Deirdre, Author at JDaniel4s Mom

Deirdre Smith writes/owns JDaniel4’s Mom. After twenty years as a elementary school and technology resource teacher in Northern Virginia, she became a stay at home mom in upstate South Carolina. Her blog features ways she and her 5 year old are exploring learning, crafting, creating healthy meals and living life to its fullest. Deirdre can also be found on twitter as @jdaniel4smom and on her blog's FB page. You can also check her out on Google+.

Netflix Provides Rainy Day Fun

July 15, 2013 By Deirdre

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Netflix.

You have heard me talk on and on about how much rain we have had here lately. Having Netflix as an option for your children on rainy days is wonderful! After you have danced in the rain and played together all over the house, it is wonderful to sit back and watch a movie or show together. It can be a relaxing way to have rainy day fun.

Netflix offers a television series as well as movies for children. Their Netflix.com/Families features several new categories including Family Movie Night, Are We There Yet and TV for Curious Kids. I loved scrolling through to find shows JDaniel would love to watch. There lists of movies and TV shows for all kinds of special summer moments and days of rainy day fun.

JDaniel noticed right away that they had movies he had seen before and enjoyed like the Lorax. He also saw that Curious George (the television show) was available too. A documentary called African Wild looked interesting to him too. We had fun checking out all the different options on their curated lists.

We had a trouble this summer finding G-rated movies at the library to check out or go to see at the movie theater. Netflix gives parents that are looking for G- rated shows for their children access to the entertainment you will feel comfortable with them seeing.

I love the pop-up boxes that come up with you click on something you would like to watch that share the program’s rating and a little information about the show. That information along with how others have rated it helps me to be an informed parent.I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t dance in the rain, play games, read books and pretend play. Each of those is important for children. When you have done all of those things and you are looking for something to sit down and watch together, Netflix offers you shows you will enjoy watching.

You don’t have to just watch them at home. Netflix would be great to have assessed to as you sit in waiting rooms or visiting relatives this summer on a tablet or smartphone. Cooling off after being at the pool on a scorching day or having a family movie night after a busy day is also great times to enjoy a Netflix entertainment option on your computer.

Netflix.com/Families is a new destination designed to meet your family’s summertime entertainment needs. On Netflix.com/Families, parents can find lists of movies and TV shows for all kinds of special summer moments and rainy day fun days.

Visit www.Netflix.com/Families for more information on the best ways to stream as well as videos from families using Netflix.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Netflix.

Grilled Salad with Pompeian Oils

July 15, 2013 By Deirdre

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian Olive Oil.

July is National Grilling Month. Pompeian Olive Oil is partnering with Hungry Girl to create easy-to-follow, healthy grilling recipes that are inspired by the Mediterranean diet We have loved the taste of foods we have prepared on the grill for a long time. We tend to grill various meats and sometimes vegetables. Though we have never tried to grill a salad before we decide to try Hungry Grilled Romaine Salad. It was one of three recipes I was given to try by Hungry Girl for the Pompeian recipe library. The recipes for Jalapeno Shrimp Skewers and Spicy Mustard Chicken Kabobs looked wonderful but too spicy for my guys. The grilled salad was just right.Yes, we made the grilled salad for whole family. JDaniel had one too. The salad pictured above is the one we served to him. It had big chunks of tomatoes and very few chunks of red onions. It is dressed with Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Pompeian Balsamic Vinegar. I cook with both of those often so, he is very used to them.

I cook with Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil almost nightly. It adds great flavor to meats I am preparing as well as to vegetables. We have cut butter and margarine out of our diet at my husband suggestion. Olive oil has been a wonderful replacement. We love its taste and its a healthier choice.

We ended up grilling this delicious salad on one of the only clear evenings last week along with some chicken tenders. My guys both agreed that we should have this again. There was just something extra special about the grilled flavor in the salad and the Pompeian Olive and Balsamic Vinegar dressing. We all had clean plates at the end of the meal. Everyone loved the grilled salad.

Pompeian Olive Oil, a leader in olive oils and vinegar, is here to help you celebrate July for National Grilling Month! Pompeian products give you a taste of the Mediterranean without leaving your backyard.

