Christmas is over but the winter season has just begun, and the kids have at least another full week of “break” time. Here are 8 things to do before you ring in the New Year!
Poetry is so much fun to read with kids! My family did a weekly poetry tea time for the longest, then we took a long summer break, and now the kids are requesting it again. This month we'll be starting a poetry "hot cocoa" time, to change things up a bit.
Do your kids like poems?
- Poetry doesn't take a long time to read, so you can start and finish multiple poems in one sitting.
- Poetry can provide comfort, improving your child's mental health.
- Poetry can also improve your child's vocabulary.
- Poetry can give your child a new perspective on the world and help with creative thinking.
- Some poems can make you laugh out loud, which is always a welcome treat.
Throughout our years of homeschooling, my kids have memorized dozens of poems. Memorywork is just one of those curriculum ideas that I never took off the schedule, even as my oldest girls advanced into high school. How nostalgic it is for them to recite an old poem from memory - at the drop of a hat. It's an especially useful skill when we get a Tornado Warning alert, and we all have to pile into the same closet for safety.
Here are some old and newer favorite poetry books to add your your family's collection (affiliate links included):
It's just you and your little one (or big one!) for the day, heading out of the house for a special mother-daughter or mother-son excursion. What's the occasion? Take your pick! You can plan a mother-child escape with any age child, for any number of occasions. Here are just a few:
- birthdays
- graduation (pre-K all the way through college)
- coming-of-age
- dad's out of town for work and you need something cool to do in the meantime
- school holiday
- no reason at all
You really don't need a special reason to spend quality time with your child exploring a new place or activity. Here are some fun things to do to have the most memorable excursion.
Lace up those boots. It's time to visit the pumpkin patch to take adorable photos! If you're looking for a patch in the area, this list is a great place to start.
When you have little ones, a pumpkin patch photoshoot is one of the highlights of the fall season. The family can pose all mannerly and civilized in front of a neat row of pumpkins, or you can spice things up with one of these ideas:
Quick, what do you think of when you hear the two words Riva Row? Me too! I always think about the boat house and the kayaks that you can rent!
Yes it’s true, you can rent kayaks, and you can also rent paddle boards, aqua bikes, and swan boats, and you should certainly try it out sometime.
But aside from the boat house rentals, and aside from the Riva Row townhomes, there’s actually a Riva Row Park. Have you taken the time to notice?
It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring... he went to bed with a bump on his head, and he couldn't get up in the morning!
Do you sing this rainy day song to your child? When it's raining and pouring outside, I love to stay in, cozy up, and do absolutely nothing. (Funny thing, I prefer to do the same thing on sunny days as well!) But a day of rain is the perfect opportunity for kids of all ages to have a little bit of fun!
I bet you've already seen my list of Top 50 fun places to go in The Woodlands, and a lot of those places are indoor places that are great for rainy days. But what if you just want to stay home? In your PJ's? With a cup of tea at the ready? And pass the days having simple fun with the family?
