H.O.R.S.E. with Daddy Teachable Moments Tuesday

       Tuesday is here already! We had a great weekend with family. We went fishing and sat around the campfire making smores and looking for shooting stars. It was a wonderful time. When we got back last night Pickle was very excited to be out of the car and to be able to play with his toys. 

       Tomato Papa and Pickle started up a game of H.O.R.S.E. with the little basketball hoop in our backyard. ( You know, take turns shooting the ball. If you miss you get a letter. ) While playing, Tomato Papa told Pickle that he got an H. Pickle ran to the magnetic letters ( that we still had out from this activity.)

Tomato Papa and Pickle got out the letters they needed and spelled out the words as they played.

        I think this idea is so great since little ones will understand the game better if they see the letters spelling out the word instead of keeping track in their head which may be too advanced for them. Great idea Tomato Papa and Pickle!

By the way, Pickle won the game. 

( Disclaimer: Please ignore or jungle of a backyard and the bad night pictures! We were tired after our trip! Give me a break:)

Sky Watching by Tomato Mama Teachable Moments Tuesday

       Pickle is an active little guy. He has been since before he was born. What a squirmer! Now he spends a lot of time running, jumping, spinning, and rolling. He loves to move. When my little guy decides that he wants to sit down and snuggle, I drop everything and enjoy it! You can't miss opportunities like that! After playing in the yard last night, he crawled up on my lap in my comfy deck chair. We snuggled with his "cubby bears" and looked up at the beautiful trees and sky. 

       We talked about how the trees are changing. We watched a bee buzz around lazily. We spotted a beautiful cardinal. Pickle thought he saw lots of alphabet letters in the clouds. We got to see lots of airplanes and talked about why they make lines. It was such a sweet moment. I tried to drink it all up to remember forever! 

       I had my camera with me and Pickle did some photography. All the pictures on this post are his work. Love them! 

Alphabet Excavation by Tomato Mama Teachable Moments Tuesday

      Here is a quick and fun learning activity you can do outside with your little one. Pull out those magnetic alphabet letters we all have living on our fridges and bury them in your sandbox. Have your little one go on a alphabet hunt. As the letters get "found" talk about their names and sounds. Spell words or your child's name together. Sort by color or letter. You can get creative with how you dig them up also. We started with the shovels but were soon using the toy bulldozers and cranes to "help rescue" the letters. It was a blast and it was a great way to spend the morning outside together.