All our butterflies have now emerged!

Our butterflies have now emerged!  

The kids are looking forward to when they get to release them next week.  

Our caterpillars have formed their chrysalises

Today the kids were using their sleep mats, sheets, blankets, and pillows to pretend that they were caterpillars.  First they said they were really hungry and they "ate" their pillows and blankets (which they told me were leaves).  Then they crawled between their sheets and mats which they pretended were their cocoons.  Finally they emerged as "beautiful butterflies" and ran around the living room flying with their new wings.

It made me feel so good to see the kids playing like this.  It was entirely initiated by them and I just got to watch and take pictures.  We had recently been reading a lot of butterfly life cycle books, but I wasn't sure if any of it was sinking in.  Now I know they understand!  All of our caterpillars have formed their chrysalises now.  I can't wait until they emerge as butterflies.  I think the kids will really get it all once they see that happen.

Another cool kid app

We found another cool kid app called BUGS AND BUTTONS.  You can find out more about it at this website:  http://www.littlebitstudio.com/bugsandbuttons.html 

L absolutely loves this app.  It's not just one game, it's actually 18 different games all involving bugs (which he loves!) and buttons.  He gets to play it for 20 minutes at the end of the day if he makes it through the entire day without getting a time-out.  I think the mazes might be his favorite part but he likes all the games too.  It's not just about having fun either - most of the games are designed to incorporate early math skills like sorting, counting, and number recognition.  It's a very cool kid app!

Cool Kid Apps

A few times each week, the kids get to play with my iPod Touch or my mom's iPhone.   We're always on the lookout for some cool kid apps.  Here are some that the kids really like:

3 yr old L likes anything Toca Boca - especially Toca Kitchen, Toca Hair Salon, and Toca Doctor.  You can find out more about these apps on their website:  http://tocaboca.com


He also likes Toddler's Seek & Find and Phone 4 Kids (specifically the painter program). These are all apps that he can do on his own.

1 yr old S likes all the Fisher-Price apps - especially the Laugh & Learn ones.  You can find out more about these apps on the Fisher-Price website.  The monkey is her favorite Fisher-Price character.

She also likes Peekaboo Pets, Raising A Baby, and Kids Songs Collection.

 

Cute Kids

S doing some dancing. 

L's arrangement of animals.

Getting out on a nice day

 We took advantage of the nice weather today and got out to Washington Park for some fresh air and outdoor play.  It felt good to feel the sunshine.  L even decided to wear some shades.

We visited all the nature pod playgrounds.  There were lots of kids there because of it being Easter break.

The kids have gotten so good at climbing since the last time we got out to a playground.  I was really impressed with how fast L could climb up the different climbing structures.

What's cooking?

I love it when S gets a chance to do some pretend playing all by herself, without anyone interrupting her.  She likes to dress the part.  Want to know what she's got cooking in the oven?  I think its FROGS!  Kids are so funny!

Dancing & Playing Dress-up

All the kids love to dance and play dress up.  We've got a variety of hats, tutus, sunglasses, costumes, purses and accessories.  I always check out the dollar section at Target for anything that we could use.

Playing with little Legos

After nearly a year of asking, Pops has finally started to bring over my Legos from when I was a kid!  L is so happy about this.  But now I've got another task on my hands:  cleaning, sorting, and rebuilding!  We've got a few buildings back together so far, and L has been enjoying playing with them everyday during S's nap.  Now I need more storage space!

Joy!

Valentines

Here's a Valentine that S made.  Kids love glue and stickers!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kids Love to Make Music

The girls love music!  They love to sing, dance, and make their own music too!  I've made an effort to get a bunch of kid instruments for the daycare.  We've got a keyboard, a guitar, cymbals, bells, a triangle, a tambourine, a rainmaker, a couple of shakers, rhythm sticks, a bodhran drum, a floor tom drum, and a glockenspiel.  And of course I've got more instruments on my wish list like some bongos, an accordion, an electric violin, and more and more and more!