Theme 1: Cows

The first week of Camp Campbell was all about cows!  We had a blast with this theme!  Being a true Texan, Colt already knows what cows are, but we had a lot of fun getting to learn even more about them.  Because of a mid-week vacation to California, this unit took about two weeks to complete.

Our daily schedule is as follows: breakfast, academic activity, free play, snack, outside play adventure time, lunch, music, reading, nap time/independent play, snack, academic activity, iPad, craft, and TV.

Day 1
Academic Activity: Today I introduced Colt and Cody to this unit's theme-cows.  We looked at a picture of a cow.  We talked about its colors and size, pointed out body parts, and mooed for a while.  Then, we looked at another picture of a cow with its baby and practiced the vocabulary word, calf.  Both cow and calf are difficult for Colt to say because the initial sound fall in the frequency he has issues with hearing.  Calf is even more difficult because it ends in that "f" sound which is another sound he doesn't hear very well.  After practicing the words and mooing for a while, we hung up the pictures on the felt board and moved into free play time.

Free Play: I busted out with all our farm toys for free play today.  Even Cody got in on the action!

Note the cow on top of the fire truck!

Snack: For today's snack we had yogurt and blueberries with a glass of milk.  Colt was shocked to learn than cows make milk!

He is really hamming it up in this picture.

Outside Play: We walked to the park in our neighborhood and had a blast!  Cody slept though the whole thing!  Playing outside in the Texas heat made us work up quite an appetite.  As soon as we got home, we drank tall glasses of water and ate some yummy lunch!

Music Time: Originally, I was going to spend this time singing the cow songs recommended by the letter of the week curriculum, but as luck would have it, I was recovering from a bout of laryngitis on the first day of camp.  It's times like these I remember that God doesn't give us more than we can handle--even if its having laryngitis while taking care of a child who is hard of hearing!  Instead, I busted out with one of my old school Disney Sing-Along VHS tapes.  Colt, Cody, and I danced to classics like "Zippity Do Da" and "It's a Small World."  We were all thrilled when a cow happened to be on the tape!  Between outside play and music time, we were worn out, so story time was a welcomed next activity.

Story: Today we read Cow by Malachy Doyle.  The beautiful, lifelike pictures and simple text both soothed and engaged the boys.  This was a great pre-naptime read.  I also thought this was a really good book choice to use with the introduction day of the theme because the content was realistic and had a nonfiction feel.  After story time, we all took a little siesta to regroup for an afternoon of more playtime.

Academic Activity: After some free play and a snack, we proceeded to our next academic activity.  We pretended to be cows!  We crawled on the floor, mooed, and ate grass (thank goodness I choose a shag rug for this room).  I'm sure this would have been hilarious to watch because I didn't have a voice, but we had a great time none-the-less.  We got about 10 good minutes of cow time in before we lost interest.

iPad: I am pretty strict when it comes to screen time.  Personally, I really do not like the idea of entertaining young children with a screen whether it's the TV, a phone, or a tablet, but I do believe that these things used in moderation can be beneficial. Here are some apps that I would recommend.

•  Fisher Price has some fun toddler appropriate games. 
•  Phonak, a hearing aid brand, has an app featuring Leo the hearing impaired lion cub.  
• Curious George at the Zoo-a game where you can pet and feed the animals with your favorite monkey
• Elmo Calls-I hate Elmo, but Colt enjoys him.  Oh, the sacrifices we make for our children...
• Trucks and Shadows-This is a fun way to practice matching skills.

Craft: We created a cow out of squares as recommended by the letter of the week curriculum.  Colt loved using the glue.  I don't really think his final product looks like a cow, but we had a great time making it!

 We finished the day with about 30 minutes left before Clif got home from work.  Since he completed all the day's activities, Colt was allowed to watch some TV while I started dinner.  I honestly thought the first day of camp was great.  We had plenty of actives planned, but the agenda left enough room to adjust as needed.  Although the academic activities were short, about 10 minutes each, I felt like they gave Colt opportunities to practice words and keep his attention.

