Your local nursery, an educational treasure trove.

So today I was feeling stir crazy. I wanted to get myself and my kids out of our comfort zone and go explore. I'd been wanting to teach our 3 year old about different textures, smells, colors and sounds. Away from our home, away from our normal surroundings. 

So where was I going to take her? where could we go where she could touch whatever she wanted and see bright colors and smell a wide variety of scents? I pondered for a while and it hit me....the nursery!

All kinds of colorful flowers, plants and trees. all different kinds of smells and textures. She could touch things  without me worrying about her breaking them, and if she did I could more than likely afford to buy it (unlike most department stores, lol). So off we went. A grand adventure. 

I can not begin to describe the level of excitement my little girl experienced upon arrival at the nursery. Wide open, safe place for her to run around. Water fountains, wisteria, lemon trees and more. There were all different kinds of bees buzzing around. humming birds, roses the size of her face and wagons to pull your bounty in.

Observation was the main lesson I wanted to teach her. So I kept asking her what her observations were, followed by these questions:

What color is that?

How does it feel? ( I'd explain to her what she was "feeling". Soft, smooth, sharp, rough, etc.)

Does that smell nice? ( then I would explain to her, "that's what sweet smells like", or "that's what sour smells like (citrus)".

"Is that a fruit or a vegetable?"

At the end of the visit to the nursery Audrey made her observations and came to the conclusion that she loves moss. She loves moss because its green and soft. She also concluded that roses smelled the best out of everything that she had smelled at the nursery.

When I asked her, "out of everything you saw today, what would you want planted in your garden?" Her response; "oranges, because they taste the best".

There you have it. Besides the cost of gas, it was a free adventure that was educational. Audrey became more aware of different textures, smells, colors and sounds. She learned how to make observations and form her own opinions. I also had the joy of feeling relaxed and comfortable with letting her run around and explore things with her hands and her brother soaked it all in via the comfort of the stroller :)

Kiddie Kabobs

I love kabobs. They are a fun and easy snack for lunch and picnics. My only problem is with the skewers. They're sharp. lets face it, even with supervision it only takes a toddler one millisecond to do the unthinkable. So arming them with a sharp stick seems to be a very bad idea.

today I wanted to introduce my 3 year old daughter to the wonderful world of kabobs. I couldn't find the skewers I had just bought. it was fine though. While searching for them I started realizing that I wasn't really comfortable with her having access to small wooden weapons, especially with her baby brother around. I searched in my kitchen drawers and found a fun and safe alternative......wait for it.....straws!!!! I finally had a use for the huge package of colorful straws I bought 2 years ago. So here is how to make kiddie safe kabobs.....

What you need: straws, scissors, and a chopstick (or a kabob skewer).

Step 1:
cut the straw to desired length. cut one end at an angle to help it go through the food. I suggest softer foods like cheese, cubed cooked chicken and avocados.

 Step 2:
start making your kabob. Any food that the straw wont punch through, use a chopstick or actual kabob skewer to puncture holes through the food, then place them onto your straw skewer.
If the straw still has a hard time puncturing through the food, insert a chopstick in the actual straw when adding your food. This helps make it strong and prevents the straw from bending. remove chopstick before serving. Cut the endof the straw when you are done to remove the sharp edge.

Step 3:
Serve up your colorful creation to your kiddos and feel good knowing that you just gave them a safe and healthy kabob. You go mom!