Summer Archives - Atlantas Frugal Mom

Summer Activities for Young Preschoolers

07/26/2018 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

As a preschool teacher, I’m frequently asked about ways to help facilitate learning and growth at home, particularly what activities for young preschoolers can parents work on at home. During spring conferences with my two-year-old class’s parents, this question is second only to questions regarding potty training. Trust me, I get how long these summer days can be, and being able to fill your child’s days with meaningful, age-appropriate activities can make or break your summer. (or winter break. Or spring break. Or ….Tuesday!) So what are some activities for your young preschooler, or any time of the year, to do at home? [Read more…]

Keep on saving! :o)
--Barbara
**Remember, y'all, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Filed Under: family, parenting, Summer

The End of Summer

08/08/2017 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

End of Summer This was supposed to be the summer of many things. Just like every other previous summer, I started concocting some pretty grand plans for summer 2017 with my kids.

I’d planned to work a little bit each day teaching my rising 3rd grader her times tables, using a fun program I used when I was a public school teacher. Instead, I randomly quizzed her verbally.

I’d planned to work with my rising kindergartner on learning to tie his shoes, since shoes with laces are mandatory for him. That didn’t happen at all.

I’d planned to try out all the cool awesome places around Atlanta I keep hearing about (and -um- some of which I’ve featured here), but we didn’t. [Read more…]

Filed Under: around town, Summer

Saying Goodbye to Kindergarten

05/27/2015 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

It seems like it was just last week I walked my little girl in to Kindergarten. And yet now, in a blink of an eye, she was saying goodbye to Kindergarten. While I knew she was more than ready to start Kindergarten, I still knew this year would be filled with many “new”s: she started a new school, venturing away from the preschool where she was already well-known; which also means she made new friends, whom she embraced with her big heart and they she; new teachers, all of whom she seems to like, her classroom teacher the most!

In the last nine months, she’s become an even stronger reader, mastering even more sight words, gained more confidence as a reader, began to experiment with spelling, finished writing her own book, began formerly learning Spanish, learned how to skip count by 2s, 5s, and 10s, learned how to add numbers in her head, almost mastered shoe tying (gonna keep that on our summer checklist!), and grew by leaps and bounds in ways I never imagined!

I’m not sure what it is about Kindergarten in our present culture that invokes such sentimentality, but I will gladly testify to its strength. We weep when our babies start Kindergarten, whether they do so as the king of the hill in a preschool setting, or as the littlest guys in an elementary school setting. We weep because Kindergarten signifies that our little babies are no longer our little babies, and that, with each step they take towards their school, they take a further step away from our safe and comfortable arms, away from our safe world where we can control and protect them. They take a step further towards leaving the proverbial nest.

My little girl can now be considered what she calls a “grader”. Wow. How on earth do I have a first grader on my hands?! That I’m not sure, but I do know that, as I watch my little girl grow up -a girl with a heart bigger than any ocean- I’ll mourn the loss of each previous stage, watching small slivers of her childhood slip away, while also celebrating the little person she is becoming. And she is quite a cool little person.

So, here’s to a wonderful year in Kindergarten, to all the excitement this summer may hold, and to the wonders that await us next year in first grade.

Saying Goodbye to Kindergarten

You may also like:

A Message from My Daughter

Kindergarten Readiness

Starting Kindergarten

Filed Under: family, parenting, random ramblings, Summer

5+ Other Ways To Play with a Water Table

06/13/2014 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

The holy grail of outdoor kids’ toys these days comes in the form of a water table. There are many great ways for kids to enjoy the water table with …water. And sand. I think we all know that, right?

But if you’d like to REALLY get more bang for your buck with these tables, consider alternate uses for the water table.

5+ Ways to Play with a Water Table

CARS! Most water tables have slanted surfaces, with ramps and other road-like twists and turns. Also, try trains, or any other wheeled hand-held toy.
Make it a sensory table. Fill it with a few cups of rice and beans one day, along with scoopers and small cups. Cotton balls and colored pom-poms the next day with kid-friendly tweezers, as well as big cups to transfer them in to. For preschoolers ready for scissors, toss in some straws, scrap paper, and kid scissors and let them practice.
Play dough. Seriously, what a great surface to create and mold with little hands. Toss in the play dough rollers, molders, and other fun toys, and let them go at it! For a fun textural change, mix the play dough with a little sand and/or glitter.
Noodles and rice make for another great sensory experience. (Dried, of course!) Grab scoopers, cups, and other toys you might use with your Play dough (see above) for a new sensation.
PAINT it! Water colors, some butcher paper or cardboard or just regular ol’ paper, some brushes, and -boom!- you’ve got a nice little, change-of-pace easel. Or kids can paint right on the water table, especially if you have washable paints on hand.
Mix it up: Fill it up with sand, or make your own “moon sand”, and toss in some cars, dinosaurs, scoopers.
Water Gun Station. Melissa from Stockpiling Moms suggested using the table as a water-gun filling station.
Shaving Cream – My kids frequently get “shaving cream baths” or showers – but you can also let them use shaving cream on a water table too. Bonus: the shaving cream acts as a cleaner!
Ice, Ice, Baby – Yeah, I just went there. Fill up some ice cube trays with small trinkets and freeze them. Toss a few small toys in small to mid-size tupperware containers, cover with water, and freeze them, too. Fill your table with the ice, and arm the kids with squirt bottles, and let them “rescue” the treasures inside!