After School Link Party

Welcome to the After School Link Up!

My little preschoolers are getting ready to graduate!  They are so excited to go to kindergarten this fall.  I thought I would share a little of what we did last year.  We'll probably repeat some of our last day of school celebration this year.  

I used window markers to write on our car before I picked the kids up from school.  They thought that was so cool!  We're also having some family over to share an ice cream cake.  I can't wait for summer vacation!

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Cohosted by:

Little Wonders' Days

Parent Teach Play
Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational
The Educators' Spin On It

This Reading Mama

• We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including crafts, activities, playtime and adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool or on the weekend! 
• When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours. 
• Grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! 
• By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board, social media sites or feature a link and/or image on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Summer Bucket List Party Features

Have you had a chance to read some of the summer bucket list links or link up your own list?  Now is your chance.  I'm featuring a few below, but you can find all of them at the party!

Lego Rescue

Bethany, author of Little Homeschool Blessings, is looking forward the lazy days of summer, but her bucket list is far from lazy!  She and her family are going to visit a waterfall, go spelunking, and make ice cream sandwiches and so much more.  I love her list, it's a must check one!

MaryLea of Pink and Green Mama, a super blog for kids crafts, shared the beautiful summer wish flags that she and her girls made last year.

Jennifer from Good Work Academy shared her summer bucket list as a print for her family.  It's filled with wonderful summertime fun activities.  I like the idea of starting a compost bin.

Rachel at R &R Workshop shared a super cute ABC list of summer fun.  She used colored popsicle sticks and wrote activities that corresponded with the alphabet.  How cute and fun!

Thank you for linking up your summer bucket list!  The party is still open and you are still welcome to link up.  Visit the links for some wonderful ideas!  You can see our list here.

After School Link Up

Welcome to the After School Link Up!

Last week I shared that we had feather friends enjoying our new hanging basket.  I'm happy to report that it is a family of Carolina Wrens.  Mommy bird finished laying five eggs and is now sitting on her nest.  We're doing our best not to disturb them.  We're hoping by next week that we hear tiny chirps coming from the nest.  
Our "Summer Bucket List Party" has a lot of wonderful links and is still open.  Please don't worry about being late to the party, it will be open for quite some time and you're always welcome.  My kids are still adding to our bucket, so I'll update our list from time to time too.

Features

<div align="center"> <a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">href</span>="http://www.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">littlewondersdays</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">blogspot</span>.com" title="Little Wonders' Days"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">img</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">src</span>="http://i820.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">photobucket</span>.com/albums/zz128/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">luraymeister</span>/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">Afterschool</span>/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">AfterschoolButtonFeatured</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">jpg</span>" alt="Little Wonders' Days" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

We had so many great links last week that it was difficult to pick just a couple to feature.  Thanks everyone!

I've had Little J keep a summer writing journal for a few summers now.  Erica at What Do We Do All Day linked up a nice post, "Writing Journals for Kids" about various kinds that kids could do over the summer.  I hadn't thought about having my youngest two, who are writing...but not necessarily more than letter writing practice, have journal.  I will now though!

I love the round ups that Deb at Living Montessori Now does.  She linked up "Montessori Inspired Flower Activities" last week.  There are so many wonderful ideas in her post!

Thank you to everyone who linked up last week.  I can't wait to see what you link this week!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.littlewondersdays.blogspot.com" title="Little Wonders' Days"><img src="http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz128/luraymeister/Afterschool/AfterschoolButtonDraft4.jpg" alt="Little Wonders' Days" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Cohosted by:

Little Wonders' Days

Parent Teach Play
Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational
The Educators' Spin On It

This Reading Mama

• We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including crafts, activities, playtime and adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool or on the weekend! 
• When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours. 
• Grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! 
• By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board, social media sites or feature a link and/or image on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Summer Bucket List Party Features

I've randomly picked four summer bucket lists to feature today.  I'm loving all the bucket lists that are linked up, so stop by the party and check them out, so fun!  I'll be featuring more links next Saturday.

Lindsay at Bytes of Memory has such a great summer fun list!  Lindsay's list has some great traditional summer fun (like make popsicles) mixed in with some really creative fun ideas and learning goals (such as do 10 science experiments).  I love the idea of eating all meals outdoors one day and finding and painting walking sticks!  

Beth has rounded up 109, to be exact, really fun summer activities for a great summer bucket list.  Check out her list at 123 Homeschool 4 Me.  I like the ideas of trying to regrow celery (#20) and going on a zoo scavenger hunt (#26).

Nicole at Every Day A Memory has shared a wonderful spring/summer list of idyllic summer fun.  You'll want to stop by just to see the pictures she shared of past summers.  It will make you long for summer that much more.

Have you read "10 Ways to Play This Weekend" at Terri's blog Creative Family Fun?  Well, she did a spin on that with Ways to Play This Summer for her bucket list.  I love the idea of creating a family newspaper.  

If you haven't linked up your summer bucket list there is still plenty of time to join the fun!

The kids have asked to do a few things this past week.  Instead of saying "No", I've said, "Let's add that to our summer bucket list" and that has made them very happy!

