{Tuesday's Tip} Appreciate the Arts

Recently I took my daughter to a local Christmas talent presentation.  It was relaxing and enjoyable to be together.  I think it is important to expose our children to different arts.  It does not have to be expensive Broadway plays, operas, and ballets.

At this time of year there are many different inexpensive performances happening in the community.  Why not try taking your family to a local showing of the Nutcracker, Christmas carol, or other musical performances.

In my town, there is a small Christmas opera that is playing this weekend at a local church, a ballet that is coming up, and a symphony rendition of The Messiah playing just before Christmas.  Each of these events are $5 or less and they all sound like perfectly fun events! 

So be sure to check out the local arts events that are going on in your community so that you help encourage your children to appreciate the arts.  Also, it can help to demonstrate to your children the proper manners and respect that is appropriate when attending such events.

{Tuesday's Tip} Fun Things to Do in the Snow

It snowed at our house a couple weeks ago and hopefully we will get more snow throughout the winter months. I know that not everyone loves winter and snow as much as I do. It takes effort to get those kiddos in all their winter gear and then they are back inside after only a few minutes.  But I love all of the fun snow activities, and if you enjoy the snow with your children they will stay outside and play longer because they love being with you!

Here are 21 super ideas that you can play in the snow to enjoy your time together:

{1} Build a snowman.  Have items on hand to dress your snowman (hat, scarf, carrot, rocks, leaves, twigs, etc.)

{2} Snow ball fight

{3} Build forts to hide behind

{4} Play "Fox and Geese."  You stamp down the snow in a large circle.  Then stamp two lines across the middle of the circle making an "X."    After you have a nice path in the snow, it is time to play.  Your fox is "it."  The fox stands in the middle of the X, closes his/her eyes, and counts while all the geese move around the circle.  The fox opens his eyes when he is done counting and chases the geese.  They can only run on the paths you created.  If the fox tags one of the geese, then that person becomes the fox.

{5} Snowshoe on trails or in the mountains.  Hiking trails are like a different world in the winter than during the summer.  My favorite is snowshoeing by rivers, they are so pretty in the snow!

{6} Sledding

{7} Cross country or down hill skiing

{8} Make a pretend house in the snow by stomping pathways for hallways, bedrooms, etc. all over the yard

{9} Fill spray bottles or squeeze bottles with water and food coloring to color the snow or make a picture

{10} Make a big snow hill to sled down

{11} Shovel.  Have shovels that are kid-sized

{12} Use sand toys in the snow.  Pails, shovels, mods and make snow castles, or just practice digging

{13} Make an igloo using bread pans it make your bricks

{14} Ice skating

{15} Ice fishing

{16} Make snow ice cream. Use fresh snow, of course. ;)

{17} Find ice cycles

{18} Make snow angels

{19} Play "Follow the Leader"

{20} Blow bubbles see what happens in cold weather

{21}  Build snow sculptors

Then, when you are done playing in the snow, you can warm up together inside with some yummy hot chocolate or hot apple cider!

{Tuesday's Tip} How Family Dinner Helps Your Child's Language

Dinners are important in our homes.  First of all, if we are sitting around a table, we can see each other.  This is important to the socialization of families.  Sitting face to face, looking at each other, observing facial expressions and body language.  This is all part of our social experience.  Socializing at the dinner table can help us not only to feel more connected as a family but these face to face interactions can help our children learn so many social and language skills while at the dinner table. This Tuesday's Tip is all about sharing ways of...

Here are some that I've noticed with my own kids: 

{1} Children learn to follow simple directions.  "Please pass the carrots."  "Put a napkin at each person's plate."  "Put the milk, butter, and jam on the table."

{2} Simple directions also teach our children prepositions.  "Push the chair under the table." "Put the cup above the plate."  "Place the water in the center of the table." "Put the napkin on the plate."

{3} Children learn manners.  Waiting, taking turns, saying "please," "thank you," and "may I be excused."  We don't say, "yuck, I hate that," instead we say, "no, thank you."

{4} Ask your children open-ended questions.  "What did you do at recess today?"  "What was your favorite thing you did today?"  They have to figure out a response and become independent thinkers.

{5} Children can ask us questions.  "How do carrots grow?"  "What is this?"  "What are we doing after dinner?"  Children are curious and want to learn and be included.  Dinner is a great time to teach them.

