Studio 5 Contributor, Stephanie Peterson has done all the work for you in this month’s Mama’s at-a-Glance.
Mama’s at A Glance- April
Whether you’re a stay at home mom, working mom, or single mom…we all want to engage our children with books, crafts, games, cooking and service every month. But researching and planning can take time. Time often taken up with dishes, laundry, and carpooling. Don’t let these fun activities and events pass you by. Take a half hour to sit down with your calendar and plan what will work with your schedule. Try doing this a week before the month so you can gather books and other supplies you’ll need. You don’t have to do it all, but pick things that you think your family will enjoy.
Have fun!!
Week of April 1st-3rd
April 1st- April Fool’s Day
I love this day! Playing a practical joke on your kids and husband, just because you can!
For the kids, superglue coins to the pavement. You’ll need to find a spot that is both heavily trafficked and suitable for gluing; a front sidewalk or driveway works well, though you may need to clean the surface to get the coins to stick. Also try minty delicious Oreos. Scrape the cream out of Oreo cookies and fill them with white toothpaste!
For Dad, put a little bit of salt on his toothbrush. Then stuff toilet paper or tissues or whatever into the toe part of his shoes so he has trouble getting his feet in!
Family Cooking: Chocolate Bird Nests
Makes 5 large or 10 small
– 5 oz. crunchy chow mein noodles (1 small can)
– 1 c. chocolate chips (½ a bag) – 1 tsp. vegetable shortening
– Candy eggs (medium-sized speckled jelly-beans, or Cadbury Mini-Eggs in Easter pastels work nicely)
– Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Melt the chocolate and shortening together in a microwave or over a double boiler, stirring until melted.
– Allow to cool slightly, but do not let it set up. Stir in the chow mein noodles until evenly coated.
– Drop the coated noodles onto the baking sheet with a large spoon. For 5 large nests, form into circle about the size of an adult palm or half that amount for 10 small.
– Use your fingers to sculpt the noodles into a round shape and to form an indentation in the middle of the nest.
– Place eggs in the nest while chocolate is still wet. Place nests in the refrigerator to harden.
Week of April 4th- 10th
Journaling for the Month
Grab your kid’s journal, a piece of paper, or computer and ask your kids these questions. What a fun thing to look back on and see what your kids had to say.
A good time to do this is at dinner.
Ask your kids what their favorite kisses are?
Make a list of your kid’s favorite jokes or riddles?
What songs does your child like to sing-or like to hear you sing?
Do your kids have a favorite outfit or shirt that wants to be worn everyday? Take a picture of your child in their outfit for your photo album! It may irritate you now, but you’ll soon miss it.
Family Fun Night: Movie Night
Cheaper by the Dozen is this month’s pick for movie night. Invite some friends over or keep it simple with your family. Enjoy scrambled eggs with cheese and salsa accompanied by bacon and toast. Follow it up with a baker’s dozen of doughnuts!!
April 10th- Siblings Day
Encourage cooperation between your children and have them do something together like building a fort or working on a puzzle.
Week of April 11th-17th
Butterfly Kit
This is one of our favorite spring time activities. Raise 3 to 5 Painted Lady butterflies while learning all about metamorphosis. See the caterpillars’ transition as they mature, change into chrysalides, and finally emerge as Painted Lady butterflies! The butterflies’ development takes approximately three weeks, and they’re absolutely safe to release into the environment.
Visit http://www.insectlore.com/ to order your kit or check out Toys R Us.
National Garden Month
It’s that time… Time to dig in the dirt! This year try some new veggies. Grow cucumbers that can be turned into boats and raced down a creek at the end of the season. Peas are always a must and so fun to eat. And lettuce, which is easy to grow.
Fieldtrip: Tulip Festival @ Thanksgiving Point
Saturday, April 17th
Welcome spring this April and enjoy all the colors of the rainbow spread throughout nearly 100 different varieties of tulips during the Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival. Featuring 250,000 tulips spread throughout the 55-acre Thanksgiving Point Gardens, the Tulip Festival is an awe-inspiring sight that is redesigned each year to create a new display. In addition to the spectacular tulips, on Fridays and Saturdays the Tulip Festival includes music, vendors, food, and even storytelling for children. Garden tours and demonstrations run every day. Also, stop by the art exhibit featuring Sarah Samuelson’s locally famous paintings, inspired by her love of tulips and the Thanksgiving Point Gardens.
The garden is open from 10am-8pm, closed Sundays. Admission is $10/adults
$8/children (3-11)
Week of 18th- 24th
April 19th-25th: TV Turnoff Week
This week might be harder on the parents than the kids, but it’s worth a shot. This week have a read-a-thon with a reward at the end for the person who read the most pages.
April 22nd: Earth Day Craft
Use all those recyclables that you’ve been collecting to build something, be it an airport, mini city, creature or whatever your imagination comes up with. A glue gun works best to keep it all together.
Week of 25th- 30th
Game of the Month: Potato Sack Race
Games that burn energy while having fun are the best!! The object is to have players race to the finish line while jumping in a burlap sack or pillow case. You can do this outside or we do it in our basement.
Spring Clean
We all know it’s hard to get our kids to do chores, but in the long run they’ll thank us for it. Have your kids pitch in on the spring cleaning, you shouldn’t have to go it alone. Give them jobs they’ve never done before to make it a bit more exciting. Hopefully they’ll realize how good it feels to work. Don’t forget to compliment and keep good music running.
Fieldtrip: Arbor Day at Red Butte Garden from 9am-3pm
Friday, April 30th
Trees are Terrific… and Energy Wise!
There’s no better place than Red Butte Garden to celebrate Arbor Day! As Utah’s very own Arboretum, we can’t wait to share with you the wonderful world of trees. Join us for a fun day of activities and interactive Exploration Stations throughout the Garden. All participants leave with a tree to take home!
FREE DAY
Arbor Day is a free admission day thanks to Salt Lake County Voters & Zoo, Arts, and Parks.
www.freeprintablecalendar.net
Print it out and fill it out with these activities
Utah Mama’s provides personal, professional and parenting resources designed to foster a greater sense of identity, empowerment and connection for women and mothers everywhere. The Handbook covers what, where and how to be the best Mama in town by collecting all the top Mama secrets. From community services and school information, to places to do and things to see-it’s a book packed with information that is compiled into 25+ in-depth chapters. To order your Utah Mama’s Handbook and for other great mothering information and advice visit www.UtahMama.com.
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