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Lemon and Feta Dip, Happy Friday Night!

My husband and I used to have a little date night on Friday nights. I would make an appetizer and drink for us to enjoy after the kids went to bed.  Now that they're older, we're more comfortable with leaving them with a sitter and actually getting out of the house.  We still enjoy a nice appetizer and drink most Friday nights, even with the kids up running around!

I think I just found a new favorite dip recipe at Sweet Paul.   It's a lemon and feta dip that is so delish and ridiculously easy to make! I made it for the first time a few days ago and had a serious craving for more, so we'll have it for our "happy Friday night".

You just need some crumbled feta cheese, lemon, garlic, olive oil and your favorite crackers or veggies.

I'm serving the dip with some flat bread crackers, cucumbers, and warm tomatoes.  I made the tomatoes by tossing them with some olive oil and sea salt.  I placed them in a parchment paper baking dish and roasted them at 450 degrees for about 5 minutes.  Let them cool and garnish with fresh oregano.

I think this appetizer would pair well with just about any drink.  We're having a gin and tonic tonight.  Our weather has been unusually rainy and cool, but it finally warmed up today and was just beautiful.  We'll enjoy this on our deck.

Check back tomorrow when I'll highlight some fun ideas from our Summer Bucket List Party 2013.  The party is still open and I invite you to join us.

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Linking to:  Show and Tell Saturday

After School Link Up, Bird Watching

Welcome to the After School Link Up!

The kids and I were at the farmers market a couple of weeks ago and bought a hanging geranium for our deck. We went out to water it the other day and found a nest had been built in the center of it.  The nest was empty, but we checked on it each day.

Then one morning, there was one little egg!  And another one the next morning.  Each morning there has been one new egg added.  We're up to four eggs as of today. It seems to magically happen, because we are yet to see mommy or daddy bird.  From our reading, we think they are Carolina Wren eggs.  (We're using the Cornell Lab as a resource.)

From our reading, there will be an egg laid each morning for a few days for a total of 4-7 eggs.  Once the last egg is laid, the mother bird will start incubating them and only leave the nest a few times a day.  The babies will hatch in secession in about 2 weeks.   My kids are so excited, I am too.

Features from last week's party

<div align="center"> <a href="http://www.littlewondersdays.blogspot.com" title="Little Wonders' Days"><img src="http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz128/luraymeister/Afterschool/AfterschoolButtonFeatured.jpg" alt="Little Wonders' Days" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Kirby and her son at Love, Life, and Leyton shared how to make "Quick and Easy Teacher Appreciation Presents" that I thought were really cute.

Mom to 2 Lil Posh Divas shared a fun "Add it Up!  Gross Motor Addition Game" that keeps learning math facts fun.

Thank you to everyone for linking up last week!

Cohosted by:

Little Wonders' Days

Parent Teach Play
Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational
The Educators' Spin On It

This Reading Mama

• We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including crafts, activities, playtime and adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool or on the weekend! 
• When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours. 
• Grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! 
• By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board, social media sites or feature a link and/or image on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.littlewondersdays.blogspot.com" title="Little Wonders' Days"><img src="http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz128/luraymeister/Afterschool/AfterschoolButtonDraft4.jpg" alt="Little Wonders' Days" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

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Make Homemade Corn Tortillas and Enchiladas, Cinco de Mayo

Our family made homemade corn tortillas tonight. The kids rolled and pressed them, Daddy cooked them, and I turned them into enchiladas.  It was such a fun family time.  It's one of those things that just seemed like "an ordeal", but they were really simple and so good...like why haven't I ever made these before good.

It helps if you wear your Joe cool sunglasses while you make them, just saying.

I found the tortillas press (a long time ago) and the corn flour in the Hispanic food section of our grocery store.  The dough is made from Masa corn flour, water and a pinch of salt.  Mix it according to the package directions adding a bit more water or corn flour until the dough is similar to the consistency of play dough.

The kids rolled the dough into golf ball sized pieces and pressed them between pieces of parchment paper on this tortilla press.  Daddy cooked them in a fry pan on medium-high heat one minute each side.  

I turned most of them into beef enchiladas.  I used a canned enchilada sauce and followed the directions on it to make them.

My kids weren't brave enough to eat these, but they did eat their tortillas with cheese and loved them.  Happy Cinco de Mayo.

Here are some things we've done in past for Cinco de Mayo...

Made homemade limeade and checked out some 

Mexican cookbooks

Made tissue paper flowers


Visited a Mexican grocery store

Our Summer Bucket List Party is going strong. There are so many incredible ideas for summer fun linked up.  I hope you'll stop by and visit some of the links and link up your own summer fun plans.

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Linking to:  Link and Learn, For the Kids Friday

Summer Bucket List Party 2013

Summer Bucket List 2013

I can't believe it, but this will be our 4th summer doing a summer bucket list! You can see our 2012 bucket list here and our 2011 list here, and our 2010 list here!

