Last Hurrah of Summer QR Code Activity

It is August 1st and if you are like me you are thinking about back to school. Whether your kids start in a week and a half like my son or in three weeks like my daughter, you probably want to make the most of the time they have left. This is a QR Code Activity that I posted last year to help me plan one last hurrah! I wanted to spend the day with my kids doing those things that I knew we wouldn't have time to do once school starts. It was my way of sending  summer off in style.

This is the way that it works.
For every two hours during the day I have created QR Codes for two different activities to do as a family. The activities begin at 9 a.m. and end at 9 p.m. that night.
You choose one of the activities to do during each time frame (or you could do activities less often if you prefer. For example: 9 a.m. then again at 1:00 p.m. then 5:00 p.m. etc.)

Here are the choices (and the pictures for each choice.)

9:00 a.m.  Eating your favorite breakfast outside OR Going out to breakfast at a restaurant

11:00 a.m. Going to a park and having a picnic OR Packing your lunch and riding a bike somewhere fun to eat it

1:00 p.m. Swimming at the local pool OR Running through the sprinklers or having a water fight

3:00 p.m. Eating popsicles and reading a book OR Eating Ice Cream and watching a cartoon

5:00 p.m. Eating your favorite dinner on a blanket in the living room OR having a BBQ in the backyard

7:00 p.m Playing a board game OR Playing an active game as a family outside

9:00 p.m. Laying on a blanket and looking at the stars ORTelling scary stories with a flashlight on your face

Once you have chosen the activities that you want to do with your kids, you can play in one of two ways. 

#1 Just print out the QR Codes. 

This is the cheapest and easiest way to play, since the QR Codes are in black and white. Just cut out the QR Codes that you want to use. Put ONE in EACH envelope labeled with the time. Then hand the envelopes to your kids when they get up in the morning. They can use your smart phone, tablet or iPod to scan the QR codes with a QR code reader like QRAFTER PRO. This will tell them what activity they can do that hour. You won't believe their excitement as they wait for the picture to pop up on your phone! 

Then you are off and running, having fun until it is time to open the next envelope.

#2. If you don't have a smart phone, you can print out each of the pictures shown above. Then you can choose which activity that you want to do and put that picture in an envelope for your kids to open. Either way they will love to play with you and create memories of a fun summer day that will last all year long.

Print out the FREE QR Codes below:  

The Last Hurrah of Summer QR Codes

Print out the FREE Hourly Picture Activities below:  

The Last Hurrah of Summer PIctures Only

Enjoy having one last Hurrah of Summer with your Kids! Next week I will be posting a fun QR Code Activity I created for the first day of school. So come back soon. 

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Worm Farm

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     For Herbology this week, the Hogwarts Students get to create a Worm Farm in a Jar. Below are some instructions from eHow. More great instructions come from A Mom with a Lesson Plan.

     

     
     

     I think finding the worms is half the fun! Look under rocks, or on the sidewalks after it rains. You can check your garden or lawn after the sprinklers have been running. If your Mom or Dad says it is okay, you can dig a small hole with a shovel and find worms. Head outside at night with a flashlight. Worms are more active at night. 

     
     

     

     
     
   • 1   Drill six or eight small holes in the jar's lid. This will provide your worms with plenty of air.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
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     Place a 1-inch layer of garden or potting soil into the bottom of the jar. Add a 1-inch layer of sand. Repeat this alternate layering of soil and sand to almost fill the jar. Leave 1 inch of space between the top of the jar and the upper surface of sand or soil.
   • 3
     Slowly add about ¾ cup of water to the jar.
   • 4
     Provide a food supply for your worms by putting some dead leaves and grass clippings on top of the sand and soil. These critters also like coffee grounds and rolled oats, so add some of either or both if you wish.
   • 5
     Gently place your worms into the top of the jar, and cap it tightly. Place the jar in a location free of direct sunlight. Since worms become active after the sun goes down, put the jar into a brown paper lunch bag and tie some twine or string around the bag just under the jar's lid. They'll think it's nighttime and become active, creating tunnels all through the worm farm. Make sure that you don't cover up the air holes, though.
   • 6
     Watch your worm farm for a week or two. They'll be fine for this amount of time as long as they have food and moisture. Make sure they always have plenty of grass clippings and dead leaves. Add about ¾ cup of water every 3 to 4 days, or when the soil dries out.
   • 7
     Release the worms gently in a shady area of your yard when you're through enjoying your farm. Remove the lid from the jar and lay it on its side on the ground. They will eventually find their way out of the jar and back into their natural habitat.

