The Iowa Farmer's Wife: summer

Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts

Enjoying the Last Days of Summer

Camp Sunny Patch Honor Counselor

I remember the first time I heard about Melissa & Doug. Sweet P was 4 months old and we were in a toy store with Gammie looking for wooden toys. The owner of the store directed us to a product line we'd quickly grow to love.

Fast forward 3 years later and our Melissa & Doug collection has grown to include a variety of toys including puzzles, stickers, magnetic dolls and wooden pull-toys. I can honestly say Sweet P and Sprout play with M&D toys on a daily basis, so I was beyond thrilled when I was asked to be an Honor Counselor for Camp Sunny Patch, Melissa & Doug's virtual summer camp!

Here's what you can expect throughout the summer, or the rest of it anyway! (July & August):

Each week one of M&D's Blog Ambassadors shares new crafts and activities to do with your kids during the summer. This week Allie from No Time for Flashcards is sharing a great activity/craft project involving splat-painting, the Earth and gross motor skills!

Each month you can download a camp calendar with weekly activities to do with your kiddos at home!

AND!
Each Thursday Melissa & Doug host a Campy Sunny Patch giveaway on their Facebook page!

Want to learn more about Camp Sunny Patch? Visit this handy Camp Sunny Patch guide or sign up for email updates!

I'll also be sharing an activity created by one of the Blog Ambassadors later this month. The Farmer and I are SUPER excited about the activity and can't wait to share it with you!

A few ways we use our Melissa & Doug toys:
Teaching Emotions
50 Travel Tips & Activities
The Very Quiet Cricket

Disclosure: I will be compensated by Melissa & Doug for participating as an Honor Camp Counselor at Camp Sunny Patch. All opinions expressed regarding Melissa & Doug products are my own and unswayed by compensation. The personal thoughts and opinions in this post may differ from other Melissa & Doug product users.

Outside Play Link-Up: Chalk Dress-Up Dolls

I'm excited to be hosting June's Outside Play link-up created by JDaniel4sMom with several other fabulous bloggers. We love sidewalk chalk at our house. In fact, it's a staple in the outdoor toys and makes an appearance most days. Sweet P's favorite activity at the moment is her Sidewalk Chalk Road and Town, but two nights ago it washed away by a thunderstorm. Since I knew this post was coming up, I decided we'd try something else instead of drawing another road.

Sweet P love, love, loves dressing things. Stuffed animals, babies, sticker dolls, tiny dolls. If it's dressable, she's all over it. She loves picking out Baby Blue's clothes (she doesn't dress him...yet!) and has recently begun picking out her own clothes (interestingly enough she didn't much care about what she wore until lately). Laying clothes out on the floor in the shape of a person is another favorite pastime of hers (especially when we are doing laundry!). So I took these ideas, paired them with chalk and came up with Chalk Dress-Up Dolls!

Sweet P laid on the sidewalk (with the sun in her eyes, poor thing) while I traced her body. She thought this was pretty cool and wanted me to trace myself, but settled for another body that I free-handed closer to her size (so she could dress two). I also traced Baby Jim (her beloved boy baby doll) so that he could participate. She gave herself a face and hair, while I decorated myself. Her commentary was too cute.
Sweet P: Did you give yourself yellow hair?Me: Yep. We don't have brown chalk. It looks like yours!

I brought out a bag of clothes for her to use that included: 2 dresses, a leotard, 3 pairs of shorts, several tops and 2 pairs of shoes. Sweet P was WAY excited when she saw that she could dress the girls.
Sweet P: Did you bring out your clothes too?Me: No, but I think my girl can share your clothes.
She was skeptical and got pretty excited when one of the dresses fit "my" body. Do you think she'll start thinking we can share clothes?! Uh-oh.

She's drawing my shoes in the bottom right picture and drawing her face in the top right.
She changed herself several times (I only got to wear the dress) and put Baby Jim in his bathing suit (it's a bathing suit for a Build-A-Bear and it's missing the bikini top, so yes, it looks like a Speedo).
The Farmer got in on the action and asked me to trace him. His outline ended up looking a lot like a boxer and it was pretty hilarious.

