A Really Hot Nature Walk

Our air conditioner died yesterday. It was very miserable especially with outside temperatures at 100 degrees. I took the children out and we ran errands just so we could enjoy other people’s air conditioning. But that didn’t go well when Rachel decided she wanted to be home napping in her crib. We all toughed it out and by 11:00 last night and a couple of thousands of dollars later, we finally had cool air again.

So did we stay home today and enjoy our nice cool house. No! We went out for a short nature walk and did a little bug hunting along the way too.

We saw lots of seed pods on what I believe are honey locust trees. Nicholas loves these when they dry out and drop to the ground because you can shake them and the seeds rattle around inside like little maracas!

Nicholas found lots of shriveled up leaves on the ground. We talked about why they might look like that. Pests? Lack of Water?

Nicholas quickly made it down to the creek bed to check it out. It’s our favorite place to explore and play.

Nicholas asked me to come down with him. I had Rachel in her stroller and didn’t feel comfortable trying to carry her down the rocks in case I might slip. I simply told him that I couldn’t come down. He walked over, put out his hand, and said, “C’mon. I’ll help you down.” So sweet. I explained why I couldn’t come but Rachel and I sat on the rocks along the side and let Nicholas play for a little while.

Nicholas got a new telescope. He pretended to be a pirate on a desert island looking for treasure.

This telescope is neat because it also converts into a periscope. It’s pretty cool. I showed the mirrors to Nicholas and explained how the periscope worked. I don’t think he believed me until he tried it. He was quite impressed. He said it will be good to use when he’s a spy. Then we proceeded to play a game where we took turns catching a bad guy by spying on them with the periscope.

We wrapped up our walk with a little time at the playground.

With temperatures crossing the 100 degree mark, we just might have to limit our nature walks to the wee morning hours for the next few months. It’s just really really hot out there there days.

Spring Lake Park in Flower Mound

Today Stuart and Nicholas went to Spring Lake Park on Windmill Lane in Flower Mound. This park was recently part of a beautification project through Keep Flower Mound Beautiful. There is a great fishing pond, pavillion, amphitheater and trails. It’s just a nice place to walk around with your children.  One of my favorite parts are the interactive nature-based educational stations along the trails that teach about the levels of a forest such as floor and canopy as well as how to identify leaves of the trees in the park. What a great way for children to learn about nature while enjoying the great outdoors!  And, of course, nature is always a fun free activity

The guys spent most of their time fishing in the pond. Nicholas has his own little fishing rod and tackle box and is quite a good little fisherman. What fun! These fish usually bite well on little bitty pieces of hot dog which makes for cheap and easy to find bait. But, at least for my child, I find that he wants to snack on the cold hot dog while he is breaking off pieces to put on his hook. Ewww, you just touched a fish and pond water with that hand that you are putting in your mouth! But (fortunately) today we didn’t have any hot dogs at the house so the guys used some regular store bought fishing bait that Stuart had in his tackle box. They were quite successful. Nicholas caught four sunfish in a short amount of time!

Project BudBurst

Yesterday we were walking home from school. Nicholas had to get out a little prerequisite running in celebration of the start of Spring Break.

But after that was out of his system, he settled down and picked a dandelion flower from someone’s yard. Then he picked another dandelion flower that was more in full bloom. He said he had a neat idea and started looking around in this person’s yard for more dandelions. He found just what he wanted, a set of dandelion buds that had not yet bloomed. He showed me the flowers and was all excited to explain that he had started a collection of each stage of the dandelion’s bloom.

Well, the collection wasn’t really complete until he also picked the full dandelion in seed form ready to blow away.

I love the way his mind works and that he not only understands the process of a plant life cycle so well but also that he gets excited about it. But what is absolutely fascinating to me about this story is just an hour earlier, I was at home researching citizen science projects that we could participate in when I ran across a project that perfectly mirrors what he just collected on his own. Project BudBurst engages the public in making careful observations of plant life cycles (phenophases) such as first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening of a diversity of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses in their local area. As a citizen scientist, you collect this information on plants in your area and then report the data back to the Project where they collaborate your findings with those from other citizen scientists from around the country.

I love citizen science projects because they are usually very kid-friendly and a great way to teach little ones about their environment. We have done several citizen science projects in which we monitor and report on birds that we see in our backyard. But this plant project is a new one for us and it sounds like fun. Project BudBurst has a Simple 5 Step process to participate. Their website even includes a Grades K-6 Facilitator Guide and a Teacher’s Guide.

When we made it home, Nicholas had to hide behind the van like he often does so I have to come looking for him. There isn’t a minute that goes by in this boy’s life when he isn’t wanting to play!

