30 June 2013

Summer Fun Passport: Summer Reading Clubs!



Spud has signed up for the Summer Reading Club at the public library again. And his school's reading club too! Fourth year in a row for both.

So that means he's committed to 15 minutes of reading per club for 50 days. He's got a bit of list going on chapter books he's looking forward to. We'll be visiting the library a lot too. Check out the goodreads sidebar to see what we have on the go at any given time.


Here's our full Summer Fun Passport List for 2013 and our passport we made to keep track of everything we accomplish this year!

28 June 2013

Spud's London: 13 Favourite Things

Well, it's been over a year now since we visited London. And we miss it a lot. Here, in no particular order, are Spud's most missed spots:

· Hamley's Toy Shop: The 250 year old, multiple floor toy store was an obvious favourite. Spud found his treasured toy Tube trains there.



· Tower Bridge — where Spud got a tick on his life list, which was a 2-parter it turns out.



· The Tower of London — where spotting royalty was but one reason it left a lasting impression.



· The Tube — a true obsession.



· Big Ben. Although the first thing he said when he saw it in person was "It's not as big as I thought it would be". We have since learned though, that it is the 3rd tallest free-standing clock in the world and over 150 years old.



· The British Museum. Ancient Egypt and Greece. The Rosetta Stone. Clock, clocks, and more clocks. And a jaw dropping space.



· Harry Potter Studio Tour



· The London Eye



· Science Museum — Points to those who know what this is ...



· Bet you can't guess Spud's favourite part of the Tate Modern



· The Playground we stumbled across on our way to the Tower of London



· V & A



· And then there was that little kids Bookstore that someone directed us to ... a skinny shop ... with a few floors. No idea where it was now or what it was called. We enjoyed at least an hour there, browsing and picking out a few to take home. Not sure if it's on this list but we will take it with if we go again, it looks like a good one.

For all our London posts, click here.

25 June 2013

Our Passport to Summer Fun 2013

Now that we have our Summer Fun Passport List ready, we need a passport to keep track of all the fun we will be having! So we made this ...


After each activity is completed, we will fill out these little sheets and glue them into the passport. Each includes a place to draw a quick "stamp", the activity title, the date, and 3 lines to write a wee blurb about the activity. In the end, we have a little summer keepsake.


21 June 2013

Summer Fun Passport List 2013

Happy First Day of Summer. Yesterday was Spud's last day of grade 3 and we are up and running for Summer 2013. And here's our second annual Summer Bucket List. As usual we have way more things than we can ever do in one summer. Luckily there is no pressure to do them all — there's always next year!



1. READ + WRITE + DO (because you've got to keep your skills sharp)

2. GO OUTSIDE (because summer is all about outside)

3. CREATE (because we love to make things!)
  • Make a Kite from a Kit
  • Do a Soapstone Carving
  • Make a Kiwi Crate Project
  • Draw a Castle (use our How to Draw A Castle book)
  • Make another Heart Map
  • Create Cityscape with Block Printing
  • Make a Klimt-inspired Art Piece (inspired by our trip to Vienna. See here + here.)
  • Make a Paper Weaving
  • Make a Bath Mural with Craft Foam
  • Decorate Mugs with Porcelain Pens (tutorial here)

4. EAT + DRINK (because it's about learning and having fun at the same time)
And I'm pinning other summer fun ideas here all the time.

Here's last year's list. Want to see all our last year's Passport ticks? Check 'em out here.

19 June 2013

Makes Me Happy: Poppies and Sunshine


Passing by a community garden walking home from Spud's swimming lesson, something caught our eye.


Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness, I say? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

12 June 2013

Makes Me Happy: My Yoga Mat



Every time I roll out my mat I think of the day that I told Hubs I needed one for a class I wanted to take and he secretly ran out on his lunch break to surprised me with it after work.


Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

11 June 2013

Word Search Colouring Page: In The Backyard


Download the Word Search Printable here.

05 June 2013

Makes Me Happy: Piano Lesson


Sitting in on Spud's piano lesson each week, makes me happy.

Welcome to Makes Me Happy Wednesdays. Why not celebrate hump day with a little happiness, I say? A photo. A Caption. A smile. What made you smile recently?

04 June 2013

Word Search Colouring Page: It's Beach Day!


Feeling beach-y lately? Here's a word search colouring page that is yours for the taking. Enjoy!

02 June 2013

Birthday Cake: Giant Oreo Cookie

Look what Hubs made for Spud's 9th birthday! With his own two hands. Two layers of Chocolate Decadence (no flour) Cake with a Cheese Cake middle. And chocolate fondant decorations on top!