On Valentine’s Day in 2014, I gave each of my children a new journal with a love note inside from me. We began writing back and forth to one another and each of us would be so excited to discover new entries.
Over the years, the kids are writing less, but I continue to write letters to them. I’m terrible at keeping up with scrapbooks of any kind, but find the journals to be manageable and deeply personal.
I hope my kids will continue to reread their journals often, and my love for them will jump right off the pages!
There are a million reasons why I love my neighborhood! For one, the children (and adults) are up for any challenge, game, or project. These people are insanely creative, ultra-competitive, and collaborative.
Yesterday, while at a neighbor’s pool party, we challenged the kids to a raft-building contest. Divided into groups, the kids used 2 cups, 1 sheet of plastic wrap, 10 straws, and duct tape to create a structure that could hold the largest number of pennies without sinking.
The kids worked so well together, creating unique rafts to enter into the competition.
The penny count was intense and we had a very close contest!
You can find engineering challenges for kids (including this one!) at https://pbskids.org/designsquad/pdf/parentseducators/DS_Act_Guide_complete.pdf. There, you’ll find printable easy-to-follow instructions, materials lists, and project extensions.
***At the project’s end, you’ll want to be sure to recycle the plastic materials. Learn how to safely recycle the straws at https://get-green-now.com/recycle-plsatic-straws/. (Protect the sea turtles!)***