My Mom is awesome -- she finds so many cool things for me to do and is very creative about it! This summer shapes up to be incredible --she has outdone herself. It's time to talk about Summer Planning - CAMP! We planned on being fairly low key as we were bringing back (and paying to do so) the girl who we had two years ago from the Ukraine in the Circle of Love project through our church. Diana is 2 years older than me and just like a big sister! SO....the rest of the summer plans were a total surprise until we reviewed the family calendar: Final Exams are over for me on May 18th...but I am going to still be in elementary school for 3 more weeks...if my Mom's trip to Cuba works out, then I only have 2 weeks of school because I would get to skip one for traveling! The week after school is out, we have Camp Invention. My Mom is the camp parent and working NOW so I can attend FREE! (More on Camp Invention HERE!) The day after camp ends, it is my birthday AND Diana arrives … [Read more...]
Camp Invention- Why you NEED to go
Camp Invention is my first thing on my bucket list this summer and by far my favorite. My kindergarten teacher (LOVE HER!) told my mom ab0ut it when she was my teacher. We traveled back and forth to Verona each day that week so I could attend and my mom was a helper volunteer for the discount. Not only was Camp Invention totally fun, I learned so much! Bonus: they give all campers a T-shirt as part of the registration cost. I simply love the creativity, planning and support that goes into it. It is incredible and you can create anything you want. I made a doll, control panel, fur color changer, golf set (complete with a smiling golf ball) and about a million other things. I don't want you to think that it's all just building things with recyclable materials, there is an actual curriculum planned out each year with actual STEM concepts involved. Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention is the only nationally recognized summer program focused on … [Read more...]
I Earned My Simple Meals Patch in Girl Scouts!
My troop visited our Local Hy-Vee and had a class with their dietician. We made so many wonderful things while we learned a few new cooking skills! This let my troop earn their Simple Meals Patch in Girl Scouts. First we made cupcakes - from scratch! They turned out lighter and fluffier than anything I have ever made from a boxed mix and were super easy to make. While there were in the oven, we pan fried eggs and made breakfast sandwiches. It's a good thing my mom is our troop leader, she was treated to mine as I am not a big fan of fried eggs. Or ham. Next was quesadillas, and we all picked our own ingredients to melt in our whole wheat tortillas. Then a one pot meal which none of us was super fond of: I think it was the quinoa. It was like a Mexican rice dish. While that was wrapping up we made a quick buttercream frosting and decorated our own cupcakes. It was a ton of fun, the dietician was super nice and we learned a lot! This badge teaches Juniors how … [Read more...]
Laser Pegs Educational Series
Disclosure: We were provided a free set of the Laser Pegs Educational Series for purposes of review and to leave with a kindergarten class. All thoughts and observations are entirely our own. We have talked about Laser Pegs on my Mom's Site (HERE), and this is a similar product. The battery-loaded base is still a storage case and interchangeable with other sets, but the "blocks" are larger for smaller hands. 39 games. That is what the box said and we checked it out when I took the set into the Kindergarten class that I work with. Everything from basic checkers to tic-tac-toe is playable and for the really adventurous, you can even practice words for spelling bees! I explained this to the class and then, shut off the lights so they could see the "laser" part of it. THAT really tripped their triggers! After I explained it to the class, we split into small groups and they took turns playing with the set. They made towers, checked out shapes, spelled words, classified … [Read more...]
Find It Eww Gross is a Winner!
*Disclaimer: I was sent this Find It Eww Gross for purposes of review. All thoughts are mine and it totally cracked me up to look for boogers! Have you ever wanted a game that your kids could play by themselves and it made them quiet for hours? How about that perfect toy to bring on long car rides? Something that keeps them entertained while suffering that long wait a the Doctor's office? Find It is your answer! A clear tube, filled with all sorts of treasures among a batch of colorful plastic pellets. By spinning it, twisting it, shaking it and turning it, you can find the different items. It is basically a scavenger hunt in a bottle! While there are several different versions of the game, we were sent "Eww Gross". That is the list that is actually printed on the end of the game...all items inside just waiting to be discovered! The Find It Eww Gross game also comes with 27 playing cards that can turn it into a timed challenge with other players. While the … [Read more...]
I Was a Time Traveler with Girl Scouts
One of the things I love about being a Girl Scout is the huge host of program opportunities. We see giant lists of fun things every time we get a new "Pathfinder" booklet. This was one of those things: Time Traveler. We got to spend 4 hours at the Indian Agency House of Portage and basically step into the past. I learned how Wisconsin was special to the founder of Girl Scouts (Juliette Gordon Low) as her grandparents lived here. We toured her grandparents house and did things that girls would have done 100 years ago like: churned butter, made corn husk dolls, spun wool, and more! It timed perfectly with Juilette's birthday so we were also treated to cake and punch - which gave us energy to hit the trails there for a quick walk. The best part? I always make a new friend from some other troop at these events I can't wait for my next Girl Scout Adventure! Liked hearing how I was a Time Traveler? Check out other Girl Scout Posts: … [Read more...]
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