. This is one of the spots that if the children had been in a wagon we would have let them out to run around a bit but we had just gotten them strapped back in the strollers from the Animal Encounters. When I was here in February, the 2 yr old we had with us loved running in and out of the huts.

We walked the entire grounds, even though we didn’t go in very many of the buildings. We did stop in the blacksmith’s shop. Although the children didn’t get a lot out of it, they sat very quietly and watched while my niece and I listened for a little bit. We took time to walk through one of the houses. The most exciting part for the kids was the water pump outside the house.

Conner Prairie: Pumping Water is Hard Work

We spent several minutes there while my 3 yr old great-niece pumped water…

…and the two 1 yr old boys played in it.

The other big hit of the day was the River Crossing Play Area. You definitely need to bring an extra change of clothes if you are going to spend time outside at the water area. There is a replica of a steamboat for the children to climb on but the big hit was the water play table. Let me explain; this water play table isn’t one of those small tables you might find in a preschool or kindergarten classroom. This thing was the center of the whole exhibit. It was huge. Water ran from the top of it down several levels. You could put up barricades to build a dam to stop or redirect the water. My 3 yr old great-niece and I put up a few walls for the dam. My two great-nephews just enjoyed splashing and playing in the water as much as they could.

Conner Prairie: River Crossing Play Area

They were soaked by the time they were finished. Thank goodness it was a warm day and we had a change of clothes for each of them.

There was also an indoor area for play at the River Crossing. It is a civil war themed area with trains…

…pieces to build a Playmobil fort with soldiers and a great climbing area. The boys were too small for the climbing area but my great-niece loved it.

Even with the several challenges, that we didn’t think of in advance, we had a very good day. The children were very well behaved and enjoyed the activities that we presented them. We got there just after they opened at 10:00 a.m. and didn’t leave until after 2:00, so we found plenty of things to do with small children.

Here is some advice if you are planning a day at Conner Prairie with very young children:

1) Take a wagon instead of strollers for an easier way to get children in and out quickly to enjoy the different experiences.

2) If your children are under 3 yrs old, make sure the adults aren’t out-numbered by the children.

3) Don’t expect to get to enjoy the full experience of Conner Prairie because little ones cannot handle much of the history part of the experience so….

4) ….plan another trip to Conner Prairie very soon; just for adults!

Review: Conner Prairie on President’s Day (with a 2 yr old)
Learning Should Be Fun
The Lessons – Overview
Colors – Overview

Review – Christmas on Monument Circle Indianapolis

December 10, 2012 by Mama Carmody 11 Comments

It has been several years since we headed downtown to check out the huge “Christmas tree” and decorations on Monument Circle, Indianapolis. We usually just drive around the circle, take in the sights and then move on. I am not a fan of the one way streets, the crowds and the parking situations so driving through is enough for me. But since it was 60 degrees outside, on this December 1st, and I wanted to gather information for my readers I grabbed my camera and we headed downtown for an adventure.

We did have trouble finding a parking spot and the closer you got to the Circle the worse the traffic was but we finally found an empty parking meter. Since it was after 9:00 p.m. we didn’t have to pay so that was nice.

The “tree” was just as wonderful as I remembered it but I don’t know that it was worth parking and walking around the monument. There really wasn’t a lot there. Of course there was the tree, the large toy soldiers and sailors that stood along the edge of the monument and the beautiful Nativity scene in front of Christ Church Cathedral. I believe I would have enjoyed it just as much from my car window.

Christmas Tree at Monument Circle Indianapolis

I did find two reasons that you might want to get out of the car and walk around the Circle: The Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop and The Chocolate Café – The South Bend Chocolate Company. Both shops were open late on Saturday evening and had plenty of tasty treats to offer.

Since I like to include a little fun learning in my activities I wanted to share a few interesting facts I found in an article by Julie Sickel, a writer with the Indianapolis Star. The title of the article is “Here are 50 Facts Relating to the Long-Running Holiday Tradition”. I am going to list a few of my favorite facts but you should read the article to find the rest of them.