By using Pompeian Grapeseed Oil and OlivExtra Mediterranean Blend products you can make grilling healthier and more flavorful in a Mediterranean way. For more information about Pompeian Olive Oil, please visit http://pompeian.com/.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian Olive Oil.

17 Rainy Day Books for Kids

July 13, 2013 By Deirdre

Whether you are working on a weather unit, exploring rain books in April or just looking for a fun book to read on a rainy day, you will find at least one you will love in this collection of 17 rainy day books for kids.

Rainy Day Books for Kids

Dinosaur Thunderis the story of a little boy who is afraid of thunder during a rainstorm. Each member of his family shares with him a story about what could be making that horrible noise. After several explanations from his older family members, his brother shares with him something he can relate too. He tells him the noise comes from dinosaurs. “I love dinosaurs!” the boy responds. He is still scared, but knowing they are dinosaurs helps him be less scared.

Rain! by Linda Ashman (2013-03-05)is a wonderful story about how a little girl and an old man feel about rain. One of the grumbles and gripes. The other rejoices and enjoys it. When one runs into the other, they both learn to love rain.

Come On, Rain! is so well written. The text flows throughout the book painting a beautiful picture of people sweltering in the heat waiting for rain. When the rain arrives, there is much dancing and frolicking that happens. Moms and their daughter rejoice in the rain. The pictures in this book are gorgeous..

Rain Schoolexplains that in the country of Chad there are heavy rains that wash away some of the mud and thatched roof schools. Each year the children join their teachers in building a new school. The children learn to work together while they build the school and learn together once the school is built.

Rain by Robert Kalan uses amazing pictures by Donald Crew and wonderful words to show you the effects of rain. It explores colors and words is such a wonderful way. This is a fun book to picture walk through.

Splish! Splash!: A Book About Rain (Amazing Science: Weather)uses simple text and wonderful illustrations to explain the science behind rain. Non-fiction lovers will enjoy learning about rain.

Down Comes the Rain follows the ups and down of rain as it travels through the water cycle. Where does rain go after it falls from the sky? How does it get into the sky?

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Rise and Shine)some people and animals long for rain to fall. I love the rhythm of this book it just flows. This is a wonderful book about yearning for rain.

Are You Ready to Play Outside? (An Elephant and Piggie Book) (An Elephant and Piggie Book, 7)shares that there are some the love rain and others that don’t. Sometimes those that don’t just need someone fun to enjoy it with. You can’t just watch people enjoy rain. Seeing them love it makes you want to join in.

The Rain Came Down and changed everyone moods. Will their moods change when the sun comes out?

The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book features animals running to get out of a storm when they see clouds gathering. After a night of huddling in a shelter, they hear rumbling and grumbling. Is it another storm or is it something else?

The Aunts Go Marching is about a little girl who marches through the rain followed by a large group of aunts. I love the song about ants marching two by two. This book with aunt marching is just as fun. You will love the pictures in this book

Rain (Rise and Shine) is a beautifully illustrated book about how a group of African animals uses their senses to know the rain is coming. This would fit well in a unit about the senses or about the rain.

Red Rubber Boot Day is the tale of a young boy and what he does when it rains. He starts off the day finding inside things to do like building a fort and moves outside to splash and play in red rubber boots. My son had red rubber boots when he was 3 and 4 that he lived in. This book reminds me of him.

The Puddle explains that while children love rain puddles there are animals that love the rain too. What fun it is to see who comes by to enjoy the puddle.

Raindrop, Plop! counts the joyous things that children find in the rain. What fun it is to count in the rain! This books has wonderful illustrations. The cover just makes you want to jump into reading it.

Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll is a science focused book that shares what makes all of the elements of a storm from rain to thunder to lightning. I used to use this in my weather unit when I taught second grade.

You will find more collections of books for kids on a wide variety of themes on my Collections of Book by Theme page on Pinterest. You will find a number right here on JDaniel4’s Mom too. There are Awesome Books for Kids about Fables, Spotlight on Remarkable Mystery Books for Kids and Jokes for Kids Books That Will Make Them Laugh.

