June 25: Lamar Park Splash Pad

Some friends from church planned a morning at Lamar Park Splash Pad in Wyoming, MI, so we joined in the fun!  Recently, we had visited a splash pad in the Lansing area when we visited Uncle Ethan and Aunt Tracy and had a blast!  This splash pad is much closer and just as fun, even though it's a smaller place.  One of the perks is that it is TOTALLY FREE! 

There were only two downsides to this trip...first, the water was a bit frigid making the kids shiver more than once, but the sun was out and that helped.  The other was that every once in a while the water just stopped spraying and we all just stood around for a minute or two until it started up again (yes, I played in the splash pad, too).  Not a big deal, especially for a FREE park, but something worth noting. 

One great thing was the set up of this place.  The splash pad is situated right next to a play area, so the kids could go back and forth between the two (see the pictures at the top of the page).  There's also a pavilion there which offers great shade.  Lamar Park is a huge place, and we only played in this little area, so I know there's more to do there.  Here's the website in case you're interested in finding out more:  Lamar Park

June 19: Swimming Lessons

Seth, Tysen, and Koen waiting for lessons to begin.

This is the third time our kids have taken swimming lessons through the East Kentwood Aquatic Center, and we continue to enjoy the program!  The teachers are wonderful and the class sizes are perfect.  The other sessions our kids have been in classes with only one or two other kids.  This time around, Tysen's Parent-Child class has 10(!) kids in it, but then there are two instructors.  Koen still only has three other kids in his class, so the ratio is wonderful! 

Koen's first day last summer was traumatic for both him and me.  He screamed most of the time and the swim lesson coordinator asked me to leave the room, thinking that might help Koen settle down.  After that class, we decided to change class times and do a parent-child session with him which helped greatly!  Tysen and Seth joined in the last few of those classes just because Tysen was super interested and the teacher said it would be OK (at no cost!). 

The second sesson last fall went much more smoothly, and this sesson continues with that trend.  The boys really enjoy swimming lessons, and I enjoy watching them have fun while their confidence in the water grows. 

East Kentwood Swimming Lessons

June 16: Combo Day

I've mentioned before that our "schedule" is a flexible one, so today we combined Project Day and Library Day since Mommy had plans to scrapbook on Library Day.  But don't worry...the boys didn't care because they got to play with Ian all day on Thursday. 

MIXING DAY --  I'm not what you'd call a science-minded person (so please excuse any inaccuracies as I describe things), but I enjoy little science experiments and think it's important for the boys to be exposed to as well.  Of course, when we mix things we get different results depending on what we're mixing. 

The first things we mixed together were vinegar (as much as you desire) and baking soda (about a Tablespoon).  If you've done this before, you know that it creates a high volume of fizz in a volcano-like eruption.  Koen's preschool teacher had done this for his class this spring and all the kids were impressed.  Not surprisingly, Koen and Tysen were impressed by this reaction and asked for it to happen again and again. 

Next, we mixed 1 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup water.  This was another idea from Disney's Family Fun magazine.  It creates an amazing substance that isn't quite solid and isn't quite liquid.  Tysen refused to touch it, but Koen enjoyed playing with it, trying to grab it, and letting it drip off his fingers.  (WARNING:  If you choose to make this substance, DO NOT save it to play with it later.  I kept it in a container to play with it another day and the stench made me gag.  It's better just to make a new batch!)

The final mixture project was making Ocean Waves bottles.  These didn't turn out as well as I thought they would, but the boys LOVED them.  They liked the color, how the water and oil made little bubbles when you shook the bottle and then separated again as you left it alone (not that they left it alone for long). 

The "recipe" had called for vegetable oil, but we used canola oil...I don't know if that was part of the problem, but I thought the water and oil mixed too easily?!?  I also tried to glue the cap on so we would have no accidental spills (can you imagine the clean up on that?), but Seth got the cap off easily when he was looking at it.  I reglued it, but maybe I need something stronger than Elmers.  Besides, Seth is so much stronger than the boys, it may have been his brute strength that busted the cap open!

In the picture...notice Hiro next to Koen's Ocean Waves bottle -- an almost constant companion.  Also note Koen's cool visor made in Children's Worship in Grandpa & Grandma Smits's church.  He rarely takes it off! 

Prior to making this fabulous mixtures, we had gone to the library and signed up for the summer reading program!  We read everyday anyway...why not get prizes for it?!?!