My boys at the end of the first day of CC.

Day 2

Academic Activity: After breakfast, we reviewed our cow pictures from yesterday.  Then, we added this week's shape, square, to the poster.  We looked around the house for squares and collect items that fit that shape (mostly picture frames).  We were even able to find squares during free play.  

Outside Play:  I won't lie, the north Texas heat and humidity is getting pretty intense, and I honestly have no desire to engage in outside play, so I've made the executive decision to change outside play to adventure time!  For today's adventure time, we went to GracePoint Church's massive indoor playground, The Ark.  I was nervous about taking both boys to such an active place: What if Colt loses his hearing aids?  What if I lose Colt?  What if the kids are too rough for Cody?  The kids were fine!  Colt had a blast, Cody was comfortable, and it was the perfect way to burn off some energy without sweating buckets.  

Cody enjoyed all the sights of The Ark.

Music Time: I finally got my voice back, so we were able to sing the cow songs the letter of the day curriculum suggests.  He really likes "Old McDonald."  

Story: We read Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Betsy Lewin.  Colt was so worn out from the indoor playground that he really wasn't too interested in the book, but Cody and I really enjoyed it.  It's such a cute story!  It was pretty easy to get Colt down for a nap after story time.

Unfortunately, we were unable to do any more activities after nap time because I had to fight the man and protest my property taxes.  By the time I got home, it was time to start shutting it down and get ready for bed.  

Day 3

Academic Activity: Today I introduced the letter A.  Colt already knows this one from school, but he was still very excited to see it.  After we talked about the letter, we spent some time coloring a letter page.

He also colored the back of this sheet.

Free Play: Poor Cody is getting three teeth in, so he was incredibly fussy today.  I spent most of free play time rocking and cuddling the little guy just trying to get him to stop crying.  Once he calmed down, we were able to go out on an adventure.

Adventure Time: We went to the Grapevine Public Library for their sensory station playtime.  What a great idea!  Even Cody was able to enjoy himself.  We will certainly go back to this event.  Some stations they had were felt boards, sand paper boards with yarn, pipe cleaners and colanders, ice with measuring cups.  There were more, but those were the highlights for us.  After adventure time, we came home and ate a good lunch of leftover salmon and rice.  We decided to combine music time with lunch and sang "Old McDonald" sporadically as we ate.  

 The headphones caused feedback making Colt's hearing aids ring.  Does anyone one know if he will ever be able to wear headphones?  Do they make something for people who wear hearing aids?

Story: We read The Cow That Wouldn't Come Down by Paul Johnson.  Colt loved this book!  He kept telling the cow, Gertrude, to get down.  He was worried that she may fall and hit her head.  There are two times someone does fall down, and he kept asking, "You okay?"  I'm glad he liked it.  Personally, it wasn't my favorite, but I guess Camp Campbell isn't about me!

Craft: We made a cow out of a paper plate, paint, and construction paper.  I found this idea here.  I helped Colt a little more with this one, than I did with day one's craft.  It turned out really cute.  Colt loves to paint, and this activity allowed us to discuss body vocabulary (mouth, nose, ears, eyes, face).  It's super cute.  We had a little extra paint, so Colt was able to paint a little bit extra on one of his coloring sheets.  Truthfully, the craft did get a little out of control, and Colt wound up in the bathtub at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

Day 4

Academic Activity: Today I introduced the number 1.  Colt is familiar with counting, but I'm not sure that he has a ton of experience with the actual numbers.  At first he seemed a little confused, but once we started pulling out one of things he started to understand.  We found one shoe, one truck, one school bus, one lego, one baby (Cody), etc.  Then, I introduced him to his number notebook.  I drew a 1.  He choose a color sticker, of course it was his favorite color, yellow, and we placed one sticker in the book.  Then he let me guide his hand to draw a few ones on the page.  After that, we reviewed the letter and shape by drawing them into the book and discussing them.  He attempted to draw both on his own.  They look nothing like an A or a square, but he kept pointing to them and saying the word, so I'm guessing he gave it his best shot!

