Mommy Blogger Day at the Philadelphia Zoo

On Tuesday the Philadelphia Zoo hosted a Mommy Blogger Event, and the kids and I were invited.  We love the zoo and haven't been for a while, so we were very excited.

We got to the zoo as it was opening.  Immediately upon entering, there was a table set up where we were able to check-in.  We were given free admission to the zoo, a fun back pack filled with lots of zoo info, tickets for the children to ride a draft horse, and stuffed animal key chains for each child.   So nice!

The zoo's latest attraction, the Creatures of Habitat, was one of our favorites.  The zoo website describes the attraction ~ By bringing endangered animals and their vanishing habitats to life, CREATURES OF HABITAT inspires explorers of all ages to protect the amazing planet we all call home. A combination of birds and beasts, each intricately fashioned from thousands of LEGO® bricks, this experience will surely remind us how our world fits together and how we connect with it.

A fun day begins!

Part of the Creatures of Habitat Attraction

The rainforest being destroyed.

Lego display of a mother orangutan and baby

Lego display of mother gorilla and baby

Wes's favorite animal ~ the crocodile!

That is rain that you see.  It "rains" in their environment.

The kids ride a beautiful draft horse.

Too bad I didn't get a good picture of the horse.

Wes rides a big, red traffic. 
He wished it was green (Jason Aldean song),
but had fun on it anyway.

Yummy ending to a great day!

Thanks super nice Philadelphia Zoo people!

Pick Your Own at Linvilla Farms

Yesterday I took the kids to Linvilla Orchards
to pick peaches and apricots.  We had a great time. 

We took a tractor ride out to the peach and apricot orchard.

Picking the best.

A hayride took us back.

So silly.

All worn out!


*photo credit*

But not too worn out to make this!
We used Tina's (Mommy's Kitchen) recipe. 
Super Yummy!

May Day

Sam and Gracen participated in a May Day celebration at their school.  Gracen and the rest of the first grade helped the senior class plant a tree.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture.  The third grade classes did a May pole dance. They had a blast!

Gracen and her friends watch as the third graders perform the May pole dance.

Getting started

Skipping to the beat

The end product

The Trike-a-thon

Thank you to everyone who supported Wes in the Trike-a-thon.  He raised over $100!  All of the donations were sent to St. Jude Children's Hospital.  Great fun for a great cause!

Mentally Preparing

Getting his ride on

Go, Wes!

Fun Stuff for Earth Day

~ Dirt Girl World ~
Wes (and I) are very excited about the premiere of Dirt Girl World, a new tv series that encourages children to "go out and get grubby". 



For more info check out the Dirt Girl's website.  For activities, games, coloring pages, and videos check out Dirt Girl World's page on the Sprout website.

~ Free eBooks ~

Lose that Remote and Seize the Day!
TV Turnoff Week Overlaps with Earth Day this Year

Mount Pleasant, SC (April 13, 2010) – Join Sylvan Dell in celebrating national TV Turnoff Week April 19-25 and Earth Day, April 22. Every year this week challenges families to turn off their television sets and find an alternate form of entertainment. Earth Day, celebrating its 40^th year, happens to fall right in the middle of TV Turnoff Week this year and provides a perfect excuse to turn off the television and learn about the earth.

So, instead of channel surfing, do something good for the Earth. Here are some suggestions:

• Visit an animal rehabilitation center near you. Ask what types of animals do they help? Are any of these animals endangered or threatened? What can you do to help?
• Take a trip to the zoo or your local aquarium. Turn it into a learning activity. Draw or make a list of the ways the animals are alike or different.
• Go hiking in a nature reserve. Collect leaves, shells and flower petals. Draw a tree or make a nature journal.
• Visit a nature museum. Quiz yourself after, what do you remember? Write down what you learned.
• Read a book like “Where Should Turtle Be?” or “What’s New At the Zoo?” Sylvan Dell books are great educational resources that promote awareness and appreciation for animals and the environment. 

 Sylvan Dell is participating by giving schools, libraries and families free access to their 50 eBooks for the week of April 19-25.  More than 40 of these eBooks explore Earth Day related themes including marine animals, habitats, wildlife, zoo animals, earth and physical science, birds, and astronomy. So, before deciding to turn on the TV, read an eBook and learn about the wonders of the Earth!

For more information about Earth Day, visit http://www.earthday.net/earthday2010
For more information about “TV Turnoff Week,” visit: http://tvturnoff.org/
For more information about Sylvan Dell Publishing, visit: http://SylvanDellPublishing.com
eBook access instructions are located on the Sylvan Dell website at: http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/TVTurnOffWeek.htm

~ Art Activities to Celebrate Earth Day ~

Good Earth Art: Environmental Art for Kids (Bright Ideas for Learning)
Over two hundred projects for painting and drawing, sculpture and mobiles, collage and printing, weaving and crafts, and handmade art supplies emphasize recycling and natural materials.