{6} Little ones who are not yet verbal hear others speaking.  They recognize familiar words and learn new ones. They also watch how we interact with one another and learn how we treat each other.  They learn that there is waiting before the next person speaks.  It is amazing all the things that our little ones learn simply by observing!

{7} Families build connections and relationships at the dinner table which are so essential for trust.  Language is more fluid and natural when we feel we are in a safe place. These connections and trust can grow with the child no matter how old they are.

{8} Dinners can be a time to relax and enjoy.  Children don't feel drilled or that they need to perform.  This aids in more language and learning because when you aren't stressed about teaching,  it often happens naturally.

{9} Using idea's from this blog can make dinners fun, different, and enjoyable. :) A change in pace or trying new things at family dinner time may trigger more conversation with your children because you have them focused and engaged.  Maybe you will discover a new interest. 

{10} Children love routines. Yes, it's good to change things up to challenge our children, to find things that interest our children.  But, routine is also very important.  Young children thrive on routine.  They thrive on understanding what happens next. This helps them feel safe and comfortable, which allows them to relax and talk.  Ways to do this include: have dinner at the same time everyday, give your children the same dinner time chores, have your children do the same activities right before and after dinner (like finish homework before and take a bath after), etc. 

{11} Problem solving skills that are important to language can be learned at dinner time.  Children are learning how to scoop, eat with utensil, drink from a cup, try new foods, cut with a knife, etc.

These are just some of the reasons why it is important to try and have regular family dinners together. If our children are in front of a TV or playing video games, they will miss out on ALL of these social and language benefits. If we are always texting, making phone calls, using Facebook, or are just to busy, we will also miss out. Sure, there are times when life is so busy that it's all we can do to pass the happy meals back over the seat so the kids can eat before the next activity. (Been there done that!) But even in those moments, are there ways we can still take a minute to engage our children and help them learn these essential skills?

Kids with better language will do better in school because they will understand more of what the teacher is telling them.  They learn language by there interactions with us.  It does not cost anything to talk to our children.  IT IS FREE!  We just need to invest the time.

{Tuesday's Tip} 20 Ideas to Keep Kids Happy While You Cook

Sometimes dinner time can be a little CRAZY!  When the kids are hungry, screaming, whining and needing attention while you are hurrying around the kitchen getting dinner on the table...it is easy to feel more than a little frazzled by the time you finally sit down for dinner.

Now, your house may not be this extreme or feel this chaotic everyday.  But still, wouldn't it be nice to have your dinner prep time go more smoothly?  It can help if you have a specific dinner routine set-up for your family.  That's what we've tried to implement at our house and it has helped a lot.  The kids are kept busy so that you can focus on dinner.

These are all idea's to keep your hands free to make dinner, but still be engaged with your family to have an enjoyable evening together.

{20 Ideas to keep kids happy while you cook}

1.  Play with play dough (use a place mat for easy clean up)
2.  Make a customized napkin by drawing a picture with crayons, pens, etc.

3.  Let your kids help you cook
4.  Let your kids set the table
 

5.  Build with toothpicks and marshmallows

6.  Give your kids a job or chore in another room

7. Turn on music and have your kids dance until you say FREEZE!

8.  Have your kids read a book to you.
 

9.  Have everyone dress up in apron's while they help in the kitchen.
10.  Let your kids play with some water at the kitchen sink.

11.  Listen to a book on Tape or CD

12.  Hide a small object in the kitchen.  To help them find it say "Hot" if they are getting closer to the object or "Cold" if they are going farther away.
 

13.  Play card games, like War
14.  Have a race and see who can clean up their room the fastest.(or any small chore you need done)
15.  Play Simon Says

16. Make a mosaic by ripping and gluing paper
 

17.  Practice spelling words with magnetic letters on your fridge.

18.  Play 20 questions 

19.  Memorize a poem or scripture verse together

20.  Spend time doing homework

These ideas may sound simple, and that's exactly the point.  You don't want anything too elaborate or messy while your hands are tied.  But your dinner prep time will likely run a lot smoother if you already have an action plan in mind.

{Tuesday's Tip} 20 Fun Things To Do on a Walk

The weather is getting a bit cooler and it's time to enjoy evening walks together as a family.  There are always fun things to discover on your walk.