Do you have a rainy day book that you love that isn’t on this list? Tell me about it via a comment below.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

A Rainy Day: Science Experiments

July 12, 2013 By Deirdre

A rainy day is perfect for science experiments and reading books about rain. We recently read several rainy day books and several rainy day. (We have had over ten days of rain.) You will find some of the other books with a rain theme that we read shared on the Who Likes the Rain? (Exploring the Elements)

We like rain at my house. JDaniel loves to jump in puddles and dance in the rain. I love to dance right along with him. We have had more than share lately as I mentioned. With all that rain came tons of questions about rain.

Rainy Day Questions like:

What do raindrops look like before they land on me?
Where do puddles come from?
Why do plants need rain?
How do snails get their shells?
Why does the air smell different after the rain?

These questions and several more are answered in this wonderful flap book for early readers. I learned a lot from reading this book with JDaniel and he understands a lot more about rain. We are going to have to look for other books in this series. The text is easy to understand and the questions are ones that my son loved knowing the answers to.

Science Experiments We Did to Explore This Book

Art-Related Science Experiment

A Rainy Day: Science Experiments -Who Likes Rain?

JDaniel and I decorated a construction paper umbrella with several different kinds of drawing tools. Chalk, magic markers, crayons, and a bingo marker were each used to decorate an umbrella.

The umbrellas were set in a broiler pan and then placed outside on a bench on our deck to wait for the rain. At first, there was only a small shower. I headed out to take pictures of our results and then left them outside to dry.

Then it rained again. This time it was a downpour. The artwork drastically changed after the downpour. The designs on all the umbrellas smeared and in some cases ran off. I need to disclose that I didn’t leave them out in the downpour for long after only a couple of minutes I scrambled outside to bring them in.

It was interesting to see what effect each type of rain had on the artwork.

Baking Ingredient Science Experiment

This experiment was done during a rainy day using the two storms on that day as the art-related science experiment. Several different baking ingredients from our pantry were placed into a silicone muffin tin.

We placed them on the same bench on the deck as the art project to save us from running all over the deck.

After the short shower, most of the ingredients looked a little damp and the colored sugar had started to run. The heavy rain caused a physical change to most of the ingredients. The Italian seasoning got puffed up a bit. The salt had absorbed the water. The cinnamon changed colors. The flour had craters in it from the raindrops. The sugar had gotten a little syrupy. The salt was a little puffier and didn’t display much water. The color sugar had a puddle of green in its cup.

JDaniel tasted them each and said the sugar tasted sweeter as did the colored sugar. The salt was still salty. He wasn’t willing to try the Italian season or the flour.

This experiment was wonderful for talking about physical and chemical changes that can happen to materials and ingredients when they come in contact with water.

While we were ready for some days of sunshine, some science experiments on a rainy day were fun.

How did you explore books this week? If you have a post you would like to share, please link it up below. Once you have added your post, please visit at least three others.

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Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

20 Learning Benefits of 20 Questions

July 10, 2013 By Deirdre

Last summer while on a very long car drive with my sister in Georgia to see my sister in New York, our kids got antsy. They didn’t want to look at books. They didn’t want to play on their iPads or watch movies on them. My sister was driving and I knew our sons would soon be driving her crazy. “Why don’t we play 20 questions?” I announced. I didn’t realize at the time that there would be over 20 learning benefits to playing 20 questions.The boys hadn’t played 20 questions before so, I quickly went over the rules.The rules we used are the following:

One person picks an animal (You can have the item selected be anything, but we narrowed it down to animals.)
They have to stick to that animal and not change it even if the others get close to the answer.
You have to ask only questions that can be answered “yes” or “no”.
You can only answer “yes” or “no”.
You can give hints if everyone is asking questions that will lead them away from the right answer if you are feeling gracious.

Today we still play 20 Questions!

For some reason JDaniel recently remembered playing 20 Questions and he now wants to play it all the time. We don’t even need to be in the car to play it. He wants to play it during dinner, after reading books, and pulling weeds in the yard.