For clean-up, I simply tossed the chalky clothes in with a load of laundry I was already doing. Simple and cheap! If you have sidewalk chalk, you're ready to play!

It's your turn to link-up your Outside Play: Chalk ideas! Please try to visit, comment on, pin, tweet and share a few other posts. Please place the button in your post or somewhere on your blog and be sure to visit each of the co-hosts to see their chalk ideas! Check back in July for more Outside Play ideas!

Co-hosts for June's Outside Play: Chalk

25 {Free} Summer Activities

1. Tour a fire station. Call ahead to arrange a tour for you and your family or a group of friends. Tours generally include a tour of firefighter facilities, explanation of tools on the firetruck, test page (to hear what they hear when a call comes in) and photo ops! (Our friend Amy set this up for us and it was so neat!)

2. Go to story time at your local library. Some require registration, but ours is simply a drop-in story time welcome to the entire community. Activities usually include a few books, songs, bean bags and bubbles!

3. Run in the sprinkler. Need to water the grass? Run through it while you do! Moms: don't forget to join the fun!

4. Visit Bass Pro Shop for free summer activities, such as fishing, archery, wildlife exploration and bird watching workshops. They also offer free crafts!

5. Make popsicles. Our homemade ones taste 100% better than store bought. If you don't have popsicle molds, make them in an ice cube tray with a toothpick as the stick.

6. Play with chalk. The possibilities are ENDLESS! Make a giant board game, town, road, hopscotch, counting game or simply draw.

7. Go to a Farmer's Market. Check out your local farmer's market or visit one while traveling. The Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market has free live music and kids' activities as well.

8. Host a messy playdate! Most of the items can be made with stuff you already have in your pantry!

9. Create a bubble bucket. Fill a bucket or tub with water and bubbles, add a few utensils or toys and watch the fun! (pic at the top).

10. Mini Olympics! Swim, run, bike, do gymnastics, or play soccer, basketball or volleyball as a family. Do one activity per day or lump several in one day for your own mini Olympics. Make homemade ribbons for the winner in each category.

11. Go the Des Moines Art Festival (or find a local one!). The Des Moines Art Fest has free kids' activities, live music and tons of great art!

12. Explore ice. Use paint or food coloring for colored ice for a fun time in the baby pool. Or freeze plastic toys in ice and explore all the different ways to free the toy from the ice (melting, hammering, salt).

13. Watch a parade. Find out if your area (or one nearby) has a July 4th parade and head over for an hour of fun watching floats and marching bands.

14. Explore a new playground or nature reserve. It's even better if it's near a lake or body of water! Big Creek State Park in Polk City is our new favorite!

15. Collect trash. Head to a park or do it in your own neighborhood. Wear gloves and bring a garbage bag to collect any garbage or debris you see in nature.

16. Have a game night OUTSIDE! Bring your board games outdoors for a new twist on an old favorite.

17. Go on a scavenger hunt: I especially love this chalk scavenger hunt from NurtureStore!

18. Bake. Try a new cookie recipe or simply make a favorite. Eat the cookies outside on a blanket.

19. Make a bird feeder, then watch the birds.

20. Listen to a free outdoor concert. Check your local area for free concerts. Yankee Doodle Pops is a local favorite with fireworks at the end!

21. Make mud pies!

22. Sign up for your libary's Summer Reading Challenge to inspire your children to read more both alone and with you. Many have fun prizes after a certain number of hours spent reading.

23. DIY playdough! Involve your kids in the making of the playdough (supervised of course!). Try stove top and no-cook versions!

24. Play at a splash park! There are several in Des Moines that are free to the public. Try Ashby wading pool (free all the time) and the Ankeny splash park (free from 10-12pm on weekdays).

25. Create a special outdoor place to read. Find a nice piece of shade and take out blankets, pillows and piles of books. A tent would be great too! Read with and to your kids while breathing in the outdoors! (Don't have a backyard? Take blankets to a park!)

For summer fun ideas check out our 2012 Summer Bucket List and our Summer Fun board on Pinterest!

