7/6/18- Summer STEM Experiment: Pool Noodle Math Game

How to make summer swimming a learning task, you ask? One where your math happy kid will grin and your language happy kid will groan?  Create a math game using a foam pool noodle of course!

YOU WILL NEED:

A Foam Pool Noddle
Scissors or Exacto Knife
Permanent Marker (my fav is Sharpie)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Cut the pool noodle into 10 pieces (even is good, but it's fine if you don't-- I have no perfectionist requirement on cutting the noodle into even pieces).  This step should probably be done by an adult since scissors or an Exacto knife are involved.

2) Using the permanent marker, write one number, 1-10, on each pool noodle piece (also make a 7 ate 9 joke as you number).

3) Throw the numbered pool noodle pieces into a pool (this pool should be a pool you have permission to use).

4) Have the child(ren) retrieve the numbers you call out: "3! 10! 5!" etc.


Variations on the pool noodle math swimming games:

• If you have an older child, tell them to retrieve 10-7; 36/6; 4+5; etc. 

• If you have a child under 2, you can put shapes on pool noodle pieces and create your own shape game.

• If you have a language lover, you can cut the pool noodle into 26 pieces and put one letter of the alphabet on each and create your own language game. 

Have fun swimming this summer, and always remember pool safety with your kids!

6/15/18- Summer Activities Revisited

Wow, what a great kick off to summer time; our trip to southern California was pretty sweet!  We only brought home 5 sets of Lego (or systems as I've learned) from Legoland, which is pretty good for 2 engineers and a toddler. Although the trip out there certainly had some low points, Jack was a bit under the weather, once there we had a good time.  We hung out with friends, rode roller coasters, cars and boats, built so many Lego systems, and of course enjoyed the 70 degree weather! Man was it nice out there, and it's kind of a let down to come back to 107 degrees!

So what are we going to do on the weekends now that it's 107 out?  Luckily, Phoenix has many great options for indoor play and a couple of outdoor options.  Below is our list of planned summer activities and places we're going to visit locally to kill sometime in this heat. I think many of the places we plan to visit this summer are in most towns and cities, but let me know if you have some suggestions for fun summer activities. I'm always interested in recommendations and trying new things!  Hope everyone has a fun, safe and playful summer!

1. Lego Discovery Center- Jack is older now and way into Lego, so I'm confident he'll enjoy the Discovery Center now vs. when he was an itty bitty toddler.  Also, we bought annual passes to Legoland, which includes the Lego Discovery Centers, so might as well capitalize on that. 
2. Local Libraries- The libraries in our area have great children's spaces, like the Tempe Library and the Scottsdale Civic Center.  It's "free" (thank you to everyone who pays city taxes!) to go there too, so might as well take advantage of that. 
3. Movie Theater- Incredible 2, I can't wait to see it! And both Harkins, AMC and Pollack Theaters do a summer movie pass for kids  Seems like a cool thing to do; literally, is there any indoor place cooler than a movie theater?
4. AZ Science Center- We have a membership, and again, best to use it before we lose it.  Jack really likes the ping pong ball exhibit and outdoor water play area.  I think in general a museum pass somewhere is a must for the summer in a hot climate area. It's probably the same for a cold climate area in the winter. 
5. Indoor Trampoline Park- For the past couple of years these indoor trampoline parks, indoor bounce house places and indoor play parks have been popping up all over the Valley of the Sun.  Some of them are only $5 for an hour or two for toddler, so pretty reasonable. 
6. Chick-fil-A/McDonald's- Ice cream cones/shakes combined with an indoor play park... sold. 
7. Splash Pads- The City of Mesa and Tempe have some large splash pads that are pretty fun for the adults.  And kids too. 
8. Swimming Pool and Water Parks- We're blessed with a swimming pool in our backyard (so is half of Phoenix; it's a thing here), but I am looking forward to taking Jack to the indoor wave pool at Kiwanis.  They do movie nights, which should be fun.  Also, there's some decent outdoor water parks here (the water park at Legoland was really cool, for the record). I fear though that he'll want to ride a water slide that he's not tall enough for, and I remember how much that sucks.  Just happened to me at Legoland. 😉
9. Butterfly World- This place has been on my list forever.  We're going to make it this summer!  I also have lofty goals of volunteering more and writing more this, so hopefully I'm not all talk about finally going here.
10. Bookstores and The Mall- We go to these places anytime of the year, (FYI B+N has a great summer reading program; kids get a free book at the end), but the air conditioning will be extra appreciated this summer.  We'll also have to see if we can leave the mall and bookstores without books and toys (I'm side eyeing myself right now as I doubt that).  

Abracadabra! It's summer!

5/27/18- Summer is Here!

Hurrah! Summer is here!  Okay, it's actually (temperature-wise) been summer in Phoenix for more than a month.  But this was the first weekend that we went swimming in our pool. And it was still too cold for me.  The pool thermometer read 80-degrees, but it didn't feel that warm.  I had actual goose bumps as Jack splashed me.

I always look forward to summer; it's a time to slow down and relax.  Spring is such a busy time of year for our family: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, festivals and more.  So when summer approaches, I know it's time to take it easy.  Lazy days by the pool, nothing on the schedule but possibilities, and plenty of time to reflect as I sip mint lemonade (spiked 😉).  I love the promise of R 'n' R that summer brings.  Not too mention summer vacation!

This year we're going to Carlsbad, California for summer vacation.  We're going to visit Legoland, the beach, and (hopefully) friends.  We've been gearing up for Legoland on this three-day holiday weekend by watching (binging?) "The Lego Movie," "Lego Batman," and "The Ninjago Movie," and stockpiling Legos (woo hoo, we found a closing Toys R Us in Tucson, so 30% off Legos!).  We'll be going with friends who have a 5 year old, and I think Jack will like having a companion to ride the rides with.  But this trip is the first time Bobby, Jack or I have been to Legoland, so any pro tips would be appreciated.

Of course, the best part of summer vacation is basically getting to forget that you work a 9-5 job!  I've actually been doing okay mentally with my boring work the past couple months, but my physical health hasn't been the best, so I'm ready to not work for a week.  I'm not sure how my body will react to doing an amusement park; however, we're staying at a Lego hotel, so I can go take a nap when needed.  Plus, Advil.  Advil is the answer to my RA inflammation (I'm sure one day I'll need something stronger, but yay for Advil!).

Anyways, there will be time to rest on the weekends after vacation.  We have nothing scheduled on the weekend for months (she typed, intentionally ignoring the calendar)!  I love it!  Randomly deciding to go see a summer blockbuster, or go get Hawaiian ice, or even go play at the indoor playground (haha, like we'd dare go to an outdoor playground in Phoenix during the summer; that'd just be asking for dehydration and sunburn) is like the best thing in the world.  Despite the hundred degree plus weather, summer rocks!

Let me know in the comments your summer plans or what you look forward to this summer, and any Legoland tips are greatly appreciated!  I'll also being doing an updated post for summer activities in Phoenix here soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this flashback to when Jack was enjoying his 2nd Phoenician summer: Fun In AZ Sun. "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability!"-- Sam Keen.  May you all enjoy your respectable, lazy summer!