Spring All Around!

KinderJam hopes that Spring is bringing wonderful weather and the start of many happy warm sunny memories to you and your family.  If your region is warm and sunny or still covered in snow, here is a spring time action rhyme for you and your child to do together:

Spring straight  up 

and side to side

Close your eyes and pretend to hide.

Jump up high

Squat down low

Now spin in a circle nice and slow

Speed it up

As fast as you dare

Fall to the ground

and smell the air

Do you smell flowers? Grass and trees?

Do you see butterflies, bugs and bees?

New surprises, 

The sun will bring

Give 3 cheers

It’s time for Spring! 

(jump in the air as you say Spring)

Action rhymes are a great kinesthetic learning tool. New rhymes like this one can be found in children’s magazines like Highlights, or as  traditional nursery rhymes like Ring Around the Rosie or 1,2 Buckle My Shoe. 

Children naturally love to act things out and use their imagination.  Doing the movements in the poem will not only increase their physical strength but will also help your young child to connect the words and movements, increase vocabulary and expressive language skills.

So get out and enjoy the weather.  Keep moving and Keep Jammin’!

Celebrating Easter, Military Style

Picture found at www.sheknows.com

If your like most military families, your Easter Sunday probably looks different every year. One year, you might be stationed near extended family and spend the day celebrating in a large family gathering.  Another year, you may belong to a strong spiritual group and spend the day with them.  One time, our active duty member deployed on Easter Sunday, so we got dressed up and took pictures at the airport.  As parents, we try to create family traditions for our kids that make the day special, but it can be hard when every year brings new challenges and opportunities.

Both religious and secular people celebrate the holiday, and Easter brings different meaning to each household, much like Christmas.  However, during Christmas, many military families have leave and are allowed to travel, vacation or simply spend a few days with the family.  Because Easter falls on a Sunday, with no leave associated with it, traditional Easter activities such as traveling to see family or having a large celebration isn't always possible.

If you're having a hard time planning your Easter Sunday, here are a few things to do with your children that will make the day special, no mater where you are.

Get involved in a church community.

No matter where you are in the world, a Christian community will most likely have something planned for children on Easter.  This is a time that many people who don’t usually attend services make an effort to go to church.  Don’t worry about attending Easter celebrations if don’t already belong to a community.  Most Christian churches are happy to see new faces and will welcome you and your children.

Organize a neighborhood egg hunt.

If you live in a military neighborhood, you're not the only one who is missing family and big Easter celebrations.  Don’t be afraid to host an egg hunt or Easter picnic.  The rules are simple.  Everyone brings 15 filled eggs for every child they bring plus one pot luck dish to share.  Even if you are not close with your neighbors, you can post fliers on your street.  No need to open your house to strangers, you can plan the event to be at the local park or other common area. 

Easter Skype Dates

Thanks to modern technology, family is just a video call way! Plan to Skype with family during a morning egg hunt.  You can plan for your caller to give hints of where some special eggs are hidden, or just let them enjoy the children having fun.

Decorate your house

Use ideas found on the KinderJam Facebook page or Pintrest to decorate your house with child made decorations.  This will get your children in the spirit of celebrating.  

Visit your Library

If you are new to the area, you might not know where to look for Easter activities in your community.  Your local librarian is a wonderful resource and will direct you to local papers, groups and community activities.  

Where ever you are in the world, Easter is a time to celebrate.  Don't let frequent moves or distance from family keep you from enjoying this wonderful holiday.  Happy Easter and keep Jammin!

St. Patrick's Day Fun

Rainbows, good luck, pots of gold, the color green, What’s not to like about St. Patrick’s Day? There are plenty of things to do with children that celebrates the religious meaning of the day. Many American's celebrate today's contemporary meaning of St. Patrick's Day that focuses more on using your imagination with your kids. 

Get into the spirit! Leave Leprechaun feet around the house with green paint or by mixing flour and green glitter.  You can make small messes around the house like dropping books off the shelf or spilling sugar near the foot prints.  Make green colored food left by the little magical fellow or make a rainbow fruit tray to eat at lunch. Decorate your house in rainbows and shamrocks, go on a treasure hunting geocach (check online or create one using your backyard and a hand made map).  For more St. Patrick's Day ideas, go to www.spoonful.com, Disney's blog page. 

Traditions are a great way to model using your imagination with children. Being playful with your little one is important because according to National Association for the Education of Young Children play is not inert.  Children are born with the desire to explore and discover but play itself is observed and mimicked.  In a world where theme songs are replacing nursery rhymes and children spend hours in a daycare room with children their own age, there are less and less opportunities to observe productive play by older children or adults.

Another reason to create imaginative traditions for St. Patrick's Day and other holidays are the memories they create! Any memory that puts a smile on your child's face is worth making.   So may the wind be always at your back, the sun shine warmly upon your face and your child's giggles be forever in your ears.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

PlayDateJam: Enjoying the Wind

March is in like a lion and out like a lamb.  With the change of seasons, many of us trade our winter wear and snow shovels for windbreakers and picnic baskets.  In many parts of the world, early spring is known for it’s windy weather, perfect for playing with pinwheels, paper airplanes and flying kites.  

Of course, flying a kite is a great way to play with the wind.  You can buy a kite or make one from scratch.  If you find yourself out at the park with no kites in sight, tie the handles of a plastic bag together on a string and viola! you have instant fun. When your out playing, you can always break into song with this verse from Mary Popins:

For more windy day fun, try bubbles. Homemade or store bought, bubbles are a sure winner.  Try chasing down a herd of bubbles, blow one at a time,  or let the wind blow your bubbles for you.  Expand your bubble wand collection by bringing a variety of kitchen and playroom tools (spatula, straw, strainer, butterfly net, wire coat hanger).  Add science to the fun by forming a hypothesis about the shape of your bubbles when using different kinds of wands.

When you’re all done your day in the wind, don’t forget to take some quiet time looking at the clouds.  Windy days are great for observing changing clouds.  No clouds in the sky?  Find some small seeds to blow into the wind.  If March is still to cold where you live to go outside, you can enjoy windy days through the world of books. Check out It looked like It Looked Like Spilt Milk, and The Tiny Seed, during your next Library trip.