For instance, we saw this tree with hundreds of birds all talking together (at least that's what it sounded like!).  I didn't have my best camera with me while we were out on our walk, so this is the best I could get.  It was cool to see and fun to watch them.

{birds in the tree}

We also found a tree with seeds like long beans that we used to sword fight.  We also pretended they were light sabers and fought off the bad guys on our way home.  There are always fun things to do, see, and pretend.

To make your walks enjoyable for the entire family, I came up with 20 more idea's to use the next time you go on a walk with your family!

{20 Fun Things to do on a Walk}

{Helicopter seeds}

              Find "helicopter seeds" and make them fly
(I learned you have to break them in half and then throw in the air and watch them twirl down)  

 Jump over cracks

Find sprinklers to run through.
Make a scavenger hunt and see what you can find

{coin toss}

Bring a coin and toss it when you get to a corner. Go left on heads and right on tails.
 Have a race to the corner

Play follow the leader
Play "I Spy"

{skipping}

Play "Paper, Rock, Scissors" and the winner decides how to cross the road (like skipping, jumping, galloping, tip-toeing, etc.). Be sure to watch for cars.

Roller-skate

Find a pine cone to throw and see who can throw it the farthest
Go to the park or other nearby trail to walk

See how many animals or bugs you find

Find a rock to kick and see who can kick it the farthest

Balance on the curb

Collect leaves

{beautiful sunset}

Go at sunset
Take pictures doing funny things
If there are farm animals in your area take grain, carrots, or apples to feed the animals

Sing a song like The Ants Go Marching or The Princess Pat

You can add to this list with your own ideas, it's easy.  Enjoy your walks before it becomes too cold!

{Tuesday's Tip} Be Active

I am not a runner.  In fact, I used to hate running.  But over the past few years some of my family members have really gotten into running and they've motivated me to be a little more active.  In fact, this summer we signed up for a couple of races together.  Although they made me nervous and weren't all easy, it was worth it to say that I tried.

To start training for my first 5K, I completed the "Couch to 5K" program.  There's probably more than one out there, but this is the one I tried.  And I felt like it did a good job getting me ready.  I also had a friend that started the program the same time I did and we ran together once a week.  That helped A LOT to make myself accountable for my runs and to have someone there for moral support. 

We did a pretty good job following this running program.  But by the end, I had to push myself to just get out and run.  I'm not fast enough to run a 5K in 30 minutes, I run (or jog, really) at a 12 mph pace.  But the Couch to 5K program helped me to run an entire 5K...like, actually run the entire distance without stopping to walk.  That was a first for me!

I also completed 2 other races during the summer.  The first race was the 5K Foam Fest and it was so fun!  The race included a combination of foam, mud, and water along with other obstacles.  There are lots of different types of races out there, some with mud, obstacles, water, color, night runs, etc.  I'd recommend doing these fun races with a friend or as a team--the more the merrier! 

The second race was the Rivalry Relay--a 60 mile relay race with my family.  This was a challenge for all of us...but we did it!  It was also a good bonding experience and something I can cross off my bucket list!

The best part for me about running and doing this training is that my body feels healthier (especially my heart and lungs).  And more importantly, I just feel better about myself for being active! (Let me tell you, that feels so much better than the guilt I feel when I'm lazy or go on a food binge.)

We all need to find a fun way to be and stay active.  I understand that it's hard to get started and even harder to find the time.  Just like most rewarding things in life, it is definitely challenging.  But that's what makes it even more worth it, right? (Ha, I'm starting to sound like a health-nut!)

Do you want to find a race in your area? 

Here are some local and national running websites:

Runner's World

Running in the USA

Utah Running Guide

Utah Running

So, I want to find more ways that me and my family and stay active together.  What do you like to do as a family to stay active?  Please share your suggestions.

Happy Tuesday!

{Tuesday's Tip} Sensory Bins

I love sensory bins for toddlers.  I feel strongly that they are a great way for kids to experiment, feel different textures, and learn more about the world around us.

I have several, medium-sized plastic bins to hold the sensory items that I switch in and out when I'm not using them (pictured above).  Then I have one big plastic bin that I keep empty so that I can add different sensory items to it.  It is best if this bin is large enough for kids to climb into.  When I've used sensory bins with kids, if the bin isn't big enough for them (as in, they can only reach their hands in and dig)...well, they still try to squeeze their little bodies into the bin and that can be more frustrating than fun for them.  So I've found larger bins are better for sensory exploration, like a wash bin, or large Tupperware bin.