Free Play: Free play was a lot of fun today.  We played with dinosaurs and legos.  My mother-in-law, Charlotte, has an elementary teacher friend who recently cleaned out her classroom and gifted me with a ton of fun items.  I busted out with a bag full of letter and number magnets, and we turned free play into another academic activity.  Colt hunted the giant pile of magnets for As and 1s.  Once we found them, we put them on a cookie sheet.

Adventure Time: Here is where I become brutally honest.  Adventure time was a total bust today.  In fact, I was the most frustrated I think I've ever been as a mother today.  I thought it would be fun to go see a movie in the theater.  Clif took Colt while Cody and I were in California (alliteration much?!?), and he said Colt almost made it though the whole movie no problem.  Like most areas, our local theater has a movie club for kids during the summer where you can pay a dollar for tickets and they show a different children's film each week.  This week they were showing The Peanuts Movie, and I thought Colt would like it because 1.  He looks like Charlie Brown and 2.  It has a dog.  Maybe it's Cody's teething, maybe it's Colt's age and lack of attention span, or maybe it just wasn't the right day for this activity, but we wound up leaving about 30 minutes into the movie in a screaming, crying, sweating blaze of glory.  Bottom line, we will not be attending another movie together this summer.  

Music Time:  We watched another Disney Sing-Along video.  I've decided one of the best things about having kids is being able to relive my own childhood.  We all had a great time dancing and singing!  This happened after our catastrophic movie experience, so it was almost therapeutic for me to dance away my frustrations to some of my favorite Disney songs.

Story:  Today we read The Cow That Went OINK by Bernard Most.  It's a cute story about friendship and being different.  Spoiler alert: The cow and the pig become bilingual in the end.  Colt liked all the different animal sounds.

Academic Activity: I got these flashcards at the Dollar Tree at the beginning of summer.  Colt and I went through them and discussed colors.  Then, we reviewed our weekly shape by finding all the cards with squares.  After that, we spent a little time on the iPad playing games.

Craft: Colt likes any craft where he can get paint all over himself, so today's footprint cow was a ton of fun for him.  I found the idea here.  After I painted his feet and pressed them to the paper, we had to let it dry before I could turn them into cows.  We decided to use the extra paint on a coloring sheet.  I found this really large Fisher Price activity book at Sams Club.  It is perfect for painting because the sheet covers his whole high chair tray.

Overall, it was a great first week of camp.  I added one addition to the camp ground--a display area for all of our arts and crafts.

Cody

Cody and I are working our way through the Brightly Beaming Babies curriculum I mentioned in my first post.  He especially enjoys his nightly massage (reminds me of his Peepa).  Please don't be mislead by my posts, Cody is very involved in our daily activities.  If he isn't pictured, he is probably attached to me in the Ergo.  

One of the most exciting parts of Camp Campbell for Cody is the introduction of solid foods.  So far we've tried zucchini, oatmeal, and apples.  Here are some pictures of him experiencing a whole new world!

Colt is lucky enough to spend Wednesdays with his Cici, so Cody and I spend the day together.  Yes, we run errands and do the laundry, but I also make sure to use this time to do different sensory activities with him.  This week I was inspired by our excursion at the library and combined that experience with this idea I found on Pinterest.  

Overall, I would consider the first unit of Camp Campbell a success.  The boys and I are having a great time, and we are all learning a lot!  I can't wait to see what the next unit brings!

The Camp Ground

As Camp Campbell approaches I need to get my game face on and get the house prepared for a summer filled with fun, learning, and, let's be honest, a little bit of chaos!  When Clif and I were idealistic first time parents, we swore that we would never have a playroom.  Our kids will play in their bedrooms; our kids will never take over the house; our kids will never have that many toys.  Then came the first Christmas, and the first birthday, another Christmas, and the second birthday.  By the time we found out Cody was on his way, all of those arrogant sweet, ridiculous naive expectations went out the window.

