Growing up on 20 acres in East Texas was an amazing experience. My father raised just about every bird you can think of. He had everything from racing pigeons to ducks.
I loved every minute of it! But, I always joked that I needed a peacock to complete the total experience. Well I popped off one too many times. After years of asking for peafowl, my dad made it a reality. They are everything I imagined they´d be & more! Check out Pascal!
Here is a few more of our lawn ornaments!
My baby is starting Kindergarten this year! 😭😭😭 I plan on reading The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn the night before school starts.
School is starting in the forest, but Chester Raccoon does not want to go. To help ease Chester’s fears, Mrs. Raccoon shares a family secret called the Kissing Hand to give him the reassurance of her love any time his world feels a little scary. Since its first publication in 1993, this heartwarming book has become a children’s classic that has touched the lives of millions of children and their parents, especially at times of separation, whether starting school, entering daycare, or going to camp. It is widely used by kindergarten teachers on the first day of school. Stickers at the back will help children and their parents keep their Kissing Hand alive.
On the first day of school, I always read First Day Jitters by Julie Love to my 3rd graders.
Everyone knows that sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach just before diving into a new situation. Sarah Jane Hartwell is scared and doesn’t want to start over at a new school. She doesn’t know anybody, and nobody knows her. It will be awful. She just knows it. With much prodding from Mr. Hartwell, Sarah Jane reluctantly pulls herself together and goes to school. She is quickly befriended by Mrs. Burton, who helps smooth her jittery transition. This charming and familiar story will delight readers with its surprise ending.
Here are some other wonderful books to read before school starts back from summer break. Just click on the book. 🙂
I Love You All Day Long by Fancesca Rusackas is a favorite in our house. The main characters name is Owen!
Owen’s anxious question prompts this heartwarming, comforting tale of how a parent’s love stays with a child whether they are together or apart — all day long.
The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wings.
It’s the first day of school! Join the kids as they prepare for kindergarten, packing school supplies, posing for pictures, and the hardest part of all–saying goodbye to Mom and Dad. But maybe it won’t be so hard once they discover just how much fun kindergarten really is! Colorful illustrations illuminate this uplifting takeoff on the classic Christmas poem.
Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Diesen.
Mr. Fish is nervously awaiting his first day of school, and he frets about not knowing how to write his name, how to draw shapes, and how to do math―until he’s reassured that school is the perfect place to learn how to master all of these new skills, in Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School from Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna.
Splat the CAt Back to School Splat! By Rob Scotton.
It’s the first day of school and there’s only time for Splat to share one of his summer adventures with the class. Will it be the time he went searching for pirate treasure? Or the time he went swimming with sharks in the ocean? But before the end of the day, Splat knows exactly what to talk about—and it’s the biggest surprise of all!
Back-to-School Rules by Laurie Friedman.
School’s in session! When it comes to surviving school, Percy’s at the head of the class. If you can follow his ten simple rules, making the grade will be a piece of cake (and school will be a lot of fun). But there’s more to school than showing up on time and staying awake in class. If you have any doubts, Percy also shows exactly what not to do.
What’s your favorite back to school books?
As a reading teacher, I know I have a tendency to neglect math from time to time. Well the kids were begging to have a water balloon fight, so I decided it would be a perfect time to throw in some math practice.
Bunch O Balloons have these awesome instant water balloons. You can have 100 water balloons ready to go in minutes! The time and hassle saved is worth every penny! I wrote some addition equations on the balloons. As they grabbed one to throw, they had to call out the problem and solve it. With Owen going into 3rd grade, his tub had a few higher level problems.
They had a blast without even realizing I made them work and review over the summer! ha
Being a 3rd grade public school teacher, I know the importance of early literacy. Every summer, I know I haven’t done a great job of keeping the kids reading.
I decided this year would be different. I challenged the Owen and Quinn to read 100 books this summer. The very first day of summer, made a special trip to the local public library. They each checked out 2 books and we plan on going every Tuesday. Not only did I put incentives in place to keep them focused on the goal, the library has prizes for every 2 hours they read. It even had a play room for children up to 4 years old, Quinn is already begging to go back. The county library has events from magic shows to movies planned throughout the summer as well.
Our school library is also open for the summer. I plan on taking the kids next week to check out some more books.
So, check out your local libraries. I bet they have lots of fun activities planned throughout the summer. Because, well…Libraries Rock!
A few weekends ago we decided to be spontaneous. We loaded up and headed to Hot Springs, Arkansas. Once we got there we did a google search for family activities. We ended up at Garvan Woodland Gardens. It was so beautiful!
They even had activities to engage the kids. The children received bingo cards to look for certain attractions throughout the trails. It had everything from pink flowers to fairies on the card. The kids had a blast trying to get Bingo first! I would highly recommend if you’re ever in the area, stop by and take a walk. I could have spent the whole day there.
One of my favorite childhood memories is whenever a large rainstorm would hit, my brothers and I would race down to the pond to catch the tiny fish caught in the overflow. My mom’s favorite story to tell is how we snuck one of those tiny bass into my dad’s tropical fish tank. Well the poor little guy ate every one of the guppies for breakfast. To say my dad wasn’t amused would be an understatement.
Well, the last two weeks in Texas have been experiencing the little bitty stingin rain. Big ol fat rain. Rain that flew sideways and even rain that seemed to come from underneath. We were under numerous flash flood warnings.
Well today, the sun finally made an appearance. Hallelujah!!
With the kids dying to go outside, I decided to let them explore. On our walk about, it didn’t take long for them to notice the water overflowing out of the pond. Within minutes they were scooping the fish up and running to put them back in the pond.
I’m typically not an overly sentimental or emotional person, but I just had the best time watching my children make the same memories that I cherish.
