Fun with Light: Shapes and Colors

  Light is so awesome! It makes even the simplest toys pop out. I've been wanting to make a light table for years, but just bought a projector for $10 and found it works great. I like it better than a light table, actually, because it shows up on the wall too!

Today we got out the projector and my toddler and preschooler tried outlining the shapes with a marker.

Here, they are sorting the shapes into colors. Then by shape and size.

Jonathan's favorite was definitely trying to color the shapes! 

This is a great way to teach shapes, fractions, colors, and so many other things! Adding a little light makes all the difference!

Silhouettes

Do you remember making these back in grade school? They are so fun and easy. And kids love seeing what their shadow looks like. All you need is a light source (I use a projector) And a child that is old enough to sit very still.

We hung the paper on the wall, and outlined his face, then cut out the sillhouette and mounted it on construction paper. Voila! A great keepsake or gift! 

Worth The Journey

My husband's out of town a lot, but sometimes we get to go with him. A.k.a: he drops us off for a few hours and we look around until he picks us up. And did I mention I have six kids under nine? Talk about excitement!

Yeah, the kids get tired, there are poopy diapers, and now and then someone gets lost - sometimes it's me that's lost.

It's challenging, crazy, and stressful, but so worth it. My older kids learn to help the younger kids and we get to see new places, create memories, and find out what we're really made of. 

Sure it's difficult. But would I change it? Not for a second! Sometimes in life we want to take the easy route, or get the most we can for minimal effort. But I've come to realize that anything worth doing takes effort. Nothing is easy. At least nothing worthwhile.

And sometimes that's what makes it worth our time: the challenge, the hard work, the struggle. That's what creates the memories, the love. That's what makes our journey worth it.