You can use the sensory bin inside or outside.  I'd recommend that you lay down a towel, tarp, sheet, or something underneath the sensory bin for easier clean-up.  Depending on activity you may want to stick your child directly in the bathtub after the sensory activity (plus, that just continues the fun for them as they splash in the tub).

{25 fun items for kids to play, dig & discover}

Shredded paper (newspaper, recycled paper, or colored paper)
Water balloons 

Air balloons

Noodles (dry or wet)

Corn meal
Bird seed

Grass
Snow (Or insta-snow powder, you just add water and it is cold like real snow)

{Insta-Snow Powder}

Rice
Beans (Very easy to clean up)
Wheat (I LOVE this texture because it is very soothing) 
Ice cubes in water (Use different shapes or add food coloring to make more interesting ice cubes)

Pom poms

Flour (Messy but really fun!)

Water
Sand
Water beads (These are cool, I found them at JoAnn's.  They are really tiny and you add water to watch them expand.  They are reusable if you dry them out.)

{Water Beads}

Cotton balls

Fabric (cut into long strips)
Bubbles
Pool Balls
Saw dust
Hay

Pine cones (or bark)

Dirt with small rocks

To help your toddlers explore the sensory bin, you can add regular kitchen items, like large spoons, bowls, flour sifter, whisk,  funnels, etc.  Sandbox toys, like shovels, buckets, and molds, are also perfect for playing in the sensory bin. 

{Wheat sensory bin}

Pretend play items or toys can add some variety to your sensory bin, like cars, balls, animals, dinosaurs, plastic bugs, people, dishes, etc.  Also, check out your recycle bin for safe objects your child could use in the sensory bin as well, like toilet paper tubes, empty butter/yogurt containers, egg cartoon, etc.

Please leave a comment to let us know if this post was helpful, we'd love to know what you think! Also, please share your favorite sensory activities and tips.

{Tuesday's Tip} Coping with Nightmares

I wanted to share a few ideas on how to help children overcome nightmares.  Children have such active imaginations--so here are some tips when you need to combat nightmares, monsters, witches, and all things that go bump in the night.

Dream Catchers

Dream catchers can help your children forget about the nightmares they had during the night.  First, hang a dream catcher over your children's bed.  When they are dreaming at night, all the good dreams they have will escape and pass through the holes in the web.  But the bad dreams they have don't know how to pass through the web and get captured in the web (just like in a spider's web).  In the morning, when the sun light shines through the window and onto the dream catcher (or when you turn on the light, if you have no windows), the light destroys all of the bad dreams.

To get your kids more involved, make a dream catcher as a craft.  Recently I had my children make dream catchers and they turned out so cute.  I searched online for ideas and found this website that I liked: thatartististwoman.org.  On this website, she has all of the instructions for making a dream catcher.  Basically you use a lid from a container (like sour cream).  Cut out the middle.  Wrap the outside with yarn.  Then use string to make the web inside, including one bead for the spider.  There are even simpler ideas as well using a paper plate, punching holes around the outside and string yarn through.  Any kind of dream catcher will work just as well on dreams.

Monster spray

Buy a can of air freshener that is used only for monsters at night.  Before bed every night you or your child can use the monster spray in the closet, under the bed, and around the room.

Night light/flashlight

Keep a night light in your children's rooms at night.  Also let them have a small flash light near their bed that they can use at any time.  When they get scared they can shine it around the room and they don't need to be afraid of the dark.

Read books

There are a lot of children's books that can help children cope with their bad dreams.  Some good nightmare books to read are:

There's an Alligator Under My Bed by Mercer Mayer

There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer

There's Something in My Attic by Mercer Mayer

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Berentein Bears And the Bad Dream by Jan and Stan Berenstein

Sing a lullaby

Sing songs that comfort and relax your children before they go to sleep.  Or you can turn on a quiet CD in your children's rooms to help them get to sleep.  The children should be asleep by the time the CD is done and stops playing.

Just love your children and comfort them as needed 

This advice is basic but definitely the most important thing to remember when calming your children's fears.

Prayer  

Never underestimate the power of prayer.  Prayer will help bring comfort for your children and peace to your home.