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Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree

I just made this cute popcorn gift for my nursery kids. They love the song "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree" and I love this delicious cinnamon bun popcorn from Our Best Bites. And what do you know, the two go together perfectly!

I think sometimes the little ones get left out of all the excitement over the end of the school year and all the gifts, parties and celebrations that go with it. I didn't want my cuties to feel bad so I am going to surprise them with their own special delivery.

Just whip up the popcorn, put it in a cellophane bag and attach the tag.

I think it is perfect to brighten just about anyone's day!

Here is the Tag.

Here are some tree pictures we are going to glue popcorn on in Nursery in the next few weeks.

(If you are going to use glue with Toddlers..... I recommend pouring some glue in a bowl and giving each toddler a Q-Tip. It contains the mess and is still lots of fun. Just a word to the wise. )


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Last Chance to Join the Hogwarts Summer Fun Challenge

We have a few more spots in our Hogwarts Summer School. So if you haven't joined yet, email us today! 
Here are more details so you can see if this program is right for you. 

Our Hogwarts Summer School has 10 different classes. Each week you will receive one different activity for each class. Then you get to choose which classes and activities you want to do. Here is a list of the classes and the types of activities that you will receive for each class.

Potions- Activities baking in the kitchen

Charms- Casting a spell on others through random acts of kindness

Arithmancy- Practicing with math facts, numbers, counting etc. 

Astrology- Stargazing and nighttime activities

Divination- Setting goals for the future

Transfiguration- Crafts, recycled art projects etc. 

History of Magic- Reading picture books, chapter books etc. 

Herbology- Nature activities and gardening

Ancient Runes- Writing Activities

Quidditch- Outdoor sports and games

Students like Ron (We love you Ron!) will just manage to get a few activities done in a week. Those students who complete just 3 activities a week (or 24 total over the 8 weeks) will receive a Hogwarts Summer School Completion Certificate.

Students like Harry (Go Harry!) will manage to get a few more activities done in a week. The students who complete 6 activities a week (or 48 total over the course of the summer) will receive a certificate and a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans!

Students like Hermione (She makes the rest of us look bad!) will complete every activity listed and probably a few more that aren't even on the list. (If he or she has a time turner!) The students with the highest point total in each of the four houses will receive a handmade wizard wand, Bertie Botts Beans and a certificate. All the prizes will be shipped totally free of charge.

As you can see, your level of participation is totally up to you. Our goal is to help our kids be busy, happy and productive all summer long while limiting their TV and video game time. If you feel like this program would work for your family, sign up today.

All you need to do to sign up is send the names and ages of the children who would like to participate to:
hogwartssummerfunchallenge@gmail.com 

We will send you the Sorting Hat Quiz next week and everything you need to get started. This is going to be so much fun! 

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Letter of the Week {Zz}

This is our final post in our letter of the week series. You can find our posts for the other letters of the alphabet here.  Remember that you do not need to do everything. Just pick and choose one or two activities to introduce the Letter Z to your child.


Books for the Letter Z

Snack Ideas

Little Debbie Zebra Cakes

Zoo Mix

Or for a healthier option- Zucchini Muffins

I love this idea from the Munchie Mom to make a little zoo on your child's plate with pretzels and animal crackers. The Zoo letters are cut out of bread using alphabet letter cookie cutters. 

Crafts

 Zebra Craft- Cut out the White Letter and then let the kiddos glue on the black stripes. 

Here is a great idea from the Measured Mom for making a Zero Picture. Just use a milk jug lid or other round object for a creating a picture of zeroes. 

Making the Letter Z with pipe cleaners. 

Activities

The Measured Mom has created a super fun Zoo sensory play bin using popsicle sticks fences, beans and rice and plastic animals. Kids can use the large bin for building their own zoo and designing different habitats for each animal.

I love this idea from Strong Start Preschool. Using the book Good Night, Gorilla create some matching cages from shoe boxes to hold small stuffed animals or plastic animal figurines. Then kids can match the color of the key with the color of the cage to free the animals. I love this funny story about a gorilla who sneaks the keys from the zoo keeper and releases all the animals who follow him home at the end of the day and pile into his bedroom to spend the night! Find all the details here.

I love this idea from Pinterest for the Zig Zag Race Track. Line up some match box cars and have the kids race down the zig zag track drawn on butcher paper to the finish. This is great for fine motor skills and is super fun in the process.