Then he put his dandelion collection with his ever-growing collection of nature treasures outside the front door and we recorded our dandelion findings for Project BudBurst.

The Tubes

I was looking for a way to get the kids out of the house for a few hours to keep us all from going stir crazy. Unfortunately it was cold and rainy so our typical trip to a playground was out of the question. I decided that we would check out The Tubes at Irving Bible Church, 2435 Kinwest Parkway in Irving. We don’t attend this church but I had heard that The Tubes are a fun place for kids to play and best of all, it’s free!

It is a giant climbing playground but bigger than what you find at most McDonald’s. It is open to the public seven days a week from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. It is off to the side of the main lobby so I guess they are open as long as the church is open. However, there are no designated staff in this area so parents must keep a close eye on their kiddos at all times. The Tubes are completely enclosed by glass walls but there is a door on each side which makes for quick escapes for toddlers wanting to wander. There are benches to sit on inside The Tubes but there are also tables and couches just outside The Tubes as well as free WiFi. There is also a little cafe in case you get the munchies after burning off all of that energy from climbing.

I tried to get some pictures of Nicholas climbing but it was hard to keep up with him in the maze of tunnels and slides.

Rachel spent most of the time in the small toddler area in The Tubes. It has big foam blocks to climb and slide on. There are big blocks that spin around.

And a big tunnel to crawl through…

I tried to get a picture of my two little ones together but the toddler couldn’t sit still long enough so these two are the best that I could get.

Once the kids got their fill of The Tubes we wandered around the lobby some. There is a small children’s area next to The Tubes that was entertaining for a little while. The fish tank was neat to look at but the fish kept hiding – wouldn’t you if you had 8 kids looking at you through the glass?

Rachel was fascinated with the elevator button. She didn’t care to actually get on the elevator when the doors opened. She just liked pushing the button to make it light up.

There was a fun house type mirror that all the kids had fun with.

We wandered a little further and found a little water feature with a wooden bridge over it. So after enjoying a nice time staying out of the rain, my children both decided that it water was within reach then they must get wet…and they did!

We had a nice outing at a new place and met some nice people while we were there. I was surprised when I realized that we had been there for several hours. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Lego Mini Model Build

We just learned about a fun opportunity! Each month the Lego store has a FREE Mini Model Build event. How cool is that? Did I mention that it’s FREE? You don’t have to register, just show up. They have these on the first Tuesday of every month starting at 5:00. What makes them especially fun is that the model for each month has a theme. The theme for March is a shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day!

Even though the event doesn’t start until 5:00, we got there at 4:30 so shop a little before the event. However, there was already a line started for the mini model build.

The line started at the door of the Lego store and continued past the Sephora store and to the end of the Nestle Toll House Cookie counter. We decided we had better go ahead and get in line. Well, we were standing right by this Nestle display case for 30 minutes…of course, we had to get a cookie (or three)!

At 5:00 the line started moving. The Lego employees did a great job of managing the number of people in the store. They had a few tables set up in the middle of the store for the mini model build and plenty of room in the rest of the store for the regular shoppers. They kept track of how many kids were at each table and they would only call more people from the line when they had room for them. It was really well managed. Thank goodness because I had Rachel in her stroller and I really wasn’t up for a mob session or having to worry about pushing someone over with the stroller as I tried to keep up with my fast little 5 year old.

At the table, there were several sets of the instructions taped around the table so everyone could easily see them. Each child had a little pile of the Lego pieces they would need for the build. It was easy to just jump right in and get to building!

There was an employee at each table available to help with the build. But it was an easy project with only 23 pieces so Nicholas didn’t need any help.

He is very excited about his little shamrock that he built himself.

Of course, once you are at the Lego store, you must shop in the Lego store. We were there another 30 minutes after the build just playing and making up a birthday wish list.

I noticed as we were leaving at about 5:45 that there was only one person still in line. I think next time we’ll just wait and come later so we can go right in. That’s just easier for me than waiting in line when I’ve got an antsy one year old who wants to get out of the stroller after 20 minutes. I saw a sample of the build for next month. It’s a cute little yellow chick just in time for Easter!

The Making of a CarBot

Every other Saturday from 10:00 – 11:00 am, Lowe’s offers a Build and Grow clinic for kids. They provide safety goggles, a work apron to keep, a wooden kit to build complete with instructions and all of the nails and stickers needed, and the tools needed. This morning Stuart and Nicholas headed off to Lowe’s to build a CarBot. It’s a car! It’s a robot! It’s both!

First you get your safety gear and kit. Open up the kit, separate all of the pieces, take a look at the directions, and start building.

