SHADES Out-of-School Time during COVID-19

With the economy opening back up and more and more businesses letting people inside, it is important to remember to wash your hands, practice physical distancing and if possible, wear a mask when you are going to be closer than 6 ft from someone. Helping our little ones understand the importance of these safety precautions can make all of this less intimating and can help them better adjust to the different rules and guidelines when going out in public. One thing parents can do is to simply talk to your kids. Telling them there is a germ or a virus outside that is making people very sick and here are some of the ways we can protect ourselves and others from getting sick. Opening up this dialogue with the kids helps them understand that they are helping keep themselves safe as well as their family and friends safe. When someone thinks of a superhero what comes to mind? Caps, superpowers, bravery and MASK. Telling kids they are active superheros during this time is a great way to bri...

Summertime Safety Tips for your Preschooler Summertime safety is so important for your preschooler and get into good practice for the years to come.   Eye Protection.    The sun can be really bright and children with blue eyes tend to be more sensitive to sunlight.   Please make sure where sunglasses a little at a time to protect those baby blues or just in general for any eye color! Sun Screen.    Sun screen protects the harmful UV rays of the sunlight allowing us NOT to get burned.   Pediatricians recommend for babies and young children to use a sunscreen using SPF 50 or higher.   SPF ( sun protection factor ) is a relative measure of how long a sunscreen will protect you from ultraviolet (UV) B rays. Stick to the Shade.   In addition to wearing sunglasses , wear a cool, fun hat to help guard off the heat of the sun.   Find a nice shaded area, lots of trees and grass.   Drink plenty of Water:   ...

Come check out this DIY Science Experiment that is perfect for summer coming, with items you can find in your house. Kids love bubbles! My child is entertained for hours playing with bubbles. Traditional bubbles use a bubble wand to blow your bubbles. A Bubble Blower works more like a science experiment where kids can create their own blower from start to finish. Using a cup and a straw, you can teach your child about bubbles. They can learn that when you blow harder, more bubbles form or if you blow slower there will be less. This is a fun way to teach your kids science. Here are the materials you need to make your own Bubble Blower: Plastic Cup Plastic Straw Water Soap First poke a small hole in your plastic cup. The hole needs to be big enough to stick your straw into. Second pour 1/2 part water and 1/2 soap into the bottom of your cup. You don’t need very much, in total, it will be about an inch. Make sure your liquid is lower than your hole. Lastly, s tick your s...

     As the weather warms during Spring time you may be spending more time outdoors.   While outside, you are likely to encounter many different creatures.   Snakes are one of the many fascinating animals you might come across while outside.   During this time of year, it is especially important to be aware of your surroundings and on the look out for snakes because they are hatching in the warm weather and are especially difficult to see in their natural habitat.        Observing an insect or an animal in its own natural habitat can make for a memorable outdoor experience. With just a little knowledge and some common sense, it can be a safe experience, too.   It is important to have some knowledge about snakes, because while most are harmless, there are some that are venomous and could put you in danger if you to encounter one unexpectedly while outdoors.   Although the mere thought of snakes conjures up alarm in many pe...

Macrame Bracelet Making Step 1 If you have read of any of my posts, have viewed my YouTube videos or know me, you would have noticed that I love working with my hands. Everything from knitting, sewing, painting, gardening crafting and jewelry making. When my daughter was very young I taught her to make Macrame Bracelets. Together we learned so many different knots & patterns that we now have a large box full of bracelets we have made together. To make these spiral or half knot bracelet you will need: 1. String (I used Hemp) 2. Buttons or Beads 3. Scissors 4. Glue 5. Ruler (or eyeball it) 6. Tape & Clip Board or Clips   Cut the working string about 2 1/2 Yards or 7 feet 6 inches. (Blue) Cut the standing string about 1 yard or 3 feet. (Yellow) Make an overhand knot, fold your Standing String (Yellow) in half and tape it down. Center the working string (Blue) under the standing string. Take the the left working string over the standing...

"I scream. You scream.  We all scream for ice cream!"  Ice cream is my Achilles heel of the dessert world.  I can pass up cake, cookies, pie, and donuts without a second thought but when ice cream is mentioned, nine times out of ten I'm giving in to the sweet frozen goodness.  In college I could sit at my desk and blow through a carton of my beloved Moose Tracks in just one sitting (I kid you not!).  These days, however, I think I gain a pound just by walking down the ice cream aisle and I try to make healthier choices in food.  Thus the discovery of Nice Cream. What You'll Need:  3 Bananas   Food Processor Peel bananas and cut them into bite sized chunks.  Place banana chunks in a closed container and place in the freezer for 24 hours.  Put frozen banana chunks into your food processor and blend away.  Your bananas will go from bite sized chunks to creamy frozen goodness in just a few minutes.  For a more fi...