{Tuesday's Tip} Climb Every Mountain

All summer I've been wanting to go on a local hike.  Yesterday, I finally did it!  It was just me my baby yesterday with no other appointments, so I packed us up and off we went.

I used a hiking backpack for the trip to carry my baby on my back.  The backpack I used has a shade canopy and a pouch to carry other essential items.  In the pouch I carried some water and snacks for both of us along with my camera and extra baby clothes in case the lake area was cold.

There are lots of different styles of hiking backpacks out there.  These backpacks are great for both the carrier and the baby because: 1) the carrier has the advantage of using his/her hips (and legs) to carry the bulk of the weight instead of it resting all on your back and shoulders, and 2) the baby gets to sit comfortably and either enjoy the view or take a nap.

We are blessed to live so close to beautiful mountains where I live.  I picked a hike up a local canyon that I had never done before and one that I thought would challenge me, but not take all day.  I chose to hike up to White Pine Lake.

Being in nature all by yourself gives you a lot of time to think.  To be honest, I kept asking myself on the way to the lake, "Are you sure you can make it all the way with a baby on your back?!"  But each time I just kept hiking and, eventually, we made it!

We didn't stay at the lake for very long.  Just long enough to rest, stretch our legs, and have lunch.  But it was still so much fun!

If you want to find out about hiking trails--easy or hard--you can purchase brochures and books online or at your local bookstore or town visitor's center.

You can also find several hikes available online.  Here are some websites I found helpful:

1. http://www.utah.com/hike/
This website is for all of Utah, although it does not include


2. http://www.fs.usda.gov/recmain/uwcnf/recreation
This website is for the Unita-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.  There is a list of other ranger districts in Utah on the right column of this page.


3. http://www.tourcachevalley.com/outdoor/hiking.php
This website is for Cache Valley only.  But you can go to your own city or county website and search for hiking trail information.

4. http://www.trails.com/
This website was very helpful.  However, my search was limited because I don't have a login.

5. http://www.localhikes.com/Default.asp
This website shows a list of hiking trails near U.S. metropolitan areas in every state.


6. http://logancanyonhiking.com/
This website is specific to hiking trails in Logan Canyon, UT.


It's such a great feeling to finish something you started and to achieve one of your goals.  Good luck finding a hiking trail near you.  Now is the perfect time of year for hiking, so go out and enjoy!

{Tuesday's Tip} S-L-O-W Down

Last week I decided to play in the back yard.

We had a relaxing BBQ for dinner--fish and veggies.

{Ladder Golf}

Then I set up our ladder golf game. As we were playing and having fun, the thought came to me, "I need to slow down!"

 I don't need to go somewhere else to be entertained. There are lots of things we can do right here at home and we can have just as much fun (if not more fun) together!

Sometimes I get it in my head that we need to go somewhere to have fun.  We are always going and rushing places.  Instead, I need to slow down and enjoy activities at home.

Here are a few other games we like to play in the back yard:

{Bocci Ball}

bocci ball, soccer, frisbee, 

{Croquet}

croquet, volleyball, and badminton. 

Pick one and have a stay-at-home, slow-down evening!

{Tuesday's Tip} Waste Not

Recently I had a lot of leftover bread pieces from several different loaves of bread (for some reason my family doesn't always eat the loaf ends).  It was time to either give the bread away or throw it away, so we opted to go feed it to the ducks!

Feeding the ducks is a great summer time activity.  It gets both you and yours kids out of the house and enjoying nature!  We are lucky to have a couple dams near by that always have ducks.  But if you have trouble finding some, look for the little canals, streams, or ponds that ducks would love.

To be honest, it took me a few days before we actually went and fed the ducks.  But I had my bag of bread already to go so that I'd be able to grab it and go when I was ready.

This is a cheap and easy activity too because you can either use leftovers (as long as their safe for birds to eat) or sometimes there are bird-food dispensers that only take a dime or quarter.

{Tuesday Tip} Happy Harvesting

One of my favorite things about summer is being able to harvest fresh produce from the garden!

Early in the spring we posted about gardening and how gardens not only promote good well-being and health, but they are also a great way to create family bonding time. 

This is my first year gardening in my own backyard and it has been a bit of an adventure.  Our garden is far from perfect.  Our soil is mostly hard clay and super rocky.  Plus we almost planted (or transplanted) too late in the spring.  But miraculously, despite these odds, our garden has started to produce, and it's fabulous!