Side note-new parents should NEVER swear that they will or will not do something.  The moment they do they seal their fate, and the opposite will happen.

Shortly after Cody was born, Clif and I had a heart-to-heart and decided it was time for us to do the unthinkable--convert our back living room into a playroom.  I hit up Pinterest for ideas and Craigslist for cheap furniture.  After about five months of organizing and planning, the camp ground is finally done.

I really wanted the playroom to be engaging for the boys but not a complete eye sore for adults, so I decided to find furniture that would allow for maximum storage with minimal display.  I think we have just enough toys out to make the room inviting for the little ones, but not so many that I feel like I need to clean up constantly.  I try my best to rotate out the toys that are on display, so things feel new and exciting for Colt.

Because Cody is very into toys, entertaining him is pretty easy, but the boy does appreciate a change in scenery.  I decided to do little stations for him that allow him to have different views from various areas of the room.  The first station consists of play mats.  These are fun because you can attach toys to the mats which keeps these toys in place.  Here we work on tummy time, sitting up, and general floor play.  Since Cody is rather large (20 lbs. at 5 months eek!), he still hasn't mastered the art of rolling over, but he's working on it!  The next station is his Baby Einstein jumper.  The jumper is located on the opposite end of the room.  Here he works on leg strength and plays with toys attached to the jumper itself.  He especially likes to be here for music time, so he can "dance" with us.  Next, we have his Fisher Price infant to toddler chair where Cody usually sits for story time and arts and crafts.  There are a few toys hanging above him, and he does a little mini-crunch each time he tries to sit up (he's working to change that keg into a six pack!).  Last, we use the Bumbo, Boppy pillow, or just lay on the floor and play with some of his loose toys in the middle of the room.  This is great for free play time. Of course, Cody's favorite place to be is attached to me, so he spends a lot of time in the Ergo carrier, too.

My favorite area of the play room is our felt board.  To create this, I attached felt to the TV stand and velcro to any of the pictures I wanted to hang up.  The left side of the board is our learning board.  Here we post pictures that coincide with the curriculum we're following.  You can find out more about the learning poster here.  We refer to the pictures throughout the day.  I hang the pictures low, so Colt is free to interact with the board thus giving him the feeling of control over his learning.
My favorite part of day is when Clif comes home and asks Colt about the pictures on the board.  Whenever Colt can repeat the words/concepts we've learned, I know the day was successful.  Remember, my one of my major goals with Colt is to work on saying initial sounds in words.  My hope is that by the end of the week he says one or more of the words correctly.  Learning new concepts is always a plus, but for me sounds are the primary goal.


The right side of the board really reflects my inner teacher.  I saw this idea on Super Nanny and decided it would be the perfect way to keep Camp Campbell organized.  Here we have our agenda.  Each picture represents a different part of our day, and I typically do not deviate from the schedule.  In my experience, schedules make children of all ages feel safe; children that feel safe are more receptive to taking the risks that come with learning and trying something new.  When we are done with an activity, Colt removes the picture from the board and places it into the envelope.  You can see the end of the day is when he can watch TV.  By this time the board is almost empty (except for the learning side), and I flip up the felt so he can watch a show of his choosing--my money is always on "the monkey" AKA Curious George.

Note: I am a high school English as a second language teacher, so a lot of these things may seem a little ridiculous or over the top to others, but to me they are second nature.  Perhaps having a posted schedule is not a necessity, but it is comforting to me.

We've already had the first day of camp, and the camp ground seems to be working out just fine.  We have enough space to play and learn.  Colt is doing a great job with the felt board.  We are establishing routines and expectations.  Overall I'm really happy with the way this space has turned out.  I think we're going to have another great summer at Camp Campbell!