1. More than six miles of electrical wire and more than two miles of garland are used for the Circle of Lights.

2. There are 52 strands with 4,784 colored lights strung from the top of the monument to its base.

3. The colors of the bulbs represent different branches of the U.S. military: green for the Army, clear for the Air Force, blue for the Navy, yellow for the Coast Guard and red for the Marines.

4. There are 26 12-foot-tall toy soldiers and sailors and 26 10-foot-tall peppermint sticks surrounding the Circle. (This would be a great counting opportunity for your kids)

5. The ceremony’s most revered annual guest is Santa Claus, who arrives after the lights are switched on.

6. The switch to light the Monument is flipped by a child 12 or younger.

7. For more than two decades, the lucky child has been chosen through a coloring contest.

8. At 284 feet tall, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument is about 21 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty and 16 feet short of a football field.

9. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is the largest in the nation to be dedicated to the common soldier.

10. The 38-foot-tall bronze figure atop the statue is named “Victory” but also is called “Miss Indiana” by Hoosiers. She faces south to welcome soldiers returning from battle.

Here is a fun observation my daughter made when she was about 10 years old and I still see it every time we go to see the Christmas lights. (I’m going to give you some hints before I tell you what we actually saw. I want to give you a chance to see if you see the same thing we did.)

As we drove towards the Circle my daughter kept saying that she saw a certain character from the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer television special created by Rankin/Bass. I looked all around and couldn’t find it. I thought it was a character at the foot of the tree or in a store window. As it turns out, it was an illusion created by looking at the monument through the lights. Take a look at the picture below and see if you can figure out what character we see. Leave a comment as to who you think it is. Once you have made your guess you can click on the picture to see who the character is that we see.

Do you see a character from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

If you don’t see what we saw, then click on the picture below. I have created an overlay of the character on the portion of the monument that we saw it. See if that helps you see it when you look back at the Monument picture.

So can you see him too or do my daughter and I just have vivid imaginations? If you take a drive downtown to look at the lights please leave a comment and let me know if you saw him. We usually see him as we are driving towards the Circle not once we are really close to it. Have fun enjoying the sights, lights and fun this holiday season.

You might also like:

Review: Christmas at the Indianapolis Zoo

Review: Conner Prairie on President’s Day (with a 2 yr old)

February 20, 2012 by Mama Carmody 11 Comments

It has been years since I have made a trip to Conner Prairie. I have always loved that place but since our finances have been tight over the last few years I just haven’t been able to go.

Today was President’s Day and Conner Prairie was offering free admission. I had two objectives in going today; first of all, I wondered how crowded and crazy it would be on a free admission day and secondly to see what kind of activities they had for the very young child.

So on the first objective:

How Crazy Was It On A Free Admission Day

There were definitely a lot of people taking advantage of the free admission but we didn’t really have any trouble getting around. The Science Lab was way too crowded for us to get into and, from what I have seen on Conner Prairie’s website, I thought it might be a little advanced for a two year old so we didn’t attempt getting in there. We were able to get into the Discovery Station. It was a little crowded in there so we didn’t let the two year old out of the stroller. There were so many interesting things for him to do though. We decided we would have to go back on a regular day when it might not be as crowded so he could get down and run around. One of the things in the Discovery Station was a General Store that children could play inside.

There were several tables set up with toys on them such as a barn and legos. All the tables were full so we moved on to another room…but we will be back.

Several activities were going on out in the hallway. There were craft tables with children making Abraham Lincoln masks and hats. There was a work table with several kinds of tools on it but we didn’t make it around to there. It was pretty well surrounded by children. There was a great dress up area with clothes for all ages. I saw kids and moms dressing up and everyone was having fun.

