Middleton Library

I will write many awesome things about the Middleton Library (No. 7).  Aurora agrees with me, but they are not her favorite part.

The child’s play area is wonderfully inviting with a large sunny rug that helped us run out energy and learn our letters and numbers not but little over a year ago.  The chairs are large enough to snuggle close with a child or two while reading their excellent selection of books.  There is a puppet theater with beaucoups of puppets.  The interactive wall hangings have all had their turn holding Aurora’s attention for quiet some time.  As cool as it is, it is not Aurora’s favorite part.

Middleton’s selection of kid movies, both educational and purely entertaining, is humongous.  Their board book selection is impressive.  They have such a large area dedicated to holiday books that you can almost always find one for your holiday of choice, even if you have waited to the last minute to do so.  Plus, they check out themed backpacks with books, DVDs, and appropriate accompaniments (stuffed animals, scientific equipment, musical instruments, etc.). 

There is a wall of computers, a giant fun bead toy to entertain itty bitties for hours, and an cozy storytime room.  Their storytimes are unique; they even have one that teaches Hindi!  Their parties are always entertaining and cleverly themed, but these are not Aurora’s favorite part.

Aurora loves this library, for all the reasons that I have written above, but she loves this library especially for the kitty.  I think once this kitty might have been white and long ago he had overalls, but he has been loved much too long to keep track of his britches and has taken on a cuddly grey.  Aurora goes for him immediately.  We take him into storytime; last Friday he learned Spanish with us.  He has read hundreds of books cuddled up with us the giant chairs.  He has been in puppet shows, on the bead rollercoaster, and on every number/letter on the rug.  Once, he accidently came outside when we ate snack.  Recently, he has taken to licking Aurora, which tickles her so and sends her laughing such that I have to remind them both to use their library voice.  There are many awesome parts about this library, but the kitty is Aurora’s favorite.

Living Room Tent

In South Carolina, Aurora was spoiled be her Uncles who are experts at building elaborate pillow forts.   When we returned home, she found Dad and my cushion construction skills to be subpar.  So instead, we set up the tent in the living room.

The cats thought this was the coolest thing ever.  They explored it extensively, jumped in and out, crawled underneath, and attacked each other through the fabric.  Ultimately, they could not handle the excitement of the tent and had to be banished to the basement. 

After a bit of initial scolding of the cats, Aurora agreed that a tent in the living room was pretty awesome.  She spent the morning and afternoon inside.  She played puppets, read stories, ate snack, took naps (pretend ones), sang songs, and entertained her sister inside its green walls.

The tent was a magic place for me too. 

“Aurora, it is time to put on your clothes.”

            “No, thank you.  I want to wear my pajamas.”

“It’s time to put on your clothes.  You can change inside the tent.”

            “OKAY!  I would love to!”

I used this trick through out the day.  Magic tent.  

Overture Center for the Arts

Fifty Free Things to do in Madison with Kids, No. 6:  The Overture Center for the Arts.  They even print a brochure titled Free & Low Cost Events at Overture Center. 

With its big overture “O” in floor (r the ceiling depending on your level) and curvy walls, the building itself is fun and artistic.  Aurora often joins the other children in running with her hand against the pillared walls. 

Yesterday we took advantage of their Kids in the Rotunda series and watched one of the coolest shadow puppet shows I have ever seen.  A Chinese sorcerer created a shadow so that the emperor could see his absent wife.  An old man, an old lady, a young girl, a dog, a cat and a mouse successfully extracted a turnip from the winter soil.  A family of ants saved a grasshopper from perishing in the snow.  And thanks to the participation of some audience children, a traveler did not go hungry, but instead enjoyed a delicious bowl of stone soup. 

The show captivated my daughter.  She chanted to help save a couple’s prize pepper plant from a hungry goat.  She sang along with an irresponsible grasshopper.  She gasped as the sorcerer turned the sky dark with a storm.  She laughed and laughed and laughed every time the farming family fell down in their early attempts to get the turnip. 