He had gotten really good at asking questions when I am the one who had selected animal. The questions show that he has learned a lot of asking questions and tons about other learning concepts.

Here are the 20 learning benefits to 20 Questions that I have come up with:

Communication Skills

Clearly ask specific questions

Examples:

Does it have nose? is okay, but doesn’t help you figure out the animal.
Does it have a long tunnel like nose? is way more specific.

Ask questions that narrow and define
Example:

Is it found only in Australia?

Ask for clarification to answers
Example:

If you think it is a bee, but aren’t sure, you could ask it makes honey.

Form questions that can be answered yes and no –This is really hard for some children. They want details. Keeping the answers to “yes” or “no” questions can be challenging.

Science

Awareness of time periods in history (prehistoric, Biblical, etc…)<
Examples:

Was it alive with the dinosaurs?
Is it alive today?

Knowledge of Science grouping like animal groups could be mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird.
Example:

Is it in the mammal family?

Knowledge of body coverings
Examples:

Does it have scales?
Does it shed its covering?

Knowledge of ways animals move<
Examples:

Does it travel only on land?
Could it fly if it wanted to?

Knowledge of what animals eat
Examples:

Is it a herbivore?
Does it eat meat?

Knowledge of senses (sounds, unique features to see, textures to touch)
Examples:

Can it scare other animals away with its noise?
Does it carry its home?

Geography

Knowledge of the names of the continents and oceans
Example:

Does it live in North America?

Knowledge of the different type of terrains in the world

Example:

Could it survive in the desert?
Does it live surrounded by trees?

Knowledge of climates and temperatures around the world
Example:

Can it handle freezing temperatures?
Does it live in the rain forest?

Math

Sense of number (feet, eyes, etc…)
Example:

Does it have two feet?
Does it have many eyes?

Knowledge of length actual and estimated
Example:

Is it as tall as a lamp post?

Knowledge of weight actual and estimated
Example:

Does it weigh less than my shoe?
Does it weigh as much a my car?

Knowledge of shape (oval, square, circle, etc..)
Example:

Does it have an oval head?
Does it have triangular ears?

Basic Concepts

Awareness of color

Example:

Is it mostly brown?
Is it black and white?

Language

Vocabulary Development-Using and understanding words like omnivore, prehistoric, and triangular add to children’s vocabulary.
Synonyms– The person could ask “Is it large?” The person who know the answer could respond “Yes, it is humungous?”

Kids Meals – Summer Sunshine Bento

July 8, 2013 By Deirdre

We have had glimpses of summer sunshine here in South Carolina. Most morning have been warm and sunny. The afternoons have been filled with summer storms that dump buckets of rain and then pass on. Sometimes there are more than one of these storms that pass through in a day. While JDaniel loves to get outside and play in the rain, it is the sunshine he longs to see. I decided to give a bento lunch to my kid with a summer sunshine theme.

The bento box is filled with fresh spinach leaves with bright yellow flower shaped silicone cups. The contrast of the yellow cups on the green leaves radiated summertime to me. JDaniel loved that the cups contained foods that he loves along with fresh spinach. He really enjoys fresh spinach.

What do the cups hold?

The main compartment has buttery round crackers and American cheese cut into rounds. I left it up to JDaniel to decide if these would be used to make cheese cracker sandwiches with spinach or be eaten on their own.

The upper compartments contain red grapes. They have been super sweet this summer. Biting into them has been liking biting into sunshine. The compartment on the right is filled with Vidalia onion salad dressing. JDaniel ended up dipping his crackers, some spinach a couple of his grapes into it.

We are crossing our fingers and sending prayers for a few completely dry days in a row. Oh! We are hoping that they not only come, but they come without scorching temperatures. It can get really hot here in the summer. Until then I think I will be making more kids meals and bento lunches that display summer sunshine. My kid sure does enjoy them.

What kids meals to your children ask for? How do you serve them?

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Gnome or Fairy Home – Read.Explore.Learn.