This year we were able to plant a few onions,

squash and zucchini,

peas, tomatoes, bell peppers, 2 cucumber plants, and 1 bean plant (that's all that survived).  We also planted a few marigolds along the front (they seem like a traditional garden flower) and we were lucky enough to inherit a raspberry bush from the previous owners. 

We haven't harvested everything, and we have yet to find out if all of our plants will continue growing and producing.  But so far we have harvested lots of squash and zucchini plus some cheery tomatoes, peas, and...

 raspberries (my favorite!).

Even if we don't yield as much as we anticipated, harvesting is still so rewarding because you have a great feeling of accomplishment AND you get to enjoy the fruits of your labors, literally! Yum!

Even if you don't have your own garden, you may know friends or neighbors that are willing to share their abundant produce with you.  Or you can always stop by the local gardeners market.  

A couple other fun ways to create the "harvesting" feel for you and your family is to find a local farm that allows you to pick your own fresh produce before you buy it, like this local U-Pick farm.  It's a great way to get the kids involved, and is way more yummy than buying produce from the grocery store!

Another way to get your fresh produce is to find out about local co-ops in your area.  One great website is Bountiful Baskets.  This organization is largely volunteer-based and seems to keep growing and adding new locations.

Whichever way you get your fresh produce, we wish you a Happy Harvest!

{Tuesday's Tip} Make a Splash & Cool Off

We have been having one HOT summer this year where we live.  You literally start melting as soon as you step out the door.  So we've been trying to come up with some activities that can help us keep cool without spending a lot of money.  

One great way to cool off on hot summer days is to find a park with lots of shade or...a splash pad!

If you've never been to a splash pad park, you need to go!  The one closest to where we live is about 15 minutes away.  But it is great for kids of all ages and it's actually a really popular spot!

Each splash pad is a little different.  Some have sprinklers that spray up from the ground, others have pipes that spray like a shower.  Our splash pad is located at a park, so it has all the typical park amenities: nearby parking, playground, grassy area, covered pavilion, and bathrooms.  There are also a couple benches on the perimeter of the splash pad to help parents keep a close eye on their kids.  The sprinklers are activated by pressing a button.  There are several sprinklers in a circular, cement area that spray in different patterns.

It's the same idea as running through the sprinklers at home...but tons more fun!  Dress your kids in swimsuits or clothes that can get wet in (and you too!).  We make sure to pack towels, sunscreen, and snacks so that we can play as long as we'd like. 

If you don't know if there is a splash pad near you, here is a list of local splash pads from EnjoyUtah!.org. 

So, go on and make a splash!

{Tuesday's Tip} Stop & Smell the Wildflowers

On the way home from our vacation a couple weeks ago, we were driving through a canyon and we kept seeing lots of wildflowers.  Finally we had to stop and take a closer look at the beauty around us.  We went on a short walk and examined the flowers and wildlife.

Later, when we got home, I pulled out our book on wildflowers so we could discover more about our flowers.  I like using everyday events as teaching opportunities, especially during the summer when school is out.  It makes learning fun and interesting for me and my kids!  What have you been learning about this summer?

While we walking around seeing the wildflowers,  I had everyone pick a few and saved them in a bag for another little craft I'll be sharing with you. Here's a sneak peek:

{Tuesday's Tip} Notice What is Around You

The other day as my daughter and I were walking on a small nature trail, we had a surprisingly fun learning experience.  You see, my daughter loves butterflies.  She also is one of the most imaginative children I've ever met.  She believes that butterflies are really fairies only we (normal human beings) can't see them, we just see butterflies.  But, if we could see butterflies with magic, we would see the beautiful fairies as they really are.

Naturally, we were looking for butterflies along the trail.  As we were walking I just happened to notice one butterfly hanging upside down from a branch.  It had just come out of the cocoon but wasn't ready to take off and fly away.  While we watched the butterfly I explained what the butterfly was doing and how it had changed from a caterpillar inside the cocoon to a beautiful butterfly.

This turned out to be a special little teaching moment because she was so fascinated by the butterfly.  It was very exciting!  It was a good reminder that we need to take in more of the beautiful world we live in.  Afterwards, we took a trip to the library and searched online for more cool facts about butterflies.  I love watching my kids learn, and it is good to keep their young minds active even during summer vacation.