We can all use a few more hands
We have a new printable available, exclusively for my readers! It is a great reminder of being thankful for the messes such as those dirty dishes. I don’t know about ya’ll, but I have plenty of those around here!
I hope you enjoy it! Click the picture below to download the PDF and print. It prints as a 5×7.
My son has been struggling with getting the letters b and d confused while he’s learning to read and write. I googled and didn’t come up with any worksheets that he wouldn’t have completed in less than a minute. I wanted some smaller print where he’d actually have to decipher it as he would in a book. The giant letters just weren’t cutting it.
I put together this worksheet for him to work on this morning and it has definitely helped him to slow down and think about which is which. I decided to offer it up for free for my readers!
To get it, simply click for the word document: b Or d Differential Worksheet
Father’s Day is this Sunday and Disney PLANES has put together some printable activity sheets and foldable paper airplanes for the kiddos to do with Dad this weekend. They are pretty cute! Head on over to print yours, and yes, completely free (except paper and ink of course!)
Happy Columbus Day! Since we homeschool, I was searching for some activities for the kiddos and decided to go ahead and make a list. Here’s the goodies I’ve found for Columbus Day:
Christopher Columbus – Primary History
Apple 4 The Teacher Columbus Day Printables (Word Search, Unscramble, etc)
Classroom Junior (Word Search, Mazes, coloring, poems)
Coloring.Ws – Columbus Day
Kaboose – Columbus Day Crafts
Let me know if you come across others! I’d love to find more activities!
If you are looking for something to do with or without the kids, the Athens, GA Chick-fil-A is now offering Backstage Tours at the Atlanta Hwy location. If you aren’t near here, check with your local Chick-fil-A and inquire if they will be offering anything similar.
I took my kids on the tour today and it was cute and fun. The manager was the one guiding us through the store. We donned nifty CFA hats and backstage passes. We learned a little of the history of CFA and then were able to go back in the kitchen to see how they make the chicken. We saw one worker making lemonade. Did you know CFA purchases and uses the most lemons than any company in the US? That’s some good lemonade!
After the tour, the kids were able to make their own ice cream cone, which of course was the highlight of the tour.
If you are local to Athens, GA, you can reserve your spot today and receive full details about your free Tour Experience by emailing chickfila3637 @ gmail dot com. Again, if you aren’t in the area, please contact your local restaurant to see if they will be offering tours.
With Easter in just a few days, I’ve been printing some activities and fun things to incorporate into our homeschool week. One of my favorite sites to check out for holiday activites is First School. They even have an entire section devoted to Easter.
Veggie Tales has a free printable as well that goes along with their Twas The Night Before Easter movie. You can find that HERE.
Family Fun also has recipes, activities, and more.
Let me know if you have any other sites with great and fun (and FREE!) Easter ideas.
Below is an article written by reader Kaitlin Bevis. She writes for the Toddler Town Column in the Athens Parent magazine.
As a childcare provider specializing in infant care, I frequently interview new parents. At some point in the interview, they confide they don’t know anyone else with kids and have no idea how to keep their child busy. I remember that feeling. In Atlanta I knew other moms, and every infant friendly activity, but then I moved to Athens. I was lost until I discovered the Athens Mommies Group. Now I’m their infant organizer.
So what is there to do in Athens for infants and toddlers?
Story Time: Infant story time is offered at most Athens Library branches. My daughter has been attending since she was three months old and loves catching the bubbles, singing songs, and playing with toys. They also offer toddler story time, puppet shows, baby music time, and
The Learning Express and Barns and Noble offer a story time every Monday and Wednesday respectively. Learning Express is an incredible store, but it gets crowded and is difficult to navigate in a stroller. The merchandise is also tantalizingly close to little hands.
Barns and Noble has a big children’s section, with a train set, toys, and board books to keep those little hands busy. They also offer a Saturday storytime.The children listen to three stories, color, and eat a snack. The six month old I watch loves listening to the story and tearing up paper at coloring time. My daughter loves running around on the stage after story time and pictures. This one’s a win for everyone.
Go to the park: Our favorite is Memorial Park. We picnic by the lake and feed the ducks, play on the playground, and explore Bear Hollow. I plan my visits close to nap time, so when the kids get tuckered out I can put them in the stroller and walk around the lake. We go to the World Of Wonder playground because they have a playground for toddlers. Barrett Shoals Park is fun for any water-loving toddler, though their playground makes me nervous for any but the steadiest walkers. Sandy Creek Park offers a beach but charges admission. Bishop Park has a variety of toddler sized equipment intermixed with their regular equipment and is the best place for a picnic. At Memorial Park my daughter wanders off chasing puppies, but at Bishop Park I can close the gate to one of the sports fields, bring a ball or a kite, and let the kids run wild. The parks also offer events for children of all ages. Outdoor parties, babies and beasties story time, tours of the zoo, and much more are available.