Summer time is filled with laughter, adventure and fun. There are so many activities that people wait all year around for until that wonderful time of year. One of those activities is camping. Camping is a great way to get outdoors, learn new things, have great adventures and so much more. With the pandemic going on a lot of families may feel like this wonderful activity has to be put on hold. Well, fear not my friends because here is a fun dramatic play activity that you can do from the comfort of your living room or back yard, we are going to take camping and bring it indoors.  To do this activity you will need a few items and a whole lot of imagination. You will need  a clear plastic cup. red, orange and yellow tissue paper  liquid glue  LED tea light Twig or a thin craft stick cotton balls brown construction paper Brown Marker or Crayon scissors 1. Cut the tissue paper into squares. 2.Scrunch up the tissue paper and glue it on the outside of yo...

I can’t tell you how many times I have given into my cravings for sweets or foods containing a lot of sugar. It is difficult to stick to a healthy eating habit and it is okay to give into your cravings sometimes. However, most kids LOVE sugar, and we all know how sugar can cause children to be a bit more active. Here are some great snacks with low sugar or no sugar added: 1. Fruits Fruits are a great and easy snack to grab out of the fridge or out of a bowl on your counter. They are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. They are also an important source for nutrients, including potassium, fiber, vitamin C and folate (folic acid). You can include fruits and find fruit based snacks -           Greek yogurt topped with blueberries, raspberries, strawberry (and so on) -           Unsweetened applesauce -           Smoothies: a great exam...

911.   Here are a few tips in teaching your preschooler about 911: ·          Make sure your child can say his/her first and last name and provide their address (street name, and what surrounding area looks like) .    Making up a rhyme or song can help your preschooler remember any landmarks on their street. ·          Explain the different emergency situations that might require your preschooler to call 911 . Here are some examples: -           Fire -           Medical emergency -           Car accident -           Stranger danger (please make sure your preschooler understands that 911 should only be called if there’s an actual emergency ·          Sh...

I have always had this love of plants. I looked forward to spring when I could go and get me some flowers and really brighten up the outside of my house. It wasn't until probably the last year that I started venturing into houseplants. I think before I didn't want that year round up keep, but now I have grown to thoroughly enjoy it! During all of this quarantine and stay at home stuff, greenhouses were still open due to being outside. I have added quite a few beauties to my collection in the past couple weeks.  Did you know there are a lot of benefits of keeping plants inside your home? Not only do they help bring life and color into a space, but there are some unseen benefits you may not be aware of. Here are some reasons why I recommend getting a houseplant! They help with our breathing! - We breathe in oxygen and out carbon dioxide. Plants do the opposite, using carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. They can help with illness. - Plants can increase the humidity in your ...

I know slime is one of those things that you as parents aren't super thrilled about seeing come home with your child. It can get stuck in your car, carpet, and clothing and can be a huge mess! I have a slime recipe for you that isn't as sticky and only requires two ingredients, thats right, only two! We are starting to have consistently nice weather so you can send your child outside to make this and keep them occupied with very little clean up! Here is what you will need... 2 tbs of Corn starch  1.5 tbs of Dish soap l Thats it!  Just mix the two ingredients together and and will turn into a putty type consistency. Too dry? Add more dish soap. Too wet? Add more corn starch! It is so simple and your child will have so much fun making it! This is not the type you can save so once they are done just toss it in the trash. I hope you guys enjoy this easy recipe. 

Classifying Color       One hobby I enjoy doing in my free time is painting.  As a beginning artist, the first thing I had to learn was to learn was color theory.  Color theory is a term used to describe the collections of rules and guidelines regarding the use of color in art.  There is more to painting than simply applying pretty colors to a canvas. Understanding how colors work together and how to mix colors is just as important as the technique or style of your work. Choosing the right hues (shade of color) can make a huge impact in conveying the emotion of a painting.      It’s important to learn how to mix colors when you first begin your painting practice. In doing so, your work will have rich, multifaceted hues that are truly an expression of yourself and your subject. Many of us have the urge to just use colors from the paint tube, but those hues can be oversaturated, flat, or just plain unnatural looking. Knowing how to mi...