We were told that there were more activities going on upstairs so we climbed the stairs (unaware that there was an elevator) and found it wasn’t as crowded upstairs. There was a room with all kinds of old time toys and games set up. Since it wasn’t as crowded up there we let the two year old out of the stroller to run around. I will give more details on the things going on upstairs in a little bit when I cover what kind of activities were available for really young children.

After playing upstairs for a while we decided to go outside to see what was happening out there. First we headed to the Featherston Barn to join the birthday party for George Washington. We received a hot chocolate and enjoyed some fiddle playing and dancing.

All ages were having fun dancing.

After George Washington’s Birthday party we headed over to the Lenape Indian Camp. I believe this was one of the 2 year old’s favorite areas….more details coming up.

So in conclusion to this segment, some areas were a little crowded but not so crowded that I wouldn’t go back on another one of their free admission days. Everywhere we went was well staffed and everyone was very cheerful and helpful.

Now the second objective:

Activities for the Very Young

As stated above, the Discovery Station had several things that a young child would enjoy but the room was really full today. We definitely want to go back on a day that will be less crowded so the two year old can run around and play with all of the interesting things in that area.

All ages were enjoying the craft table that was in the hallway. Although the very young ones weren’t making the Abraham Lincoln craft they were enjoying coloring and drawing. There was an adorable little girl having fun at the dress-up area.

Conner Prairie: Little girl in dress-up area

As I stated earlier, it was less crowded upstairs so we let the 2 year old out of the stroller to play. He enjoyed playing bean bag toss…

…or should I say, 2 year old stuff the bean bag.

Conner Prairie: 2 yr old version of Bean Bag Toss

That kept him occupied for several minutes. We then went over to a table that had slate boards (chalkboards) and soapstones. Soapstones were what they used to write on the slate boards. We decided we liked the soapstones so much better than the modern chalk that children use today. The soapstones don’t leave that big chalky mess. The 2 year old really enjoyed drawing and we liked the fact that he didn’t have white chalk dust all over himself once he finished.

I believe the 2 year old had the most fun outside. He was able to walk through the basket on the bottom of the large balloon. It wasn’t going up during the time we were there but he didn’t seem to mind. He ran around the basket several times. There was a cute little imitation balloon that he, his brother and mother had their picture taken it. It was a little dark but really cute.

After the balloon we headed out to the Featherston Barn for the birthday party. The 2 year old loved the music and the dancing. The pictures are a little blurry because he kept dancing around in circles.

After he was done dancing we headed out to the Lenape Camp. On the way we got to stop and look at a goat. The two year old wanted to kiss the goat but thank goodness the slats in the fence were too small.

There were several cabins at the Lenape Camp. A couple of them were open but they were totally full of people. We were able to step into the doorway of one but we didn’t stay long. One of the cabins was closed up so we had a little fun with the two year old. His mom encouraged him to walk up the steps so she could get a cute picture of him.

She then encouraged him to knock on the door and say, “Is anybody home?”

No one was home….

Conner Prairie: Nobody's Home — Conner Prairie: Nobody’s Home

…or so we thought…

Ooops...someone was home — Ooops…Someone was Home

…I guess we were wrong…somebody came out…

…but then he left. We were able to go watch him shoot his rifle after that.

I believe the two year old had the most fun in the Lenape Indian Hut. He spent a lot of time running in and out of there and climbing on the benches.

We had a hard time getting him out of there. Every time we would ask him if he was ready to go he would turn around and run back inside.

I would have to conclude that there are plenty of fun things for very young children to enjoy. A two year old may be a little young to explain the history of what Conner Prairie is about but the idea of it being a simpler time; a time with no television, no video games, a time when children had to use their imagination and make games out of every day items, is right up a two year old’s alley.

When all was said and done, we had a wonderful day! Lots of laughs and fun getting to run around in the sunshine on a not-so-horribly cold February day in Indiana.

Review: Conner Prairie with Young Children
Attractions
Review: Radio Disney Event, Indianapolis 2012