Make Fantastic Mistakes Poster

So, I am taking this course called "How to Learn Math" through Stanford University's online offerings and it's been, well, a little life-changing. Not only is it helping with ways to guide Spud through his interactions with math but it's changing my relationship with it as well!

This poster is one of my assignments for the lesson focussing on the miracle of making errors and what wonderful things it does to brain growth and development. I'm sure we will be referring to this regularly throughout the upcoming school year.

Summer Fun Passport: Learning Morse Code

I found 2 fun sites that Spud used to learn some Morse code here and here. After he played around and practiced for a few days I busted out some physical Dahs and Dits — beads in dots and dashes. He wanted to make a necklace and a bracelet each with a message. He pondered over it for a few days finally landing on "Happy" and "SJTM" (his initials).

Check out this year's Summer Bucket list here and all our past Summer Fun entries here.

Our Summer Day Camp Shortlist 2014

SUMMER DAY CAMP 2014 |  VANCOUVER, BC

• Bike Camp  —  Pedalheads
• Cooking Science and Urban Design  —  Pear Tree Education
• Dog Agility Training Camp  —  DogSmart
• Fencing  —  UBC Summer Camp
• Golf Camp  —  The First Tee, YMCA
• Minecraft Camp  —  MineCampKids

Others we've participated in the past with a thumbs up:
Arts Umbrella  —  Fine, Performing, and Media Arts
Christianne's Lyceum — Book Clubs, Writing Clubs, Creativity and Imagination
Dizzy Whisk  —  Cooking
Eliot Creative Arts Camp — Multi-generational Overnight Camp
MacSailing — Sailing, Kayaking and Stand-up Paddleboarding
Seymour Eco-Adventure Camp  — Hiking, Survival Skills, Wilderness Appreciation
Science World  —  Science
YMCA  —  Swimming, Group Games and Activities, Field Trips, Themes

Others that we want to check out next year:
Mozart School of Music
Archery! If we can find something close by ...

Summer Fun Passport: Learn About a New Country

"Learn about a new country and then try its cuisine" ... that's another tick on our Summer Fun Passport list! We chose Ethiopia. Partly because it would give us an excuse to look at that part of Africa and also because we have a quite a few Ethiopian restaurants with good reviews that we've wanted to try and thought it would add to the whole experience. I was a bit worried though. I know the cuisine is very yummy but its presentation is also very unique from what Spud has tried before. It was going to put his "risk taking" skills to test ...

But first, we found all kinds of facts about the country here. Like, what its flag looks like. We learned that it has twice the population of Canada and yet it is far smaller. The capital is Addis Ababa and has about twice the people our city does. The country is landlocked, has a tradition of carving churches out of rocky ground and has suffered great war and famine over the years. We saw some stunning National Geographic photos of the nation here. And awed at this gorgeous fox, the rarest in the world.

Next, we chose the top rated Ethiopian restaurant in our city. If you are ever in Vancouver check out Fassil. So good! It's been years since Hubs and I had Ethiopian food so we needed a refresher on how to eat it. When presented with a large platter of food placed on top of injera, a bread which tastes a bit like a strong sourdough with a unique spongy texture, Spud looked intrigued. We each held a roll of injera in our left hand tearing off pieces with our right hand to scoop up bite size portions of the food. No utensils! Totally fun. And really tasty. Spud surprised us both with his foodie prowess; he tried everything except the greens (no surprise there) and the one dish we declared spicy. He actually gobbled up most of the lamb himself. A definite thumbs up from the whole family.

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

Summer Fun Passport: Tie Your Own Shoes!

The kid's got a new pair of shoes. And there is no velcro to be seen. It's time, finally, to step up, take the plunge, and learn how to tie your own shoes, kid. I'm re-introducing the idea this time, with a couple of videos I found on the topic.

First, a sweet and simple animation ...

And a Sesame Street skit!

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