We dallied on the way out and instead peaked at the artwork in the galleries.  It is hard to leave a fun place!

Black Light Bath

For a fun night in the tub, fill the bath with glow-in-the-dark stars and let them fluoresce under a black light.  Ta da!

For bonus points, make fruit gelatin snacks with tonic water for a glowing bedtime snack.  
  

Fishing with Family

Fishing with Family from Andrea Southgate on Vimeo.

Lakeview Park

Place number five of our Fifty Free Things to Do in Madison with Kids series is our neighbor’s favorite playground, the Lakeview Park, a.k.a. the Middleton Playground, a.k.a. to the pre-K’s the Purple Playground.  We met Aurora’s friend there yesterday to enjoy the parks eighty plus acres of fun things to do. 

The main playground is super bright, clean and cool.  Aurora went

bouncy bouncy on the bee,

back and forth on the swing,  

dancing to music made by her friend,

up ladders,

down slides,

down stairs,

and round and round the structure until she settled at the window.

During non-school hours older children, who are regrettably rough/oblivious to itty bitties, swarm this playground.  Fortunately, this park offers much more then the main super shiny playground.  Aurora loves running about in the large playing fields and watching the ducks in the large pond.

But the best part of the park is the hidden playground tucked back in the corner.  A giant oak tree shades it during the hot summer, it hosts a fancy sitting merry-go-round, and, most importantly, so few people use it that we always have the run of the place.

Felt Board: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

The felt board Aurora and I made for The Very Hungry Caterpillar (by Eric Carle, 1969) is one of our oldest and most successful felt projects.  We have used it to learn counting, colors, days of the week, metamorphosis, and, now, addition. 

Learning basic addition has gone the course of so many other concepts I introduce to my itty bitty; Aurora understands the idea so quickly that I wonder why I did not begin it sooner.    I began it a week ago with crackers.  I asked Aurora how many crackers she would like, but I would give her a couple less and ask her how many more were required to reach her desired amount.  Next thing I know she is suggesting number combinations (“Two and two is four, Mom”) and calling me over to confirm her recount each time she subtracted/ate another cracker. 

The play with The Very Hungry Caterpillar felts was significant because this was her first time bringing up addition of her own accord.  Clever girl.  Shifting through the pile of felt pieces, she carefully counted out the required fruits for each page and called attention to the remaining number needed make the total.  After they were all accounted for, she placed each piece neatly in a row that wrapped round the board. 

Occasionally, Adeline would try to take a piece (to try to eat it, of course), but this simply gave a reason for Aurora to bring up subtraction…

and a reason for Aurora to giggle…

and then motivation for Aurora to pretend to eat all the felt food..

which gave cause for Adeline to giggle!  

Flowers in the Yard

Flowers in the Yard from Andrea Southgate on Vimeo.

Dandelions

Dandelion from Andrea Southgate on Vimeo.

April Fool's Day

Adeline started the festivities early by never sleeping more than an hour at a time.  Ha, ha, ha – joke's on you, Mom and Dad! 

Aurora was all about a holiday full of jokes. 

As Dad made the morning smoothie, Aurora snuck over and taped a paper fish on his back.  Ha, ha, ha, ha, she doubled over with dramatic chuckles. 

Little did she know that her smoothie would arrive at her table dressed with a pair of googly eyes!  In fact, all the fixings for her morning granola honey yogurt wore googly eyes.  Ha, ha, ha, ha.  That’s so funny Adeline.  Do you see the funny joke, Adeline?

Adeline needs only an excuse to laugh.  Aurora gets a kick out of bringing her baby sister in on a joke.  Together they laughed the whole day through.

Like when, after a couple false starts, Aurora called her Grumpy to ask if his refrigerator was running (and subsequently suggested he go catch it.)

Or when Aurora found more googly eyes on her boots/her toothbrush/her pajamas/etc.