But let's get on with the blog so you too can start making aquariums with your little ones. When I did this lesson, I didn't jump right into making the aquariums.  Even when I do activities, I like to start off with an actual lesson first. With doing this I find that my kids are a lot more attentive because they know something fun is coming. First, we watched some fun and informational YouTube videos.  One of them taught the kids fun facts about the ocean and the other was a cool song to learn the name of the 5 oceans.  After each video I gave the kids a mini quiz to see exactly what they learned. 

    I also created a couple of worksheets to go along with the lesson.  The first was an ocean animal worksheet. In order to complete this worksheet, the kids were supposed to circle all the animals that can be found inside the ocean. The second worksheet was an ocean animal math worksheet.  My girls still need a bit more practice with simple addition, so these worked out perfectly! If you would like to get these free worksheets to add to your lesson, feel free to click the link below.

    After we got all of the learning out the way, it was on to the aquariums! This activity was pretty simple, and you can find all of your supplies at your local Walmart or on Amazon. I will say, if you have younger kids like I do, I would try to purchase some clear plastic containers like these instead of the glass mason jars. Thankfully we didn't have anything break, but I could feel myself tense up every time the kids picked up the aquariums lol.

The supplies that you will need are:

• Glass Mason Jars (Or Plastic Jar with twist cap)
• Aquarium Gravel
  
• Bottle Water 
• Blue Food Coloring
  
• Aquarium Plants (If the plants you purchase are too tall you can always trim the tops)
  
• Plastic Ocean Animals
  
• Paper Bowls or Plates

  

    We have a fun one for you today! This week my 4 year old is working on letter recognition and the letter of the week is G. The theme was "G is for Gumball"! We were able to play some fun learning games but the highlight of the week were these DIY Gumball machines. You may have seen many tutorials on how to create these candy dish like, faux machines, I just changed it up a bit. Even though the ones I have seen were very nice, most of them weren't kid friendly to create, ESPECIALLY for my clumsy 4- and 5-year Olds. Considering this, I decided to take the same concept and just tweaked it a bit in order to create a fantastic project fit for any little one.

    The best part about this project is that it's really cost effective, and I used a lot of supplies I already had from other homeschool projects. I really only needed to spend $3 to make it. That $3 was for the candy bowl, plastic cups and gumballs. However, we did use plenty of stickers and paint, and a couple of other supplies that I keep on hand for homeschool.  Alot of these supplies are optional, using them just made it more fun for the kiddos. If you don't already have some of these things laying around the house like I did and your kids like stickers as much as mine, the best part is, you can get EVERYTHING you need from the Dollar Tree! Here is a complete supply list for all the things that I used:

 

 

     

    Are you tired of looking at those old picture frames? Are you looking for a change but you don't want to break the bank by buying all new frames? I have a simple project that can give life to any of your old picture frames. For this project I actually used some old wall art that I had stored in the garage. Updating your picture frames can really bring life into a room, and when you paint them yourself you can bring in your own unique style and tie in your overall theme well.

All you need for this project is:

1. Spray Paint (Pick any two colors that work well with your design elements)

2. Sandpaper 

3. An old picture frame or wall art

4. Painters Tape (optional)

......and that's it!

    As I mentioned I used some old wall art that I had lying around.  The very first thing that I do, is take the glass and the backing off so that I have just the frame. This just makes painting easier and ensures that you don't get any unwanted paint on the glass. The only thing hiccup with using wall art instead of actual picture frames is that wall art takes a little bit more prep work since its not designed to be taken apart. The first thing I did was cut off the brown paper on the back of the piece of art. This revealed the brown cardboard backing behind the art work. Now this is IMPORTANT: If you happen to be using an old piece of art like I did, keep this piece of cardboard, as you will need something to go behind your picture when you are finished. 

Generally for most of my spray paint DIY projects I use Krylon spray paints. Unless there is a particular color or type of paint I am looking for that they don't sell. This is not to say other brands aren't good, its more like, I found something I liked so I stuck with it.  The good thing about this particular spray paint is that it works well on multiple different materials. I even painted a plastic frame. For this project I used the Color Master paint + primer spray paint in yellow. As well as the Chalky Finish in classic white. I used the yellow simply because the picture frames that I am painting are going in my dining room, and I am decorating with yellow accents.

 

    Does anyone have those days like me, when you just get tired of homeschooling in the house? That actually happens to me quite frequently. However with the corona virus, I now try to limit how often and where I take the girls. With that in mind, I am always trying to think of creative alternatives that gets us out of the house, but still allows us to get some learning done. My two oldest girls are 3 and 4 and they both enjoy reviewing their shapes. My 4 year old knows her shapes pretty well already however my 3 year old still needs some practice. Learning together really encourages the little one plus I find that reviewing shapes with my oldest is still good practice. 

    The shape walk is a very simple and straight forward activity. I just have the big kiddos jump in the double stroller, I strap the baby on and we hid out for a walking adventure! We don't live in a particular busy neighborhood, just your typically family area, however there are still plenty of shapes you can find. We even increase the excitement level by singing our shape song "We'errrree....going on a shape walk, a shape walk, a shape walk, we're going on a shape walk, what shapes do you see?" I know it sounds cheesy, but once we all get to singing the girls get really into it. After I ask the question "What shapes do you see?", one of the girls will say "I see a _______".  And that's it! So simple and the girls have a blast!

Here are some of the shapes that we have found!

    

More learning, more fun!

    As an extra learning bonus with my oldest, I sometimes will take this time to review counting. I will have her count all the shapes she finds and every time she finds a new shape, she gets a sticker. She then places the sticker on her sticker worksheet. Side note: I am not sure about your kids, but my children absolutely LOVES anytime they can use stickers, so I try to incorporate them when I can. This activity is great because not only is she practicing counting objects but she is also working on those fine motor skills, peeling off the stickers and placing them in the correct box. Feel free to download my Shape Walk sticker worksheet to have on your next walk.