 ~ Great Earth Day Links ~
Planet Pals
Earth Day Crafts ~ Kaboose
Craft Projects for Kids ~ Family Fun
Games, Activities, and Craft Ideas ~ National Geographic Kids
Celebrating Learning and Sneaking in Some Learning ~ Teach Mama
Win a Kid's Vegetable Growing Kit from Terracycle ~ Mommy Niri

Friday's Gracious Giveaways: Thumballs

New to FGG? Go here.

The winner of last week's FGG winner is Early Motherhood.

Thanks to all who entered!

Good Luck this week!

This week's review and giveaway is sponsored by Thumball. What is "Thumball you ask? I can't wait to tell and show you!

Thumballs are balls that are specifically designed to stimulate conversation and energize education. To play, you simply throw the ball to someone and then he responds to the prompt on the panel under his thumb. If it lands on the Title or Shnoogie panel the catcher gets to choose a panel. Watch this short video for a demonstration.

Watch TDmonthly Video

Isn't that fun? And here's the great part ~ Thumballs come in a wide variety of designs with categories for every age and skill level. For example, Categories, ABC's, Animals, Virtues and Values, Meet and Greet, and Move Your Body. Check out the complete list and descriptions here.

For this review, I was sent the 6" Animals thumball to use with Wes. He absolutely loved it. We used it several different ways. First, I had him identify the animals. Then, I had him make the sound of the animal on the panel. I also had him identify the color of the panel. Wes had fun playing with it like a regular ball, as well. Thumballs are really soft and squishy, so they are totally safe to play with in the house.

Thumballs are so versatile. They can be used by parents with their children, siblings, school classrooms, preschools, child care centers, and homeschool groups. Anyone ~ anywhere, really! They are also very easy to clean, so you can play with them outside and inside.

For this giveaway, I have three 4" thumballs for one lucky winner. Here are the designs I have: Move Your Body, Parts of a Story, and Tell the Tale .

First Entry Requirement ~ Visit this page of Thumball's website to read about some ways that you can use these balls. Then come back and tell me about how you would use one of them.

Additional Entries:

1. Follow my blog (Google or Networked Blogs). (1 entry)

2. Subscribe to my blog. (1 entry)

3. Become a Facebook Fan (1 entry).

4. Follow MaryThumball on Twitter (1 entry).

5. Become Thumball's fan on Facebook. (1 entry)

*Make sure and leave a comment after this post for each entry so I can give you all the credit you deserve (and don't forget your email address too)! Winner will be announced Friday, October 23, and contacted by email. Winner has three days to contact me at contact@ittybittybookworm.com. After three days another winner will be drawn.*

~ If you have a giveaway on your blog that you'd like to share (or know of one you're posting about), link it up with "Mr. Linky" below. *Please read FGG rules for participating, here, before linking up so I can leave your link!* ~

Singing and Dancing in the Rain

Jesse Bear ~ Hard at Work

Tub filled with elbow macaroni and dried lentils.

He tries to use a measuring spoon to pour macaroni and lentils down a straw.
"This won't work, " he announces.

"I can use my fingers!"

Ah ~ sweet success!

A Box of Chalk and a Lot of Imagination

Jesse Bear made a "workshop for Handy Mandy, my tool box, and my fireman guy".

Fancy and Junie B. made "a mansion for us to live in with all of our animals".

Hope they have a housekeeper!

These are "two hamsters and hamster wheels".
Eyeore and Kitty are in fenced in yards.

Canoeing

Yesterday my husband and I took our 3 children canoeing. We weren't sure how they were going to like it because it is obviously not an action-packed adventure. However, they absolutely loved it and have been asking when we can go again.


Here is what they each enjoyed:

Junie B. ~ "Oh, the turtles are so cute! I am going to take pictures of them." She loved quietly observing all of the turtles sunbathing on logs and rocks. If it had not been for Jesse Bear yelling "Wake Up" at them, I think she would have stayed and observed them for a long time. We explained to Jesse that it was not nice to yell. However, he promptly responded with "But Mommy, I just wanted to see them swim!". Oh, three year old little brothers! Needless to say, the turtles jumped into the water and swam away.

Fancy Nancy ~ "These cookies are so yummy!" Fancy's favorite part of the trip was devouring the huge, yummy, chocolate chip cookies that our lovely neighbor had brought over that morning.

Jesse Bear ~ "Daddy, watch me! I can skip wocks!". Jesse enjoyed all of the different types of rocks that he found. He especially, like throwing (I mean "skipping") them into the lake.


There you have it. A canoe trip ~ something for everyone!

Read Inch by Inch