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Groundhog Day Activities

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Groundhog Day Activities

Photograph Credit: Flickr (Eddie S)

Wow . . . can we cram any more special days into today? On this February 2, 2014, celebrations are going on for Groundhog Day, Super Bowl, a couple of birthdays, Lung Leavin’ Day, and our engagement day. Whew! That’s a lot of celebrating.

Today is the day Paul asked me to marry him 16 years ago. Though 16 years sounds like a long time and in some ways it is, the time feels like a snap.

I still remember the nice dinner and coming back to my place to watch Groundhogs Day. Though we never got to the movie since I was met with two dozen roses and a beautiful ring, I remember that night vividly. And all the phone calls that were made.

Lots of activity surrounded our engagement, and the excitement and stirring continue with today’s celebrations. To go along with the anticipation of Phil’s movements today, these Groundhog Day activities provide learning opportunities with fun.

Groundhog Day Activities

1. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Groundhog Day site offers 30+ activities including crafts, songs, poetry, games, and recipes. My favorites are the Phil’s handlers secret message, the Groundhog legend, and the thumbprint groundhog.

2. DLTK’s Crafts for Kids has 20+ Groundhog Day crafts, pages, and puzzles. I really like the Groundhog’s Day math: predict, estimate, tally, and graph, the Groundhog toilet paper roll craft, and the Groundhog tongue twister.

3. Enchanted Learning includes over 50+ Groundhog Day themed crafts, worksheets, and facts. Some of the great resources provided are the Groundhog Venn diagrams, the Groundhog verbal analogies, and Groundhog spelling words.

4. Tabitha at Meet Penny as compiled an extensive list of Groundhog Day resources. Included in her list are books, crafts, treats, printable sheets, and videos.

5. Apples 4 the Teacher provides 10+ options for celebrating Groundhog Day. The shadow puppets and the animals that hibernate memory game reinforce the theme while having fun.

With all these great Groundhog Day activities, it’s time to get celebrating. Our family has multiple celebrations going on today, and these fun resources will continue throughout the week. Keep on using time wisely, and happy celebrating!

Question: Which celebrations are your favorites today?

Martin Luther King, Jr. Printable Packs and Resources

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Martin Luther King, Jr. Printable Packs and Resources

Photograph Credit: Blessed Beyond a Doubt

As a leader of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life is honored on the third Monday of January each year.

In recognition of his accomplishments, the following Martin Luther King, Jr. printable packs and resources focus on his contributions:

May you find these resources practical in remembering the civil rights movement and the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Happy learning!

Question: What additional resources would you add to this list? 

Gift of Curiosity: Winter Printable Pack

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Gift of Curiosity: Winter Printable Pack

Photograph Credit: Gift of Curiosity

Katie @ Gift of Curiosity has put together a Winter Printable Pack for children ages 2-7.

The package includes 77 activities of which many have multiple versions for parents and caregivers to adjust the difficulty for each child’s skill level.

The activities contained within this pack include the following:

  • Shapes
  • Colors
  • Same vs. different
  • Sorting
  • Sequencing
  • Categorizing
  • Puzzles
  • Mazes
  • Math

To download this printable pack, you must to subscribe to Katie’s free e-mail list. She will then send you a link to the Winter Printable Pack to download, open, and save. I appreciate these printable packs as my girls love to work on the pages. With fun activities, my girls forget they are learning and practicing their gross motor and fine motor skills.

I am sharing Katie’s Winter Printable Pack without compensation or affiliate benefits. Finding her packs beneficial, I offered to share Katie’s resources on Using Time Wisely. Hope you can use these activities with little ones or pass along the information to others. Happy printing!

Tying up 2013 and Ringing in 2014

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Tying up 2013 and Ringing in 2014On this last day of the year, our family is looking ahead while tying up 2013 and ringing in 2014.

As we are underway in our current remodeling project – redecorating our children’s bedrooms – and out-of-town family is still visiting, we are glancing back and pressing forward.

Tying up 2013

The end of the year is a good stopping point. Though I may not be done with my 2013 goals, I take time to reflect and evaluate.

As I was thinking about the lessons I learned, I realized the growth I’ve experienced this year by focusing on my priorities, investing in true friendships, and refusing to feel guilty when I declined an opportunity that conflicted with my priorities.

In tying up 2013, I found these two exercises fun and helpful:

1. 2013 Time Capsule from Amy McGuire @ The Finer Things in Life

This fun printable is great for each family member to fill out. Hide the pages away or stuff them in a paper towel holder with aluminum foil rubber banded on each end. You can either bury it or store it away in your Christmas items for next year.

This is our first year filling out a time capsule form, so we’ll see if this becomes one of our family’s traditions. I think we will store our forms with our Christmas items as we keep our decorations up until after the start of a new year.

2. 20 Questions for a New Year’s Eve Reflection written by Tsh Oxenreider @ The Art of Simple (formerly Simply Mom).

These 20 questions focus on the specifics of 2013. If you journal, these are great starting points. Not into writing and journaling, no problem. Tsh included a printable form with the 20 questions if you would like to record your answers and then look them over next year to see how far you’ve grown.

Ringing in 2014

Miss 6 is ready for New Year’s Eve night. One of our favorite traditions is to eat crackers with “squirt” cheese – making smiling faces and mini towers – while we wait for the ball to drop. Usually we all huddle into the master bedroom bed and snuggle up together watching the firework displays outside.

Yes, crumbs get everywhere, but that is why we have a vacuum cleaner. 😉 It’s one night, and these together moments bring excitement and enjoyment to the start of our new year.

If you are looking for ideas for ringing in 2014, check out these additional resources:

1. Dixie cup party lights from The Krazy Coupon Lady to spice up any room in your home.

2. Party ideas from Celebrations.

3. A midnight dinner idea from Money Crashers.

4. 6 different New Year’s party themes at International Business Times.

Whether you are throwing the bash of the year or spending New Year’s Eve quietly at home, may you continue using time wisely tying up 2013 and ringing in 2014. See you in the New Year!

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Question: How you are planning to ring in 2014?

2013: Thanksgiving Activities

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2013: Thanksgiving Activities

Photograph Credit: Putti’s World

On the heels of the previous Thanksgiving printable activities post, I found more wonderful Thanksgiving activities to share.

As our family is hosting Thanksgiving this year, our kitchen gets active around 10:00 a.m. for our 1:00 p.m. feast time. My children are usually in need of attention, and I plan to keep them occupied this year with some of these easy craft ideas focused on Turkey Day.

In addition to the crafts, there are a few more printable coloring activities which are easy to print off for a best-coloring contest. My favorites on the list are place cards, the fruit loop turkey, and the turkey leftover recipes. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Activities

Coloring Sheets

Moderately-involved Crafts

Quick and Easy Crafts

Recipes

With so many choices, I know my children will have plenty of excitement just choosing their craft. Knowing Miss 6, she will set herself down in the morning and work on as many crafts and coloring pages as available until she finishes or tires.

In using time wisely, I am looking forward to encouraging creativity while keeping the kitchen clear of little ones around the hot dishes. Happy creating!

Question: Which of these Thanksgiving activities is/are your favorite(s)?