Ocean Week - Day 5

Mermaids!

I found these adorable free paper doll printouts at http://www.makingfriends.com/friends/f+mermaid.htm. Millie had so much fun gluing her ocean shapes on Monday that I just had to let her glue some more! (Mostly for my own sanity, she keeps asking to use her glue stick about 40 times a day!)

I just printed and cut out all of the pieces (works best with card stock, but I can't find mine and refuse to go buy more when I KNOW it's around here somewhere...) and let her glue away! She had so much fun, I can't wait for her to be able to cut things out for herself, I'd let her do it every day!

Next we watched The Little Mermaid (I mean really, how could you have Mermaid Day without watching The Little Mermaid??) And then we went outside and swam in the little kiddie pool that daddy picked up at a garage sage! (and stuck her plastic slide on the side, another garage sale find!)

AND I picked up ANOTHER little treat at one of my many many trips to Hobby Lobby this week.

Grow Your Own Mermaid!

1. Fill a large container with 6 cups of room temperature water.

2. Hold your mermaid in your hands. Close your eyes & make a wish.

3. Return your mermaid to her watery home by gently submerging her in the container.

4. Using a spoon swirl the water and say "Mermaid, Mermaid, return to the sea and grant the wishes I ask of thee."

If you truly believe in mermaids, your wish will come true in 3 days when the mermaid grows to her full size.

We had such a fun day with mermaids. Millie is such a girly girl (hence the name "Frilly Millie") so I would most certainly say that Mermaid Day was by far her favorite day of the week! Make sure to check back to see next week's activities!

Ocean Week - Day 2

Forgive me for the lack of pictures, my camera battery died and I have no idea where the charger is! Probably wherever my husband randomly decided to put it this time... maybe his sock drawer?

Today we made a yummy ocean-themed lunch!

Fish-shaped Tuna Sandwiches

Goldfish Crackers

and Grapes... well, because Millie loves grapes!

Okay, so anyone that knows Millie knows that she is NOT the world's best eater. She was still fighting baby food at 12 months old, and even now she hardly ever wants to sit down for a meal. But WOW, I left her at the kitchen table eating while rocking Anson to sleep, and unless she found a really good hiding spot, her entire plate of food is gone! I guess I'll have to put a little more creativity into her meals more often!

Millie had a rough night because someone forgot to spray her with insect spray while she rode her tricycle all evening, so she has several giant mosquito bites that she's constantly scratching and complaining about. I decided to let her do her two favorite things for today's activity: Sandbox and Play dough! I really wish I had remembered that it feels like it's 110 degrees (actually only 93) outside before telling Millie she could go play! Oh well, she enjoyed it! We pretended we were at the beach and used fish, crab, and sandcastle molds, and we also pretended to be pirates digging for treasure and seashells. After naps, I'm planning to help the kids mold sea creatures out of play dough! (And when I say kids, I mean watch Millie and hold Anson on my lap, I don't think my 5-month-old boy is quite ready for play dough!)

Today's Lesson is Dolphins!

1. Dolphins are small-toothed whales.
2. They have about 100 teeth, all the same size and shape.
3. Dolphins look like fish and live where fish live, but they are not fish. They are mammals. Mammals feed their young milk, are warm blooded like humans What other animals feed their young milk? What other ocean animals are mammals?
4. Even though they live in the water, they need to come to the surface where they breath air from a tiny hole on top of their head called a blowhole. The dolphin can hold it's breath for 6-7 minutes.
5. Most dolphins are about 6 feet long. Demonstrate the length by walking six feet from a wall.
6. Dolphins can be found all over the world.
7. One of their favorite foods are sardines.
8. Their body is sleek and smooth. Dolphins can actually get sunburned just like us.
9. Dolphins are friendly and intelligent.

I found these dolphin facts along with a lot of games and activities at First-School.

Hope you enjoyed today's activities, make sure to come back tomorrow!

Ocean Week - Day 1

We're going to start this week out with an easy activity! Well, because Mondays are Mondays and for some reason even though I'm a stay-at-home mom, I'm always dragging on Mondays! So let's make an...

Ocean Coloring Book!

I found these excellent printable coloring pages at http://www.educationalcoloringpages.com/. Simply print them out and use construction paper to create a front and back cover, and staple! Or if you have a hole-puncher and some extra yarn lying around, you can punch holes along the left edge and tie together with yarn. I'm also planning to cut fish and sea shapes out of different colors of construction paper, and let my daughter glue them to the front cover. I've never let her use glue before... so I guess we'll see how it all turns out!

Also on the agenda for today:

Movie: Finding Nemo

Lesson: Whales

I printed out these whale facts from Whale-World.

1. Whales are mammals.

This means that whale calves grow inside their mothers until they are born. Besides, they are nursed and taken care by their mothers until they reach certain age.

2. Whales breathe air as we do.

Therefore, they need to reach the surface of the ocean to breathe because they cannot breathe underwater.

3. To breathe, whales have a blowhole in the top of their heads.

When they reach the surface, they take air in through this blowhole.

4. There are two types of whales, Baleen Whales and Toothed Whales.

There are several species of whales out there, but they are classified according to the way they feed in two types, baleen whales and toothed whales.


5. Baleen whales feed from krill and plankton.

Krill are shrimp-like creatures which are very important ocean creatures.


6. Toothed whales feed from fish and small mammals.

Toothed whales eat several kind of fish, like tuna, cod and salmon among others and some small mammals like seals.

7. The Blue whale is the largest animal in the world.

Even more, it is the largest animal that has ever existed, even larger than the largest dinosour ever found. The blue whale is a baleen whale.

8. Some baleen whales sing.

Particularly the blue whales and the humpback whales are well known for singing.

9. Whales can swim as fast as 30 miles per hour.

10. Some Whales can stay underwater for as long as 90 minutes.

This applies mainly for the sperm whale which can stay underwater for as long as 90 minutes, although a typical dive for other species is around 35 minutes.

11. Whales do not sleep as we do.

To rest, whales sleep only half brain so they remember to take air in, otherwise they would drown.

12. The most famous story about whales is Moby Dick.

Moby Dick is a novel released in 1851 by Herman Melville.

A few pictures from today:

I never even realized that our craft tablecloth goes so well with ocean week, how fun! Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see Tuesday's activity!

Ocean Week

Well, I'm going through another one of those random "re-organize your life" phases, and I wanted to start it off with some structure. I must admit that I'm not always the perfect mom, especially lately when I've been living at the computer and sewing machine, so I decided that it's time to focus on some structured and educational activities for my kids. Each week we'll focus on a specific topic and have a variety of activities, crafts, and recipes to go along with it. So let's start this week of with...

Oceans!

As a resident of Mississippi with the BP oil spill crisis, it's virtually impossible to not be focused on oceans and beaches right now. It's disturbing on so many different levels. My heart goes out to all of the animals and wildlife being affected, and also the many business owners on the gulf coast. We had big plans of taking my daughter, Millie, on her first beach trip to Ship Island this summer, and now I'm just not sure if that will happen. I've researched online whether the island has been affected yet, and I'm seeing mixed reviews. I remember my last trip to Ship Island, it was the day before my husband asked me to marry him. It was such a beautiful place! While I was swimming, a dolphin actually jumped out of the water only 10 feet away from me! I also stepped on a big fish... scary!! It's saddening to know that I came across so much wildlife just in that small area that I swam in, and now the miles of affected water and land are simply unmeasurable. So in light of the oil spill crisis, let's make this ocean appreciation week!

Each day I will be posting an ocean-themed activity. Make sure to check it out and join the fun!