Festival Season!

One of the things I have absolutely fell in love with about Rochester is festival season! From late spring through the fall you can find something to do almost EVERY weekend! This weekend is one of my favorites, the Corn Hill Arts Festival. Strolling through this historic neighborhood and seeing the big homes, beautiful gardens, and handcrafted arts while sipping on wine and listening to live music is my idea of the perfect day! Besides the food, which who doesn't LOVE food truck eats, kids can enjoy the Fairy House Tour, a bounce house and a mobile aerial adventure park. It's a fun day out for both kids and adults! Here are some of my favorite reads that encourage kids to find their inner artistic side!

To Market...To Market

One of my FAVORITE things to do in Rochester is to go to the public market on Saturday mornings! Not only do I love how cheap the fresh produce is, but also the many walks of life you see there. It's a diverse, bustling, energy filled environment, reminding me more of an international open market, not upstate New York. I love being surrounded by different cultures, languages and people and I feel it the most while being immersed in the market experience here in the city. Back to how CHEAP it all is, today I got a basket of plums, jalapenos, garlic, 2 red peppers, green onions, strawberries, blackberries, 3 heads of broccoli, 2 lemons, 2 limes and a bushel of romaine lettuce for $14!

Bringing your little one to pick out fresh foods at your local farmer's market not only raises awareness about healthy eating but also teaches simple economics (needs vs. wants), the value of money, addition and subtraction (cost and change), giving back to the local community, and social skills by interacting with sellers and other customers. It also doesn't hurt to point out the labels they will be surrounded by! Here are some titles that can add an additional literacy twist to your trip out! 

International Mud Day?!

I had no idea that June 29th was International Mud Day! This came about in 2009 when Gillian McAuliffe from Australia and Bishnu Bhatta from Nepal wanted to find ways to build a feeling of community and appreciation for the world around us. They encouraged educators, families & children all over the globe to celebrate Mud Day on June 29. Regardless of race, religion, gender, age...we all are similar when we're covered in mud! After the next rainy day, get out there with your little one and get messy! Then check out one of these books from your local library.

Happy Mud Day!

Nature Enriches Life

Children and nature go together! This wonderful article outlines the importance of connecting young children with the outdoors. Research shows the positive impact exploring nature has on a child's social, physical, emotional and cognitive health. Click on the article at the bottom of this post to read more! Here are some fun titles to read after a day out!

http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/article/connecting-young-children-with-nature

The season of soaking up the sunshine, swimming, playing outdoors and NO SCHOOL is upon us! Though I am very excited for my students to have a well deserved break, I will miss them terribly. What an exceptional school year it was! I told my kiddos to promise me 2 things....that they would keep reading each day and to get outside and PLAY! Rochester truly has endless activities and events for families to enjoy during this beautiful season. The following link is packed with ideas to keep your little ones engaged, active and occupied until September!

http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com/

Also, the local libraries do a terrific job of hosting kid friendly summer activities! Here are a few seasonal titles to get you started. 

Happy Summer! 

Rochester continues to impress me with the amount of kid friendly activities they have every weekend! The first Sunday in May brings families together to enjoy the old art of kite flying. The first kite was invented in China about 2,800 years ago!! The amount of kite festivals around the U.S. prove that both young and old enjoy controlling the line and watching their kite soar to full heights. If you're in the area check out the event which will be held tomorrow at Ontario Beach Park beginning at 11:00 a.m. After, browse your local library for some good reads about kites. Here are some of my favorites!

http://www.cityofrochester.gov/kiteflight/

Pretend Play!

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But, for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood." I remember growing up myself with my siblings and my parents would make us go outside and play. Allllllllll day. The days were slow, the seasons would change, but we were out there playing together, fighting together, making up games along the way. We most likely did not have the newest, most expensive gadgets of that time but we didn't need it. What couldn't you do with a stick, some rocks and a pile of snow? Whether you have the most expensive line of toys, hand-me-downs or you only have nature to work with the possibilities of play are endless.

Kids especially love pretend play! Young children learn by imagining and doing. They might use an object to represent something else while giving it action and motion. They might imitate being someone else such as a parent, a teacher or a fireman. They might transform a cardboard box into a castle standing guard as a knight protecting the queen. There are infinite examples because all children are unique and innovative. They see materials and the world around them in a curious, wonder like way. In addition to fostering creativity and interests, here are other essential skills your child is developing. 

Language- pretend play helps your child learn the power of words. You might hear some words and phrases you never thought they knew! In addition to developing their own bank of vocabulary, children will begin to make the connection between spoken and written language- a skill that will later help him/her to read. 

Cognitive Skills- pretend play provides an opportunity for your child to draw on their background knowledge to solve problems, make decisions, modify decisions and transfer their understanding of the world into new situations. 

Social Skills- pretend play allows children to actively experiment with social and emotional roles of life. It is developmentally appropriate for children to see the world from their own egocentric point of view however play supports him/her to begin to develop empathy, a skill that will last them a lifetime. Other important skills are cooperation, self esteem, problem solving, turn taking, and responsibility. 

Click on the following link to see how one father has captured creativity, imagination and technology with his toddler in a genius way!  

Superhero Toddler

So what are you waiting for?!?! Get playing!!