Fun and Games – Pass the Time Learning

Tell your kids: Get out a “handbag,” it’s time for some retail therapy! 

You know that pile of toys, books and clothes lying on the playroom or bedroom? You may actually see the floor again with this game.  These games, created by my mom, Mary Lu Johnston, GrandMa Extradorinaire, are a fun way to clean up the mess

Grandma teaches Allie how to make meatballs

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Store Lady

The Caregiver sits at the “cash register” (try a calculator or buy a toy cash register).  Then “customers” (kids) bring her/him items from the piles of toys on the floor, to “buy.” After “payment” (your choice – we used Goldfish crackers), the children must put items onto the proper shelf or storage container.  It gets the toys off the floor, and they practice counting in the process.

The “Store Lady” offers different challenges depending on the developmental stage, for example, grade school kids will practice adding.  The Store Lady might offer healthy snacks at her store, a perk for the customers, and an opportunity to push fruit or cheese. If the kids are independent enough, you can suggest they play this game without a grownup, but keep watching to make sure they put those toys away.

Stone Soup

Another learning game involves collecting natural things from the garden or on a walk, like pinecones, leaves, dandelions, berries etc. Add these ingredients to the “soup.”  You can use a bucket or a bird bath – anything that holds water.  Kids learned to identify these ingredients and had the fun of making “soup” for the critters in our yard.

Why I Love My Hometown

What makes the Washington Area

Cherry Blossom Time and My Birthday!

home? Living in the Nation’s Capital feels like sharing an apartment with a daunting giant who rules the world while we, his roommates, go quietly about our business. We live in the shadow of power.  While some of our neighbors make decisions that affect the globe, we’re trying to remember what’s on your list at the grocery store.  

 

 

 

 

Raising kids in this area has unique advantages. Every day they come into contact with people from other cultures, religions and backgrounds.  It is likely that they will have less prejudices and greater compassion for people whose customs differ from theirs.  Our neighborhoods are slowly integrating and the boundaries blurring.  We have concerns about immigration, but when we actually get to know a newcomer, we realize that she is independent, hard working and a visionary, who wants nothing more but a better life for herself and her family.

Choices, we have so many living here.  We don’t actually have to shop online, because most items are available within driving distance of our homes.  We feel safe most of the time, and we can dine in restaurants representing every ethnic cuisine imaginable.  The majority of our friends share our care for humanity, the environment and the economy.  Citizens of this region willingly share their good fortune, even they grumble about it occasionally. The area is known for its spirit of volunteerism.    

Mostly, we obey the laws, try not to endanger other people and ourselves, and respect nature whenever we have the rare opportunity to enjoy it.  We want to learn, long after formal schooling is over, by reading and visiting our magnificent museums.  We like the change of seasons, except when the humidity makes us weak at the knees.  We hate driving, but we do it a lot.  We have geographical choices – lakes, oceans, mountains and beaches, along with parks, urban and suburban.  We can enjoy sports as individuals or as a spectator – on the courts and fields, or in the privacy of our living room.  While we often indulge our pets, we also share our world with wildlife like squirrels, bees and deer.        

We feel proud of our hometown; because so many people would like to reside here too.  It costs a lot to live here, but we think it’s worth it, so we struggle to afford our homes and luxuries.  We get giddy when the cherry blossoms come out, no matter how many times we walked among their cotton candy petals. 

We care passionately about our government, the candidates, the leaders and even the interns.  Do they like it? Will they go home and tell the rest of America how great it was to work in the marble offices and sweeping malls?  They ought to. We know it’s special. 

We aren’t New York, Los Angeles or Dallas. We represent the pulse of the country and the founders of democracy.  He’s our giant Lincoln and our regal Jefferson and the Vietnam Memorial is our wall of perished veterans. We are entrusted to keep them safe and cared for.  We welcome others to visit anytime and share our pride.  Even if we complain a lot about the traffic and the lack of style, it’s still home, it is where our hearts are.

 

Cherry Blossom Time and My Birthday!

With my little sweetheart

The Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin

Hello world!

I have a few things to share with everybody. So buckle your seat belts and enjoy the ride. To read some of my articles online, check out the web sites below.