Hammering the fender…

Nicholas loves any excuse to wear safety goggles. I just wonder if they clean those goggles between classes?

Nicholas did a great job on this project. He did almost all of the hammering except for two parts that were a bit challenging to do so Daddy helped with those.

Time to add the finishing touch…stickers!

The CarBot is a #48 Lowe’s sponsored race car that turns into a robot called the Lowebot (a construction robot). Once Nicholas finished his CarBot, he got a badge to put on his apron. It’s a shame that it needs to be sewn on. I have a sewing machine but I don’t know the first thing about how to use it and no, I don’t really know how to sew by hand either. Sad, isn’t it? Fortunately, our neighbor and her daughter like to sew

Build and Grow clinics – What a great way to teach a child building skills while they make a fun toy for themselves. Plus it’s a great way to spend time with Dad. Stuart enjoys building things so I know he really enjoys this kind of bonding time with Nicholas. And best of all, it’s FREE!  We’ve already got the next two Build and Grow clinics on our calendar…

March 13th – Tabletop Basketball Goal
March 27th – Kaleidoscope

Lego Mania!

The Lewisville library has a special event for little builders.  It’s called Lego Mania!  We recently stopped by to check it out. We were a little late so everyone was already absorbed in their creations but Nicholas quickly found the table with the cool Star Wars Lego pieces and went to work building.

It was neat watching the boys at the table. None of the boys seem to know each other and they were each building their own ships yet for the most part they would help each other find particular pieces that each other needed. It was a great experience in teamwork.

Lego Mania! is held on the fourth Sunday of each month at 2:00.  There are tons of Legos as well as Duplo blocks from younger children.  And best of all – it’s FREE!  The Lewisville Library is located at 1197 West Main in Lewisville and their phone number is 972-219-3570.

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme has the best donuts in the world. They melt in your mouth and have the sweetest taste around.  Of course, everything tastes better when you get to watch it being made.

We watched the batter being loaded into a hopper then squirted into the hot oil. It runs on a conveyor belt to the flipper which flips the donuts to the other side for even browning.

Then comes the best part…the glazing. The donuts go under a waterfall of glaze and continue down the conveyor to the cooling and boxing area.

Nicholas got into this crazy pose with this silly grin. We asked him what he was doing. He said that he was a statue pointing the way to the counter where people place their orders. Such a helpful little guy! I can’t believe Krispy Kreme didn’t hire his services on the spot.

Then it was time to place our order and bite into those awesome donuts that just melt in your mouth! Nicholas put on his Krispy Kreme hat and said, “Chow down!” He ate his donut then washed it down with some chocolate milk. Yum!

Fun New Year’s Eve Customizable Printables – free offer!

Whether you are planning a NYE party or a quiet evening with your family at home (did I just imply that I could achieve a quiet evening at home?), this is something you might want to check out.

They are holiday printables - games and activities – that can be customized and printed at home.

There are a bunch of New Year’s Eve sheets that can be printed at the last minute (not that I would ever need that) in any number that you desire.

A to Z has a special deal for Burb Mom readers – they are offering the first 10 who mention Burb Mom and respond via phone to their customer service line (888-722-0306) a free game of their choice from any of the A to Z sites.

Thanks A to Z!

Rachel Loves Freecycle

I love Freecycle. It’s an email list where people can post stuff they want to get rid of and other people can take it off their hands for free. Free stuff gets passed around to others who can use it and none of it ends up taking up space in a landfill. What a great idea!

This afternoon I picked up this great little pink push car for Rachel from a nice lady down the street who posted it on Freecycle. We probably wouldn’t have spent the money to buy her something like this since she will soon be inheriting Nicholas’ tricycle which has a push bar for the child to be pushed around before they can pedal. But this little push car is really perfect for her right now and will make for a nice transition into the tricycle later. Rachel had her first ride in it today when we picked Nicholas up from school.

Nicholas had fun pushing Rachel down the street.

Rachel is just learning how to walk so we don’t bother with shoes for her because we want her to feel what her feet and toes are doing when she stands. However, she also likes to let her feet drop off of the push car as we are going down the road. Each time I saw her do this I would stop the car and put her feet back on the foot rest. But apparently it happened more than I realized. When we got home today from picking Nicholas up at school, I noticed that there was a hole in her sock and her little foot was bleeding!

She never seemed bothered by it and was laughing the whole trip to school and back. I feel terrible about her toe but I know I stopped and picked her feet back up a squillion times during the trip so I don’t understand how it happened. Fortunately we have some like-new pink and white tennis shoes (also acquired from Freecycle) so now she will have to wear those anytime she rides in the push car.

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