July 5, 2013 By Deirdre

The Fairy Ball (Bella)is a book we read a long time about about a little rabbit that finds her way to fairy ball. JDaniel and I really enjoy reading about how Bella ended up a the ball in search of chain of flowers she had made that disappeared and headed off to find it. Recently we came across a fairy house in the garden in front of a B and B my in-laws stayed in when they were in town. Seeing that beautiful house inspired us to look at the book The Fairy Ball again. Afterwards I thought it would be fun for us to build a fairy home of our own. JDaniel thought fairies were okay, but a home for gnome might be better.

We gathered a bunch of items out of our recycling bin and headed to an area of our yard that contains some pretty flowers. A gnome or fairy would want a pretty place to live.

What items did we take from the recycling bin?

plastic berry box
beverage carrier
paper towel tube
plastic candy tray
plastic peanut jar
assorted plastic lids
cardboard candy box

Then I pulled some weeds that been growing like crazy around the flowers due to days of rain out of the ground. We decided some of the weeds would be great for decorating the gnome or fairy home.

Building a Gnome Home -Recycled Materials Activity

With all our supplies gathered we got started.

Building the Gnome or Fairy Home

We started with the gnome or fairy home structure. An old candy box was decided on as the floor and wall of the home. The candy tray would be various rooms for the gnome or fairies.

An old beverage tray became the roof. We tried the carrier right side up and upside down. It was decided upside down would be the best. The cup holders kind of looked like skylights.

The paper towel holder was placed behind the gnome house. It looked like a chimney to us. Every house needs a chimney I was told.

A plastic berry container was the gnomes side porch. Our house has a front porch, but the gnomes apparently prefer having one on the side.

The old peanut jar was a garage from the gnome mobile. I guess even gnomes like to keep their cars dry in the rain. The peanut jar’s lid was used at the gnome home’s front door.

The bottle lids were used to create stepping stones for the gnomes. I guess they like hopping from stone to stone as they head into their home.

The weeds were woven into the drink carrier and placed on the garage. Some dandelions were placed in the gnome or fairy rooms as decorations. There were a few weeds place in the doorway and the jar lid was then replaced at the home’s entrance.

It is amazing how such simple things made a wonderful gnome or fairy home.

How did you explore books this week? If you have a post you would like to share, please link it up below. Once you have added your post, please visit at least three others.

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Cake Recipes- Patriotic Cake

July 4, 2013 By Deirdre

Baking with Kids is a lot of fun. Baking a Patriotic Cake was really fun for JDaniel and I. JDaniel loves to stir and lick the batter from the bowl. I love to decorate. The only drawback to baking this super easy patriotic cake recipe was that we were never going to get to eat it. The cake was going to be part of a silent auction at church that supports summer mission trips.

JDaniel loves to stir the batter and add the eggs. He has gotten pretty good at opening the eggs. Supervision is still needed, but he does keep all of the small egg shell pieces out of the mix.

Although I have heard that cakes made from scratch are the best tasting cakes ever, we make our cakes using a mix. My mom was a mix cake maker and I guess I am just carrying on the family tradition. They only require a few ingredients in their cake recipes and focus on the mixing. Baking with kids is more about the creating and mixing then the hunting and gathering ingredients at this point.

My son could mix until the cows came home. He just seems to like stirring. Once everything is thoroughly blended, but not over blended I pour the mixture into prepared (buttered and floured) cake pan.

Once the cake is in the oven, JDaniel gets to use a spoon to scrape the bowl. He is a super thorough scraper.

When it is time for the cake to come out of the oven, I say a little prayer that the entire cake will come out of the pan. Bits of cake have been known to stick to the pan in places I may have missed when preparing the pan for a cake recipe.

It is only when I have turned the pan over on a plate that we find out if God has sent a yes or no in answer to my prayer. This time we got a “yes”, but if it has been a “no” I would have put the bit of cake in place and dabbed those areas with extra frosting to cover them up.

The frosting or glaze was created by melting a few scoops of canned blue icing in the microwave. ( I found canned icing at Aldi.) The mostly drippy frosting was dripped over the cake. I didn’t microwave it long enough to make it extra drippy this time. I wasn’t a thicker drip for this cake.

Once the frosting was on, JDaniel and I put a star and dot-shaped sprinkles on the cake. We thought is looked very pretty.

