Themed Weeks

I feel like this summer we've spent a lot of time on house projects, and I have felt the need to spend more quality time as a momma. With school starting again, I'm realizing that Brayden will be starting school in just a couple years and feel this need to have fun and teach him lots while I still have him all day. I had this inspiration to have a different theme for each week (you know how Joy School does a different theme for each month?). So the first week we did "construction week" where we sat and watch local construction sites. Brayden gets to pack his "adventure bag" with construction books and tools and such. Then this week we had "Wheel Week" where we explored different modes of transportation like planes, buses, and firetrucks. Did you know (at least where I live) you can schedule a little tour of the fire station for little kids for FREE??!! It was SO much fun. Well he actually cried a lot at first - all the sirens and noises were a little overwhelming - but the firemen were really kind and interactive and they even give out cool stickers and bracelets. If you have kids, you've gotta go. Doing these fun activities has made life tons more fun for Brayden and for me. Let's be real... this is not something you are going to do every single week.  I tend to implement this mommy idea for a few weeks and then I move onto something else and come back to it later.  We also do lots of themed days instead of weeks.  And here's a warning... my house is usually a mess during these weeks because we are often on the go having fun... and I say - Whatever!  I often have the company of dirty dish piles and scattered laundry and sometimes I've just gotta let it go and have fun creating memories and teaching those little ones who won't always be little.  I feel like I can never keep up with housework, but these children will keep on growing fast!  

Children learn best thematically and through repetition, so pick a topic and have fun!  To teach colors, one mother I know had a “purple day” where they all wore purple clothes, ate purple foods, played with purple playdough, played with their purple blocks, and painted pictures using purple paint.  Some other ideas are… “friend week” where you visit friends and teach about sharing and serving or “water week” where you buy a fish, visit Cabella’s huge fish tank, go to the aquarium, and play with the backyard pool and hose.  We also try to get tons of books at the local library that have to do with our theme.  The possibilities are endless!