With the start of the new year, I changed the format of my blog a little by adding, “discussion Fridays”.  From time to time, a few of you decided to share your thoughts and opinions regarding the topic of the day.  However as a whole there was not much discussion taking place.  So it is time for a change.

I will still continue to blog on Fridays but it will be random thoughts.  It could be anything from new websites I have found to books to favorite recipes.

Don’t worry I am not changing the focus of my blog.  My main goal is still to provide parents with ideas and resources for their children.  I thought one day a week it would be fun to change things up a bit.

Therefore, my random thought of the day:

I found the coolest website that gives you ideas on how to reuse and/or repurpose items.

Junk Market Style

Check out this fun Yo-Yo Picture Hanger Idea!

Do you do a letter of the day activity?

I have been working on lowercase letters with my 3 1/2 year old.  I have yet to find a “great” activity or idea to keep letter recognition fun and interesting.

While watching Sesame Street today with my daughter, it hit me.  Keep it simple.  Do a letter of the day.  Sesame Street has been doing a letter and number of the day for 40 years.  It seems to be working well for them so I am going to give it a try.

Idea of the Day:

Begin the letter of the day in  your home.

- Place the letter in an area which your child spends a great deal of time.  ie: playroom or kitchen area

- Each morning have your child point to the letter of the day and tell you what it is.

- Make sure to display the letter in both upper and lowercase.

- Have your child practice writing or tracing the letter.

- As you read books or do activities throughout the day, point out the letter of the day.

- Teach the sounds the letter makes.

- Do not do the letters in order.  Your child will catch on to the pattern.

- To help you remember what letters you have done and plan to do, write them on your calendar.

- Each day review the letter from the previous day.

- At the end of the week, review all of the letters.

Have you ever tried the color changing milk experiment?

Recently I came across a website called Steve Spangler Science and found a great science experiment.  I classify a science experiment as “great” if:

1.  There are not a lot of steps.

2.  It does not create a huge mess.

3.  I have all of the ingredients in my home.

4.  My kids will go “ooohh, aaaahhhh” during the experiment.

This one meets all of my expectations.

Idea of the Day:

Try the coloring changing milk experiment.

I normally would explain the experiment for you on my blog.  However this science site seems to have a long and very detailed legal section.  Basically it tells me I cannot copy, paste, upload, etc. the information in any way.

Therefore to save myself from a possible legal issue, I will simply provide you with the link.

Color Changing Milk Experiment

Do you have a system for keeping track of cups in your house?

Without fail, at least a couple times a week you can hear the joyful sibling rivalry over who had which color cup that day.  Our kids typically have one cup throughout the day for water.  They can drink as much water as they would like as long as they are not taking a new cup each time.  However as the day goes on it is easy to forget which child started the day with the blue cup.

By the end of the day (usually around low-blood sugar time), you can hear my 3 1/2 year old shouting, “I had the blue cup.”  This is then reciprocated with an even louder reply from my  7 year old, “You had it yesterday!!!”  This can go on for a good 10 minutes if not broken up.

I realize I could get out the masking tape each day and label the cups.  But this seems like a waste of tape.  Therefore I was pleasantly surprised to see an idea in a magazine that will relieve the cup chaos at our house.

Idea of the Day:

Use rubber bands for labeling cups.

What you will need:

- permanent marker

- wide, flat rubber bands

What to do:

1.  Write each child’s name on a rubber band.

2.  Place the rubber band around the child’s cup.

3.  Reuse the rubber band each day.

This idea was found in the March 2010 issue of Parents magazine.

Are you dreaming of warm weather?

As the snow is starting to melt, it feels like shorts and flip flop season is right around the corner.  In Minnesota, shorts and flip flops usually start appearing when the temperature hits 50 degrees.

I realize I should be transitioning from winter to spring.  However I saw an idea for making a sandy beach art project and I couldn’t wait until June to let the kids try it out.

Idea of the Day:

Make a sandy beach art project.

What you will need:

- white glue

- small bowl

- newspaper

- paintbrush

- piece of cardboard (a cereal box or gift box works well)

- salt - sea salt or kosher salt

- pasta shells

What to do:

1.  Pour glue into a bowl and dilute it with a few drops of water.

2.  Working over the newspaper, brush the glue onto the cardboard.

3.  Sprinkle salt onto the cardboard.

4.  Shake off excess.

5.  Glue pasta shells onto cardboard.

To add color:

1.  Add a few drops of food coloring to the salt for colored sand.

2.  After gluing shells, use tempera paints to paint shells.

Other ideas:

- Go to a craft store and buy shells, starfish and sand dollars to add to the project.

- Find plastic crabs, frogs, turtles, etc. to add animals.

This idea was in the book called The Little Hands Art Book by Judy Press.