Take a class: St. Mary’s Hospital offers a Bundles of Joy class, which supports breast-feeding mothers, and a Toddle Time class. Both Athens Regional Mind and Body Clinic and Full Bloom offer mommy-baby yoga. Athens Regional only offers classes until your child can crawl, but Full Bloom takes them all the way up and out of toddlerhood. Full Bloom also offers pregnancy classes, a new mothers class, baby wearing, and cloth diapering classes. The Natural Baby offers cloth diapering classes and a baby sign class.
The YMCA offers toddler swimming lessons, and Kindermusik classes. Dancefx studio offers a mommy and me ballet class for children 18 months old and up.
The Georgia Elite Gymnastics Center accepts children from eighteen months to three years. I was nervous about such a large age gap, but the class was structured in such a way it wasn’t a problem. The gym is crowded on Saturdays, so I recommend their weekday classes.
The Oconee Gymnastics Center accepts infants who can crawl and up. The class is much smaller than Georgia Elites, but the registration fee made it a bit pricier. Athens Clarke County Gymnastics class offers separate classes for infants less than eighteen months old called diaper gym, a class for older toddlers, and another class for threes and up. They offer the lowest price, but if you don’t want to commit to a full season, check out their fantastic Friday events for ages ten months and up. The kids are led through a fun obstacle course in the Bishop Park Gym.
Canopy Studio’s offers a parent child trapeze workshop every Sunday morning for children a year and up. My daughter loves pushing the swings around and running on their padded mats, and the two year old I watch has a great time swinging.
Have Some Fun: If you’re not looking for a structured class, 1-2-3 Jump, and Pump it Up, has toddler friendly spaces, if you can get there when they aren’t crowded. Good Dirt has a family day so you can all play in the mud. My daughter had a blast picking berries and pumpkins at Washington Farms. If you’re willing to travel, Babyland General Hospital offers free admission to see where the cabbage patch babies are “born.”
Join a mom’s group: The Athens Mothers Center meets once a week; the Athens Mommies Group has play dates, meet ups, moms’ night out, and more. There’s even a moms group for Jackson County and Barrow County. Not only will you find lots of child friendly events, but you’ll also meet more moms. Not only do I keep my eighteen month old busy seven days a week, but most of the activities are appropriate for the infant and the two year old I babysit. There is a hidden wealth of infant and toddler activities in Athens, Georgia.
Where can I find the dates and times of these events?
Athens Clarke County Gymnastics: http://www.athensclarkecounty.com/index.aspx?NID=596
Athens Leisure Services: http://ga-athensclarkecounty.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=535
Athens Libraries: http://www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us/, select events and classes, and select your library.
Or stop by your library and look at your Childrens brochure.
Athen’s Mommies Group: http://www.meetup.com/Athens-Mommies/
Athens Mother’s Center: http://athensga.motherscenter.org
Athens Regional Medical Center: https://web1.armc.org/body.cfm?id=221
Full Bloom: http://fullbloomparent.com/resources.php
Jackson County Mom’s: http://www.meetup.com/jackson-county-moms/
Kindermusik: http://www.athensymca.org/special-programs
Natural Baby: http://www.thenaturalbaby.com Select view events
Mom’s In Barrow County, Ga: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=116398065063726
St. Mary’s Hospital: http://www.stmarysathens.com/programs/ Search support groups for the bundles of joy and toddle time programs.
YMCA Swimming Lessons: http://www.athensymca.org/youth-aquatics
For all other businesses I recommend calling because they’re online calendar often include classes that have been cancelled due to lack of interest.
Canopy Studios:
160 Tracy Street
(706) 549-8501
Dance FX:
1260 South Milledge Avenue
706-355-3078
Georgia Elite Gymnastics Center:
Georgia Elite Gymnastics – Place page
1235 Cedar Shoals Drive
(706) 549-0160
Oconee Gymnastics Center:
1071 Jamestown Blvd. Suite E1, Watkinsville
(706) 769-1239
Are you a local business that offers infant and toddler friendly activities to Athens Locals? Contact us and tell us all about it!