Our patriotic cake did well at the silent auction. The lady who purchased it ended up having other people at the auction want to try it. She ended up selling slices from the cake for a dollar. Then she turned the additional money into the auction.

Baking with Kids is fun! Creating a patriotic cake was fun! Making money for missions was fun too!

Other Cake Recipes

Snack for Kids- Kings Cake

Golden Robot Cake

25 Patriotic Activities for Kids

July 3, 2013 By Deirdre

Patriotic activities are some of my favorite to come up with. There have been posts written for Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, President’s Day and the 4th of July that all have red, white and blue theme. I thought I would share 25 of my favorite patriotic activities for kids.

Crafts

Pasta Printing onto a handkerchief and pillowcase. ( There is not a post on these activities. They are displayed in the collage. JDaniel created them in a library art class. Water Gun Fireworks PaintingBald Eagle Craft and Science ExperimentGrandma’s Garbage Truck and Parade FloatMusical Star ShakerAmerican Flag MobileChalk and Bow Fireworks CraftPatriotic LanternFireworks Straw Painting Learning Activities

Static Electricity ExperimentSight Word Match
I Spy 4th of July Words

Kid Friendly Meals

Memorial Day Picnic Foods Meal

Pinwheel 4th of July Snack

4th of July Bento Lunch with Tomato MosaicLabor Day Star Themed MealTwisted Stripe Wrapped Hot Dog Meal

Recipes

Red, White, and Blue Frozen Smoothie StarsRed, White and Blue PopcornPatriotic ChiliFireworks CakeFruit Flavored Watermelon StarsPatriotic Ice Cream Sundae

Other

jdaniel4smom_10_4th_of_July Books_for_kids

10 Fourth of July Books for KidsI hope you found some wonderful ideas in this post that you can enjoy with your family and students.

Dig Into Construction Sites- Play Dough Fun

July 2, 2013 By Deirdre

This summer I have been co-hosting a Dig Into… themed link up. In May there was a Dig Into Gardening link up.This month Frogs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails, Royal Baloo,Growing Book By Book, and I are co-hosting a Dig Into Construction Sites link up. I am focusing on play dough fun.

My son has always loved to dig in the dirt and play with his construction vehicles. There was a time when he only wanted me to check out construction site themed books out of the library. He loved them so much I made him a construction site themed cake for his birthday when he was three.

Recently we read the book Road Work Ahead by Anastasia Suen. It is a wonderful story about a road trip to visit grandmother. Along the way a family sees all kinds of construction equipment doing work. There are jackhammers digging holes in the road. Cherry pickers helping worker change light bulbs in street lights. Dump trucks filled with dirt from a job site crossing the road. The family has so many vehicles and construction sites to take in. Reading this book inspired me to create a play dough activity for JDaniel that would involve some of the construction toys he has.

Play Dough Fun

I set up an invitation for JDaniel to explore construction equipment and a job site in a large plastic zipper bag. The bag contained play dough smooshed into a toaster oven tray and several of JDaniel’s construction equipment toys.

He was told that I had it for him and he could carry it outside or play with it inside. JDaniel decided to carry it outside to the driveway. There he spread out the equipment and thought about what to do. After a couple of seconds, he started digging and prying up the play dough with a front loader. Then he switched to smoothing the play dough back down with a roller. The play dough easily flattened out and filled the hole he had created.

Excavating play dough was fun too. Digging holes through the play dough landscape required manipulating the scoop carefully to pick the play dough up.

After awhile the play dough was pushed to the far end of the toaster over tray to be picked up by a dump truck. It took a lot of pushing to get it all moved into a couple of clumps that could be carried away. (Even play dough fun can be hard work.)

What I like about this activity!

There are several things I really like about this activity. The first is that it was open ended. JDaniel could choose to construct or deconstruct the construction site. The second is the fine motor work that he had to do as he dug into the construction site. The third is the imaginative play aspect. I sat with JDaniel as he worked and he described to me the various events that were taking place on the site. I guess the fourth aspect is oral communication practice. Hearing what my son was thinking was so much fun. All this made play dough fun to explore!

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