My childhood summers hold some of my best memories and those days were magical to me.  I would go back and relive anyone of them.  To this day, I love, love summer. I spent most of my summers with my grandparents in upstate New York along the Hudson River.  My days were never rushed and there was plenty of time for boredom, exploring, and play, yet somehow they were also packed with iconic summer activities that just seemed to spontaneously happen.  I helped my grandfather garden and he took me fishing, my grandmother spent hours watching me swim in the pool and made the best picnic dinners on the patio ever.  My aunt and uncle would appear and off we went to the county fair.  I want those type of days for my kids.

For the past few years we have been making a summer bucket list. We make list of things we want to do before summer kicks the bucket, cut them into individual strips and put them in a sand bucket.  I color code them for how much time each activity will take (full day, half day, 4 hours or less) and the kids take turns pulling a slip each morning, depending on our schedule, and that's how we plan our day.  I try to have all our supplies before summer starts so that we can be spontaneous, unless part of the fun is getting the supplies.  This isn't meant to always keep the kids occupied, but to have an intentional summer.  We won't start our list until all the kids are out of school (first week in June).

This is our 2013 Summer Bucket List

...for now...they add activities daily

Full Day Summer Bucket List Activities
fishing in the mountains
go on a reptile tour, visit a serpentarium (thanks Little J)
make homemade yogurt
set up our ant farm and learn more about ants
go to an aquarium
visit ethnic grocery stores or delis, bring home samples and cook
visit a museum
explore a nearby city
visit a potter's studio and watch them work, play with clay at home
go to the beach

Half Day Summer Bucket List Activities
mini golf
tie dye t-shirts and shoelaces
play at a sprinkler park
go horseback riding at a farm
ride our bikes to the park for a picnic
make a birdhouse from our gourds (we planted them this spring)
go rock wall climbing
go for high tea
make superhero capes
make Italian ices
take Daddy out to lunch for sushi
go for a hike
go to a planetarium show
make madeleines

Less than 4 Hour Summer Bucket List Activities
make pet shells (like pet rocks)
breakfast picnic
make bottle cap necklaces
make Dole whips
make ocean dioramas
round up some friends and play kickball
make a snail home
grow chia pets
make pizzas on the grill
read mom and dad's old comic books
make robot collages
make fresh lemonade or limeade
make bubble wands and homemade bubble solution, play
have a paper airplane contest
make a big chocolate cake from scratch
set up a carnivorous plant terrarium
take a butterfly walk and try to identify as many possible

All Summer Long or planned Activities

summer reading programs

annual road trip with Nana 
one week of summer camp/child
raise black swallow tail caterpillars to butterflies

summer learning goals for each family member

swimming, biking, outdoor playing
go to outdoor movies
catch and release fireflies, participate in the firefly watch
go to a baseball game
visit various museums

Now onto your Summer Bucket Lists 
and the Summer Bucket List party!

The rules are pretty simple...
1. Link up only child/family friendly summer bucket lists.
2. Link back to this party with either a text link or use this year's summer bucket list party button.

3.  Visit a couple of other links and leave a comment or two.

4.  Have a super fun summer with your kiddos!

<div align="center"> <a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">href</span>="http://www.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">littlewondersdays</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">blogspot</span>.com/search/label/Summer Bucket List 2013" title="Little Wonders' Days"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">img</span> <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">src</span>="http://i820.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">photobucket</span>.com/albums/zz128/<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">luraymeister</span>/Summer%20Bucket/summerbucket13_zps83ea4e93.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">jpg</span>" alt="Little Wonders' Days" style="border:none;" /></a></div>






Linking to:  We Made That, Kids Weekly Co-Op, Anything Goes Linky, For The Kids Friday, TGIF!, Friday Flash Blog, Tatertots and Jello, Crafty Moms Share-Sharing Saturday, The Sunday Showcase, Saturday Show and Tell, Serenity Saturday, Link and Learn, The Sunday Parenting Party, Monday Funday, Monday Kid Corner

After School Link Up Party

Welcome to the After School Link Up!

Thanks for joining us this week. We've been busy tending our sensory garden (a garden for all our senses to enjoy) and watching it grow with all the rain we've had. You can see how we made our sensory garden here.

We also had a Gilligan's Island family fun night last Friday.  Such a fun show for kids...and my husband and I still enjoyed it too.  

We're also getting ready to share our Summer Bucket List (as it stands now) this Wednesday.  Your invited to come back and link up your list at the party!

Now onto the After School Party...What have you been up to this week?

Cohosted by

Little Wonders' Days

Parent Teach Play
The Educators' Spin On It

This Reading Mama

We would love to have you link up your School-Age Post (Ages 5 and up) about your learning week after school including crafts, activities, playtime and adventures that you are doing to enrich your children's lives after their day at school, homeschool or on the weekend! When linking up, please take a moment to comment on at least one post linked up before yours and grab our after school button to include a link on your post or site! By linking up you're giving permission for us to share on our After School Pinterest Board, Social Media Sites or Feature a link and/or image on our After School Party next week! Don't forget to follow along and join our After School Enrichment Community.

Link up your After School Activities, Crafts and Adventures! We'd love to see them!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.littlewondersdays.blogspot.com" title="Little Wonders' Days"><img src="http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/zz128/luraymeister/Afterschool/AfterschoolButtonDraft4.jpg" alt="Little Wonders' Days" style="border:none;" /></a></div>