Summer Bucket List 2012

Sidewalk Chalk Road & Town

One day while Baby Blue took a massive nap, Sweet P and I took the monitor outside and had some girl time. Our friend let us borrow a ride on-scoot with your feet tractor so she was riding around the driveway when inspiration hit. I brought her inside while I scavenged for our sidewalk chalk (why is it never with the outside supples?!).

We went back outside and I explained to her what I was doing and went to work. I used 3 large pieces of chalk to create my masterpiece and can I just say it was AWESOME! She loved it and it got HOURS of play before the rain washed it away. 2 others have been created in its place (and washed away as well) and I'm pretty sure we're going to have a sidewalk road and town all summer long.

It took about 3-5 minutes to draw the road and then a few more to draw little places from around town. I put several items that are on our car mat and then asked her for more suggestions. She wanted 2 parks, Costco, a coffee shop (which she named "Have a Nellie Sue"), Trader Joe's, the mall, our house, the farm and the farmer's market. I also drew Hy-Vee, Target, a swimming pool and some fountains we go to during the summer.

She filled in a few dashes in the middle of the road and drew people going down the slide at the park. After the 3rd round of roads the Farmer drew parking places for her dump truck and tractors. We have a terrible driveway, but she doesn't seem to mind and maneuvers over the cracks like a pro.

I played, too by running along the road and pushing the dump truck. She'd start at one end while I started at the other and we'd race to each other. When I reached her I'd swoop her up and spin her around. We had SO much fun!

See the growth in the bottom left picture? She used it as a carwash for her tractor until sadly on Saturday the neighbor cut it down. She asked the Farmer "Why did you cut down the carwash?!"

I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner! It's cheap, simple and she LOVES it!

{Fresh Produce} Clothing Review

Fresh Produce is a mom-owned and run company that offers comfortable, easy-to-wear clothing and decorative scarves. The vibrant colors of the clothing are inspired by the coast, and the special dye process creates trademark colors unique to the garment. This means each item of clothing is one of a kind! One of my favorite things about the company is that the majority of the products are made in the U.S.A.

I received the Standing Ovation Cardigan in truffle and was a bit nervous about the length when I opened the package and held it up. But let me just say that I love the length! I can wrap myself up in the cardigan when it's chilly (almost like a blanket!) and tuck the sides in so it resembles a wrap around shirt. It's also large enough to wrap around both Baby Blue and me on cooler mornings when I have him in the baby carrier!

The cardigan is 100% linen jersey and super duper soft. Because it's been so hot I was worried I wouldn't get much use out of it, but it's so light weight that it's perfect for chilly mornings and evenings. It's also easy to pack in the diaper bag in case it's cool in a store or restaurant. I think I'll also take it along when we go to the pool to use as a cover-up after we swim.

The drape of the fabric makes is casual enough for jeans, but dressy enough for a dress or skirt. The solid color also looks great paired with a solid or patterned shirt underneath. I haven't tried it yet, but I also think belting the cardigan would create a completely different look!

Although the price range of Fresh Produce clothing is a bit higher than I usually spend on clothing for myself, the items are made of quality material and (I'll mention again) made in the U.S.A. The Standing Ovation Cardigan is priced at $74 US dollars and is versatile enough to be worn most, if not every day of the week! I love the tagline on the tag of the cardigan as well. One side read: "live life. enjoy color." And the other side says "smile, it's contagious."

Be sure to check the sizing chart before ordering. I ordered a M/L in the cardigan because I thought I'd need a bigger size since I'm tall, however, I think the S/M would have fit a bit closer to the body.

Fresh Produce carries items perfect for everyday, vacation clothing and resort wear. The women's cardigans are great for layering for any time of year, but I also love their line of dresses! The products are sold in many beach locations, but the company also ships within the U.S. and to 200 other countries.

***FTC Disclosure: I received this product free of charge from Fresh Produce Clothing in order to conduct an honest review. I was not compensated in any other manner to review this product. The thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and may differ from other users of this product. Photos and images in this post are owned by me or provided by Fresh Produce Clothing.

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