Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in silicon valley, CA

Summer Activities: Exploring the Outdoors

by bonggamom

July 13, 2009

Last week we got down and dirty when we explored the natural world.  This week we're moving back into suburbia -- but still staying outdoors.  Because even though a patio, pool or sidewalk might not be considered nature, they're all places to explore.  Just being outdoors, with all that natural light, all those smells and sounds, invigorates and energizes a child.  You don't need to sign your child up for summer camp to keep him busy; there's a whole summer's worth of outdoor exploration activities you can do on your own.  I've taken inspiration from the PBS Parents Exploration Guide and listed a few places you can start:

1)  Stones, stones, stones! If you have the space  in your yard, create meandering pathways or mazes with stones so your child can skip, hop and explore.   You can even take a day to create and decorate some stepping stones. 

2)  Dirt, dirt, dirt!  Start a small veggie and herb garden with your little one; they'll love digging and raking and getting their hands dirty.  Then take some time each day to water the plants and watch them grow. 

3)  Water, water, water!  Plan a Water Day and splash around with water balloons, sprinklers or sponges soaked in water.  Or go and throw pennies into a fountain (Check this post out for some great fountains in Silicon Valley).  Kids love the sound of running water and love to splash their hands -- and feet and anything else that mom or dad will let them. 

4)  Sand, sand, sand!  Plan a Sand Day and find a sandpit where your little one can dig to his heart's content.  Or take a day trip to visit the biggest sandpit of all, the beach.

Click here to see the full article on PBS, along with their suggestions for outdoor activities and books.  And here are some great activities from our Savvysource Activity archive:

1) Searching for worms
2) Sandcasting
3) Sand Tracks
4) Tricycle Wash
5) Homemade Bubbles

Don't forget, there's still a week left to enter our Super WHY giveaway!  One lucky Being Savvy Silicon Valley reader will win a DVD of PBS Kids' popular TV series, Super WHY.  Click here to enter -- entries will be accepted until midnight PST on July 20th.  Good luck!

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Summer Activities: Exploring Nature (And a Giveaway!)

by bonggamom

July 06, 2009

July 6:  Summer Activities:  Exploring Nature  (and a giveaway!)


With 401k funds on shaky ground and the threat of unemployment looming everywhere, families are doing all they can to economize and save for a rainy day.  This summer, one of the luxuries that families are cutting back on are those pricey summer camps for the kids.  But that doesn't mean the long, lazy days of summer need to turn into the long, boring days of summer.  With the right planning, you can come up with lots of activities to keep your child engaged and entertained -- and we at Being Savvy Silicon Valley want to help.  A couple of weeks ago, we featured some guidelines to help you get started with your own summer reading program.  And throughout July and August, we'll be featuring even more tips and tricks for planning all sorts of fun (and inexpensive) activities your child can enjoy this summer.

One great idea for a Do-It-Yourself summer daycamp is to plan activities around an Explorer theme.  After all, kids love to explore, and it's a wonderful way for them to learn about the world around them.  So for the next three Mondays I'll be featuring some suggestions based on the PBS Parents Exploration guide.  Today we're all about exploring nature.  It's a big world out there, and here are some great ways to  let your child see it all for himself:

1)  Use nature as a  backdrop for your child's imagination.  Set aside part of your backyard for your child to enjoy in his own special way -- making castles, forts, or anything else.  If you don't have a backyard, create a "wild box" with rocks, twigs, some sand and seashells or other natural treasures.  (Our driveway is lined with a multitude of rocks and pebbles; my daughter loves to gather twigs and leaves and prop them up among the pebbles to fashion little fairy houses)

2)  Build a nature project using hammers and nails to shovels and seeds, hoses and houses.  Plant a garden, build a trail or look for birds and butterflies.  (Two weeks ago we bought some caterpillars and watched them build cocoons and grow into butterflies.  It was an amazing experience!)

3)  Just open the door to get your little one going -- and growing -- outside.  Encourage him to play with other children under the shade of a tree, not a roof.   It's that easy to reconnect with nature!


Click here to see the full article on PBS, along with their suggestions for outdoor activities and books.  And here are some great activities from our Savvysource Activity archive:

1)  Flower Hunt
2)  Summer Walk
3)  Leaf Collage
4)  Nature Collection
5)  Bug Catcher Jar

And now, a giveaway -- PBS Kids has generously provided us with one Super WHY DVD for one lucky reader! Super WHY is an entertaining TV show with a unique interactive approach that helps kids learn the fundamentals of reading through colorful, animated storybook adventures.  My kids love Super WHY and yours will too!

To enter, simply leave a comment here and share with us what activities you have planned for your children this summer.  And for an extra entry, you can tweet or blog about the giveaway -- just leave a separate comment with the link to your tweet or blog entry.  Here is a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

Win a Super WHY DVD from @savvySV http://tinyurl.com/kqr48c

The giveaway is open until midnight PST on July 20th, 2009;  I will draw a winner at random on July 21st and announce the winner the next day.  Good luck!  Read more...

Cooling Off

by Shawn Burns

August 26, 2008

How do you cool off? Our national editors have some great ideas for cooling off in the heat. With a heatwave moving into the Silicon Valley this weekend Erin and I will be trying to cool off almost constantly. I love their suggestion to just drop an ice cube down your kid's shirt. I think I'll go do that now... Ok, but today is List Day, which means I get to tell you how to cool off. And I'm  Read more...