Games and Songs
Check out these fun ideas from How to Run a Home Day Care.

I love this Zoom song. You could even make some toilet paper roll rockets to go with the song as you do the actions.

Here are some cute ones from No Time for Flash Cards

I also love the Z adaption for the Hokey Pokey! I love when you can get littles ones to move as they learn. Find the instructions for the song at the link above for How to Run a Home Daycare. I love that the kids hop on all the corners of the Z as they sing the song.

I also love putting three kids together to spell the letter Z with their bodies.

Find your Letter Z Printables at the Links Below:

Tracing Pages

Alphabet Flash Cards



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2nd Annual Hogwarts Summer Fun Challenge

We are so excited to announce that we are planning another round of our wildly successful Hogwarts Summer Fun Challenge! This absolutely free summer program is just what you need to keep your kids having fun and staying busy all summer long. 

Here are some comments from our last year's participants.

"We have been amazed by the creativity and open-ended fun we found in the Hogwarts Summer School assignments each week. It has been so much fun to participate. I loved being able to adapt the activities for the kid's different ages or interest levels,  loved the sweet and charitable acts of service, and really loved getting our imaginations going. "
Brooke

"I thought the challenges were really fun. I loved making memories with my kids and doing things with them that I wouldn't think of on my own. "
Jessica

"We absolutely loved this!! We would definitely want to participate again."
Jaimie

"We absolutely 100% loved Hogwarts Summer School and are all so sad it's over already. This summer has flown by. You helped make it an amazing summer for the girls."
Cynthia

This year's challenge will include all new activities so even if you participated last summer you can still get involved in the fun. Sign up quickly because we will be limiting participation to just the first 50 to respond. 

When your kids sign up for this FREE 8 week challenge, they will be placed in one of the four houses. Then they will be able to earn points for doing activities for each of their Hogwarts Summer Classes. They will concoct their own ice cream flavor in Potions, learn to find a star constellation in the night sky in Astronomy, and play a fun game with hula hoops in Quidditch.

Each week they will receive a new list of options for each class. Then at the end of the week, they will report their scores for how many of the activities they completed. Their scores will be added to the rest of the scores in their house and the competition for the house cup will be on! Everyone who completes a certain number of activities will receive a Hogwarts Summer School Completion Certificate and a box of Official Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. In addition, the contestants with the highest points in each house will win a handmade wizard wand. All prizes will be mailed free of charge.

Enrollment is limited so sign up for this fun summer challenge today. The competition will begin on June 9th and will end on August 10th, skipping one week for the 4th of July.

All you need to do to enroll is send an email with the names and ages of each child that would like to enter to:
hogwartssummerfunchallenge@gmail.com

We will respond right away to let you know you have been admitted. Then at the end of May you will receive information about the Sorting Hat Quiz that will place you in the right house and instructions about how to begin. This challenge is going to be so much fun! On the blog we will include posts about activities we do as part of our Hogwarts challenge as well as giving you and your kids encouragement to continue. Please pass on this information to any of your friends and family members who might like to join in the challenge with you. You could take turns hosting a neighborhood day where you complete several of the activities together!

Each week they will receive a new list of options for each class. Then at the end of the week, they will report their scores for how many of the activities they completed. Their scores will be added to the rest of the scores in their house and the competition for the house cup will be on! Everyone who completes a minimum of 80 activities in the eight weeks (10 a week) will receive a Hogwarts Summer School Completion Certificate and a box of Official Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans. In addition, the contestants with the highest points in each house will win a handmade wizard wand. All prizes will be mailed free of charge.

Enrollment is limited so sign up for this fun summer challenge today. The competition will begin on June 10th and will end on August 10th, skipping one week for the 4th of July.

All you need to do to enroll is send an email with the names and ages of each child that would like to enter to:
hogwartssummerfunchallenge@gmail.com.

Again, just email us the names and ages of the kids that would like to participate to:
Hogwarts Summer Fun Challenge @ gmail.com (All one word-- lower case, of course)

We will respond right away to let you know you have been admitted. Then at the end of May you will receive information about the Sorting Hat Quiz that will place you in the right house and instructions about how to begin. This challenge is going to be so much fun! On the blog we will include posts about activities we do as part of our Hogwarts challenge as well as giving you and your kids encouragement to continue. Please pass on this information to any of your friends and family members who might like to join in the challenge with you. You could take turns hocomplete several of the activities together!

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